Without re hashing the safety aspect, mechanically are there issues if I load, cock, and then don’t shoot my Notos? Right now I primarily using it to shoot sparrows from my martin housing. I’ve had a couple minor issues with the stock magazine so I am just loading one at a time. Sometimes I load one to shoot and the target takes off before I get a shot. If I leave the gun as is for a couple hours, over night, etc. is here a point where it can do some damage to the gun itself?
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Newbie question, storing loaded?
- Thread starter midwest
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i have a 'go gun' that stays locked cocked and loaded 24/7, 365 ..no problems .. however personally for a 'target' gun i wouldnt change it up and leave things one way for a spell and then another for the sake of consistency, it may affect it some ..
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Storing it cocked may result in the hammer spring taking set. Constantly being compressed it could basically be permanently shortened eventually causing it to function in a lesser capacity. It depends on how long you plan to leave it that way, and how often.
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Thanks, I don't really plan to keep it loaded. I try not to shoot out the bedroom window facing the martin houses unless I am on target. Once I shoot any sparrows in the area scatter, sometimes for an hour or more. So I have been walking downstairs to the other side of the house and shooting the loaded pellet into a target and then taking the gun back upstairs. I didn't know if that was necessary or if from time to time I didn't take a shot and left it sit over night if that would cause an issue.
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I don't think there is any mechanical risk, but I'd be inclined to remove the magazine and decock on the chambered pellet. Then it's just a matter of cocking and firing. Except for a handgun carried for defense, a cocked and loaded weapon of any sort bothers me. But maybe I'm the exception.
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I don’t believe that you are the exception. At least I hope not. Even when hunting I don’t carry my rifle cocked and loaded.
Kenny
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it can become a bad habit.How long does it take to load? My Hunters Safety class imprinted my brain
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NO NEED...worry about any sort of spring set.
As a retired Engineer in the Aerospace Industry, this has been discussed and tested countless times by MANY people / institutions over the years.
Unless the spring is a VERY marginal (junk) quality, a good spring will last just shy of coil bind for...years without degradation. One caveat, the initial unloading of the spring will show a "small" lightening of pressure, but after a full cycling, the spring will be back at normal pressure.
I've also seen this with my own spring tester on my race engines.
The ONLY thing that will harm a quality spring is EITHER internal or external heat.
Internal heat = Rapid cycles. As in a valve spring on a "racing" engine. Also, a new spring will drop a small amount of pressure with some rapid action, like in a "standard" car engine after many cycles. But once the small change has happened, the spring will live at that pressure for MANY more cycles.
External heat = A torch.
Mike
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On a bolt action PB, it is possible to load the magazine and not load a shell and carry the gun that way. When ready to shoot the bolt is worked loading the cartridge. The only way I know of to do something like this is to load a magazine in my airgun loading a pellet in the process. Fire that pellet but do not cock the gun. Then you can carry it with the magazine in place and cock it when ready to fire.
Personally I keep a magazine that is loaded with my rifles in storage. If I see a pesting opportunity I grab both but I do not load the magazine and thus pellet unless I am pretty sure I will shoot. If I am wrong I waste the pellet in the barrel. I just don't like leaving guns around with a pellet in the barrel. I live alone and I still prefer to store guns unloaded. Just seems like a better practice. If I am hunting I carry the gun with a pellet in the barrel but when I leave, I fire that pellet into the ground and take the magazine out of the gun.
Personally I keep a magazine that is loaded with my rifles in storage. If I see a pesting opportunity I grab both but I do not load the magazine and thus pellet unless I am pretty sure I will shoot. If I am wrong I waste the pellet in the barrel. I just don't like leaving guns around with a pellet in the barrel. I live alone and I still prefer to store guns unloaded. Just seems like a better practice. If I am hunting I carry the gun with a pellet in the barrel but when I leave, I fire that pellet into the ground and take the magazine out of the gun.
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Those safety courses do have some valuable info. The trappers safety course has gotten interesting since they changed the laws here in 95. Now the instructors can be quoted answering questions with, " if you want to use a technique, and you aren't sure if it's legal here...ask yourself, is what I am about to do fun, or effective? If the answer is yes to either part of this question don't do it.it can become a bad habit.How long does it take to load? My Hunters Safety class imprinted my brain
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I’m not worried about how long it takes to load. It was more about me walking across the house, down the stairs, then outside to fire the pellet, versus setting it on my stand until later that evening when I’m shooting again. My hunting guns I can remove the projectile in a second…it can become a bad habit.How long does it take to load? My Hunters Safety class imprinted my brain
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Yes. That is how I do it. I don’t use magazines in my rifles either. I much prefer to use the flip-out style single shot loaders in my rifle whether I am target shooting or hunting. The vast majority of my hunting is actually more like pest control sniping of ground squirrels from a tripod rest. It’s a very slow deliberate affair.
Kenny
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I may try to experiment with de-cocking and the re cocking a day or two later to see if there is any change in accuracy with having a pellet left inside for a couple days. I assume it wouldn’t…
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Leaving a spring-piston airgun cocked has been tested, and is fine for the gun:
That noted, I try to know my limits: I'm that idiot they have in mind when they say not to leave a gun cocked and loaded.
How long can you leave that mainspring cocked? | Blog | Pyramyd AIR
Hence, the rifle was cocked for 3 days — very uncool!
www.pyramydair.com
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The chicom PCPs HS will lose tension even if you don't keep it cocked. If you're only single loading you can decock the rifle and leave it sit until needed. If you use the magazine and you decock it when you cock it again you'll end up double loading.
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Thanks for posting this link! Very informative! Glad I didn't buy a Chi-Com build.Leaving a spring-piston airgun cocked has been tested, and is fine for the gun:
That noted, I try to know my limits: I'm that idiot they have in mind when they say not to leave a gun cocked and loaded.How long can you leave that mainspring cocked? | Blog | Pyramyd AIR
Hence, the rifle was cocked for 3 days — very uncool!www.pyramydair.com
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