Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Why the "African Carry"? Rifle on shoulder?

I can't help but see the great numbers of gun magazine pics showing people with their rifles resting on their shoulder. It looks unsafe and sloppy. Something I would discourage in a youth firearms safety class! Is gas so high that they can't afford a sling? Even that blackpowder guy has it on the shoulder in the recent NRA Hunter.
What is the deal here?

My guess would be muzzle control. It's hard not to know where your muzzle's pointing when it's darned near in your hand...

Besides the poor African tracker is usually in the front, so it's apparently best to have the muzzle pointed at him.

Watched a recent show where they loaded the double rifles, placed them like so and headed out. All the time the muzzle was pointed at the tracker in the front. That from a well known writer.

Gotta love it.

Thats' funny! a lot of truth to that.

It must be custom to do it. I'm in Africa therefore I carry the rifle on my shoulder. It looks cool for pics anyways.

Notice how when an animal is down and it's time to pose for pics they squat 3 feet behind the animal and have the muzzle pointing at hunters head?

Think about the saftey and exposed triggers behindd the shoulder. Absalute minimum control !!!! and maximum exposure.
I doubt chambers would be empty for D/G.
Woodchuck

I've often wondered the same thing, and since they DON'T seem to use slings, I suspect it is because most big caliber rifles are so damned heavy that you need to rest them somewhere.

Probably because it looks cool and is what clients expect from their "African Experience."

Where does the PH typically walk? Way at the back?

- Tom

BTW, what, exactly, is a "PH"?

PH=professional hunter. A guide, in North America.

It's a dumb way to carry a rifle. You have no control if you fall.

I carry mine (in Africa or elsewhere)slung over my shoulder. If game is near, I carry it in both hands.

DG rifles are not that heavy. 10 pounds or so.

So why do they carry them so? In the old days, they had gunbearers. The gunbearer walked in front, rifle butt pointing backwards, so you could easily grab it from him and shoot. Nowadays, no gunbearers but the habit lingers on.

Professional Hunter, he's the guide. The others are usually trackers and skinners.

It seems to me that the African Carry is due to the weight of the rifles, usually 10-12 lbs, or more. For dangerous game you don't want a sling interfering with bringing a rifle to shoulder in thick cover during a charge. That's the theory anyway.

Here's another thought. If the rifle is over the shoulder and the PH is holding the barrel, he might be better able to use it like a club!

On long walks, where I haven't a sling to use, I frequently change the carry to rest muscles. I have carried over my shoulder and find it is not uncomfortable. I have never ventured afield with an 11 lb rifle however!

I just always make sure to use a Gunbearer any time I'm hunting with a rifle...

Mine just comes from the folks at Kifaru!

If you get a copy of African Rifles And Cartridges, by John "Pondoro" Taylor you will see the same explanation that IndyCA35 gave. The gunbearer carried the backup rifle, usually of very big caliber. The hunter wanted him in front so that if the backup rifle was needed it could be grabbed by the wrist and put into play very quickly. Taylor also thought it was well to keep the guy with the backup rifle where he could be seen, instead of turning around to find that an angry beast was charging and the gunbearer had left for a safer location, still in possession of the backup rifle. Embarrassing situation.

Don't get me started. During 3 weeks in Chewore I lost count of the times I found myself staring at the muzzles of a 470 double.

Finally the PH adopted a sling, ostensibly to please one of the trackers, who had witnessed the death of a tracker by AD some years earlier.

That said, it IS a comfortable way of changing carry position. Just make sure there's no one in front of you.

SOS

After watching a few Africa hunting DVD's, as well as the cable TV stuff, I've seen some truly appalling muzzle discipline, to include the "African carry" noted in this thread. Makes me thankful that the PH we'll be with in a couple months, is a gun nut, and watches where his rifle is pointed(verified by several friends who've already hunted with him).

Jeff

Or, short people can place the recoil pad under in their armpits and use the rifle as a crutch!

In our hunter safety classes, we try to instill the thought that a muzzle is never ever pointed at another individual regardless of the state of the firearm (loaded or unloaded, closed action or broken open). To safely violate this, the carrier has to keep asking himself whether a unit is loaded or not and have absolute confidence in the safety and sear if it is. The person in front of the muzzle obviously has to put his life to the hands of the carrier.

I can not envision the day that I would tell a student it was OK to point a muzzle my way as long as the arm was unloaded. I've been around about 4 unloaded arms that went off. Fortunately, they were all oriented safely.

I see the practice arising from two issues. 1) being to damn lazy to practice safe firearms handling, and 2) a complete lack of respect for the people looking down the muzzle.

Anyone who handles arms in that manner around me, will find themselves walking alone in short order. There are any number of carries one can employ, regardless of the marching formation, that will not endanger those around you. If one is going to pursue game in those environements, he should have enough conditioning to haul a 10 or 12 lb unit. One never sees them carrying anything else except binocs. Maybe they should come to north America, strap on an additional gear pack, survival gear, lunch, and water, and go climb a mountain in the snow. Just my rant, 1Minute