I will jump in here and give my take on firearms safety while on safari but limit my discussion to DG hunting as I do little plains game hunting in areas that are devoid of DG. I base my personal safety rules on having been a police firearms instructor for over 20 years and a USPSA/IPSC Range Master/Instructor for 6 years as well as a youth firearms instructor for many more.

First of all, in 13 African Safaris, I have never had a PH tell me anything about firearms safety with one notable exception. In every case guns were loaded when we left the vehicle and not unloaded until we returned to the vehicle. My as well as the PH rifles were always carried unloaded and in a case in the rack behind the cab. I have never carried a rifle loaded or unloaded in the cab while on Safari. Just never felt the need to, esp. since I won't shoot an animal we see from the vehicle. The exception was one PH who questioned my using the middle position of a Mod 70 three position safety when approaching DG or transversing extremely thick Jesse. He and the trackers felt that was unsafe. I couldn't convince him otherwise and to allay the fears of the trackers, I carried it in the rear ward position.

In DG country it is imperative that your rifle be ready for action on a moments notice as you never know what may charge out of the Jesse at you. Carrying your rifle with a chambered round is a safety precaution, IMHO.

Dry firing your rifle on an empty chamber is only a problem for rim fire firearms and some double rifles. It is no problem with most other actions and in fact is an excellent training method. I have a 1911 Colt in 45 ACP that has over three hundred and fifty thousand rounds of live ammo through it. I have dry fired it at least 100 times for every live round fired through it. It still has the original firing pin that came with the gun although the firing pin spring has been changed numerous times. Dropping the hammer on an empty chamber in firearms that have a firing pin spring designed to retract the pin into the breach face can't cause any damage as the pin hits nothing to damage it. In this case a dummy round may actually cause more damage as the pin hits the fake primer on the dummy cartridge. In fact in USPSA competition, competitors are required the drop the hammer on an empty chamber after unloading and showing clear so that the Range Officer knows the weapon is indeed unloaded. They would hardly require that if there was any chance of the firearm being damaged.

With rim fire weapons the firing pin hits the rim of the chamber and thus could be damaged from dry firing. Some of the older double rifles did not have firing pin return springs and if the pin stayed forward when you opened the action the pin could hit the bottom of the chamber mouth and break or damage the pin. If the double has a firing pin return spring that won't happen but i still prefer to use snap caps with my doubles. With my bolt rifles, I dry fire a lot with them when pre pairing for a hunt. In many ways it is better than live firing as a practice tool. I have never damaged a firing pin doing this and I don't see how you could.

465H&H

quote:

In fact in USPSA competition, competitors are required the drop the hammer on an empty chamber after unloading and showing clear so that the Range Officer knows the weapon is indeed unloaded. They would hardly require that if there was any chance of the firearm being damaged.

Interesting point......