Hunting with a percussion rifle

[Marc50]

Half cock for 39 years and never had a cap fall off.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Half cock. That's what its there for. I may pinch a loose fitting cap to keep it secure. Never had a problem. Hammer down on a cap is a recipe for disaster when stalking in brushy terrain. See if your rifle will fire a cap by pulling the hammer back just shy of half cock and releasing. If it does, a snagged branch can cause an accidental discharge. Surprise !!!

 

[Bad Karma]

I make sure the cap fits on the nipple as it’s supposed to do. Tight enough to be difficult to remove and the priming compound firmly against the cone so it ignites as it’s designed to do. Hammer on half cock. Zero issues with this system…

 

[BillRob]

If I am hunting alone, I carry my percussion rifle capped and half-cocked. If I am not alone, I cap when I am ready to pull the trigger. I carry my caps in a hard rubber capper hanging from my trigger guard and it only takes a couple seconds - but yes, it has cost me a shot or two by not having a cap in place. I can live with that.

 

[Bad Karma]

If I am hunting alone, I carry my percussion rifle capped and half-cocked. If I am not alone, I cap when I am ready to pull the trigger. I carry my caps in a hard rubber capper hanging from my trigger guard and it only takes a couple seconds - but yes, it has cost me a shot or two by not having a cap in place. I can live with that.

I have a couple of the old TC plastic cappers around here. One of those might work as you’re using them. I’ve used them on the bench but there’s not much advantage to them there.

 

[Bushfire]

I'm shocked reading through this the amount of people walking around with their hammer down sitting on a cap. Dangerous and asking for trouble, all it takes is a trip or a hard knock and boom!

Not that I do much caplock hunting anymore but always just go half cock nipple on. One of my guns had caps always a little loose, I just squeezed them out of shape just a tad and they sat perfectly. Never had an issue in a hunting situation and always safe.

 

[Billywfe]

Hey there Billy, as a dogmatic, traditionalist purist I find myself extremely distressed by this advice. Jim Bridger had no access to valve stem caps ! [I don't care if he was a flinter, so don't bother.] After driving my truck to my hunting spot and putting on my gortex lined boots, I would never dream of defiling my percussion rifle w such a modern device. After all, my leather glove finger is a way more authentic method of keeping my Triple 7 dry. Now where did I put those factory lubed patches....? I am also very disappointed that no one else has jumped in to help me berate this heretic. What is this sport coming to ??? SW

Well dang, purists won't tolerate even a little heresy. I better skedaddle fore I get burned at the stake

 

[centershot]

I hunt with the hammer at half cock and the nipple capped, but, I put a foam ear plug between the cap and hammer nose. When I pull the hammer back to full cock the ear plug falls off on it's own.

 

[Steve Wagner]

Well dang, purists won't tolerate even a little heresy. I better skedaddle fore I get burned at the stake

Don't skedaddle on my account, Billy. I like your Hawken Heresies. I'm stripping the valve caps off of all our vehicles as I type.

 

[Reds]

Half Cock with a pinched cap, very hard to remove cap after being pinched. You will never loose one"FER SHER"!!

 

[Dale Lilly]

Well dang, purists won't tolerate even a little heresy. I better skedaddle fore I get burned at the stake

No! No! We have your firing squad all lined up ... with hammers at half-cock so that ......

 

[JRL1164]

Half cock here. I hunt with a T/C New Englander and have taken many deer and hogs with it. I've always carried at half cock as I alway felt it was the safest way to go. Hammer down I was always concerned should I misstep or fall the impact may be enough to fire off the cap with the muzzle in an uncontrolled direction.

 

[Dave91]

Cap on, hammer down, as of a week ago. I used to be in the half-cocked camp until I was sitting in my stand and looked down and my cap was gone. They stay on pretty good so how it happened I have no idea. Could have been hugely disappointing if I had discovered the issue with a deer in my sights.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

I use a commercial set of weather guards on my capguns, a small rubber finger guard for the muzzle, and a collar that goes onto the seated cap, both sealing it and holding it on until it gets blown off when the gun is fired. ( google: percussion rifle cap rain guard )

View attachment 187632

Back in Nam they just used a magnum condom.

 

[smoothshooter]

Cap on, hammer down.

I don't trust the cap not falling off.

AD never a problem.

If carrying hammer down, a piece of leather under the hammer nose would not be a bad practice.

 

[longcruise]

If carrying hammer down, a piece of leather under the hammer nose would not be a bad practice.

That's my practice as of last year. A dropped gun on half cock can go off and i suspect it could with hammer down too. The hammer down on leather (I use a thick piece) falls away easily so it's no hindrance to shooting.

 

[ETipp]

Cap on, hammer down, as of a week ago. I used to be in the half-cocked camp until I was sitting in my stand and looked down and my cap was gone. They stay on pretty good so how it happened I have no idea. Could have been hugely disappointing if I had discovered the issue with a deer in my sights.

Yup. Been doing that for many, many, years and still do. Even in the rough going, steep mountains. And yes, I have slipped quite a few times and have hit the ground. Just happened again a few days ago. Not a problem.

 

[longcruise]

Yup. Been doing that for many, many, years and still do. Even in the rough going, steep mountains. And yes, I have slipped quite a few times and have hit the ground. Just happened again a few days ago. Not a problem.

I dropped my rife from a tree once. Capped and on half cock! Happily, it didn’t go off. It was pointing straight up when it hit the ground. Wonder what could happen if the hammer was down on a cap and the hammer hit something on the way down?

 

[ETipp]

I dropped my rife from a tree once. Capped and on half cock! Happily, it didn’t go off. It was pointing straight up when it hit the ground. Wonder what could happen if the hammer was down on a cap and the hammer hit something on the way down?

Most likely nothing. But if I thought I might drop my ML from a treestand, I would most likely keep it on half cock too. Actually, I wouldn't mind doing so in a tree but I ain't walking around with it on half cock.

 

[Bad Karma]

Back in Nam they just used a magnum condom.

I had better uses for the Magnum condoms. I used regular ones for the rifle… ;-)