Skip to main content

Course Outline

Safety While Using Your Firearm

Make sure you familiarize yourself with your equipment well in advance of hunting season.

Safely Loading and Unloading Firearms

Hunter loading a break-action shotgun in the field

It is important to not become complacent when performing routine activities. Muzzle control is paramount when loading and unloading your firearm. Often when in the field and needing to reload your firearm, you are under immense pressure or anxiety with heightened adrenaline especially when your quarry is in your sight. By always ensuring that you consciously practice safe loading and unloading procedures, it will help reduce the potential for accidents in these circumstances, translating your practice into automatic behavior.

Loading: Unloading:
  • Point the muzzle in a safe direction.
  • Open the action and make sure the barrel is unobstructed.
  • Keep your finger outside the trigger guard.
  • Put the safety on if the firearm can be loaded with the safety on.
  • Load the ammunition.
  • Close the action.
  • Put the safety on if you were not able to do so before loading.
  • Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
  • Point the muzzle in a safe direction.
  • Ensure the safety is on.
  • Keep your finger outside the trigger guard.
  • Open the action.
  • Remove the ammunition from the chamber, detach the magazine (if possible), eject cartridges or shells from a fixed magazine.
  • Make sure the gun is empty by checking both the chamber and the magazine.
  • Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
  • Unit 8 of 10
  • Topic 1 of 6
  • Page 5 of 7
Back to the Study Guide Index