Carrying your rifle

[Code4]

Both the PH's I have used have made me chamber a round and put the safety on when starting a hunt. I use Mauser rifles. This surprised me.

Back home I close the bolt on an empty chamber to prevent ingress of twigs and dust etc, chambering a round before a stalk and only take off the safety immediately before a shot.

Safety is however a state of mind and nothing man made can be trusted.

 

[Ole Bally]

@ Colorado, you sound like the type of client that I liked to have! Just to emphasise what we have been talking about here, I'll relate a story of a PH who had a client who insisted on his rifle being 'safe'with a round in the chamber with the bolt closed after the trigger had been held down. On his first safari, the client had an ''accidental discharge''. how that occurred is unclear but fairly obvious. The PH discussed it with the client AGAIN but the client insisted on his ways! Some how the PH agreed (I sure as heck wouldn't of!) to doing a second hunt with this same client a year later. During this hunt, the client failed to clear his rifle after a walk and bagged the gun which was stowed on the back of the truck in the gun rack. (and yes the PH didn't check!) At the next stop, the client reached up and pulled the gun from the bag which then ''accidentally'' fired! The .375 H&H soft point bullet hit the roll bar split in 2. One half slit the scalp of the PH (standing on the other side of the truck)open about 3" and the other half hit the tracker full in the chest. Both were hospitalised. The client took no responsibility for this at all. Not so much as ''ï¾'m sorry, can I help with the medical bills?'' nothing!
I liked Forrest Gumps mothers speech "stupid is as stupid does!"

 

[colorado]

Thanks Ole Bally, it would be a privilige to hunt with you some time.