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Did not want to highjack the scabbard post. Chuck- would you expand on your comment about making hunt rifles horse-friendly. I'm always looking for new ideas to use and would appreciate you giving some examples of what you mean. I've always been told there are no dumb questions so there you go!  Scope down? Do you find no "torque" effects on the scope or is that just how you prefer it? My rifle is attached barrel-forward, scope up. Unfortunately, that puts it (Rt handed) on the right rump, but where we hunt, loaded the other way it catches brush and small trees ALL the time  Thanks for the info! BTW, beauty scabbard! --Mike Other thoughtful/helpful replies welcome as well  | ||
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i'm not chuck, but i have a suggestion...... if i remember correctly, jack o'connor's book, THE ART OF HUNTING BIG GAME IN NORTH AMERICA, spens a lot of time discussing this subject. if you ahve a copy at hand, you might check it out.... | |||
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Mike, and others, thanks for the compliment on the scabbard. It was not my intention to draw much attention to it, I'm just handier with my camera than with my typing fingers. It really isn't rocket science and there are a multitude of ways to skin this cat. A truly horse friendly rifle would be a 20" barreled iron sited lever action, but I want to hunt with the gun when I get off the horse so I compromise. A bolt action rifle with a barrel no longer than 24" (my younger brother uses a 7WBY with a 26" barrel and has no problems), a low mounted scope with no protruding gizmos, and a synthetic stock, an area these fiberglass wonders really shine, is about as complicated as it gets. Now, where to hang the thing. This has brought alot of animation to the dinner table over the years and it probably won't change anytime soon. My dad is in his early fifty's and has used a scabbard an awful lot. He prefers the rifle to ride butt forward, scope down on the off side. This stems from hunting muskrat, beaver, and mink for pelts. with the rifle in this position, he could grab the gun with his right hand and roll it out of the scabbard before dismounting or he has the option to shoot right where he sits. This started with iron sited rifles and carried over to scope sited weapons and this method keeps both types of siting equipment from hanging up on the way out. My brother carries his rifle scope down, butt to the rear on the on side. He likes the rifle riding horizontal to the world with the butt out of the way. I want my rifle butt forward on the left side, cause I don't like unloading the scabbard while seated. I'm usually on some colt and hate entertaing the masses. I like it handy when I get off. I designed the scabbard to cradle the gun as best it can with the muzzle carrying the majority of the weight. I've sewn, see photo, an extra piece of leather to ride under the front strap to stiffen things a bit, but don't know that it does anything. It might (I believe it does), but it might not.  None of us have ever experience problems with our scopes. If "I" do, I'll change my approach. Chuck P.S. I'm hardly an expert on the subject! | |||
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Chuck- Thanks for your thoughts. Sounds like we do things pretty similarly--but everything is a "situation".  Quote: You may not think so but, time in the field is valuable, eh? I like to get as much info from as many people/places as resonably possible and then filter out what I don't like, what won't work for my situation, or what I think belongs in the wheel barrow! I agree with your assessment of the "ideal" saddle rifle. Sometimes I think that up here (Alaska) the ideal saddle gun is a 12 ga. with 3" Brennekes presented by a 20" barrel. I just don't trust the the shotgun tube to not get boinked by a tree or get laid upon. I hunt with a bolt action, won't lay the bolt handle into my mount and dislike the butt grabbing brush (or vicey-versy), so I'm obligated to hang it on the offside with the butt pointing back. I'd much rather be a lefty and retrieve the gun on the near side! Although you hang your scope down, it sounds like the scope is not bearing the weight as most scabbards in that position would?As an aside, do you have a leather sewing machine or do you use a speedy stitcher? Some details on your leather construction would be appreciated as you well know, finding exactly what you want often is not possible. Thanks, --Mike | |||
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Mike, I hire the sewing done. If you have everything done and glued togethor (contact cement) a $20 bill will more than cover the cost of a saddlemaker sewing it togethor. I finish with rivots and you're done. I have sewn many things by hand and with the right tools it looks better than what a machine will do, but it is extremely labor intensive. Chuck | |||
