When riding in the truck, from say hunting spot to hunting spot, do you have the barrel pointed to the floor, or do you have the butt of the gun on the floor, barrel pointed up?
I have always had the barrel pointed down. I figure, better a hole in floor, or in a foot, than one in the head.
100% barrel down every time, and I drive hundreds of miles a year this way in Africa every year, year after year. All my barrels are crowned very deep for this reason. I don't even care if it's unloaded in the truck it's pointing down. If the hunter does not want to do this he can unload and case the rifle or put it in the outside window rack in back of the cab.
C'mom now, watch4 bear..:)
You chummin'...??
When in any vehicle or traveling the rifle is cold.
Action open totally unloaded including magazine.
Cased..as I'm not a road hunter..:)
Usually horizontal..and my driving never has got to two wheels..Jim
Barrel down. Another good reason for electrician's tape on the muzzle...it's not just for snow any more
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DN
I rarely have cause to have a weapon uncased in a vehicle. I open the action and put it back in the case if I ever do.
Cased..as I'm not a road hunter..:)
Probably never hunted pheasants, from field to field either.
I agree with Jim and Lefty and I DO hunt pheasants.
But, I will say that close inspection of many road hunters in Wyoming and Nebraska last week suggests that the true road hunter goes muzzle down.
Brent
Barrel is pointed out the window, finger on the trigger, and the safety off! Never know when you are going to jump something you want to shoot! Unless I am on the highway, then I take my finger off the trigger.
In reality though, barrel down and gun ALWAYS unloaded- nothing in the chamber.
Hemi
Down, Even with out one in the chamber, I don't want it sldiing around with the possibility of pointing the muzzle at me or others.
Pheasant or dove hunting,I might get in and out of the truck 20 times in one morning. Usually my old double has the action open to
When in any vehicle the rifle is cold. Barrel is down. And electrician's tape is on the muzzle...
In this state if you have a loaded firearm in the vehicle on a public road and get stop you will get a ticket for road hunting.
laying across the backseat
Locked and loaded, safety on, and with the crown resting on my chest. After all, loaded rifles are perfectly safe, and safeties never fail...........
In reality, I always drive (get carsick if I don't), and I keep my rifle unloaded, in it's case, muzzle down tucked right next to my right leg.
First, always unloaded and action open. If the unit is not cased, the butt rides on the floor with the barrel up. A dinged up recoil pad I can tolerate. A dinged up crown I will not.
Rifles have to be unloaded in a rig here. If I'm driveing alone,the rifles but down on the pasanger side. If anyone is with me then the rifle lays on the back seat. I dont like the crown rideing on the floor so I never put it muzzel down in my rig.
Jamie
The barrel is up to not rub the bluing off off it or damage the crown. But should it really matter your rifle is suppose to be unloaded. Mine is and the bolt is open.
Back in the early sixties, I worked as an auto mechanic in Rifle, Co. One day two out of state hunters dragged their old 'flat top' Jeep in for repairs. Their rifles were loaded, pointing down w/safties on but the bolt handle bumped against the saftie on the other gun, then against the trigger. Sure enough, the rifle fired, the bullet going thru the firewall, then hit the spark plugs causing lots of shrapnel to hit the radiator. It looked like it had been shot with a shotgun.
Pretty costly, embarassing happening for those two guys.
Cased... Beghind the front seat.
Depends on how it lands when I toss it in...
I agree with Jim and Lefty and I DO hunt pheasants.
But, I will say that close inspection of many road hunters in Wyoming and Nebraska last week suggests that the true road hunter goes muzzle down.
Brent
That way it's easier to shove it under the seat if the game warden shows up
Casey
Barrel down riding in an unzipped case next to me, 3 in the mag when in Arizona and
none in while in Washington. Differ laws for differ states.
Muzzle up has always been a sign of "dudes".
Barrel up, that part of the gun is way to precious.
My cousins husband Steve rode with muzzle up with an "unloaded rifle",
hit a bump and put one through his chest.
She remarried two years later after burying him.
Wow.
That will make a guy think(at least you would sure hope so!)
I never carry loaded in the vehicle, and I still have the muzzle pointed downwards in a case.
I'm not sure if its law or not but I've always kept the actions open when a rifle is in the truck. It doesnt much matter to me if if the muzzel is up or down for saftey reasond as long as the muzzel isnt pointed at anyone and the rifle is wedjed so as it cant slide around. The only reason my rifles ride muzzel up is to protect the crown.
