I use a sling, it works for me and if I need it in a hurry, I carry the rifle slinged but facing forward and I can bring it into action as fast as any African carry.

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Originally posted by Cross L:

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Originally posted by shootaway:
IMO,the sling carry is not more comfortable than the African carry.The African carry looks alot like the way native African women carry water and various items balanced on top of their heads.It is a carry that allows one to constantly shift the position and weight of the rifle so that the burden is relieved.Also,the bolt action rifle will probably weigh less than the double so it will be more pleasant to carry.

Please post a picture of you carrying your rifle on top of your head.

i suspect that Bwana Shootaway always carries his rifle balanced on his head- when he gets his head out of his a-s long enough to see daylight.

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Originally posted by jdollar:

quote:

Originally posted by Cross L:

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
IMO,the sling carry is not more comfortable than the African carry.The African carry looks alot like the way native African women carry water and various items balanced on top of their heads.It is a carry that allows one to constantly shift the position and weight of the rifle so that the burden is relieved.Also,the bolt action rifle will probably weigh less than the double so it will be more pleasant to carry.

Please post a picture of you carrying your rifle on top of your head.

i suspect that Bwana Shootaway always carries his rifle balanced on his head- when he gets his head out of his a-s long enough to see daylight.

How about posting a hunt report so we can see how well you carry yours?

Gentlemen what is this morbid fascination with SHOOTAWAY? I’m sorry but I simply do not see the reason for this battering! Or am I simply missing something? That,however, is not beyond realm!
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….................... .

Hang in there George........

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Originally posted by MacD37:
Gentlemen what is this morbid fascination with SHOOTAWAY? I’m sorry but I simply do not see the reason for this battering! Or am I simply missing something? That,however, is not beyond realm!
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….................... .

Mac, you are missing something!

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Originally posted by Todd Williams:

quote:

Originally posted by MacD37:
Gentlemen what is this morbid fascination with SHOOTAWAY? I’m sorry but I simply do not see the reason for this battering! Or am I simply missing something? That,however, is not beyond realm!
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….................... .

Mac, you are missing something!

Thanks Todd for the short answer!

By the way how did your safari come out?

The hunt report is up!

Been looking for this for a while. Finally found it:



See person on the right and the sling he uses for carrying a double.
Peter.

That holder is so the Ruskis can get to their Vodka without delay or being hindered by a bothersome rifle.

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That holder is so the Ruskis can get to their Vodka without delay or being hindered by a bothersome rifle.

And the problem with that is......?
Peter.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Some of the discussion around carrying .470's versus .450/.400's and the relative weights of each made me recall an observation I will offer. I would much rather carry a several pound heavier double rifle than a scoped bolt action rifle. I should add that I am referring to the traditional "African carry", holding the barrel with the stock on your shoulder. Carrying a double in this fashion is virtually painless since the forearm of the double rides on your shoulder and the rifle can be balanced nicely. On the other hand, carrying a bolt action rifle, particularly with a scope, in the same way is much more ackward and uncomfortable. I noticed on the last hunt that I was much more excited to have Buzz say, "take the double" than the scoped rifle simply because it felt so much better and was so much easier to carry the double.

[Please, spare me all the posts about about how the African carry mode is irresponsible, inhumane, unethical, unsafe, immoral, cruel, indecent, unaesthetic, a sign of homosexuality, illegal in most states west of the Mississippi . . . .]

After just finishing the most grueling safari I have done to date I would like to respond.

Please understand these are my observations and other hunter's experiences may/will differ.

The African carry:

The first day I left the truck without a sling attached early that morning. We tracked two buff out of the valley only to find a beautiful buff that was a little soft. We crossed back in to Della and walked from spring to spring looking for fresh tracks. By noon it was difficult to continue the African carry because the barrels were so hot. I attached a sling and by 3:00 on the last uphill climb to the truck I asked Lindon for some help carrying the rifle for the last 300 meters. We covered well over 20K that day, and it seemed like all uphill. It was the first time I ever asked for help with a rifle.

I found as I was fatigued it was too easy to sweep the PH in front of me with the Africa carry. I still like the Africa carry for 10k or less in open and relatively flat areas.

Using a sling

We climbed over 1000 ft in elevation of steep hillside to get to the buff I shot. I had the sling on most of that time and actually most days after the first. When using the sling I keep my left hand on the butt of the stock. I find it comfortable and the muzzle is facing up and to my right. (I am left handed) when we would get close to the buff I would remove the sling and carry the rifle in my left hand.

