Lever Action Carry Conditions - Which?

[Matt VDW]

It seems that there are many possible conditions of readiness for a lever action rifle. Which one do you consider best for carry in the field, specifically for a still hunting situation in which you might want to be able to take a quick shot?

Some of the possibilities are:

Chamber empty, hammer down, safety off - rack lever to make ready to fire

Chamber loaded, hammer down, safety off - thumb back hammer to make ready to fire

Chamber loaded, hammer cocked, safety on - push off safety to make ready to fire

Which one provides the best balance of safety and speed?

[JWR]

This may not be the safest thing, but I go on: round chambered, safety off, hammer on half-cock. If I have to cross a log, fence, or something like that, I just put the safety on with it still in half cock. If I was hunting side by side with someone (newbie or child), I'd go hammer half cock, safety on, round chambered and give up the snap shots in the name of safety. I use half cock because I don't like the hammer resting on the crossbolt safety unless the chamber is empty. If the safety somehow got pushed off, the hammer would fall. I've never hunted with the chamber empty. Just the way I was taught (hunting in woods with wild dogs and rabid animals probably had something to do with it)

[Art Eatman]

I have three Model 94s. They won't fire unless the lever is squoze up to push the little pin-safety thingy into place. :) So, I see no reason not to carry the thing loaded, half-cock, and not-squoze on the lever.

Okay, "squeezed", for the erudite.

:), Art

[AEM]

The only drawback to chamber loaded, hammer down is that it requires a different manipulation to fire the first shot than subsequent shots. If you don't practice, this can cause confusion under extreme stress. Don't laugh, I saw it happen to a deer hunter who hadn't practiced much with his Marlin 336. He was seated on the ground and was startled to see a buck suddenly appear in front of him. He had his rifle loaded with the hammer down. He and the buck stared at each other for a while, then he quickly mounted the rifle, thumbed back the hammer and fired, missing the deer. As the deer swapped ends and shifted gears to haul ass, my friend had an opportunity for a second shot; however instead of racking the lever, he thumbed back the hammer again! He said he had a good sight picture when the hammer fell with a click.

He was a fantastic shot with a hangun and spent a lot of time firing his revolver both single action and double action. He only brought out the rifle for deer season. In the heat of the moment he fell back on his handgun habits and tried to shoot his rifle like a revolver.

[Hard Ball]

I favor a round in the chamber and the hammer down. I have used this with several Winchester lever actions over the years with no problems.

[Robert the41MagFan]

Like living dangerously! I carry chambered and clocked, no safety. Put the webbing between thumb and pointer finger in front of the hammer. When crossing creeks or logs, I put the hammer down.

Robert

[James K]

FWIW, when carrying either the Winchester or Marlin with the chamber loaded and the hammer down, the firing pin is resting directly on the primer. Hitting the hammer against a tree or a fence post will fire the gun.

For decades, hunters carried those rifles at half cock, which is pretty safe, but the safeties on the newer ones are better, though less traditional.

Jim

[Jeff, CA]

The newest Winchesters have a rebounding hammer with a passive hammer block, so unless you were holding the trigger back, the hammer could not be knocked into the firing pin. The crossbolt safety is just an active hammer block.

[bou3]

I carry mt marlin in bear country chambered and hammer down. I got one of those fangled hammer extensions that come with it and I love it.
For hunting same thing but the safety is on.

[Nevada Fitch]

I carry hammer on half cock, safety off if it has one, loaded chamber.Most of my guns do not have the safety. It is a pain it the butt to put up with that darn safety if you learned on lever actions without the added safeties. I have caught myself pulling the trigger and only having the rifle go click because that darn safety was on and I forgot about it. If I was hunting dangerous game with a lever action with a safety I think I would serousely concider blocking that safety so It could not be put on by accident.I am not recomending that for anyone else but for me anyway I think it would be best.

[tuc22]

On my Winchester 94, I carry it afield with the chamber empty, off safe, hammer down. If a shot is needed, I work the lever as I bring the rifle to my shoulder, chambering a round and firing if desired. When approaching an area where a shot will be needed and noise is a factor, I have a round pre-chambered, hammer cocked, and the safety on with my finger poised on the safety button.