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Quote: The above is exactly how I have carried mine for the last 30 years over many miles after carrying it with the butt forward and angled up for about 10 years. In other words, experience educated me. There are several reasons I switched. First, the butt too often got in the way, snagging reins, etc. or even banging against the horse's head or neck when it was reined to the left. Second, I'm not very tall so it was nearly impossible for me to remove it after I dismounted without a lot of effort. And doing it while mounted, due to the awkward front-facing angle, wasn't much better for me. It's a good way to get hurt should the horse take exception to a barrel flailng around its head. And since I've seen too many folks wind up on their ass after being told, "Sure you can shoot off that horse," I abandoned such folley decades ago. Carrying it low and facing back makes it easily accessible and removable once I hit the ground. It simply requires slipping it straight back to the rear of the horse's flank. As another bonus, the low carry leaves less bulk under the stirrup skirt because the scabbard is much closer to your ankle than it is to your knee. In lots of up or downhill country, that makes for a significant improvement in comfort, especially for newbies to riding. -TONY | |||
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I really don't see what the problem is.I have rode many a mile with my gun on my back.Can't count on horses and what they will do in Cat country.I prefur to have my rifle with me instead of on the Crazy Horse spooked by what ever.It's there if I want it for any reason and some Horses are well,can't be trusted.. Just my 2-Cents.........Jayco. | |||
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You're right, wherever you land, there your gun will be also. Chuck | |||
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Quote: Reminds me of the comment by the explosive expert that never worried about how he handled NG. Then one day, he no longer needed to be concerned. Now, here are two examples of why I would never advise anyone to emulate the "carry it on you" method while aboard a horse. On the first horseback hunt I ever did in 1964, a buddy of mine was riding with one of the old roundish Army canteens strapped around his waist. He was leading four of us. As we rounded a turn in the trail, a backpacker, dressed in a red rain poncho met face to face with my buddy's horse, which promptly went into rodeo mode. After two bucks, Ed flew over the horse's head and landed on his side where the canteen resided. The result: three VERY broken ribs that fortunately didn't puncture his lungs. We were lucky that we had rode only two miles from the trailhead where we had our vehicles parked. So after wrapping Ed's ribs, he was able to ride back out. His hunt ended there and we wasted the rest of that day getting him to the hospital where he spent the night. His wife flew in that night to minister to him until he could fly home. Incident II was a bit more painful to me personally and occurred while I was guiding in Colorado during the mid-1970s. One of the clients was following behind me and had asked me to take a photo of him as he rode up a hill. So I took his heavy 35mm camera and hung it around my neck until we got to the steep part of the trail. I was leading four pack horses and riding my own Appaloosa mare. At the top of the hill, I turned my mount to the side of the trail but didn't pay attention to the lead rope in my hand. As my horse turned, the rope dropped down and went under her tail and then tightened, which she really didn't like too well. Sooo...two seconds later. I was airborne over her head. But I was sorta lucky because I landed on my feet and never actually fell. Then the camera arrived, walloping me on the top of the head and causing a nasty gash. There were more than a few stars seen, as well.  Ever since that last incident, everything I carry with me goes into my saddlebags or gets tied to the saddle. If I want to take a photo with MY camera, I get OFF the horse and unpack the camera, which is always on the top of one saddlebag. -TONY | |||
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Quote: -TONY | |||
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Quote: This is an example of what I said before--Everything is a situation.  What works for one person in a place may not work for a different person in a different location. Carrying a rifle on my back would not work for me in the Black Spruce and pushed-down alders that we often ride through prior to breaking out on top. In more open country (what IS that again?) it probably works fine. Here, a handgun will allow you to fight your way back to that rifle on your horse (I'm hoping) who was spooked by a booger (real or imagined).Outdoor Writer: Appaloosa mare---'nuff said!  (just messin' with ya)! --Mike | |||
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