hunting with a hammer gun . . . Had a chance to ask the late Gene Hill his opinion. He suggested hammers cocked, but gun broken open. I'd think that might work where you're not walking through cover where getting crud into the action could be a problem.
I had a really nice Husqvarna hammer 16. Windy day on the prairie, and I did walk in on my dog's point with the hammers cocked and the gun closed (just a few last steps very cautiously). The birds held and I took a double. Sometimes wish I'd kept that gun.