I'll get in on the 4 rules meme

Just a little.

Jay G mentioned something in his comment on the first rule and it's variations- I was taught that all guns are considered loaded until you checked.

I think that rule goes way back before Col. Cooper. Way back- even to the first guy that almost got shot by a clueless recruit playing with his matchlock... "but,I didn't know it was loaded!"

Back then you HAD to act like the gun was loaded because the only way you could check was to fire it, or measure the inner barrel with your ramrod (you DO mark where the muzzle is when it's empty, right?) and see if the muzzle is on the empty mark, or about an inch below.

The rest is common sense, and the Colt BP revolvers had a "safety" between each cap for the hammer to rest on, so you could safely fill all six cylinders without worrying about hammer drop. That came in handy when you were using the but to pound bobwahre staples or making the morning coffee.