Cocking Your Gun

[musketman]

Most muzzleloading guns make a "click" when you bring them to full cock, smoothbores have a very loud "click", when it's quiet in the woods and that buck is heading your way, the "click" sounds like a bowling ball hitting a dumpster from a thrid story window... :haha:

What are some ways you found to mute this while hunting with them so you don't spook your game?

 

[Dave K]

Gun is down and my one hand is covering the lock as I bring her to full cock. Now, I will also watch the head of the game I am after. I try to make sure it is either far enough out or it's head is behind a tree. Of course another way is while the gun is shouldered and ready to fire. If it's head jerks up, it will come to a stop and present that shot at the same time. :results:

 

[No Deer]

I pull the trigger, ease the hammer back, release the trigger, and slowly release pressure on the hammer, making sure that it stays in the full cock position. This allows the hammer to be pulled to full cock without clicking

 

[roundball]

I pull the trigger, ease the hammer back, release the trigger, and slowly release pressure on the hammer, making sure that it stays in the full cock position. This allows the hammer to be pulled to full cock without clicking

Ditto

 

[rabjr]

I pull the trigger, ease the hammer back, release the trigger, and slowly release pressure on the hammer, making sure that it stays in the full cock position. This allows the hammer to be pulled to full cock without clicking

I do the same.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Ditto.

Unless it's a hurried shot. Then it's: "click-BANG!"

Can't say pulling the cock back with the trigger pulled is the safest method, but it is the quietest. :redface:

 

[JEB/Ms]

My son's first deer hunt. We had practiced and practiced backing the hammer without the "click" and he had it down pat. Sitting in a ground blind watching a well tended scrape and the mosquitoes (state bird of Mississippi)were on the verge of causing anemia in both of us. He put on gloves to keep the pesky little blood suckers off his hands and all of a sudden a nice 8 pointer just materialized at the scrape. He was on a mission seeing who had checked in there and freshening up the pawed up ground, giving Johnny a 35 yard broadside shot. Not having practiced with gloves on (I'm a real genius sometimes)he could not feel the trigger as well and CLICK!!! The buck had practiced his stuff much better than we had. In one fluid movement he whirled around and was across the clearing about to re-enter the woods on the far side when he stopped to look back at what might have caused such a racket. It was a good quartering shot at about 70 yds, but Johnny did not feel comfortable with the range so he passed. No other shots were presenten to him last season but he would have been ready, gloves or no gloves. Maybe this year.
JEB/Ms

 

[sidelock]

the only way I know. Works every time unless you let the hammer down while the trigger is still back. :agree:

 

[musketman]

I pull the trigger, ease the hammer back, release the trigger, and slowly release pressure on the hammer, making sure that it stays in the full cock position. This allows the hammer to be pulled to full cock without clicking

Ditto

Will this safely engage the full cock notch or just allow the sear to ride on the notch's leading edge?

 

[jim gray]

Will this safely engage the full cock notch or just allow the sear to ride on the notch's leading edge?

I just cocked my traditions lock that way and then removed it from the gun. The sear was fully engaged. I don't feel like pulling the locks off of my other guns to further research this though. I hope this helps.

 

[roundball]

Will this safely engage the full cock notch or just allow the sear to ride on the notch's leading edge?

Yes, it provides complete, normal sear engagement with the tumbler notch just like it does when you cock the hammer normally.

Since you won't be able to "hear" those familiar clicks, the most important thing is to be sure the hammer is physically pulled ALL THE WAY BACK so there's no question the tumbler has rotated to the max, so the tumbler notch is below the sear tip, then the sear return spring will keep the sear tip riding against the tumbler surface and force it to catch/engage the tumbler notch when you gently ease the hammer forward (which rotates the tumbler around some).

I let it down easy and feel it engage, then I gently ease/rock the hammer back & forth a few thousands of an inch just to lighten the tension on the engagement and "feel" it ease in and out of the notch so I KNOW it's in the notch...takes longer to explain it than it does to do it.

:front:

 

[Rebel]

I normally cock mine when i spot a deer. Haven't had the click cost me a shot that i know of.

 

[Old Charlie]

Last year I shot a doe from a shooting stand about twenty feet up in the air. The deer was about fifty yards away. When I cocked the hammer she heard it and looked right at me. I sat very still and after about thirty seconds she went back to feeding. I took aim and pulled the set trigger. She heard that also and she was standing broad side to me that head came up and she was looking right at me when I shot.
Old Charlie

 

[CrackStock]

Charlie,

There's the deal. I like to silently pull back to full cock and let the set trigger freeze them for the shot. Two clicks is one click too much in my mind. Besides, the set trigger click is not nearly as loud. Might work for a doe, but not for most bucks.

CS

 

[flint62]

I have a leather hammer stall that fits the frizzen on my lock. Once I'm on stand the gun is cocked and the hammerstall is in place.
If anything comes along all I have to do is slip it off the frizzen and take aim. The leather stops the flint and prevents an accidental discharge.
I should note here that the gun is never at full cock unless the stall is in place.