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Carrying Rifle w/Chambered Round?

Chambered?  

115 members have voted

  1. 1. Do You Carry Your Rifle In the Field with a Chambered Round?

    • Yes, Chambered and on Safe
      38
    • No, I Load When I See an Animal
      68
    • I only Internet Hunt
      3
    • Bacon
      7


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21 minutes ago, firstcoueswas80 said:

That would be vehicle standby, and absolutely with my buddy Colt.

The question said how do you carry in field, not in your vehicle nugget!

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Deer elk and lopes I hunt with a empty chamber until I see something I want to shoot. for 2 reasons one safety more importantly cause I want make sure its exactly what I want size wise before I pull that trigger.

I hunt ducks /dove with an open chamber in the semi and break open in the O/U's. Quail locked and loaded once I see them. Yotes locked and loaded when I start calling. which has screwed me a few times seeing bobcats walking in.

 

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 When hunting alone with a bolt gun I carry my rifle with one in the chamber. But ... I close the bolt with the trigger pulled so that the rifle is not cocked. Lift the bolt and close it and i'm good to go. My biggest peeve is making sure everyone unloads their rifle before we actually walk up to the truck, or away from the truck. Most firearms accidents happen at the vehicle. I insist the same thing around camp. Pissed a few guys off.

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1 hour ago, AZLance said:

The question said how do you carry in field, not in your vehicle nugget!

You're begging for it gramps. Dont make me finish the job your ladder started. 

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1 minute ago, firstcoueswas80 said:

You're begging for it gramps. Dont make me finish the job your ladder started. 

My ladder had one in the chamber

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35 minutes ago, AZLance said:

My ladder had one in the chamber

If your ladder had one in the chamber, the job would have been completed. 

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Empty chamber when walking around is a good idea.  Also after the animal is for sure dead make sure the gun is not going to accidentally go off.  But, nothing should keep you from constantly checking the status of your weapon. 

 

 

 

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13 hours ago, singleshot said:

 When hunting alone with a bolt gun I carry my rifle with one in the chamber. But ... I close the bolt with the trigger pulled so that the rifle is not cocked. Lift the bolt and close it and i'm good to go. My biggest peeve is making sure everyone unloads their rifle before we actually walk up to the truck, or away from the truck. Most firearms accidents happen at the vehicle. I insist the same thing around camp. Pissed a few guys off.

Just checking on the idea of chambering a round and then releasing the firing mechanism with the bolt... I get that it will not go off when releasing, but most bolt actions won't allow you to go to safety when not cocked therefore nothing blocking the firing pin from a potential slam fire.  I get the idea of not relying on a safety to do this (hence don't carry with a round in either) but man that just seems like an accident waiting to happen.  On some bolt actions, I've even seen the firing pin protrude a bit in a relaxed position, now you have the pin up against the primer...  Would scare me more than relying on the safety actually.  I  might be way off on this one, but not something I have even considered doing.   

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1 hour ago, jdown said:

Just checking on the idea of chambering a round and then releasing the firing mechanism with the bolt... I get that it will not go off when releasing, but most bolt actions won't allow you to go to safety when not cocked therefore nothing blocking the firing pin from a potential slam fire.  I get the idea of not relying on a safety to do this (hence don't carry with a round in either) but man that just seems like an accident waiting to happen.  On some bolt actions, I've even seen the firing pin protrude a bit in a relaxed position, now you have the pin up against the primer...  Would scare me more than relying on the safety actually.  I  might be way off on this one, but not something I have even considered doing.   

It depends on the action. Lots of guns only have trigger block safeties anyway. 

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2 hours ago, jdown said:

Just checking on the idea of chambering a round and then releasing the firing mechanism with the bolt... I get that it will not go off when releasing, but most bolt actions won't allow you to go to safety when not cocked therefore nothing blocking the firing pin from a potential slam fire.  I get the idea of not relying on a safety to do this (hence don't carry with a round in either) but man that just seems like an accident waiting to happen.  On some bolt actions, I've even seen the firing pin protrude a bit in a relaxed position, now you have the pin up against the primer...  Would scare me more than relying on the safety actually.  I  might be way off on this one, but not something I have even considered doing.   

In Carmichaels Book of the Rifle, he puts up the same argument when a African PH does the same thing.

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Will never walk around big game hunting with one in the chamber.  And neither will a client of mine, have had some pretty heated arguments about this in the past.  Too many things can go wrong.  If you don’t have time to chamber a round then ya don’t have time to accurately assess the situation.  

 

Happy hunting 

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It really depends but most of the time the chambers are empty.  Once game is located I have no issue with having one in the chamber even if you are still trying to close the distance or improving a shooting position. 

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Hunter Safety Course Defines SAFETY'S are mechanical devices that can fail.

Brothers Winchester 243 went off once.  The Safety failed   

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On 12/26/2019 at 8:53 AM, jdown said:

Just checking on the idea of chambering a round and then releasing the firing mechanism with the bolt... I get that it will not go off when releasing, but most bolt actions won't allow you to go to safety when not cocked therefore nothing blocking the firing pin from a potential slam fire.  I get the idea of not relying on a safety to do this (hence don't carry with a round in either) but man that just seems like an accident waiting to happen.  On some bolt actions, I've even seen the firing pin protrude a bit in a relaxed position, now you have the pin up against the primer...  Would scare me more than relying on the safety actually.  I  might be way off on this one, but not something I have even considered doing.   

Don't want to ruffle feathers, but this is a disaster waiting to happen with most bolt rifles.  In that condition the firing pin is resting directly on the primer.   One good smack to the back of the bolt when dropped, and that rifle is discharging.

 

Pull your bolt from your rifle.  Rotate the firing pin assembly (the condition it would be in with the bolt closed and when firing pin assembly is not engaged by trigger sear).  The firing pin protrudes beyond bolt face.....and is resting on primer if there is a cartridge in the chamber.

 

 

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2 minutes ago, daverp said:

Don't want to ruffle feathers, but this is a disaster waiting to happen with most bolt rifles.  In that condition the firing pin is resting directly on the primer.   One good smack to the back of the bolt when dropped, and that rifle is discharging.

 

Pull your bolt from your rifle.  Rotate the firing pin assembly (the condition it would be in with the bolt closed and when firing pin assembly is not engaged by trigger sear).  The firing pin protrudes beyond bolt face.....and is resting on primer if there is a cartridge in the chamber.

 

 

A guy showed my then 11 year old son this trick without my knowledge. Next day he fell discharging the rifle.

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