Jamie
Down.
Once or twice in my life there's been so much mud in the truck this wouldn't work. Then they were up and there was a hand on them the whole time. Passenger got to open gates AND hold two rifles.
SD
Muzzle up after making absolutely sure there is nothing in the chamber before the rifle or shotgun is put in the truck.
BCR
In CO, you can have rounds in the magazine,but none in the chamber ,except a handgun which may. I believe in states like PA, the gun has to be fully unloaded, cased, with no ammo accesible. Also I understand they even have laws that make it illegal to lean your rifle agsinst a vehicle
My cousins husband Steve rode with muzzle up with an "unloaded rifle",
hit a bump and put one through his chest.
She remarried two years later after burying him.
Damn the luck.
Out here in Aus we do alot of shooting from vehicles, under spotlights. As such I always have the rifle muzzle down on the pasanger seat and if somone else is with me they just rest the rifle on their right leg(right hand drive here!) as it still sits just nice beside the seat. As to loaded/unloaded I always have a full mag, with the action closed and dry fired on an empty chamber.
This means that as I step out of the car i am already loading the rifle this serves two perposes, the first is so much faster to have the round in the spout bolt shut but not closed when the rifle hits the bags. As soon as I'm ready I'll close the bolt tap the bonnet and the ofsider will turn on the light again and two or so second later BOOOOM!
the second thing is the foxes can often hear the sound of the cartridge feeding from the mag and do a runner before a chance for a shot is taken. If anybody wants too see some spotlighting go to youtube .com and type in roo shooting, there is a video of a guy who shoots for a living out of a car pretty impresive stuff - ALL head shots
Cheers
Steve
Muzzle down and on the tip of my boot, right at the toe, to avoid messing up the crown. And unloaded of course. I have ridden whit guys who keep guns muzzle up and I hate it. I flat out tell them to open the bolt and put the muzzle down.
I've hunted w/ people who are insistent both ways. Muzzle up if there's only 1 or 2 in the front and muzzle down if there's someone in back. Rifles are unloaded and actions open no matter what.
Barrel up, towed behind my truck. Of course I put the 105 mm bore plug in.
OR it scares the heck out of the people driving behind me.
In my truck, from a safety stand point it doesn�t make any difference. Anyone that blows a hole in the truck�s floorboard or the roof will never ride with me again. NO ONE HAS A LOADED GUN IN MY TRUCK! Including myself.
But if someone had to carry a loaded rifle in a truck, the muzzle better be pointing at the roof! Because if the gun goes off, and shoots a hole in the engine block, or the transmission, you boys are going to be walking.
All rifles are unloaded in their cases when in the vehicle. I also don't have any reason to have a loaded rifle in a vehicle.
Even IF there was no law in Oregon prohibiting carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle( other than lawful CCW handguns)...
there is no reason I have to worry about muzzle up or down when traveliing in a vehicle..no matter how remote the road is.
On rough roads, one needs to have his hands free ...not encumbered with a lap-laid rifle nor worry about his passengers jamming a rifle butt or barrel in someone's ear..
The firearms are simply unloaded, verified safe, usually cased horizontally with action open.
Not a one of us will leap from the vehicle, dash off the road six feet and chanber a round to take a shot on elk, deer, bear etc..and so there's no need to have the rifle in hand at all..:)
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Now, when some folks are planning to do 'drive bys' in their double sliding door Dodge Caravans after an evening of drinking up in SE Portland....I hear they just hold their cheap 9MM Hi Points with muzzle almost out the open side doors..:)
( dumb humor)
We don't road hunt here..least not in my company or camp..Jim
In my truck, from a safety stand point it doesn�t make any difference. Anyone that blows a hole in the truck�s floorboard or the roof will never ride with me again. NO ONE HAS A LOADED GUN IN MY TRUCK! Including myself.
But if someone had to carry a loaded rifle in a truck, the muzzle better be pointing at the roof! Because if the gun goes off, and shoots a hole in the engine block, or the transmission, you boys are going to be walking.
I think I need to refine my answer a little. No loaded guns. No ammunition in the chamber and no ammunition in the magazine. If for some reason, like someone in law enforcement needed to carry a loaded rifle or shotgun it needs to point up to the roof.