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

Oregon45,

That's that cool .348 you just scored, right? What a find!

Round in the chamber, half-cock, for me with a lever. I've hunted a few Marlins and a Winchester 94 that way. However, mostly I hunt a BLR that way. BLR's are particularly well-designed in that regard; the hammer is hinged midway and folds forward to, in my analysis, protect the rear of that firing pin in a virtually impregnable manner.

In fact, a couple years ago this was being debated with, shall we say, extreme vigor... grin... and I posted a pic of the BLR hammer at half-cock folded forward and dared anyone to explain a reasonable scenario where that could fail. Nobody even tried. Believe you me, there was a score of angry Alaskans and assorted hangers-on who WANTED to... grin... but they couldn't. It is mechanically quite safe. A virtual dismemberment of the rifle would be required to make it fail- by my analysis.

Anyway I'll unload when circumstances dictate, but if I'm in the woods hunting, round in chamber, half cock, and using common sense is how I roll.

When I'm hunting with my Browning BLR, Marlin Guide Gun ,Remington Mountain rifle even my Ruger NO#1, there is always one in the chamber. Same with my shotguns and my muzzleloader.

If there is no round in the chamber, then I'm just out for a walk. My safety is muzzle control.

Just for clarities sake - the marlins only have one notch, just off contact with the pin.

When moving, I carry chamber emty, magazine full. I do a lot of 'walking in the woods'

An empty gun is useless. EOS

Oldman,

I figured with a blinker out of alignment, you'd be extra careful about carrying hot..

I chamber up only during active stalks, during walking/slow/still hunts and when on stand regardless of the action type. Hammer down, only cocked when ready to fire.

100% FOCUS ON muzzle discipline 24/7/365 even when the chamber is clear.
Works for me.

I've had a half-cock sear fail on an old 25-35 I used when I was a kid. It had been broken off partially by some previous user. It went off when i jumped down off a log.

Dad thought i had it cocked at first but eventually figured it out which was a good thing for my health.....

Point is I suggest you impact test and squeeze test a half cock before you trust it.

I still have to laugh at all that profess 100% muzzle control, it's not possible.

I also love the 'a rifle without a round in the chamber is just a stick'

Can you work the bolt/lever on a frigging stick and shoot something 100 yards away.....

do you hunt birds with an empty double shotgun ?

Nope, there is a cartridge in each chamber, just did it yesterday.

Without being argumentative, I'll let you laugh at me.

Forty plus years without an AD or ND. Never a round fired without intent.

Never had a firearm mechanical failure either.
Can one happen? Sure.
But I'll be danged if the muzzle will be pointing at anything on my body or another's body unless I mean for it to be.
I can control that, of which I am 100% positive.

You are a lucky man. My buddy never had a car accident till he was 53 and only had one, which he didn't live through.

I've walked through enough Alaska brush etc to have busted my ass on more than one occasion. If you can maintain 100% muzzle control when tumbling down some nasty [bleep] you are either delusional or should be in the Circus.

OK. I'm simply lucky.

Sorry about your friend.

I don't care how folks want to do stuff, but there is nothing 100% except for death and taxes.

I go by the premise that every gun is always loaded, however
when I am actively hunting in an area or terain type that may produce an animal up close then I hunt hot on safety but if the terain will allow time I carry cold.

Von Gruff.

When you walk up to a fence with a double,you break it down and cross the fence then reload..Hummmm I have heard of alot of hunting accidents but most were other knot heads shooting at anything that moves,not someone shooting there self with a hot chamber,now after hunting season a bunch of nut jobs forget to unload and clean there guns blowing anyone in the path away,but not hunting.

Everyone should do what they feel safe with..

Jayco

11 year old shoot when companion trips

11 year old shoots himself in head whilst hunting with his 100% Grandfather


Man shoots himself whilst hunting

Man slips and shoots self whilst elk hunting

66 year old man shoots self deer hunting

What's your point?