Carrying the rifle

When in the jesse I carried the rifle in my left hand around the receiver. This is very comfortable and I was able to control the muzzle well. A rifle on the shoulder or on a sling when your are 6'-3" tall in that thick stuff is not practical.

On this hunt all three methods had their place. My rifle took a beating. This was the fifth trip to Africa with it and it really shows wear after this trip. The muzzles are shiny, the stock is discolored from sweat and grime. There is a gouge in the stock from tripping over my two size 14 left feet. The muzzle was in a safe direction. The K-Gun really has some character.

Here are a couple of photos.



Open area, good for Africa carry.



About to go mountain climbing and for a longgggggg walk. I was very comfortable carrying the rifle long distances in this manner.



In the jessse

Yep, I use all three methods as well, depending on the circumstances.

Excuse me if I've missed someone saying it, or if it's just the bleeding obvious but ...

It seems to me that the only logical application for the African carry is when used by a tracker in front, not the hunter or client expected to do the shooting.

I doubt whether it would be much good for scoped rifles except perhaps in very open country with no trees or vines overhead. Even open-sighted, hammer doubles can be a problem, remembering Pondoro's story about the rifle that was cocked every time he looked at it though he never gave it to the tracker in that condition.

I like both doubles and bolt guns about equally, but I would rather CARRY an iron sighted bolt gun than about any double..The secret is getting rid of the scope!! but hey, that would probably open up another bucket of worms!

Bottom line with me is it makes no difference what I'm packing, double or bolt, scoped or not, whatever caliber, just as long as I'm there. it's where I want to be.

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Originally posted by sambarman338:
Excuse me if I've missed someone saying it, or if it's just the bleeding obvious but ...

It seems to me that the only logical application for the African carry is when used by a tracker in front, not the hunter or client expected to do the shooting.

I doubt whether it would be much good for scoped rifles except perhaps in very open country with no trees or vines overhead. Even open-sighted, hammer doubles can be a problem, remembering Pondoro's story about the rifle that was cocked every time he looked at it though he never gave it to the tracker in that condition.

Sambarman, I have asked this very thing before but nobody seems willing to confirm or deny that that is where the 'African carry' originated from. In other words it is nothing to do with comfort of carry, it was to do with the white hunter not carrying his big double or bolt gun but having it readily within reach off the shoulder of his gunbearer walking in front. There is plenty of evidence of this in the writings of most of the famous, or infamous, hunters of old.

I have hunted over a range of terrain in my own country, from jungle rainforest to open mountain tops and in some other parts of the world from open fields to African jesse type going and I have never ever seen anyone carry a firearm in the African carry. It is uncomfortable to have your arm up in the air, it is difficult to control and protect the gun if falling or slipping and just damn hard to control that muzzle direction as well as keeping an eye on the 'state' of the action i.e. safety still on, bolt half open if carrying in this way, nothing caught around in the action or scope, etc, etc.

And yes I have tried 'the carry' just to compare it with other methods. You wouldn't catch me using it but I guess each to his own, just wish someone could acknowledge how it started.

Even the Trackers of today often prefer to carry the rifle in this position. It is a comfortable position whilst travelling long distances over flat open terrain.
I just can't understand when guys carry a rifle in this way when on final stalk in thick bush..

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Originally posted by eagle27:
...
I have hunted over a range of terrain in my own country, from jungle rainforest to open mountain tops and in some other parts of the world from open fields to African jesse type going and I have never ever seen anyone carry a firearm in the African carry. It is uncomfortable to have your arm up in the air, it is difficult to control and protect the gun if falling or slipping and just damn hard to control that muzzle direction as well as keeping an eye on the 'state' of the action i.e. safety still on, bolt half open if carrying in this way, nothing caught around in the action or scope, etc, etc.

And yes I have tried 'the carry' just to compare it with other methods. You wouldn't catch me using it but I guess each to his own, just wish someone could acknowledge how it started.

The worst part of carrying your own rifle by this method, I think, is getting it down to shoot in a hurry. I sometimes carry one over my shoulder with the barrel/s to the rear. In the event of sudden action, a quick pull down on the butt will flip barrels over to be caught by the left hand. How the DIY African-carrier does it is beyond me.

