Thread: How do you carry your rifle?

Originally Posted by Savage1

Well I'm going to buck the trend, I have always carried a live round with a dead bolt. I think it is safer than having a cocked firing pin behind a live round like with the "half cock" method. The amount of shock needed to make the firing pin retract in the bolt and slam forward and initiate the primer would be huge. I have never had a problem and I think alot of people just have it in their head it is unsafe, I would think it is safer than half cock especially when rifle is dropped.

Or I carry actioned with safety on, as I believe the manufactures know how to make a safety better than us.

However if I am behind anyone I always have my rifle in the loaded state, not actioned.

I know on my 300wsm (tikka) when i do a dead bolt on a live round the firing pin makes a slight indent in the primer (i will try to upload a photo) my mates vanguard 308 does the exact same thing, seems pretty dodgy to me.... But each to their own, your rifle will obviously be completely different.

Pic of fired round, round closed on dead bolt and live round

I use.the dead bolt.way aswell for as long as i can remember never had an issue. I sometimes use half cock but find in the bush it allways gets pulled open chucking my round out into the leaf litter

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Originally Posted by PerazziSC3

Attachment 3070
Pic of fired round, round closed on dead bolt and live round

Yeah I see how you could be worried, but it takes a fair whack to set it off. On an M4 I have used it left alot bigger dent than that on any round chambered, because of the floating firing pin. But never had one fire unexpectedly when cycling.

Originally Posted by GravelBen

Interesting that they give that warning, from every account I've read what actually happens with the target accutrigger is not firing on fast bolt closing, it disengages the trigger so you have to raise and lower bolt again before it will fire.

If it doesn't catch the sear and you close it as fast as possible(for whatever reason?) the firing pin approaches the primer pretty rapidly and "could" cause a slam fire

[QUOTE=GravelBen;41010]Tested all of mine at various times (Ruger and Savages) and none ever fired from pulled trigger on half cock - they all dropped the bolt closed and I had to raise and lower bolt before it would fire. Any idea which guns actually do fire from half cock?

Note I said "could" I have never tested if my rifles that drop the bolt will actually fire(not that game)

I will load a primer only and test this tho.... even if it doesnt go off im still using a open bolt . No louder/slower to drop it from open or half.

Just out of general interest, have you ever had a round go off??

Originally Posted by irgnz

Loaded, Safety on, But only while hunting. Never on tracks ETC or within 200m of huts. Have lost some deer that way but beta safe than sorry.

OH And I check my safety at least every 1/2 hour by pointing in safe direction and giving trigger a squeeze, Even if it scars all the deer away I would rather know I have an unsafe gun than have a twig let it off.

Originally Posted by Tussock

The savage F-Class James has says "close bolt gently to avoid slam fire" on it.

If you closed the bolt quickly it would go off.

I wonder how many rifles, if the bolt got dropped or fallen on in half bolt, and closed violently, would go off?

I think this is why they won't sell target accutrigger parts. Be interesting to test out.

I have experienced the slam fire issue on more then one occasion in my F-Class rifle when I have been racing through, it has cost me matches and scared the hell out of me.

As for hunting, its always Bolt closed on an empty chamber.

I walk with my rifle with a empty chamber, once in the hunting area I will chamber a round .

With a semi, loaded, safety on.

Originally Posted by Tussock

I just don't get it? How could what he describes ever result in an accident?

Beyond a disturbingly loud noise.

If their was any risk in pulling the trigger on live rounds we wouldn't have guns at all.

I'm of the opinion when these things become unrealistic, they become self defeating.

I think it's fairly pointless, but it's not dangerous, and at least he's making an effort.

I never said it was dangerous, I said it was unnecessary, foolish & a poor habit ( = pointless )

If you want to check your safety, why wouldn't you take "any risk" out of it by doing it on an empty chamber? as Norway said "an empty gun never shot anyone"

When hunting alone or with lead its one up the chamber with the bolt open in the notch I have cut (half bolt) but the bolt will not drop with the trigger pulled, It is firmly in place, I carry the rifle my hand across the bolt area most of the time because I like to "feel" that the rifle is safe, If going through shit I will often also flick the saftey on so if knocked it would have to close the bolt, knock the saftey off and hit the trigger to fire....
I used to close the bolt and use saftey and remove the round in dodgy spots but it was too easy to forget weather it was loaded or not, bolt open is easy to see

It realy comes down to treat every rifle as loaded and allways point it in a safe direction, ID the target well, before scopeing the target with a round ready etc

Originally Posted by worms

Just out of general interest, have you ever had a round go off??

Not a one. However an acquaintance checked his safety at the car Went hunting and while pushing through some rubbish his gun went off,, With safety on,,,Had not checked it in a couple of hours and it appeared and bit of bush got into the sheer system and rendered the safety useless. This guy ALWAYS has his gun pointed in a safe place.

Number one rule ah!!!!!

I normally bush stalk alone, so i chamber a round and leave the bolt open fully, the good thing with my rifle is you can hold it sky ward and it stays in place, bolt wont slide down, so its quite good, if you pull the trigger nothing will happen and in more rugged country i quite often flick the safety on as well incase of a fall etc. On half cocked if you pull the trigger on my rifle and many others its just the same as walking around with a loaded one, it slams shuts and goes off. Not sure with other rifles but i find this really good the way i do it as quite often the deer is only 50 yards away and about to bolt, just a matter of closing the bolt (no nosie) and flick the safety(if its on) and boom. Thats only bush stalking thou by myself, i wouldnt chamber a round in open country or hunting with someone else unless game was sighted and was about to take a shot and everyone knew exeacty what was going on

Guys, can you pls clear up some of this terminology for me ?
Dead bolt = pull trigger, then chamber round ?
Half cock = chamber round, then open bolt and pull halfway back (shown in the MSC video)?

So what is the Tikka half cock mod ? What do they change on the rifle ? The whole half-cock thing seems to be a Kiwi thing, never heard of it before....

Marlin .22lr I have has a awesome half cock