[John Y Cannuck]

Half cock, loaded chamber.
It's every bit as fast as being at full cock, unless you wander around with the rifle in firing position on your shoulder. :)
My thumb pulls the hammer as I shoulder the rifle, a very smooth and fast movement.
The new safteys are a political response to the antis IMHO. But I can see their value to a hunter not familliar with the older system.

[Matt VDW]

Hmmmm... I didn't expect such a variety of opinions on this subject.

It sounds as though the manual safety that's present on the newer (post 1985 or so?) lever actions is of more use in unloading the rifle than in carrying it. In my very limited experience with a Winchester 94 "Wrangler" in .44 Magnum, the safety button was poorly designed for field use. It protruded from the action in the "fire" setting but was recessed in the "safe" setting, so it was hard to disengage in a hurry but easy to engage by accident.

Has anyone ever experienced or heard of an accidental discharge resulting from a shock causing the hammer to fall from the half cock position?

[John Y Cannuck]

I doubt that it's possible to do so without totally wrecking the gun. Half cock is pretty strong.

[sw627pc]

Well actually the options depend a lot on just which lever gun you are refering to. I have two lever action rifles. One, the M92 Rossi, doesn't have a safety. Only option is lowering the hammer or not chambering a cartridge. The other (Savage 99) doesn't have an outside hammer. There your option is to not chamber the gun, or use the safety.

[Nevada Fitch]

The older Browning BLRS were designed to be carried with the hammer all of the way down on a loaded round.The factory recomended this carry and strongly discouraged carry on half cock.This was because the BLR had an enertia firing pin.I really like this method of carry because this gun is not going to fire until someone cocks this gun.It is very safe and fast and positive.As far as I know the Older Blrs are only rifle you can do this with.Do not do this with the Older Winchesters or any of the Marlins!!!

[Zorro]

Marlin

Cartridge in chamber, hammer not cocked, no safety.

[JNewell]

Jim, I'm not sure about the Marlins, but I'm pretty sure (no time this a.m. to check an actual rifle) that the Winchester 1894 has an inertial firing pin that doesn't touch the primer if the hammer is down on a loaded chamber. It's not "drop safe" but, like a 1911 (also a JMB design) would require a pretty long fall and landing just right to fire.

[scooter71]

I carry the Marlin/Glenfield 30AS unchambered until reaching my stand.

Once in place, I quietly chamber a round, and pull the trigger while at the same time thumbing the hammer down to rest.

Upon seeing my target, I can put a little pressure on the trigger, while pulling the hammer back to the rearward position, and then letting loose of the trigger to leave the hammer in the rearward cocked position.

In other words, there is no sound at all, when I cock it, because I manually override the mechanism inside the gun...

Allows you to sit safely until you see game, and then cock the rifle quietly without spooking.......

[MrPink]

OK, so maybe it is my upbringing, but I prefer to carry the gun chamber empty, hammer down. Cycling the lever is very fast - that's why I'm using the lever in the first place.

When I reach my sitting spot, I'll then cycle a round in and go to half cock. If I move out, I unload the gun and start over. When I grew up, crossing a fence or stream with a loaded gun was a big no-no.

[frontlander]

The half cock position was the factory approved safety for over a hundred years. Only recently has the dreaded lawsuit-spawned crossbolt come into the picture. It is useful as an added comfort when unloading, especially indoors. My personal carry method is an empty chamber, hammer at half cock (I always have the hammer at half cock, regardless of chamber condition). My technique is described nicely in Cooper's book, Art of the Rifle. Basically, the lever is racked forward as the gun is coming up to the shoulder and is racked back as the butt is pulled into the shoulder pocket. With a bit of practice it is as fast as normally shouldering the rifle. If a round is not fired, the hammer is slowly lowered to the half-cock position and remains there until circumstances allow the chamber to be emptied. My reasons for carrying chamber empty is that exposed hammers have been known to cock themselves. Murphy's law seems to work especially well with exposed hammers. Pushing through thick brush has been known to result in a cocked hammer. The little extension intended to ease cocking with a scope in place exacerbates the problem. I had one on my 1895ss. One day I shoved the gun into a scabbard and went hunting on horseback. When I took the gun from the scabbard, the hammer was cocked. I don't begrudge any of the other fellow's methods of carry. To each his own.