Chamber Empty or Loaded

[BirdManMike]

Was this post yet?

 

[mtmuley]

RE Handguns: Typically carry loaded in an appropriate holster. I thought a chest holster would be nice for the 10mm G40 until i got one. I don't understand how so many people are ok with flagging anyone who stands to their left whenever they are wearing one of those things. Good reminder, i should list that sucker in the classifieds.

I have a Kenai Gunfighter for my Glock 10mm. Awesome way to carry it. mtmuley

 

[mtmuley]

I'm not a 5 generation Montanan but I believe that's what they call slick'r 'n cow shit on linoleum

We don't say that. mtmuley

 

[David58]

Since it was brought up, I CC loaded. No safety on my 365. It’s illegal to have a loaded rifle or shotgun in a vehicle, including a UTV. As to carrying the rifle, my best friend was killed in a hunting accident by his brother’s gun so I tend to carry empty. Shotgun stays loaded until I stop or want to rest the gun on a fence or something. Meateater Campfire Stories had a tale of a shotgun propped against a fence where a dog had knocked it over and stepped on the trigger, shooting a man in the arm and in his side. His teenage son saved his life applying a belt as a tourniquet.

My family owned a marina on Norris Lake in Tennessee. The man my dad bought the business from lost his dad in a hunting accident where the dog stepped on the trigger in the car, filling his dad's belly with lead.

I have carried my ML capped on half @#)(# when I hunt, just was taught to do it that way. Muzzle control always emphasized and adhered to. But now I rethink that approach, because of thinking on this thread and taking a fall when I was elk hunting with my '06 this season - I was on the ground before I realized I was falling. Hmmmm....

David
NM

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I have a Kenai Gunfighter for my Glock 10mm. Awesome way to carry it. mtmuley

Do you use it solo or do you just get used to your pistol pointing at anyone to your left?

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Does it only fit Glock 10mm?

That’s what the kydex holster was made for. No idea what else it might or might not work for. I’m pretty sure you can swap different kydex into the harness.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I'm not a 5 generation Montanan but I believe that's what they call slick'r 'n cow shit on linoleum

Thanks for posting the demonstration video. Gun Bearer is not for me. Looks a bit too slick. I'm not trusting a buckle that unsnaps that easily. Trying to put the strap together while cradling the gun doesn't look like fun, especially with cold hands. Velcro would be better I think. Having the scope shoved up my armpit wouldn't be a picnic. And I'm not sure I could ever get used to a gun barrel waving around in my face.

On the rare occasions when I need to secure my rifle to free both hands, it's cross-slung across my back with an empty chamber. It's totally safe and not going anywhere back there. I can still put it back to work relatively quickly. No problem slinging the Springfield over the top of my small daypack. I travel light and am not into big bulky backpacks. I usually use the little red (not hunter orange but close enough) daypack I bought at the university book store here back in 1991. It has a thin belly strap to keep it in place in the middle of my back. Or I may just throw everything I need for the day in my upland vest's game bag. Yes, it's got enough orange to be legal.

 

[338win]

Hunting solo with a 3 position safety? I'll chamber soon as I'm Hunting.

Rem 700 action type safety or in a group? Then I just have the magazine loaded.

Carrying a remington 700 type loaded and slung is inviting a ND with how easy the safety is to flip off. I have seen it many times on hikes hitting the hip belt of a pack.

 

[millerkiller77]

Thanks for posting the demonstration video. Gun Bearer is not for me. Looks a bit too slick. I'm not trusting a buckle that unsnaps that easily. Trying to put the strap together while cradling the gun doesn't look like fun, especially with cold hands. Velcro would be better I think. Having the scope shoved up my armpit wouldn't be a picnic. And I'm not sure I could ever get used to a gun barrel waving around in my face.

On the rare occasions when I need to secure my rifle to free both hands, it's cross-slung across my back with an empty chamber. It's totally safe and not going anywhere back there. I can still put it back to work relatively quickly. No problem slinging the Springfield over the top of my small daypack. I travel light and am not into big bulky backpacks. I usually use the little red (not hunter orange but close enough) daypack I bought at the university book store here back in 1991. It has a thin belly strap to keep it in place in the middle of my back. Or I may just throw everything I need for the day in my upland vest's game bag. Yes, it's got enough orange to be legal.

I couldn't get the kifaru to work for me either. It was just awkward and uncomfortable no matter which pack or rifle I was using and the muzzle near my face was a constant distraction. I have "sling hooks" on my day packs to keep the rifle from sliding off my shoulder, I find them to be more comfortable than the gun bearer.

As far as the topic, I carry my rifles without a round in the chamber and upland game hunting with shotgun I always have one in the chamber, safety on. It's muscle memory & second instinct snapping the safety on/off between shots

 

[Bambistew]

15 pages of loaded or empty. Shots fired and no new kids. Merry Christmas to me.

 

[Deleted member 52937]

15 pages of loaded or empty. Shots fired and no new kids. Merry Christmas to me.

#keephammering

 

[mtmuley]

Do you use it solo or do you just get used to your pistol pointing at anyone to your left?

