Holding trigger and closing bolt with shell in chamber?

Just because the PHs in Africa do something does not mean it is the safe thing to do.

Just a few days ago I watched a hunting show in Africa where the PH was carrying his rifle over his shoulder with the barrels pointed forward.

When he was turning around talking with the client, camera man and trackers his rifle was turning 360 degrees. So he was pointing his rifle at every person there.
 
derbyacresbob said:
Just because the PHs in Africa do something does not mean it is the safe thing to do.

Just a few days ago I watched a hunting show in Africa where the PH was carrying his rifle over his shoulder with the barrels pointed forward.

When he was turning around talking with the client, camera man and trackers his rifle was turning 360 degrees. So he was pointing his rifle at every person there. [/quote

I agree, stupid people live in every part of the world, and that's just plain stupidity at it's best. Stupid hurts. I have hunted with guys who were suppose to be these great hunters, great ethics etc, and their gun handling was so sloppy and dangerous, I never hunted with them again. In fact one guy, with beer breath once swung a loaded gun around so that it was in my face basically, i told him, control your weapon properly or you will find it hanging out your a$$. We never hunted again, don't know why lol


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You'll NEVER catch me doing this!!!
If some of you have done it & not had problems, more power to ya.
But, respectfully, I think you're insane to try it.
I'll sit on stand, or still-hunt deer with a shell chambered...but I keep my safety ON, & my finger out of the trigger guard.
I have never had a legitamate shot opportunity where I didn't have time to...shoulder my gun; move the safety switch to FIRE position; & then put my finger on the trigger, before actually firing.
Heck, I do all that naturally as I'm taking aim.
 
i just went and did this to all my bolt guns. savages,rem.700's and win 70's and it worked on all of them.if you keep the gun on fire,press the trigger and close the bolt while pressing the trigger. you cannot get the firing pin to release untill you work the bolt. just gotta lift it up and back down. a saftey (CAN FAIL). i don't think tis method can
 
You have company there chupa! The up side is that maybe someone new to hunting will learn something from it. IMO the practice sounds irresponsible. It sends the wrong message to others, especially young folks just starting out. Safties work, which is why Ruger recalled all early Single-Sixes to install hammer block safties instead of promoting resting the hammer on a supposedly empty chamber. A firing pin on a live round, to me....., just defies all logic.
 
Borkon,
I don't want to start an arguement on here cause I don't want to get thrown off but I cannot let your statement go by without a response. You either don't know anything about the mechanics of weapons or you are absolutely crazy. Take your bolt out of any one of your rifles. Turn the bolt so the locking lugs are straight up and down which is how they are when locked in the firing position. Now trun the back shroud to the left by pressing either a small button on the side and let it go forward. THAT is the poosition the bolt is in when you do this procedure with the bolt in the gun....and then look up front and if that firing pin is not sticking out I'll come to your house with one of my rifles and give it to you.
Moderators if I was to strong on this do what you have to do but when I see someone telling somewone else an unsafe prac tice is safe I have to say something. Flame away but I am correct.

EDIT:: I'm going to give you the benifit of the doubt and think maybe you didn't understand the original post. He was talking about a loaded rifle with one in the chamber....maybe you were thinking on an empty chamber. In that case I do that myself for storage and the firing pin can stick out all it wants on an empty chamber. That is just to release the tension on the firing pin spring.
If that was you thinking then I appologize. If not, then what I said stands.
 
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People do this to relieve tension on the spring while the gun is not being used. THey do this on an empty chamber. On a loaded chamber, if the firing pin is under spring tension it WIll be up against the primer. If you pull the trigger wihile closing the bolt on a loaded chamber, you are begging for catastrophe.
 
Peterjc- I did see your post and no I don't have a complete hold on Mauser actions
unsure.gif
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. I don't think you have to worry too much about ruffling any feathers here. Perhaps it'll serve an important point.

All I am saying is that these guides for some reason are requesting this. They make you practice it infront of them so they know you can do it. Was I there? nope .
They must have some reason that they prefer this with the added chance of a acccidental discharge. The reasons I listed is what he told me.

Crazy things happen when people get excited. Even though I've never done it before what would happen if some dangerous game was charging me? I think most have heard of people completely messing up in a pressured situation even if they've done the activity 50 000 times before. Maybe the guides are trying to instill some kind of failsafe. I don't know.

I've seen a few accidental disharges and I don't trust anyone anymore with their guns. I'm sure those guides see as many pressured shooting situations to have seen their share. Why do they still suggest it? They must feel in their situation it has some value. I mean to sit there and watch you practice it untill they're sure you know how to do it.

I do know that primers take a pretty good strike to go off. I've seen dented primers from a slow strike. Pretty deep dents and no fire.

The rifles I've tested with the mentioned technique had no primer marks at all. I agree though not the smartest idea.

 
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Displayed Name,
I thank you for not getting too upset with my post. I didn't mean to come on so strong. I am not a gunsmith but I have worked on a lot of guns and I know how they operated. I don't understand why any guide in Africa would do that but if you say they do I guess maybe they do. There should be some guides from around the world there on this forum. Lets here from them. All I know is if I have a lion or rhino charging me all I want to do is push off the safe not try to remember I have to lift the bolt. Anyway don't use that method or we may be reading your obituary on this forum...lol Good luck and no hard feelings I hope. Pete
 
Tell your friend to continue this practice while looking down the barrel.

