A new (gifted) 458

[JakeH]

I for one am rather upset that you’ve inherited this rifle and have yet to share it with us. The pictures man, where are the pictures?!

 

[Eric Anderson]

Cock on closing or opening would make no difference when faulty ammunition is used in a rifle that has grit in the chamber. Any action type may have issues under those conditions...doubles and singles included.

Personal choice I prefer cock on opening, you don't feel any difference whereas cock on closing makes it harder to chamber a round...

It makes a big difference. You only have X amount of force that you can apply manually. During normal operation, you have enough force to do both. If that shell doesnt want to come out however, you can have a problem.

Very similar to driving. You only have so much traction available. That is why braking during a turn can cause an accident.

 

[CTDolan]

A little off topic but cock on closing is generally considered more reliable and, often, faster to operate. The old Lee-Enfield is cock on closing and is widely regarded as the fastest of all bolt actions.