Thread: Stalking with a .303

Please,please do NOT do the one notch thing. Decent bash on striker and it will fire. The smile safety catch is notoriously unreliable which is why old farts like me learnt to carry with round held on bolt and bolt not fully shut.cant ever recall loosing a round via that. But then again I've never had a unintentional discharge either.carry on as you are is my vote.

Is this where the expression “going off half cocked” came from?

Originally Posted by AMac

Is this where the expression “going off half cocked” came from?

No, along with "flash in the pan", going off half cocked marks back to flintlocks.
To carry a flintlock in a semi ready state you need to put powder in the pan, close the frizzen and pull the hammer back to half cock. It shouldn't fall from half cock, so to go off half cocked is analogous to doing something before you should.
Flash in the pan means the priming powder fired, but the main charge didn't- an inadequate performance.