Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Rifle Hunting Safety Question

So, you do have a burr. Well, i do appreciate knowing many well respected members of the Fire and several prominent members of the community would tend to disagree.

Whatever i have inadvertently done to offend you i sincerely wish to here and now apologize for. I will assure you i had no intention of doing so.

So, Im a dumbass for hunting hot, yet others who do so are evidently not. Ok.

I wish you a blessed day. Thanks for your candor. Take care, jag

I've never hunted dangerous game other than black bears and cougars, but one of my plains game PHs recommended I carry hot. I didn't, and never felt the need to, not did I regret it.

I do hunt upland birds with a hot shotgun, so I feel a bit hypocritical...but I am ALWAYS cold with a rifle. It's just how I do things...There's no need and I have never lost an opportunity on a critter because of it, from open prairie pronghorn to tight cover whitetails.

Anyhow to the OP, I never ever EVER scan with a scope...it is simply unacceptable to me, and yes....I have been scanned by folks and it'll piss you off like no other.
If I've spotted game and have positive ID that it is in fact game, I will forgo the binos but that's a different situation.

Nice try jag,but as I said, it depends.




jag, when you continually reference others to make your point, it just shows that you've failed to make it.

Better luck next time.

It's hard to make a point with someone who knows it all.

I've hunted all my life and in several states other than Texas and I've never known anyone who hunted with an empty chamber.

I have READ about several on here who do.

That's strange.

Muzzle discipline...... Lock and load!

No, what's strange is that after multiple posts stating otherwise, anyone on here thinks I hunt with an empty chamber. I thought I cleared that up. When I need a round in the chamber, there's a round in the chamber. Flushing birds or rabbits, still hunting in a spot where I might jump a deer or elk, or sitting at a spot where doves might fly or big game might appear. When I'm sitting I don't always need a round in the chamber, but muzzle control is not an issue. When I don't need a round in the chamber or when the footing is no good, there's no round in the chamber. And my judgment on footing is most definitely affected by whether I'm hunting with others.

You're right in that it's hard to make a point with someone who knows it all. It's impossible to make a point with people who don't understand what they read.

Hunting hot vs cold is not a yes or no proposition. As I said above, it depends on the situation. It's not rocket science.

"KayWoodie carries a hot muzzle loader with powder in the pan and a LIT ceegar in his mouth to monitor wind direction- and he's a genius.


Ha! Gotcha!!! I don't smoke ceegars!!! Nor do I smoke my pipe while stalking.

Usually reserved for camp.

But I don't care want anyone says hunting with a flintlock, by its very nature is a hazard. Hence when stalking muzzle discipline is the rule. That is why I always sling any of my rifles German style as I can physically see the muzzle and I am aware of its location at all times. If a trip or fall is involved the muzzle is going in a safe direction, away from me, and in control. As a rule, I generally always hunt alone. Just the way I like it.

I'll admit to using different standards when I'm hunting alone. If I take a spill I can keep the muzzle pointed away from myself. If you look at the incidents where people lose muzzle control and their rifle/shotgun goes off, almost always it's someone else who gets shot. And muzzleloaders are much slower to load when you get a quick chance for a shot, plus you have to take your eyes off the game. Unlike most centerfires. When I'm stalking around alone with mine, it's hot because if I'm going to get a shot, it needs to be.

I brought up others who did it to show how duplicitous and hypocrytical you are when singling me out for your baseless attacks.

You finally admitted it wasnt because of hunting hot, except you dont like that I did so, and should do so only in instances where you, the self appointed holy see re gun safety do it. You then admit its ok to hunt around others with a hot shotgun but not with a hot rifle.

A lot more people are killed while hunting with shotguns at close range.

You first got your panties twisted over the fact that as a 10 year old i saved lawn mowing money a got a 37 dollar ss savage 30-30 and a 3/4 in weaver scope with dovetail rings and admitted to having scanned a few ridges and weedy fields with a scope when i was the only hunter allowed on 1500 acres.

I know you didnt know all the details as at the time and werent concerned with them. Your purpose in admonishing me was fulling your role of holy safety see.


Have a blessed day.

There's some people I wouldn't hunt with if they had an unloaded slingshot...

Everyone's safety standards may be a bit different. By and large, it comes down to common sense. You can teach gun safety, but you can't teach common sense.

I'd rather be around someone that is on the side of too careful than anywhere near someone that is the least bit careless.

Sorry KW, i thought you were joking about that re our texts yesterday. I reviewed and see where our bud was kidding you about that.

I lost an acquaintance to a flintlock mishap. He was hunting alone. And somehow slipped in mud coming out of a gully. Shot himself with us Tennessee flint style rifle. All I can think of is he broke the main rule of muzzle control. I can't help but think as he fell he tried to "catch" himself with the rifle as a walking stick. The cock brused off from half cock. Least that's what coroners report arrived at as well. Bad scene. DRT.

Bottom line is you can't never be too safe!!!! Practicing safety at all times is a damn good habit to have.

LOL! Yeah we was jokin'. Just wanted to go on record that I do not defile myself with ceegars! 😂

As a historical sidenote I seem to remember reading (Josiah Gregg) that the second most common cause of death on the old Santa Fe trail was accidental discharge of weapon. Apparently as he went on to explain, folks liked to grab their loaded guns by the muzzle and pull them out of a wagon generally hanging either cock or hammer on something causeing the discharge.




Just thought I'd throw that out.

Edit FYI 1st main cause of death was disease/sickness.

Falling asleep while driving wagon and falling under wheels ranked high too!! 😊

I just did the most dangerous thing, KW. I drove to the clinic amongst south texas indians on wefar driving their F250s, the national truck of Texas. Its easy when your kidd and drs and food and meds are free.

I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you trying to make it sound like I got upset about a 10 year-old mowing lawns and saving his money and buying a gun? Or was it the fact that it was a Savage that pissed me off?



Bullsh**. I'm not singling you out for anything. The only thing I've said about hunting with a round in the chamber (and I've said it consistently) is that I ask myself if I really need one in the chamber, and I unload if footing gets bad and I might lose control of the muzzle. Especially when hunting with others.

Then you took that and ran with it, went on a diatribe. Actually a couple of 'em. Naming all kinds of scenarios where (you said) I'd not have a round in the chamber. WTF was that all about?

I didn't single you out for anything, just responded to your BS.

My uncle, old skinny McNall managed that trick pulling an old Winchester 30-30 out of a short wheel base Landdrover...shot across his abdomen and scared the living heck out of him.

Well, seems like it was almost only about just yesterday you stated it was due to me being a dumbass and then in the next post to me you were back on the hot gun chitt again. Make up yer mind fer Christ sake.

Bet he was glad he was "Skinny" and not "Fatty" McNall!! 😂

Whew! That would have been close!

Had he been fatty McNall he would not have made it as he was in the northern part of Queensland at the time.