That way eventually he will no longer be a danger to all around him and Darwin will claim another twit.
 
another thing is that if you happen to let the bolt slip while doing this the firing pin will fall just as if you had fired the rifle i know this because i store all of my rifles relieved on an empty chamber. if you use common sense and safe gun handling you should never really need the safety any way because the rifle will never be pointed in a direction to do any harm.
 
Originally Posted By: peterjcDisplayed Name,
I thank you for not getting too upset with my post. I didn't mean to come on so strong. I am not a gunsmith but I have worked on a lot of guns and I know how they operated. I don't understand why any guide in Africa would do that but if you say they do I guess maybe they do. There should be some guides from around the world there on this forum. Lets here from them. All I know is if I have a lion or rhino charging me all I want to do is push off the safe not try to remember I have to lift the bolt. Anyway don't use that method or we may be reading your obituary on this forum...lol Good luck and no hard feelings I hope. Pete

peterjc is absolutely correct. Letting the firing pin down on a loaded chamber is a disaster waiting to happen! Closing the bolt while holding trigger back on a loaded chamber results in a spring loaded firing pin resting on the primer of a live round.
Bump the rifle butt firmly on the ground sharply or hitting the end of the cocking piece smartly can cause the firing pin to strike primer w/sufficient force to ignite it!

I cut my teeth on surplus 98 Mausers and 1903 Springfields which most modern bolt rifles were patterned after. Both the Mauser and Springfield use a wing safety that locks the cocking piece, not the trigger. Winchester Mod. 70 also lock the cocking piece. While any safety can fail (that's why we all practice muzzle control.....we all do, always, don't we?
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), I'd rather trust the safety and safe gun handling than a spring loaded firing pin resting on a primer just waiting to be dropped or bumped w/muzzle pointed in ??????? direction.

Regards,
hm
 
OK, I already posted my reply in a previous post.
However, I'm still seeing that some folks are convinced this is an acceptable thing to do.

Question for those who think this method is acceptable...Didn't any of you ever take & pass either a Firearms Safety, or Hunter's Safety instructional course???
I can guarrantee if you did, you were never taught that this method is acceptable.
What is happening every time you do it, is you are setting up the opportunity for your friend, loved one, or yourself to get shot!!!
And, since I live in America, & never plan on going on an African safari, I don't care a hill of beans what some yahoo in a 3rd World country says I "must do, in order to hunt with him".

OK, now I'll get off my soapbox. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend, in safety.
 
Quote: i just went and did this to all my bolt guns. savages,rem.700's and win 70's and it worked on all of them.if you keep the gun on fire,press the trigger and close the bolt while pressing the trigger. you cannot get the firing pin to release untill you work the bolt. just gotta lift it up and back down. a saftey (CAN FAIL). i don't think tis method can

The reason the "firing pin will not work" is that it is resting (under spring tension) on a live primer/round. All it would take is a sharp rap on the cocking piece or drop the rifle and let it hit on a hard surface and the odds are very good that the rifle will fire.

Very dangerous practice.

Regards,
hm
 
Holding trigger and closing bolt with shell in chamber?

Bad idea in my book. Just mess up on letting the bolt down and you get BANG.
crazy.gif

DAB
 
peterjc. i don't use this method at all. i use the safties. just pointing out to the original poster that said method DOES work. the older men in my family traveled all over norht america including alaska hunting and this is how they all hunted. never heard of 1 accidental missfire. and they hunted hard. and yes, they always had a live round chambered
 
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i just went and did this to all my bolt guns. savages,rem.700's and win 70's and it worked on all of them.if you keep the gun on fire,press the trigger and close the bolt while pressing the trigger. you cannot get the firing pin to release untill you work the bolt. just gotta lift it up and back down. a saftey (CAN FAIL). i don't think tis method can

BORKON>>>THE ABOVE IS YOUR LAST POST....
I will say to you as I said to Displayed name. You have no idea how a bolt in a bolt action rifle works. When you do what you say above, the firing pin is out and stays out on the live primer. All you're doing is letting it down fairly softly on the primer but it is resting on the primer. This practice is only done on an empty chamber to release the tension on the spring. IF you take the bolt out and do the same thing to the bolt out of the gun you will see the firing pin sticking out, but I doubt you would know how to repeat the task with the bolt out of the gun..... I'm tired of repeating myself to someone that don't know what they are talking about. Have a nice day.
EDIT...Oh if your older men used this method for years ..I'm surprised they got to be older men....just plain lucky they never dropped their guns on the butt stock or hit the back of the shroud that encases the safety etc. I would not have hunted with any of them.
 
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Is it safe to carry a loaded chamber with the firing pin resting on it?

Short answer: NO

Primers have light off just by the pressure of seating into a primer pocket.

Does a firing pin present more pressure per square inch than a primer seating tool?

*****************

My father used to be an advocate of this method.

He changed his mind after he lit one off!

*****************

Long answer:


NO!


Three 44s
 


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