Lets watch those muzzles!

[John Camp]

This I do not get. Ironically it is marketed as both a toe protector and muzzle rest. Don't think it will offer much protection for the toe. Don't think I have ever been so tired that I needed to put the barrel of my gun on my toe.

 

[John Camp]

I pull my bolts and wrap them in bubble wrap in the case

Yes, If my rifle is in a hard case I will pull the bolt. I do not if it is in a soft case. However, I do not move around with an open bolt, unless I am just walking out back to the shooting bench. With shotguns it is different. Break actions I keep open and cradled in my arms when unloaded. Autos I do keep the the action open. I do this to show others the guns are not loaded, but the rules still apply. Even these guns are loaded in my mind. I see no reason to develop conditional gun etiquette. I would be concerned that an open bolt would eventually get damaged. I have never done so, but this thread has me thinking that I could just pull the bolt while walking around with the gun unloaded. There would be a risk of loosing the bolt or perhaps damaging it if dropped, but perhaps I could devise a functional system that would lesson those possibilities. Anyone know of any products for this purpose. Maybe "the bolt caboose," or some manly man purse for gun parts?

 

[Hogpatrol]

Yes, If my rifle is in a hard case I will pull the bolt. I do not if it is in a soft case. However, I do not move around with an open bolt, unless I am just walking out back to the shooting bench. With shotguns it is different. Break actions I keep open and cradled in my arms when unloaded. Autos I do keep the the action open. I do this to show others the guns are not loaded, but the rules still apply. Even these guns are loaded in my mind. I see no reason to develop conditional gun etiquette. I would be concerned that an open bolt would eventually get damaged. I have never done so, but this thread has me thinking that I could just pull the bolt while walking around with the gun unloaded. There would be a risk of loosing the bolt or perhaps damaging it if dropped, but perhaps I could devise a functional system that would lesson those possibilities. Anyone know of any products for this purpose. Maybe "the bolt caboose," or some manly man purse for gun parts?

Used extensively in matches, a bolt holster. Google bolt holster and name your poison.

https://www.google.com/search?q=bol...8KHTRhBz4Q9QEwAXoECAUQBg#imgrc=UkEiG-jMhOUdcM:

 

[John Camp]

Used extensively in matches, a bolt holster. Google bolt holster and name your poison.

Perfect, thank you. Obviously I have no experience shooting competitively. I will get one of these and put it to use. I like making these kinds of changes.

 

[Spooksar]

Yes, If my rifle is in a hard case I will pull the bolt. I do not if it is in a soft case. However, I do not move around with an open bolt, unless I am just walking out back to the shooting bench. With shotguns it is different. Break actions I keep open and cradled in my arms when unloaded. Autos I do keep the the action open. I do this to show others the guns are not loaded, but the rules still apply. Even these guns are loaded in my mind. I see no reason to develop conditional gun etiquette. I would be concerned that an open bolt would eventually get damaged. I have never done so, but this thread has me thinking that I could just pull the bolt while walking around with the gun unloaded. There would be a risk of loosing the bolt or perhaps damaging it if dropped, but perhaps I could devise a functional system that would lesson those possibilities. Anyone know of any products for this purpose. Maybe "the bolt caboose," or some manly man purse for gun parts?

Maybe leave the bolt in but put a chamber flag in an just push the bolt as far forward as it goes. Keep the muzzle down and you should be ok.

 

[John Camp]

Any chance there is a product to cover the receiver while the bolt is out?

 

[Hogpatrol]

Any chance there is a product to cover the receiver while the bolt is out?

I use one of these but there are others that will fill the receiver.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/726591/mtm-bore-guide-17-to-243-caliber

 

[John Camp]

I use one of these but there are others that will fill the receiver.

OK, I am a certified bumpkin now. I live in my narrow world. I see no reason I can not use these products when the gun is not loaded. Thank you Hogpatrol.

 

[Newboomer]

I really struggle dealing with these idiots. They seem to think that knowing how to handle a gun is an innate aspect of manhood. They have no idea what they are doing but take it as the greatest of insults when you ask they follow some simple safety procedures. Sometimes I am also a guest, and I never want to step on the hosts toes. I usually just remove myself from the environment. Three years ago however, some jack-head was waving his new Glock around and two of my children were in the room. It was a small room and crowded with hunters eating barbecue before a shoot. My children were on either side of the guy, so there was no way I could quickly get them out of the room.

Now I will take a break from that story to explain why I am extreme about gun safety. When I was 14 I received a Marlin 336, 35 caliber for Christmas. I got it in November so I could hunt with it. I learned the gun inside and out. Then, one afternoon after a hunt I emptied the magazine, broke the gun down and cleaned it. I reassembled the gun. I then worked the lever and dry fired it. To my great surprise the gun went BOOM. Luckily I was outside sitting on the swing, alone, and the gun was pointing up. The gun holds six in the magazine and one in the chamber. There were 7 rounds sitting on the table in front of me. Three years later my cousin was sitting on the same swing. I was standing +-30 feet away. We were waiting on our fathers to go back in the woods for the afternoon. His Remington .243 bolt action was likewise empty. He had cycled the bolt and dry fired the gun dozens of times while waiting. Then. BOOM. The shot went somewhere near my left ear. It made an Ak-Ak-Ak sound as it past. So for me, when I say every gun is a loaded gun, I mean it.

