Quote from Nitrox: "When I start a stalk on dangerous game my rifle is un-cocked. Indeed EVERY PH I have used would probably insist on it. What do you do, stalk up to a herd of cow elephants, step in front of one at 20 yards and THEN ONLY uncock your rifle as you mount the double rifle! Just adding another thing to possibly forget or go wrong in the heat of the moment."

By "uncock" I suppose you mean that you slide the safety to "fire" at some point during the approach and well prior to mounting the rifle. I don't think this is being reckless as others might but jeez, do I think it adds the opportunity to screw up the "first" mount. And yes, for me the safety is only flicked of when the rifle is mounted, no matter how close the ele is.

I think that the shooter should do the exact same, every time he mounts the gun. Since shooting ducks, geese, clays, quail, etc, is so much more common than shooting elephants, and you don't walk through the grouse woods or quail tangles or duck marshes with your safety on "fire" and don't slide the safety to "fire" until the mount, that this is what should be done every time. And if you continue this practice on the skeet fields and rifle ranges it just becomes second nature.

WRT eles, or buff, I don't flick the safety until I mount the rifle. This is in no way slower and in no way handicaps the shot. If you can do this and hit tight crossing clay target, a duck or goose moving 40 or 50 miles an hour, maybe more downwind, with a grouse that launches in the typical thick brush at your feet, with a covey of quail that erupts in front to the sides and behind you all at the same time, you can surely do this with any four legged creature.

JPK