OH NO YOU DIDN'T!

Oh well

I'm a bit of a cheap arse so generally no.

I don't hunt much these days and can't really say I did alot. But I generally only hunted with bolt actions so seems to me not worth buying more mags. Not too difficult to hand feed a shot. I always carry extra ammo in my pocket and/or bag.

I did that this year, had a group of pigs come to my stand. stuck the barrel out the window just a smidge too far!

I don't own a deer rifle that requires a magazine.

HUMMMMMM


GREAT Point

Just curious as to why you would store a rifle that uses a detachable magazine without a magazine in it? It seems a little like storing a rifle without the bolt, which some people also do for some reason. I'm not claiming it to be a bad or poor practice but just curious if I might be overlooking a good reason. TIA

To keep it ‘unloaded’. But a quick check of the weapon would let you know whether it’s there before you leave. Not really any different than an empty internal mag, you can end up at the blind without shells in either case.

That’s Another reason to have a mag, actually. If you need to fully unload the weapon, you drop the mag and rack the bolt. If you have a jam, you drop the mag and rack the bolt.

I have a Ruger American .450 Bushmaster that of course uses DBMs. I like it. I did purchase extra magazines for the rifle - it gives me the flexibility to have different loads in different mags - say one for hogs and another for deer if I so choose.

I do wish there were higher capacity magazines available for it though - only thing out there that I am aware of is the factory 3 round mags.

Earl

My 1911s are the only guns I have that use detachable magazines and I don't usually have a spare.

If I'm in a situation where 15 rounds of .45 ACP from my Para P-14 haven't solved it yet I'm in way deeper than I need to be and reloading probably won't help.
.

After losing a mag in Wyoming on a goat hunt, I can absolutely say a spare is a necessity. Got back to the truck, went to unload...mag gone. I did find it later after retracing my steps, but could have been a major inconvenience. I suppose I could have continued in single-shot mode in a pinch.

I think mainly is that I don't think about the mag on a bolt action because I'm so used to an internal box mag. At the range, I have to pull the mag on DBM in order to follow the rules. Could end up in a different range bag. it's not a great excuse but it happens and I forget and it's aggravating.

I also store without a bolt in order to pack more rifle in the safe. The bolts sit on a shelf in the safe.

Storing a rifle without the bolt makes a thief call the manufacturer for a new one. Good chance you'll get your gun back and the thief gets arrested.
I generally keep my seasonal guns separate from bolts and magazines. Should they get stolen, the perp does not have a working gun.
Long term single action storage is without cylinders.

Double Tapped.

You bring up an interesting point. Last week my daughter and I were hunting and I discovered later the magazine in her rifle had only two cartridges in it when I know I put three in it. (She doesn't own a safe so I store her .243 in my safe.) I called to ask her about it and she said one of the cartridges may have popped out of the mag when she dropped it. I later thought she may have removed the mag but failed to eject one from the chamber so I checked the chamber just to be sure. I found it empty and later found the cartridge laying on the ground next to where we parked my truck.

Had no idea so many store their rifles without the bolt. While the reasons make sense, I'm just too forgetful to make it a practice.

Still, I have to question why you would be more likely to get back a rifle after it was stolen without the bolt. I can't see a pawn shop or anyone else for that matter wanting to buy it. Perhaps the thief is so desperate they still try to pawn it and the shop employee quickly recognizes from past experience that it's probably stolen?

Friend of mine near CCTX had his Ruger 77 stolen during home burglary. He reported it stolen. The perp called Ruger saying he lost the bolt... ...Ruger said gimme your s/n so we can determine the bolt needed, availability etc. S/N given, records checked, flag raised, police called, perps address passed on.... police made the visit, recovered the stolen rifle, perp to pokey.