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

I'm another that will not tolerate any firearm pointed at anything that isn't to be killed, etc.
On the other hand, the most useful, and fastest carry position I know of is another african carry. Carrying the rifle with a sling, muzzle down and upside down. Or muzzle up. When I'm tracking, or still hunting, that's how I carry mine. Very quick. Just drop your off shoulder, grab the rifle by the forend with your off hand as you do, and rotate it up into position. Smooth and quiet too. E

Funny how we all differ. I don't believe a sling belongs on a big game rifle.

Slings are useful for carrying a rifle back to camp or vehicle, in the dark, on a trail or road. Or when traversing long distances on the tundra or prairie with no game in sight.

Hunting rifles belong in the hands, when hunting. My PH asked me, after a couple of days of hunting, why my rifles had sling swivels -- because I had never used the sling once. He said one of his biggest issues with American and European hunters was that they constantly slung their rifles, and thus were never ready to shoot in the bush. He never had that problem with me .

I do like the Kifaru Gunbearer for packing in and hunting with a pack. It's like carrying the rifle in your hands, without having it in your hands.

The "African Carry" bothers me a bunch, and is safe only if the hunter is alone. Its biggest flaw is that the muzzle is always pointed where the bearer's eyes are pointed. This is a bit disconcerting when such a person turns to speak to you...

Dennis

My slings, with the Uncle Mike's QD swivels, are kept in my day bag until the actual hunting is over. Click-click and I'm ready for the trek back to camp or to free my hands for carrying a cape or rack or whatever.

Wayne

Well, I�ll go uncomfortably out on a limb and say, I love the �African Carry.� However, my rifle is NEVER pointed at another human being. I have a few guns that have no sling swivels and are likely to stay that way, since I�m really into old vintage guns. When afield, I carry a lot of different ways, but there�s no such thing as an OK way to point a gun at another human. The �African Carry� is great when muscles get tired.

If you�re going to carry that way, you must do so while you and your partner(s) are walking abreast, or you�re the person at the front of the pack; otherwise it�s strictly forbidden. There�s just no excuse for pointing a gun at another person. If you�re going to carry over the shoulder, then you really have to keep your head in the game, or be hunting alone. Most of my hunting is alone, so I don�t have to worry too much.

In 6 trips to Africa, I've never had a rifle pointed at me, either by a PH, a tracker, another hunter, or a game scout. They are all very conscious of where rifles are pointed at all times.

They carry them that way because they don't use slings for safety's sake. When you are hunting where dangerous animals roam, you don't want anything (i.e. sling) that might catch on a wait-a-bit thorn or any other ground flora. Another reason you will never see a PH's rifle with a scope.

Try walking 10-12 hours a day, and see if you don't carry a rifle on your shoulders occasionally. Most of the time, they are carried in their hands - sometimes on the shoulder. A typical PH can care less if he looks cool - sheesh.

I did, and more than one. They weren't 4.5-14's, but they were definitely riflescopes.

All Leupolds, incidently... .

Dennis

Funny, I've walked plenty of days 10-12 hours hunting (sans sling) and the rifle never made it to my shoulder. Must be an equatorial thing.......

I agree that it shouldn't be "slung" when you're hunting, but there are a lot of placed that I have to hike several miles into that require some climbing and a rifle pretty much has to be slung then.

That's what I meant, if actively hunting the rifle shouldn't have a sling, even when walking whilst hunting.

I generally have one in my pack, but can't really remember the last time a put one on a rifle.

I rarely take them all the way off unless I am using the sling to pack a critter over my shoulder with it- as I have done on pigs a few times

I've hunted Arizona and I probably wouldn't need to take one off there either. In a rainforest though, everything graps ya.......

Truth is, I've NEVER liked a slung rifle. Weak hand craddle carry is my method 99% of the time, cept when using it as a walking stick.

I use a sling for shooting; if I'm walking I put the gun on my packframe.

I used a sling for about 2 weeks as a kid when I first started after eastern wood chucks. After missing about 2 shot opportunties, I decided I was out there to hunt, and have not used a sling since.

This fall I hope to use about a 14 lb Sharps on elk. Given the price of the sights on that rifle, there's no way I'm going to let the muzzle or tang pass through the woods unattended.

When the hands get old and arthritic, I may change my tune. If I'm out there to pack an elk or moose back to camp though, carrying the rifle out seems like a piece of cake.

The last issue for me is that there's always a risk of falling in snow or on steep slopes. With the rifle in hand, I can control where it goes in about 95% of those instances. Attached to my torso, I have no such control. 1Minute

I bring a sling along with, but never use it while actually hunting. Walking in and out in the dark is when it gets used, or with an animal down.

I really hate those "Safari Sling" things. Couple guys I hunt elk with were into those things for a couple years there. Talk about a device that just about automatically results in poor muzzle control...

Personally, I use a sling quite a bit. Rifles got heavier about the time the hills got steeper. After years of carrying a rifle at port arms or thereabouts, I realized I wasn't the kind of rifle shot to take a deer on the rise like a quail anyway, so why carry them like I was? When I'm still hunting, it's at port arms again, though.

Ste..,

Same here. The Army tought me a sling was for marching but in Indian country your weapon belonged in your hands. May be why Africans carry the way the do . . . a lot of crawly, bitey, stompie, gorrie, turn you into biodegradeable mush critters in their world.

O

I've seen more than one silly magazine article along the lines of "How to Get Your Slung Rifle into Action Quickly When You Spot Something to Shoot". My sling stays in my pocket or pack unless I need it while dragging a dead animal, climbing a tree etc. My rifle stays in my hands or rarely at shoulder arms.

Funny that you say that- I had never used a rifle as a walking stick before this past October on Kodiak.

Wow! A lot to do about nothing, the arrogance is outstanding at any rate...How one carrys a gun is his business as long as its safe, and I can certainly carry a rifle in African fashion without pointing it at anyone, if you cannot then you can't chew gum and walk....At least I know where the muzzle IS!!! Also you should take the depth factor of the camera in consideration, it does not show angles very well...

During the course of a hunt I will carry my gun in various ways, because if you really hunt and walk a lot of miles you pretty much have to keep changing around to keep from soreing up...

A sling is an abomination of the city dweller...I have seen more game lost by folks fumbling with a sling and not being prepared for that window of opertunity...A sling will also wear you out in the neck and shoulders...When I hunt I am ready for the shot..

As to PHs shooting iron sights, whats the problem there, I shoot iron sights more than scopes on dangerous game..I was raised on iron sights and can shoot them better than I can a scope up to 100 yards when shooting off hand..Try it you might be surprised how accurate they are if you learn to shoot. Scopes are better beyond 200 yards for me, no doubt about that.

I just think there is a lot of folks without much practical experience makeing comments about things they have no real on the ground knowledge about, at least it seems that way...

I keep my horse tied out back, so I can make a quick get away and I probably should make a run for it now!