What is the correct way to unload?

[1894]

What is the correct way to unload a stalking rifle? Is it the same with a floor plate or detachable magazine?

Army

safety catch
Magazine off
Bolt back
Check clear
Release working parts

General Stalking (at least how I have done it for 20years)

Safety catch
Bolt to rear (and catch round)
Release floor plate catch rounds and relatch
Check clear
Leave bolt open

Leaving aside the finer points the main question is from a strictly correct point of view magazine or floor plate first and then bolt to rear or vice versa

 

[Mungo]

Open bolt. Drop round into long grass. Close bolt. Realise you have just chambered another round. Release floor plate. Drop half the rounds into long grass. Go to put rifle down. At last moment remember you still have a round chambered. Open bolt. Catch round. Put in a pocket (where you subsequently forget all about it, and only rediscover it after its been through the wash). Put rifle down. Start searching for lost rounds...

 

[TomT3]

Haha!

 

[JohnT]

Open bolt. Drop round into long grass. Close bolt. Realise you have just chambered another round. Release floor plate. Drop half the rounds into long grass. Go to put rifle down. At last moment remember you still have a round chambered. Open bolt. Catch round. Put in a pocket (where you subsequently forget all about it, and only rediscover it after its been through the wash). Put rifle down. Start searching for lost rounds...

I knew​ I was doing it right....

 

[User00003]

Point rifle down, safety off or if three position, middle, open bolt and take round out. Stick finger up chamber just for good measure, close bolt, point rifle down safely and pull trigger

 

[cjm1066]

With a semi auto, if the bolts slips things can get interesting, so remove the magazine first. With a bolt action, remove round from chamber first.

 

[Eddie P]

Coming from an IPSC background. I prefer to empty from floor plate (or remove mag), bolt back, look in chamber, bolt forward onto empty chamber, point in safe direction and dry fire.

 

[slider]

check safety, remove mag, open bolt and catch round, check chamber, put removed round back in mag, remove bolt.

 

[teabag_46]

Being ex army, it is always mag off first, regardless of using B/A or S/A - this prevents you going through Mungos preferred method!

 

[kenbro]

Point rifle down, safety off or if three position, middle, open bolt and take round out. Stick finger up chamber just for good measure, close bolt, point rifle down safely and pull trigger

If there was more than 1 round in the mag. this method would have you pull the trigger on another round.
Unless I’m missing something.
Ken.

 

[kenbro]

Being ex army, it is always mag off first, regardless of using B/A or S/A - this prevents you going through Mungos preferred method!

This.
Or, if floor plate type, open and empty before opening bolt.
Ken.

 

[Kalahari]

Get gunbearer to do it!

David.

 

[Mungo]

Being ex army, it is always mag off first, regardless of using B/A or S/A - this prevents you going through Mungos preferred method!

Precisely that.

Make it idiot proof. It’s so easy to close the bolt again for some reason, so it’s always best to make sure the mag is off/empty first. Then, as soon as you open the bolt, it doesn’t matter what happens next - the gun is safe.

 

[Mungo]

Point rifle down, safety off or if three position, middle, open bolt and take round out. Stick finger up chamber just for good measure, close bolt, point rifle down safely and pull trigger

And it goes BANG!

 

[User00003]

And it goes BANG!

Only if the f’ing idiot didn’t take the mag out! Hard lessons

 

[User00003]

And who’s to say it’s not a single shot! I also didn’t think we were dealing with retards here tbh!

 

[paul o']

Mag out, cup hand under , tilt over open bolt round hits fingers round drops into palm ,re-stuff mag . as ex green i also still close and open three times point into ground and click one out old habits die hard

 

[tozzybum]

Sure does Paul, surefire way to safety ,no mag =no reload ,bolt back round extracted and working the bolt reassures senile old buggas theyve done it right

 

[Dalua]

If I'm actually unloading because I've finished for the day, rather than 'underloading' in the Highland manner in case another opportunity might arise, then I'd point the rifle in a safe direction, pop the safety off, open the bolt, catch the cartridge (if there was one up), put it back in the magazine and take the bolt out.

I understand the desire for a 'surefire way to safety' - but I'm not sure that you can get any more-obviously or actually safer than a rifle with no bolt in. It simply cannot be fired either deliberately or by accident. You don't have to operate part of it to show another person it's 'safe': it just is.

This military schtik of working the bolt a magic number of times and easing the spring with (hopefully just) a click seems to me to translate poorly into the world of mere civillians.

 

[VSS]

And who’s to say it’s not a single shot! I also didn’t think we were dealing with retards here tbh!

If it's a single shot then to unload it you just point it at a deer and pull the trigger....