Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Kifaru Gun Bearer Reveiws.

Looking for reveiws on the Gunbearer. I have a pard I believe broke his somehow the first time he used his. Others like them.

Anyone? Are there other options for internal framed packs?

I was skeptical, and it felt awkward at first, BUT, I ended up liking it, especially during difficult climbs with a heavyish pack.

My guide thought it was a bad idea, until I demonstrated how fast I could get the rifle to shoulder. He nodded approvingly and the issue never came up again.

BTW, it took one nasty fall on a steep, rolling-rock face, while NOT using it that dinged up a really nice Serengeti stock a bit to make me TRY it, and I ended up liking it a good deal.

Takes getting used to the barrel being where it is, but otherwise ...

rb

Shaq, I came up with a DIY rig using webbing just so the rifle weight is off the shoulder. It is not completly hands free but the buttstock is suspended in a little cradle. Not having the rifle weight in your hands or on your shoulder is a huge difference.

Ask RAS, he got to see me haul around a target gun that should require wheels for 12 miles when my lightweight puked. Im on the road but if you want a picture I can post one when I get back.

I like 'em. I agree that it takes some getting used to having the barrel right beside your face, but I've been using them for over 5 years. Yes, I've had guides look at me like I was wraping on a feather boa!
Last year in the NWT on a sheep hunt my upper strap buckle broke and I had to make do. It wasn't fun and I decided to always have a spare!
One other gripe when backpack hunting with someone else not using the gunbearer.....when you stop to glass, you unstrap the rifle, and take off the pack. When you reverse this process, I frequently found myself having to strap the rifle back in on the fly, trying to catch up with my guide, while trying to eyeball the buckle, and walking sticks up under one arm. Repeat that about 20 times a day, and the annoy-factor builds. I really got to thinking my guide thought the thing was stupid, so he hurried away to worsen the problem. Despite that I really like my hands free and the rifle secure for climbing, and I have 'em on all my packs.



Here's me on the WWII era Canol Road in the NWT with the Gunbearer on my Mystery Ranch NICE frame with CrewCab from last year.
Don

I have tried one but could never get it adjusted properly , gun barrel was always swinging infront of my face , prefer the gunslinger setup better.

I like mine when hiking (walking). I didn't like it when I got into really steep stuff that reguired me to use my hands to climb, it really got in my way. I rigged up my Crew Cab so that I could carry it either way (strapped to the pack or in the gun-bearer) depending on the terrain I was in, and that worked great for me.
Here it is in AK (on my long hunter) after I took my Dall (that was a really long hard day).



Here it is using the bottom part of the gun-bearer to cradle the rifle which I then strapped to my Crew-Cab. I had it rigged so I could carry it either way on my Crew-Cab.




It's a good piece of gear to have on your pack.

DocGlenn , how do u like the Kifaru in comparison to the MR ? I have a longhunter and like it much better after installing the powerpull belt .

I haven't had a chance to use it extensivly yet but I have used it on some training jaunts. I use it w/ my bow. It is a little worrysome at first but after a little adjusting it hangs pretty well. I'm not sure I will use it all the time but I am going to leave it in place because I do see where it could come in handy. I have it on a long hunter frame. --Allen--

The longhunter was a great "backpacking" pack. It carries weight really well and is well made. I got the MR to go on a horse-back sheep hunt. The longhunter was just too big to wear while riding a horse. Don,docdb, let me try on his MR and it seemed lke it would be perfect for a horse-back type hunt. It worked really well on that hunt, but I wasn't truely backpacking either. They are both really good packs, but I think the Kifaru is more comfortable with a heavy (40 lbs or more) load than the MR is (at least on my back), and the MR is more compact and great for horse-back.

Dose the gunbearer interfear with treking pole use in any way?? Do you have to adjust your technique while using poles? Will it scrape your arm?

Thanks

You can also run the fore-end in behind the sternum strap (or handwarmer pouch) if you don't like how it rides. I find cross-chest works best for me, but you must capture the ob. bell of the scope to keep the gun from twisting. It is also just as fast to deploy, by squeezing the buckle instead of yanking the quick release strap. Quieter, too......And my leup binocs are kinda locked-in behind it all, with no movement. Here's how I use it.....

mine's on the AMEX list, won't leave home without it.


agreed that it ain't perfect, but little in life is.


have to love the quick access to rifle and hands free, you get used to barrel being in face, and it can whack you till you get used to it.

I've never used a gunbearer. I bought this last year and love it. It works with my pack and without. I never got whacked in the face and I was able to deploy my rifle quick enough to get my first ever elk. I am in no way associated with them.

http://www.gunslingercorral.com/

My dad passed away in January and as I was going through his stuff I found another one. He had worked at Sportsmans Warehouse and these guys came in and gave them out to the staff but Sportsman's decided not to carry them. I don't know why not, this was awesome last year and I'll never go on another hunt without it. I'm hunting with my little brother this fall and I'll throw the one my dad had in my truck because I'm pretty sure my brother will want it before the hunt is over.

I've used it for years now and wouldn't do to be without. I cover a lot of ground where all 4 limbs come in handy for locomotion and it helps immensely. I've broken several of the shoulder straps which they've always replaced for free.

Ditto on the "takes a bit to get used to" and "don't leave home without it".

Miner,

That is pretty slick! Thanks for the link.

Here's a couple more pics showing the gun-bearer while hiking with trek poles or glassing. Not a problem.

Been using one for about 10 years and like it a lot. I will also echo what docdb said about the annoyance factor that sets in when you take it on and off several times while trying to keep up with a guide.

I've been using mine for about three years. Wouldn't have anything else to really secure the rifle with reasonable access time.
What I've found is that I can adjust them ato allow the rifle to be carried different ways. Tight to the body, muzzle higher or lower, etc. Worth experimenting with.
I've done lots of steep climbs on snow and ice with trekking poles. Very secure.
The only downside is that they don't keep the rifle out of the way of cover and they are not as fast nor as quiet as the muzzle down, upside down carry with a sling on my off side. When I'm tracking, or still hunting, this is how I carry my rifle. Allows me to glass with both hands, etc.
In spite of that, it's one of those things I insist on for all of my hunting packs. The first time you need to go up and especially down in steep country carrying a heavy pack, you will understand. E

I really like my gunbearer but I did customize it a little. Last year three of us packed three bull elk out of the tuchodi river hills and I found that when the size of the pack load changes, so does your posture. With really heavy loads I was hunched forward, the way we all are with heavy loads, and the rifle barrel was right in front of my face tapping my head lamp and when I would stumble it would crack me in the forehead. With a normal load the barrel would stay to the side where it is supposed to be. In the field I rigged up a string from the back of the GB harness to waistbelt so I could pull it back a bit and change the position of the barrel to fit my posture and it worked great. When I got home I permantly sewed a two piece strap to the harness which has a D-ring on the upper end that slides over the shoulder strap that connects to the waistbelt, and a quick-adjust buckle so I can adjust the way the rifle carries at any moment without stopping. It is a great way to carry a rifle while backpacking, I just needed to tweak it a little. I should add that bushwacking or even trail hiking with the GB is great because the rifle barrel is never high enough to snag anything unlike having it strapped to the side of your pack.