Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game empty chamber?

Maybe this point has been made somewhere in the middle of this thread, and if so, I'm sorry to repeat.. But do any of you consider the type of firearm being carried in your decision to carry hot or not.
For example, I do not carry any of my Rem 700's hot because the safety can and has been bumped to "fire" position when carried slung, or over my shoulder. Never had that happen w/ my model 70 when carried on full safe. Still not a good idea tho, since firing pin is cocked.
Similarly, my Encore muzzleloader is difficult to cock hammer with that scope on there.

Yep.
Just askin..
John

said earlier that 99.9% of the time carrying hot aint a big deal

Funny feeling I get, the hot chamber guys are honest.
I don't doubt MOST of the cold guys do carry cold..but I have a feeling they are not being totally honest about when.

Guys that claim they would be empty in a blind and load when the birds started to land must have never duck hunted where I have...

And you can forget pass shooting as well...

Guided hunts are hot. Like in any blind that is shared, one man calls the shot. If a safety is heard to click before he gives the word, you have probably experienced your last day in that blind or on that place.

JM

Especially with regards to those upland bird coverts...

Nothing trumps a good education of safe gun handling.

In all the hunting camps I have been in and that is considerable,this coversation about carrying cold has never come up. In PA,MI,an TX there are at least 600,000 hunters in each state and I never met one that carried cold. Nor I have never heard it mentioned there. In CO,I have never met a hunter doing it. Most when approached by another hunter, in thier party or not, simply open the bolt or action. Hunter Education classes do not promote cold carry, CO DOW does not, NRA does not in it's hunter saftey classes. Nor have I seen it editorilized it in any gun rags.Being an NRA certified instructor,I have not run across it in any instruction manuals.

Yet there are the few self righteous on here that proclaim that you are an idiot if you carry hot.Then there are those that proclaim walking around with a hot chamber with a shotgun,bird hunting, is not the same as walking around with a hot chamber big game hunting.Ditto ML hunters.

Hunting is one of the safest sports to take part in. In CO alone there are over a dozen a year fatalities that occur on the ski slopes from real idiots sking into a tree, and yet the average is less than one fatality or even injury every 2-3 years from hunting related gun mishaps.

Yes we can hedge our bets on safety.We can add the feature of carrying cold,and we could add the feature of carrying rounds in our pockets, or even be too frightened to leave the house. There is a point though when hedging our bets borders on being rediculous.One can temper the process with the circunstances.Lifting the bolt handle when crossing treacherous terrain, opening the action or removing the round when crossing even more treacherous terrain ,ie fences, streams,etc, carrying the firearm in such a fashion that should we mistep,the muzzle is pointed in the safest direction.

Each scenario has to be treated differently.If you are out on open land, stalking pronghorns or elk on sage brush flats, or shootinh 600+ yards, you usually have time to chamber a round.Stalking elk or whitetail in close confines when your shots are at 15 yards or so and have to be accomplished in seconds,it is not.

With children,it is an entirely a different world.On this forum at least,it seems parents are starting thier kids off way too early in hunting. I would suggest for the firts few years,the parent or mentor,carry the ammunition and only give it to the youngster when a shot is imminent. I have seen way too many youngsters fiddling with the action and end up not knowing if there is around in the chamber or not. Unlike some states,CO has an age minimum on buying a license and hunting. I think this is great as it takes a certain amount of maturity to fully fathom the reality of death and what happens when a bullet is sent down the barrel.

Whether one carries hot or cold,it is a personal choice. If you don't want to hunt with some one that carries either way don't. Whatever the choice, does not make that person an idiot.Calling someone an idiot does though.

Funny feeling I get, the hot chamber guys are honest.
I don't doubt MOST of the cold guys do carry cold..but I have a feeling they are not being totally honest about when.
And it's always funny to read about going in cold after wounded Grizzly and such, just plain stupid.

Especially with regards to those upland bird coverts...

Kids are different and circumstances vary..one should be able to make that decision on the circumstances at hand...you can't tell me it's 100% cold all the time.