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:

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Originally posted by eagle27:
...
I have hunted over a range of terrain in my own country, from jungle rainforest to open mountain tops and in some other parts of the world from open fields to African jesse type going and I have never ever seen anyone carry a firearm in the African carry. It is uncomfortable to have your arm up in the air, it is difficult to control and protect the gun if falling or slipping and just damn hard to control that muzzle direction as well as keeping an eye on the 'state' of the action i.e. safety still on, bolt half open if carrying in this way, nothing caught around in the action or scope, etc, etc.

And yes I have tried 'the carry' just to compare it with other methods. You wouldn't catch me using it but I guess each to his own, just wish someone could acknowledge how it started.

The worst part of carrying your own rifle by this method, I think, is getting it down to shoot in a hurry. I sometimes carry one over my shoulder with the barrel/s to the rear. In the event of sudden action, a quick pull down on the butt will flip barrels over to be caught by the left hand. How the DIY African-carrier does it is beyond me.

I keep hearing guys comment on how slow the African Carry method is to get the gun into action. You guys must be doing something drastically different than I am. I find it the absolute FASTEST method to get the gun into action. You don't slide the gun off the shoulder by the barrels and then deploy it, you simply pull the muzzles in which caused them to point straight down and let the momentum go, causing the rifle to rotate in your hands, then as the butt comes up and barrels back down, pull it into the shoulder. The rifle rotates on it's axis 360 degrees in the process. Takes all of about 1 half of one second from on the shoulder to being on the sights.

The other item that is always stated incorrectly is that with the African Carry, the muzzles ARE NOT pointed straight forward at the guys in front of you. They are at 45 to 60 degrees off to the side. If the line if front of you moves to the right and you are carrying the gun on your right shoulder, simply pull the muzzles in toward the chest, causing them to face down into the dirt until the line winds its way back to straight or left. I often find it just as easy to point the muzzles further to the right under those circumstances. Same thing in reverse for carrying it on the left shoulder.

A scoped bolt rifle is not very comfortable in the A.C. However, an open sighted double rests on the shoulder very comfortably and securely without fail. I do prefer the sling however when covering a large amount of "dead ground" such as returning to the cruiser after a stalk. The reason being, and this is in start contrast to Eagle's statement, when using the A.C., your mind is constantly on where the muzzles are pointed. Carrying in this fashion FORCES you to pay attention to the muzzles. I find it very appropriate for use while fully mentally engaged in a stalk. Once the stalk is over and we just need to get back to the truck, put it on a sling and it becomes out of sight, out of mind for the most part.

But again, if you think having a rifle on a sling prevents it from sweeping the other guys in the hunting party, I'll say here and now that you haven't spent any appreciable amount of time walking directly behind another hunter carrying a rifle on a sling. If the guy bends to avoid some brush or pick up something from the ground, guess what happens to the muzzle? It get's pointed close to horizontal and the bad thing is the guy carrying it never knows he's swept the others. If you are going down a steep embankment behind a guy carrying with a sling, notice how often you end up looking down his barrel.

Take the rifle off the shoulder, sling or A.C. and hold it in your hands by the action. That's when your are MOST likely to sweep the guys in front of you because the rifle really does point directly ahead now. With the A.C., it points off to one side or the other.

quote:

you simply pull the muzzles in which caused them to point straight down and let the momentum go, causing the rifle to rotate in your hands, then as the butt comes up and barrels back down, pull it into the shoulder. The rifle rotates on it's axis 360 degrees in the process

Todd, Its wonderful that your experience twirling a baton as a cheerleader for your High School football team would come in handy later in life. Who knew!!! :-)

Biebs, yep, ya never know what will come in handy later in life, eh?!

Never have carried a rifle over my shoulder so not about to chime in about the good or bad of it, but when I dredge back in my memory of articles written by hunters in the know many many years ago african carry always referred to a slung rifle carried muzzle down and the over the shoulder carry was by a tracker a step ahead of the p.h.? Do know the crazy gun handling seen on so many hunting shows, african or otherwise, has soured me from watching them.

jines,

how can you compare a scped bolt w/a unscoped double? Two different animals? One long range & one not. One unbalanced with a scope & easy carry w/a double.

Buzz, bless his heart, is probably more concerned with the better marketing image of a double than the Walmart image of a scoped rifle.

A lightweight bolt, sans scope, is light years better than an overweight fence post capable double.