To chamber, or not to chamber? That is the question.

That again was a trigger problem not safety issue.

An iPhoneX with a perfectly clear screen running OnXmaps couldn't lead you to your behind in a well lit closet.

Carry on - I will continue to be frightened by some of the people I see wearing orange and be-bopping around in the hills with a rifle.
 
I can't believe how long this thread has gone.

The differences between flushing a bird and stalking big game seem pretty obvious. I always carry hot with a shotgun and have it in my hands with finger on or near the safety, and subconsciously check the safety often.

The rifle stays on my pack most of the time, so having a round loaded is not saving me that much time compared to the time it takes to get it off my pack. I've never missed a rifle shot opportunity because I didn't have a round chambered.

Interestingly, my shotgun is often treated like a rifle when hiking long distances for turkeys. Stays on the pack with no chambered shell.
 
Do you also walk around with the with your rifle always at port arms? I bet bebopping through the woods with a slung/strapped-to-pack rifle cost way more shots on game, than whether or not a round is chambered.

As for the ML debate, one of my favorite features on my Knight Ultralight is the knob on the firing pin that can be spun down to physically make the firing pin immovable.

View attachment 91573

I mean, yeah pretty much. I agree, If my gun is strapped to my pack then there's no round in chamber. And slings are unstable IMO.

Maybe I have a different definition of still hunting than most (although a Minnesotan probably does it like I do). I'm talking about taking one slow step at a time, looking around, looking down, slowly stepping again, etc. Most of the time you're standing still. If I'm bebopping along then I'm not still hunting or planning on shooting anything so there's no round in chamber.

I'm not talking about hiking to a glassing point, watching game, quickly moving to another spot, etc. In that situation then no I wouldn't have a round chambered. Definitely agree with you there.
 
Remington major problems with the old triggers. Those problems were the ability of the sear to move while on safe, and the inability to open the bolt while on safe. Nonetheless, none of those people would have died if the person holding the gun hadn’t pointed it at someone. I’m glad they fixed the trigger issue. There is still no such thing as a trigger or safety that can’t fail or be accidentally taken off safe.

In a group of people with a gun packed or slung, it’s just too easy to point a barrel in a bad direction and too hard to keep track of all the people you can’t even see.
 
I simply won't hunt with someone who keeps a round chambered in their rifle. I certainly don't trust the judgment of a person who thinks he/she won't make a mistake. It takes less time to chamber a round than it does to identify and acquire one's target, unless one is the kind of person who will shoot movement.
 
I simply won't hunt with someone who keeps a round chambered in their rifle. I certainly don't trust the judgment of a person who thinks he/she won't make a mistake. It takes less time to chamber a round than it does to identify and acquire one's target, unless one is the kind of person who will shoot movement.

Time isn't really a factor for me it's the noise and movement. Where I hunt Roosevelt's and blacktails you often don't see them until you are within 20 or 30 yards. The bull I shot this year was under 10 yards. If I hadn't had a round chambered he wouldn't be in my freezer right now.
 
I simply won't hunt with someone who keeps a round chambered in their rifle. I certainly don't trust the judgment of a person who thinks he/she won't make a mistake. It takes less time to chamber a round than it does to identify and acquire one's target, unless one is the kind of person who will shoot movement.

I understand, but I disagree that the hunting manner in which I described earlier constitutes irresponsible firearm handling. And I see nothing in the hunter safety recommendations opposing my method: https://www.hunter-ed.com/montana/studyGuide/When-To-Load-a-Firearm/20102703_700164445/.

However, as I stated earlier, hunting in the west is different and I would gladly leave my gun completely unloaded if I ever go hunting with you. Let me know the time and place. I've got some Wyoming deer and elk points.:cool:
 
Time isn't really a factor for me it's the noise and movement. Where I hunt Roosevelt's and blacktails you often don't see them until you are within 20 or 30 yards. The bull I shot this year was under 10 yards. If I hadn't had a round chambered he wouldn't be in my freezer right now.

Yes, noise and movement. I'd never shoot at a target I'm unsure of, but I don't want to give away my position.
 
Do you think the guy in OP Facebook video would trade the meat in his freezer to get back the life of his friend?

I bet you were carrying hot in South Dakota, no? Not all hunting situations are equal.

Edit: I’ve always carried hot, regardless. I will say this thread has made me rethink CERTAIN instances where it really isn’t warranted. Like mtmuley, I’ll be rethinking some of these, but also don’t think it’s a blanket caveat either. I’ve hiked thousands of miles behind a bird dog, carrying hot and no one thinks twice about it.
 
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Do you think the guy in OP Facebook video would trade the meat in his freezer to get back the life of his friend?
with that reasoning everyone should just quit hunting. People get shot by "empty guns" all the time. People get shot by people who don't have good backstops, they get shot by people who don't properly ID their target, they get shot by people who don't see them. None of those would be prevented by hunting without a round in the chamber. I am by myself 99% of the time and am always fanatical about muzzle control.
 
Sounds more like you should join me :)

you know, I would love to. I really don't know of any grouse hunting that isn't a jungle, and all my pheasant hunting is in pretty knarly swamps with less than dependable ice, barbed wire, iced over cattails and sedges with lots of hummocks thrown in. I've never hunted birds where the hiking was as safe as western elk/deer/antelope hunting. Western hunting is pretty easy hiking for the most part with intermittent, but short intervals of thick stuff now and again. Bird hunting as I know it is a mud bog march/crawl/swim through who knows what.

We are going this weekend if you are interested.
 
Yeah, western hunting is a walk in the park. LOL Tell that to the guys that they pack out of the Crazies in a bag every couple of years.

Oh, it is high and strenuous for sure, and elevation and weather will kill folks that aren't careful. But the quality of the footing is FAR better and safer than what midwestern upland bird hunter sees.

How many folks have the packed out of the Crazies so far this year? Did they stumble with their loaded guns and shoot themselves?
 
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