Question for those who use bolt actions with a standard "long action".

When in the field do you carry your rifle with 3 cartridges in the magazine and one in the chamber or simply 3 in the mag and cycle the bolt when you are near game?

I always ask the PH how he feels about it. Most of them have always wanted me to have one up the spout and the gun on safety. Of course safe gun handling is very critical when your locked and loaded.

Regards,

Mark

When we park the vehicle to track or to stalk or to head into likely country, my PH, friend and game farm (70K acres no internal fences) asks me to put one (two if I'm using a double)up the spout with the safety on and watches me do it. On return to the vehicle, I'll unload a double or put the round in the chamber back under the bolt.

Now, some controversy on how many to carry in a bolt. My Dakota .375 Model 76 only takes three in the magazine (other models, makes give four in the mag), but you can fill the magazine and then add one to the rails and gently slip the extractor over it to move it into the chamber. Problem is that should things get hot, you or your PH may not be sure when you need to reload... Might establish an SOP on this. I've settled on just the three in the magazine.
Regards, Tim

As soon as I get out of the truck, I chamber a round and put the safety on.

My rifle stays loaded all the time I am on foot. And I only unload it when we are butchering an animal we have shot, or stop to have lunch.

Never had any PH question this.

My PH insists that we chamber a round as soon as we get into the hunting car, which coincides with my preference (safety on, of course, and good trigger finger and muzzle discipline required). If I were using a detachable magazine-fed rifle, I'd also top off the magazine after chambering a round.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
As soon as I get out of the truck, I chamber a round and put the safety on.

My rifle stays loaded all the time I am on foot. And I only unload it when we are butchering an animal we have shot, or stop to have lunch.

I generally do the same, no matter what continent I am on. And I am extremely aware of where my muzzle is pointed.

The story of Bob Fontana's fatal incident with a cape buffalo this year has only reinforced it in my mind.

Cheers,
Canuck

It really took some getting use to! I always hunted with a full magazine and an empty chamber. My PH wanted the rifle loaded as soon as my feet hit the ground. I understand why they do it, but man, I was as nervous a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, but when in Rome do as the Romans.

[When I am hunting I have the mag full and one chambered with the bolt in the first notch but up, when I see some game I fully close the bolt. If rifle is slung, mag full none in the chamber.

Here in the States I hunt with an empty chamber until a shot in immanent. On my first safari the PH politely recommended carrying a loaded chamber. But it made me a bit nervous and someone I know who’s done over 50 safaris told me he didn’t carry a shell in the chamber there... so I kept mine empty. That is until midway through the first day of buffalo tracking when we came across TWO separate blood trails from poacher wounded (probably snared) buffalo. I’ve kept a shell in the chamber whenever out of the vehicle in DG country ever since that moment.

On the negative side: While following that same PH this last year on an elephant hunt he had his rifle on this shoulder as typical “PH carry†(holding the muzzle). It was a bolt-action .458 and he had a shell in the chamber and the safety on. He was in front of me and his three trackers were in front of him. While going through light jess a branch with a big hook on the end caught his TRIGGER. It all happened very fast but I looked up to see him yanking on his rifle (he didn’t realize how or what was caught), barrel pointed at the back of his lead trackers head, 4 feet in front of him. Before I could say anything the branch broke. Thank goodness the safety held (and was on) but it just goes to show how quickly junk can happen.

Kyler

I always hunt with an empty chamber unless I'm hunting familiar country and alone.....then I'm hunting with the chamber loaded and the safety on.
When hunting on horseback the chamber is empty all the time the gun is in the scabbard.

Since I use a Blaser the rifle can be carried loaded quite safely.

I do like Saeed. Boots on the ground means a full mag, one up the spout, safety on (second notch on a three position), and finger off the trigger.

Got too used to that in the .mil and won't change.

I have never been big on hunting with an empty chamber...I unload when in the truck unless we are going to shoot some camp meat on the way home for the day...

When actually on foot and in the field hunting I always have a full mag and one in the spout - safety on and obviously a high level of safety discipline.

When the gun is in the truck or while on horseback in a scabbard, the chamber is empty and magazine full.

When I get back to the camp, cabin or house it's an empty chamber and full mag with safety on. All guns are always loaded - it's a safer philosophy and avoids carelessness when you think "it's unloaded".

Thanks all for the responses.

Second part of the question. If your magazine comfortably fits 3 cartridges, would you opt to put a forth in the chamber or simply cycle one in from the 3, when ready?

Really, there are some things you can decide on your own, such as how to tie your shoelaces while on safari, whether to shave or grow a beard, whether to use a sling or not, etc.

