11/44 ROF(F) No5 MkI with MkII rear sight

[RobD]

What is interesting to me is how many military rifles are carried cocked in historic pictures.
In photos of Boers holding rifles, (Anglo Boer War 1899-1902) about 1 in 3 Mauser or Martini rifles is cocked.
http://winegoggle.co.za/files/2013/01/boers.jpg
Indeed, in the famous picture of Louis Botha (while General in command on the Natal Front) which forms my avatar, his Boer Mauser carbine is cocked.
http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol017cb.html
I haven't systematically looked at long Lee Enfields in pictures of Imperial soldiers from the ABW to compare habits, but one suspects they would have been more disciplined.

[Peter Laidler]

A few years ago someone brought in to the Armourers shop at Warminster a rusted out Bren magazine found on one of the old parachute training areas. You could see live ammo in the top but as soon as they tapped the base on the bench, the mainspring asserted itself, ejected the base plate across the floor with a 'twwwwwwwangggggg' followed by the follower and rest of the live rounds - about 20 in all!

But no doubt, some others were absolute crap. Good engineering practice suggests to me that springs are best maintained in neutral

[browningautorifle]

military rifles are carried cocked

Well that's true Rob, but when in possible contact with the enemy, or even the chance of contact it's the habit to have one up the pipe and ready...safety applied. You do get variations where people want an empty chamber and loaded mag but that can come back to bite too.