Now back to my story of the idiot. Another man, who I had only met at a previous dove shoot, but who I have observed has excellent safety habits and situational awareness, asked the guy to put the gun away. He did not and instead mocked any concern for an unloaded gun. At this point I figured that there was a much better chance that his gun was loaded than any other person in the room. Either he was an idiot and dangerous, or he actually had bad intent. I did not believe it was the latter but also was sure that I had no obligation to confirm one way or the other. So, I decided to brain the guy and deal with any consequences afterwords. I grabbed a tactical, aluminum flashlight from the counter (not a mag-light but it was big enough to do the job). I took two steps towards the guy but before I got to him two other men were on him. One grabbed the gun and the other put the guy into a basket hold. What I did not know was that this guy had a history of mental problems/aberrant behavior and the police were already on their way. These other gentleman had a plan and were already in position. The gun was not loaded.

I really thought that after I took the guy out I would be going to jail.

Oh, yeah, the world is full of just such jilpolks and they scare the bejesus out of me. I see them all the time on the range and they can be quite difficult to deal with. They think because they have had this gun for a little while they are the best in the world. I'm not an R O but I have helped the R O "escort" some of these types off the range.

I use a Safari Sling on all my rifles. It goes behind my right shoulder and up over my left shoulder and carries the rifle muzzle pointing left. Comfortable and fast. I just raise the rifle and take the shot. And the muzzle is always away from whoever is in front of me. I don't like the African carry because the "safe" gun may not be. Something may hit the safety off and there could be hell to pay with that muzzle forward.

 

[Dr Ray]

When I mentioned I avoided the local techniques my point was I thought it prudent to do whatever I usually did because of muscle memory. I figure I increase my chances of being "that guy" if I deviated from my standard gun safety habits.

I also always close my bolt as you mention. I am very paranoid of something falling in. But, everytime the gun is touched the chamber is checked.

I deactivate the bolt when I close it so that I have to lift the bolt and close to reactivate. I just don’t trust safety catches.

 

[Ragman]

I deactivate the bolt when I close it so that I have to lift the bolt and close to reactivate. I just don’t trust safety catches.

I have done that too. I am also obsessive about the direction my muzzle is pointing and in a hunting situation (I don't have access to a rifle range) I am constantly checking my chamber, safety or hammer if I'm using a lever rifle, which is 70% of the time.
To tell a quick gun safety story that was a touch alarming, my buddy liked my Browning BLR enough that he got one for himself. He is a great guy, but only hunted a few days a year and not a hunting nut like myself. One day we were out mulie hunting and he had his BLR with. Took a shot at a buck and missed, took another and missed and levered in a third round. The buck ran over the hill and was gone. We decided to try to find him again, so my buddy slung his rifle on his shoulder and away we went. My natural tendency is to always have a look at my companions rifles every once in a while so after we walked a few minutes I happened to glance at his. The hammer on his Browning was still on full cock with a round in the chamber. I calmly asked him to stop for a second and to be careful with his rifle as it was in a ready to fire condition. He is usually one of those guys that doesn't like to be reminded of the direction his muzzle may be pointing, but he was quite shocked and embarrassed that he had forgotten to lower the hammer on his rifle. The lessons never end.

 

[Spooksar]

I deactivate the bolt when I close it so that I have to lift the bolt and close to reactivate. I just don’t trust safety catches.

And what happens if you fall and the bolt takes a hard blow. Had a friend that insisted on doing the same, lucky it only scared him shitless when it happened.

 

[Hogpatrol]

And what happens if you fall and the bolt takes a hard blow. Had a friend that insisted on doing the same, lucky it only scared him shitless when it happened.

What type of rifle? Most bolt action have shrouds that prevent that from occurring.

 

[Velo Dog]

Shroud or no shroud, I would not be comfortable with the firing pin pressing against the primer of a live round while carrying any firearm.

 

[Spooksar]

What type of rifle? Most bolt action have shrouds that prevent that from occurring.

Mauser 98 lots of older rifles don’t have a shroud

 

[Spooksar]

I would not be comfortable with the firing pin pressing against the primer of a live round while carrying any firearm.

I have seen a drop test they hit the ground with the butt of the rifle, about 2 out 10 times the rifle would fire. I don’t like the odds

 

[Velo Dog]

I have seen a drop test they hit the ground with the butt of the rifle, about 2 out 10 times the rifle would fire. I don’t like the odds

My best shade tree guess is that, if you drop tested it on the muzzle, there’d likely be more than 2 out of 10 unwanted firings.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Remington 700s used to have an exposed firing pin. Newer models have a shroud. I guess it would depend on your comfort level. Generally if I am following someone, I stay to their left and cradle the firearm pointing ninety degrees left. The over the shoulder carry gives me the heebeejeebees. That requires me to be dependent on someone else's definition of safety. YMMV.

 

[Spooksar]

Remington 700s used to have an exposed firing pin. Newer models have a shroud. I guess it would depend on your comfort level. Generally if I am following someone, I stay to their left and cradle the firearm pointing ninety degrees left. The over the shoulder carry gives me the heebeejeebees. That requires me to be dependent on someone else's definition of safety. YMMV.

To each their own, but I wouldn’t let you behind me with a rifle, I’m pretty anal when it comes to my own safety

 

[Hogpatrol]

To each their own, but I wouldn’t let you behind me with a rifle, I’m pretty anal when it comes to my own safety

Where would you want another hunter if there's no place to walk side by side or parallel and how should he hold his firearm?