Why is the sling swivels on most African big game rifles on the barrel? I've carried both styles and find that both swivels on the stock to be more comfortable. I'm wanting to have a DGR built and I'm just wanting to get all the details right the first time.
Bolt

Boltgun,

If you ever have a heavy DGR recoil back and your hand on the forearm hits the swivel stud your question will be answered.

Just kidding but that is the reason as far as I know.
Steve

The big whompers have the front swivel on the barrel, ahead of the fore-end, for two reasons:

� to deprive the shooter of the thrill of having it rap his knuckle with every shot �o)

� to deprive the quarry of at least a few warning rattles and clunks of muzzles against branches, by hanging the rifle with the muzzle a few inches lower

There's no need to keep the barrel free of this stress, since it's not often or likely that the shooter will be using the sling as a target-shooter would, but merely to carry his rifle afield.

Making the fore-end longer simply to put the front swivel farther forward would add a bit of unnecessary weight to the rifle and shift its balance.

Rifles so rigged were traditionally more often carried with narrow, relatively short carrying straps with fewer laps and folds and less hardware, not the wider and longer (total length) shooting slings. They sure as the dickens didn't go rigged with the Clydesdale harness fitted with cartridge loops, so dear to many modern shooters' sense of necessity.

Heh,Heh, I really loved that last paragraph Ken!!!! but then you must remember that such slings with cartridge loops go well with stainless steel and plastic...

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com