Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Lever unloading...How often?

I know you can on a 336. Done it many times. I believe you can on a 94 also but I'm not sure.

Wrong
My dad showed me this trick back in the 60's

If I'm at camp, which is out in the woods and away from other dwellings, I leave the gun right outside the door and loaded. Otherwise, coming in the cabin, or getting in a vehicle, the gun gets fully unloaded, with the exception of my muzzleloader. I just take off the percussion cap, drop the hammer to cover the nipple and case it up. If I don't get a shot, the gun may stay loaded for the duration of the hunt.

Thanks JWall 4 the comment/ observation.


I have done like the later poster......started loading them with less ammo. Kind of counterintuitive in my opinion.

I will work on your suggestion of unloading.

Thanks again.

Awesome whack em!

Interesting on that 1895.
My 336 loading gate won't push in far enough to avoid snagging a 30-30 rim as they come out.
That's how I remember it, anyway.
If I remember, gonna check later.

I end up unloading mine a couple times a day. The regs say no loaded rifles or magazines while in a vehicle. And I'm always hunting out of a vehicle.

The OP more or less answered his own question, for the safety of all concerned it is best to completely unload any rifle when done hunting. Too many scenarios where accidents could happen to not do so.

Load when I get into the woods, unload before I get into the truck. No big deal - and illegal to do otherwise, where I am.

Other points:

As patriarch of deer camp, I've tried to encourage folks to unload before they get to the front porch. It's not a hard/fast rule, but I personally will unload when I'm about 200 yards from camp, if I haven't unloaded as I'm leaving the stand. At a minimum, I'll unload at the turn in the drive about 25 yards from the porch, while I'm still surrounded by nothing but mud and trees. It's all about fatigue, cold hands, etc.

I generally do not walk about with a hot chamber. Say I'm out with the Savage 99. I go out in the dark with rifle and ammo and do not load up until I'm snug in my stand or blind, and it's legal hunting time.

It's 1100. Nothing's shown all morning. I'll remove the round from the chamber and put it back into the mag and close the bolt on a cold chamber before lowering it to the ground on the rope with the barrel pointed down. I'll then climb down and saddle up for the walk in. I don't jack that round back in.

In the evening, I fully unload at the end of legal hunting before leaving the stand.

I'm fortunate in that once we are at camp, the truck is no longer used until we leave. Therefore, all rifles are loaded upon arrival, and are unloaded prior leaving. I leave guns loaded and kept either inside (until hunted with) or in the garage to be kept out of the weather and cool.

That said, I usually hunt single shots, so it's not a big deal to unload, but at my camp all weapons are to be considered loaded, and all hunters there know that.

I usually hunt alone, I prefer to use a rifle with a clip , and why I prefer a rifle that can be unloaded without running all rounds through the chamber. If I do take a tube magazine style firearm I will only feed 2 into to loading gate. I either walk or am horseback to hunt.( I would like to be a fly on the wall at JB's hunting camp- just be as pure as the driven snow in there, me thinks). Firearms are always emptied in at camp or in the truck

This thread had more life than I thought it would and I appreciate all the feedback and that Marlin video. I must try that with my M92. Condensation is always a worry when I bring that 99 into a warm cabin. When I wrote about putting it into the truck, it was just to keep it cold over night, not to drive anywhere with it loaded. Clips are easier, but I don't own any. The blind magazine 700 ADL's and those old Remington 14 and 141's and a few others must have the same unloading hassles. Cold, stiff fingers with a lack of dexterity at the end of the day is another good point.

Yes sir easy peasy

I just unload mine every time. At deer camp, there could be a buddy that brings a youngster or likely a few drinks after a good meal discussing the days hunt and anticipation for tomorrow. It literally takes a few seconds....