Good luck with your sale. mtmuley

 

[OntarioHunter]

I couldn't get the kifaru to work for me either. It was just awkward and uncomfortable no matter which pack or rifle I was using and the muzzle near my face was a constant distraction. I have "sling hooks" on my day packs to keep the rifle from sliding off my shoulder, I find them to be more comfortable than the gun bearer.

As far as the topic, I carry my rifles without a round in the chamber and upland game hunting with shotgun I always have one in the chamber, safety on. It's muscle memory & second instinct snapping the safety on/off between shots View attachment 256717

Thanks. That sling hook looks like a great idea! Surprised I haven't seen more about them. It would certainly be easier than finding someone to sew velcro to my pack's shoulder strap and rifle sling. The key of course would be to have a pack with chest strap to keep the shoulder straps in place. I have a Browning pack with one of those. Nice pack but I prefer the old schoolbook daypack for a couple of reasons. 1) It's red. I'm a bit uneasy about covering most of my orange with a brown camo pack, especially if other hunters are in the area. Not sure if it's legal but maybe it shouldn't be? 2) The kidney belt on the Browning pack is HUGE. Really unnecessary to have something that large on such a small pack. It's an overkill sweat trap. 3) The chest strap restricts ventilation. I use the Browning pack mostly for fishing when I need to hike in with chest waders and wading boots inside it. Just big enough for that. Anyway, I suspect I'll have to add a chest strap to my school pack if/when I get a Sling Hook. Easy enough to do.

 

[Don Fischer]

We don't say that. mtmuley

I avoid places where I need both hands free but to carry a hunting rifle I learned the jaeger carry while in Germany. Really simple and very fast gun mount. I'm right handed and rifle is carries upside down over my left shoulder and left han holding fore arm. Simple twist moves the sling off the shoulder and gun comes right up. Best way I know to carry and mount a rifle, extremely fast getting it to shooting position.

 

[OntarioHunter]

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Had never heard of the jaeger carry method so checked it out. This author calls it the "African method." I would be concerned about banging the muzzle into the ground, especially in rough steep country. The "European method" he describes is bizarre. I can't imagine carrying a rifle that way for more than ten minutes before my arm gave out. In rough country where I need both hands I often lower the point of sling's contact with my right shoulder so that the rifle is nearly balanced across my back. That way both hands are free to help adjust my balance or grab stuff if I slip. I can also put my right hand in my pocket to warm it up if needed. Not the best for going through thick stuff but then the gun is usually in my hand pointed ahead to minimize profile. Doesn't work if wearing a large backpack.

 

[MTLabrador]

I would do gymnastics with a Glock in any holster that covers the trigger guard with good retention, so I have zero concerns about wearing one in a chest holster.

 

[Horseman]

Having a chambered rifle near me makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I have 3shells in the magazine with an empty chamber. I only jack a shell into the chamber when a kill is imminent. If you think having a round in your chamber will make you more successful you’re probably the kind of guy who’ll take Texas heart shots or shoot at some movement behind some brush. I once hunted with a guy who hunted with a chambered round. We were approaching some cover to still hunt through and I heard him messing with his bolt. Hair stands up on the back of my neck. I ask him if he’s got a round in his chamber. He says he does because that’s the way they did it in the marine corps. I said ‘see ya, you’re on your own’. I hated being a taddle tale but felt obligated to tell everyone in camp that this guy hunts with a round chambered. For the rest of the week we made him open his rifle upon returning to camp to make sure his chamber was clear, nobody wanted to hunt with him and his borrowed horse was taken away. He never hunted with us again.

 

[Horseman]

When I hunt with the two guys I like hunting with, we regularly ask each other to open our rifles to make sure our chambers are empty just in case.

 

[Horseman]

I don't think it's a silly topic. Not at all. Some responses were asinine and immature but that is not unusual for those contributors on this forum. How many on here have actually performed the drop test to check their gun's safety? I suspect very few. Have you taken a good look at the sling swivels? Those are things that can make carrying "hot" genuinely dangerous. Is it not inherently more dangerous to attempt chambering an unloaded gun in a hurry versus carrying one loaded on safe, especially if the gun doesn't have three-position safety? I suspect there is little difference.

I don't think there is any hard and fast rule for carrying a round in the chamber when hunting. Everyone does it hunting uplands. Gun is useless otherwise. Is my shotgun loaded while carrying my decoys across the field? No, of course not. Is it fully loaded once I'm set up? Yes. It's too dangerous fumbling around trying to load the gun with frozen hands, especially when laying in a box on the ground. And especially when any movement will flare the birds before they're in range. I never had my hunting rifle loaded in the scabbard when riding a horse (but the pistol in saddlebag was loaded!). I don't expect to need to shoot fast from a horse. Similarly, there's no round in the chamber in the vehicle. If I see something to shoot at it's usually not going to be a quick shot. Spot and stalk not jump shooting.

I think comparing a chambered rifle throughout a full day of big game hunting to a chambered shotgun throughout a full day of bird hunting is like comparing apples to oranges.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I think comparing a chambered rifle throughout a full day of big game hunting to a chambered shotgun throughout a full day of bird hunting is like comparing apples to oranges.

Depends. I stalk big game. How is that different from stalking birds?