4 down and one in the pipe anytime I'm out of the hunting car.

Regards,

Terry

Thanks Terry.
I concur with that method as well.

I always carried my rifle loaded when hunting...In the vehicle empty chamber...DG hunting never left my hand..Always prepared for the unexpected...

Mike

I do like Saeed, whenever on the ground, the chamber and magazine are full and the rifle is on full. I have had to use the last round in the magazine more than once, so I put all the rounds in that the rifle will hold.

In Africa I pull the trigger on an empty chamber before entering the vehicle with the rifle; this shows an empty chamber on bolt actions. In the USA all chambers remain open in the vehicle.

Carmello, did your PH ask you to hunt with an empty chamber, hence your question here? Perhaps there was something the PH was concerned about?

quote:

Originally posted by JD:
I do like Saeed, whenever on the ground, the chamber and magazine are full and the rifle is on full. I have had to use the last round in the magazine more than once, so I put all the rounds in that the rifle will hold.

In Africa I pull the trigger on an empty chamber before entering the vehicle with the rifle; this shows an empty chamber on bolt actions. In the USA all chambers remain open in the vehicle.

I agree that Saeeds method is the most practical.
Especially for hunting in Africa.

I'm curious how this will go for me, as well. See, I'm using a P14 action, with which it's pretty much -- actually, I think you could take out the "pretty much" -- impossible to make go off by accident with the safety on. This rifle only has a two-round magazine capacity and it's my custom to hunt with one in the pipe and "two down." Still, if the PH wants me to go with just two rounds and an empty chamber, I won't argue (much). I can understand safety concerns, but I was brought up being beaten to death for firearms-related safety infractions, so I'm pretty conscious about putting the safety on -- and taking it off as needed. I generally just rest my thumb on the P14's safety lever and my trigger finger outside the trigger guard. It's not going forward without some serious concious effort. If someone thinks I've got a flimsy mechanical safety, they don't understand P14s. I think Ray is pretty familiar with them, and I'm sure some of you guys are, too... but if I'm asked to just go "two down" and that's it, I'll live with it.

Russ

I rely on my previous experience as hunting in Africa is not really different from hunting elsewhere and I do not understand the big deal.

1. Whatever the magazine holds. Is it such a big deal whether it holds three or four rounds? Make the first shot count and it really doesn't matter.

2. When hunting I hunt and always have a round in the chamber with the safety on. I follow good safety practices and never try to point the rifle at anyone at anytime but especially when there is a round in the chamber. A shooter should always know when his rifle is loaded and when it is not.

3. When in the vehicle I removed the round and push the rounds down and close the bolt on an empty chamber and uncock the bolt by holding the trigger while closing the bolt. I would never just pull the trigger. An uncocked bolt means the chamber is empty.

4. When not hunting ie not riding around looking for game or when in camp - I unload the magazine as well.

I have had a dickhead PH insist on a loaded rifle even when driving around and was paranoid about the rifle going off, shooting through the roof of the 'cruiser and killing a tracker riding behind and above. I had to hold the barrel and far forward as I could. Thankfully my last guy was safety conscious.


***


CL, I do not care if you concur or not.

I also do as Saeed and others here do. I only chamber a round and put the safety on when I am out of the vehicle and ready to proceed on foot. The muzzle is always pointed out of harm's way. My rifle's magazine holds four rounds. When one is chambered that leaves me three. I always have another four on my person on the off chance of necessity.

Chambering a round before the stalk avoids having to cycle the bolt when viewing game and possibly alerting them to my presence. That's one way to piss off your PH.

I often keep the bolt on my rifle open when I am in the presence of strangers, especially while in a vehicle. That always satisfies everyone.

Yeah I can see a PH getting ticked off if he guides a hunter into a potentially good shot position only to have game alerted by the sound of a bolt being cycled.

quote:

Originally posted by carmelolisciotto:
Yeah I can see a PH getting ticked off if he guides a hunter into a potentially good shot position only to have game alerted by the sound of a bolt being cycled.

Perhaps, but better to spook the game than to be shot. If the PH sees an obvious safety issue with a client, it would not be a surprise if the PH asked the client to keep his chamber empty. Isn't that why you asked the question in the first place?

quote:

I generally do the same, no matter what continent I am on. And I am extremely aware of where my muzzle is pointed.

The story of Bob Fontana's fatal incident with a cape buffalo this year has only reinforced it in my mind.

Cheers,
Canuck

Canuck,
I didn't follow all the details on the Bob Fontana incident. Was there a situation where a round in the chamber or lack of one. could have been a deciding factor in the outcome ??