looong barrel. Shoulder sling problems.

[jd126]

Carry with the buttstock up. Learned this a long time ago reading about NZ pro hunters.

I can't imagine this working well climbing down mountains and in rough rocky terrain. Seems like you would be planting that barrel into the ground and on top of some rocks as you descend. Maybe I'm not visualizing it correctly?

 

[jdyoung]

I re-barreled the STW with a 30"magnum contour Hart barrel. It's a bit top heavy to throw over the shoulder and head up the mountain. What methods are you using for carrying the big ones?
Thank you,
T

Where are you hunting ? You wrote "mountain", so I assume that means trees and brush. Less manageable with 30" barrel than open plains.
As to " a bit top heavy", I put weight (heavy sand and epoxy molded into a cylinder, 12-13 oz.), in the butt of my rifle (26" barrel w 2 1/2" brake) so that it balances at the front receiver screw-floorplate. This allows me to carry it easier/balanced in my left hand or crook of elbow ( kind of a level port arms) . And when slung, it's on the front of my left shoulder, barrel up, scope receiver forward, sling strap down the back of my shoulder. My left hand grips at the floorplate allowing control of the rifle to avoid obstacles. Works for me.

 

[Dirtrax]

The safari sling works as you're able to shift the weight distribution without un-shouldering the rifle. It's easy to shoulder, remove, and makes your rifle accessible quickly.

 

[Pro2A]

I really like the Safari Sling! Can you effectively preload with it without messing up the POI?

as for speed to deploy, the Vorn system is realllly speedy and in my experience, reliable. I am not coordinated or flexible enough to put the rifle back in without taking the pack off, though. I think it is probably as quick as any other hands-off solution. I've put my little 16" Model 7 in there, and it almost makes the rifle an afterthought until you need it. I don't think the pack is suitable for packing out an elk, though.

Are you referring to bipod preload or hasty sling style tension?? For bipod preload, Safari sling should not interfere with that. Sling attaches to bottom of forend/butt stock. On a traditional stock rifle with exposed barrel top, one leg of sling will freely, lightly lay over barrel (invisible/irrelevant) during shooting. Should be irrelevant in hunting accuracy context. I've never discerned affect on paper sight-ins. Foreshortened vertical bipod dimension (see below) through preload should have more affect than sling leg caressing barrel in hunting accuracy context. On ARs/chassis style rifles, foreend is (should be) free floated so there would be zero impact from Safari sling. Should you find it does indeed impact your accuracy, you might be able to drape the sling over the scope to totally avoid barrel contact.

For hasty sling tension, if your shot opportunity requires only off hand shooting with hasty sling tension, I doubt barrel harmonics from a sling touchy the barrel would be discernible within the off hand accuracy context....YMMV. But, then, I have zero knowledge about your shooting competencies, barrel harmonics/limpness.....no pun or humor intended. At only about $30 compared to what you have to gain, it is an insignificant risk to try before you venture afield,

Admittedly off thread topic, but I'm not a bipod preload fan despite everyone else being a practioner of preloading. In just a really, really old engineer's perspective, preloading a bipod vertical dimension "foreshortens" the vertical height of the bipod.....like a clock hand moving from 12 o'clock toward 1 o'clock.....analogous to rifle cant. Reflect on affect of rifle cant at long range. As the rifle recoils rearward, that foreshortened lost vertical dimension is regained (clock hand moving from 1 o'clock back to 12 o'clock) moving rifle upward. Ponder the impact at long range of a foreshortened height at sighting/trigger break regained during recoil by 1/4", 1/8", 1/16", even 0.050" at the muzzle. Benchrest shooters, really anal about precision.... rather than accuracy as in hunting/steel ringing/bad guy interdiction, commonly shoot with rifle free to slide rearward in recoil.....akin to foreend sliding smoothly on my pack. (I prefer to shoot off a pack rather than bipod.....eliminates bipod need /weight.) No one has successfully refuted my analysis....not even military trained snipers. I just get blank stares in ponderment. Comments. thoughts, anyone, please?

 

[Pro2A]

The safari sling works as you're able to shift the weight distribution without un-shouldering the rifle. It's easy to shoulder, remove, and makes your rifle accessible quickly.

Another astute, learned man there, Dirtrax.