"Usually, I throw the rifle clear so I can use both hands to break the fall"
My son did that ONCE when he was about 5 years old with a BB gun when he was crossing an irrigation ditch. After a scolding about how you handle a firearm, he never did that again. I can't imagine a place where you have to throw a rifle to break your fall. Most of the time if you carry it on the downhill side on a steep side slope your rifle will never hit the ground. They also make slings that carry the rifle right in the middle of your back so you can walk around hands free. There's got to be a better way than chucking your rifle when you start to fall.
If you insist on hunting that area and insist on chucking your rifle every time you fall, then hunt that area with only one rifle every time so all your rifles won't take a beating. If I had chucking it in mind every time I fell, I would hunt that area with the cheapest POS rifle I could find.
Last edited by troutslayer; 12/27/16.
