Good safety video

[375 Ruger Fan]

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Couldn't make it to the end. Too drifty.

This guy (Randy Newberg) obviously has never hunted birds? If he thinks his shotgun can be loaded in time to get a shot off at a flushed pheasant, he is sadly mistaken. Just as well return to the motel and watch a soap opera on TV. Similarly, am I gonna dig a third round out of the box every time the geese circle my decoys? Only if I want them to see the movement and leave for the next guy's decoys. So are we to conclude rifles are more dangerous to carry loaded than shotguns? I submit exactly the opposite is true! I have a much greater chance of surviving a close range rifle wound than close range shotgun wound. And if his statistics are genuine (big question mark here), and single person gun accident "tragedies" (solo hunters?) far outnumber multiple person accidents (hard to believe), then the majority of tragedy deaths involve close range discharges (a hunter is not able to fatally shoot himself accidentally unless gun goes off at close range).

When I'm hunting in Africa, my rifle does not have a cartridge in the chamber until final stalk. That's because I'm always hunting with at least two other guys. Exception is traversing in dangerous game country. Then there's a shell in the chamber. In North America I almost always hunt big game alone. Then my rifle has a loaded chamber. No matter what the situation, it is almost inconceivable my rifle could discharge accidentally and hit me. Three exceptions to loaded chamber when hunting here: 1) dangerous terrain, especially steep country, 2) walking out after dark [empty chamber after hunting hours is the law] 3) scope is detached from my 03A3 Springfield. Its scope relief safety is too exposed when scope is removed and can be easily accidentally disengaged. I'm in the process of changing it to Winchester Model 70 style safety which is genuinely bulletproof safe with scope on or off.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

It seems a fair number of hunting accidents are not the fault of the hunters. You'd be surprised how many hunters are killed and maimed by their hunting dogs! Very often the hunter is beaching or launching his boat and the dog steps on the gun. Seems to happen fairly frequently. Or the dog knocks the gun over while hunter is trying to crawl through a fence. Dogs are inherently dangerous hunting partners. Don't forget it! I admit that my rambunctous Lab Ellie once stepped on my loaded shotgun when I was getting up from a nap in the field. Yikes! Fortunately the safety was not kicked loose. If the gun had discharged, it wouldn't have hit me ... but my other dog might not have been as lucky. Chamber is now always unloaded if I lay down on the ground.