Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Hunting with a round in the chamber with outside hammer guns?

I don't hunt with a round in the chamber when hunting with my bolt action rifles, or even when hunting with my internal hammer leverguns such as my Savage 99 and Winchester 88. I don't do this for safety reasons, and because I can run a round in fast enough with those actions that I don't worry about missing shots.

However, this season I'm going to be hunting with my Browning 71 which is an outside hammer levergun with no safety. This Browning does not have the rebounding hammer and tang safety of the newer Miroku 1886 clones.

So, my question is, how many of you hunt with a round in the chamber and the hammer down? If so, why? If not, why not?

This question also applies to outside hammer shotguns, and I'll be hunting with one of those this year as well, a 16ga J.P. Clapbrough. Here are some pics to get the debate going

Whatever I hunt with, there's one in the chamber.

Ah, schit..........................

Here we go again............................

Perhaps, but not necessarily. I've already considered and rejected the arguments of those who hunt with a round in the chamber as a matter of course. What little advantage they derive is heavily outweighed by the dangers inherent in relying on a mechanical safety.

My question is whether an outside hammer changes the equation in any way.

I should also add that I don't mind tag-soup, so long as there's a salt-shaker nearby

Expound please

If I'm hunting, I don't care what rifle I'm using, there will be a round in the chamber.

I have a Model 71 identical to yours, and a Marlin 45-70, as well. I hunt with a round in the chamber and the hammer on the half-cock (safety notch).

It's the same as carrying a six shooter with either 5 or 6 in the cylinder.Whatever a guy believes in.I personally carry my 45-70 hot with the hammer down and am well aware of the situation.It takes alot of force to pull the hammer back on a levergun unlike the bolt gun safeties.

Jayco

For example, many who hunt with a round in the chamber as a matter of course say that it is necessary in case game is jumped. I have not found that to be the case given that I can rapidly work a bolt, or a lever in the case of my 99 or 88. Alternatively, some have said that muzzle control and mechanical safeties are sufficient to make the gun safe; that may be true, but I would rather not take the risk.

It's a matter of preference, and I don't object to the practice--I just haven't adopted it as my own. I hunt with guys who have a round in the chamber; I don't try to convince them otherwise, but I don't emulate them either.

My question is whether the arguments for or against the practice are any different for guns with external hammers.

That's what I've been thinking the more I handle the gun; unlike most mechanical safeties, that hammer likely won't get jarred open or brushed open. Thanks for the input.

Oregon 45,

The only toy I have with an exposed hammer is my .454. When I hunt with it all five chambers are loaded. One can never tell when one is going to encounter a rabbid animal, a an angry bear, a mountain lion, or a man eating thunderbird. Gotta be ready.

I always hunt with a cold chamber on lever guns. I can work the action quickly on my model 94's (pre-64). With that being said I have shown various people that the safety cock on the hammer can be positioned (with some trigger/hammer finagling) so that the hammer will fall with the trigger being pulled. A round will discharge when this occours.

Bolt or lever, maybe. But a double barrel shotgun??

I really want to be standing there when a bird or rabbit or whatever jumps, and you're holding an empty shotgun!

You really think you're going to crack it open, drop a couple shells in, close it, cock it, and fire, and STILL hit something?? And you think fumbling with shells like THAT is somehow safer than carrying it with shells in the chambers? Wow....



Tag soup? Yep, you're going to be eating a lot of it if you plan on hunting with an empty shotgun....

I carry my shotgun completely cased and broken down. When a partridge goes up, I open the case, assemble, load and shoot.

Everyone I know does it this way. It is the right way. I used to leave it locked in the truck and go back for it after a bird flushed, but this way I always get my limit.

Either most folks shoot elk an deer further away than I do,or thier rifles are a lot more quieter than mine when working the action. The two elk and two deer that I shot this year would have heard any lever gun being worked if I had to slip one in the chanber. Even my 88.

I shot one cow elk that I snuck up to in her bed. She would have heard any click. The bull, I worked for about 200yds or so.It always was givng me the slip in 4 ft tall junipers.Every time I had a slight chance for a shot,it slipped off some more. When I did get a chance to shoot,I had maybe 5 seconds to do so.

On my Marlin 94, I have disabled the cross saftey with an o-ring and depend on the hammer to provide the safety just as they have down for 150 years.

Every one should do as they feel safe with. Myself I consider walking around without around in the chamber to be called hiking. A round in the chamber,I am hunting .

Riding a mule,a vehicle or whatever,the chamber is unloaded.

When hunting in the heavy timber,where I usually do 95% of my hunting, my sling is off the rifle and I am carrying my rifle at the ready. That is the main reason I like hammer/lever guns in the timber. I can mount the rifle and cock it all in one motion.
Are lever guns safe using the hammer? I don't know. Any mechanical device can fail. I never trust them. Safe gun handling is paramount, but I reject the argument most give that carrying with one in the chamber is unsafe.

If that is the premise,all skiers should not have thier skis on, going down hill.In CO this year,three skiers have been killed, no hunters were.

As I�ve stated many times, it�s a mixed bag for me. Empty chamber is common with bolt and leverguns. Once I chamber one, however, it often stays chambered.

There is no firearm that is safer than one that is unloaded. Both mechanical and mental safeties are subject to failure.

Common sense and attention to the damned muzzle will go a long way.
You may hunt in an area where you can see three states from your mountain top. That's good. Keep your bullets in your pocket.
Where I hunt, a deer may be bedded ten feet from me. Don't think he's going to stand, stretch his legs like a yard dog, and wait for me to load my gun.
Hell, I'd rather not hunt than drag my ass through the woods with an unloaded gun...

Saddlesore,

unsafe in the equation are we, the people.

Germany has 300.000 hunters and roughly 10 deadly accidents per year while hunting. 4 - 6 involve firearms - falling down, dropping the rifle, snatching the safety on a branch or even 'glassing' an not yet identified object through the scope and / or shooting at not positively identified targets are the reasons.

The first three on the list can happen to anybody - novices and old salts.

There are idiots out there doing Nr. 4.

In all events - an empty chamber can be a life saver. This, and not so much to be a pain in the all prescious, is the motivation of the 'cold' ones.

Because of the fact, that any mishap or stupid accident affects all of us and is avoidable, we are vocal about this.

And before someone brightens up to opine, that the odds quoted above are low - they are not low enough, when every inquiry comes back with the verdict - avoidable with regular and correct safe gunhandling.

To the OP:

I carry my Marlins with the chamber free. On stand with a round in the chamber, hammer on halfnotch.

Exactly why I asked the question: I don't expect to open the gun, drop two shells in, close the gun and then pull the hammers back and fire. If you have a technique you use with outside hammer shotguns I'd be happy to hear it. I've read of several but am always looking to learn more.

My comments on not hunting with a round in the chamber apply only to bolt actions and modern lever guns utilizing mechanical safeties, as is clear in the original post and is why I asked the question to begin with.

Thanks, that's what I'm leaning toward with my 71; hammer down when moving on loaded chamber when moving, half cock when on stand.