Turkey Hunting?

[Stan Hillis]

I never walk in on a point, or even walk behind dogs, with barrels pointing downward, always upward. If you trip on something, and fall, the muzzles can be maintained in a safe direction much easier when they are already pointing skyward. It they're muzzles down, and you trip and fall, your barrels are likely jammed in the ground, or damaged by a rock or root.

I've tripped and fallen while following bird dogs and was always able to hit the ground with my muzzles up, and no gun damage.

JME, YMMV

[6pt-Sika]

The last two saturdays at pheasent shoots I used hammerless guns , but over half the time I have the gun open with shells in the chambers safety on and the muzzle's on the toes of my shoe . When I hear the birds going up or as the case at Prospect Hall the thrower going off I lift the gun and close the barrels .

I'm not big on closing a hammer gun with both hammers back . I was shooting 5 Stand a couple months ago with my hammer 16 , had cracked it open to reload one barrel and the unfired barrel still had the hammer back , when I closed it that hammer went down and I shot the turf about 15 yards in front of me . Dunno if it jumped the sear , the sear released or if I touched somnething to cause this but ever since then the practice of walking around with the gun cracked open loaded with the hammers back I no longer do .

Incidently if I get an invite to visit Prospect Hall in January for the pheasent partidge pigeon deal I think I'm going to take Brutus (hammer 8 gauge) and a 12 gauge . Don't really need Brutus for that stuff but unless I missed something in the WVA game laws it's legal .