I do not have the strength or the dexterity to mount my hammer gun when a bird flushes and to simultaneously pull back both hammers. If I am alone I hunt with both hammers cocked, always keeping the gun pointed away from the pups. I know this is an unsafe method. When hunting with friends I have kept the barrels open slightly with both hammers cocked. I can then quickly close the barrels while mounting the gun if a bird is moved. This method can be problematic, however, when hunting in heavy cover. In short, I really don't have a good and safe way to efficiently hunt upland birds afield. As a result, I rarely bring my old London, "Best" hammer gun afield these days, and that is a shame.