To sling or not to sling, that is the question...

[zephyr]

Sling your rifle when you are covering miles, for the fianl approach or follow up with quick detachable swivels you can take your sling off in a few seconds and hand it to a tracker or put it in a pack. this applies to doubles as well as bolt guns.

 

[EDELWEISS]

Maybe its just me; but the nice thing about a sling is that is has an On/Off button.... Consider you terrain and your hunting style and maybe the size of your pockets (to stow the sling when you want it off). I carried on my shoulder because I listened to all the advice everyone felt the need to tell me but I also managed not to "laser" anyone with the muzzle. Everyone talks about it getting caught on brush, then they hunt in the open. If you make a hit and your tyrannosaurus runs into the tall grass, are you really run right after it or is your PH gonna give it a few minutes to bleed and get stiff?

Im going back in a few weeks and my SxS has a sling. Its "upside down" by Western standards (the fat part is back by the stock) because I carry the gun muzzle(s) down. Another option is to carry it slug in front of you on your shooting side (muzzle up). Then when you need it, you reach across with you support hand, grab the rifle and your shooting hand falls right at the grip.

One (more) thing I will say is do NOT cheap out on slings. Get a good leather sling not some piece of nylon that is slippery, not some stretchy poly raz-ma-taz. You don't need 27 different attachment points, you don't need to be able to twist it into a hammock, You need a sling....

 

[siml]

Going back to the OP question, there is no right or wrong answer. Some terrain it's just impossible to use a sling and other terrain you really need a sling.

Eg....if you were hunting buffalo in the swamps in Mozambique, many times when you crossing a deep swamp, you walking on top reeds and need both hands to balance or you going to sink, sling is vital.

Or.....if you hunting elephant in thick bamboo, you don't want a sling as it gets caught up in the bamboo.

Having quick release sounds good on paper, but I can tell you from experience that things can happen so fast on a hunt, you don't have time to mess around with your sling.

 

[Newboomer]

Check out the Safari Rifle Sling. I got mine from Cabelas and they work great. They attach to the sling swivels, loop over the buttstock and the barrel and fall out of the way when you raise the rifle to shoot. I loop mine under my right shoulder and over my left. The rifle carries in front of the body about waist height and the weight is evenly distributed over the shoulders with just a hand to steady it. You don't have to remove the rifle to shoot, just raise it and fire away. Old Army trick from lugging an M60 mg. If you have to crawl, flip the rifle around onto your back. It stays slung, your hands are free, it doesn't slide off your shoulder, and you are never unarmed.

 

[Gsxrmike]

I like using a sling. I can keep the muzzle pointing in a safe direction far more easily with it. Even in thick Zimbabwe bush I hold the stock while walking and when encountering thick stuff I raise the stock forward to make the rifle horizontal and easily slip through the bush. Typically the other members of the party are walking in front of the client so pointing the muzzle backward seems to be the safer option. During the final stalk the sling may be detached easily and placed in a pocket. I think this is one of those topics where there is no "right" answer other than what works best for you.

 

[Ray B]

From reading the above comments it appears to me that the hunted areas of Africa present no terrain that requires using hands and feet to traverse. That being the case, a sling enables the carrier to use the sling for carrying and shooting but not as a means of freeing his hands.

 

[Red Leg]

Mountain zebra can catch the attention of all appendages.

 

[Ray B]

It would seem to me that the solution would be a sling that can be lengthened for a shoulder carry/across the back or tightened to a straight line between swivels so that it won't be catching on brush. Or as noted, detachable swivels that allow it to be removed and carried in a pocket. Super Grade style swivels would prevent getting hit during recoil as would a barrel mounted front swivel.

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Members, recently after a ghong shooting course conducted by Piet Breedt , a world champion "veld shooting participant , I used a sling he designed for hunting /competition shooting purposes. During this course , Piet Breedt demonstrated shooting in the standing position, kneeling , sitting and prone how to shoot and hit, every time a 200 mm diameter ghong in gusting winds at 350 meters with the use of this sling...
I can vouch /assure you that if this sling do not improve your hunting accuracy shooting , you can ask your money back from Piet Breedt.
Here is a link to a video about the Piet Breedt Accu-sling....
This demonstration video is in Afrikaans...

I really would recommend this sling , since our South African rand currency is dismally weak it would be extremely cheap for hunters abroad...

 

[Mekaniks]

This.... I have one on order. Hands free in back style when needed and use it as a regular shoulder sling the rest of the time.

 

[LivingTheDream]

I would use a sling. I get sometimes the terrain doesn't allow for it but you just take it off or tight the sling down. I'm not sure I would have been able to lift my arms if I had not had a sling during my elephant hunt. If I was going less then a mile from the truck, then leave it but if you are going on a long stalk definitely carry it.

 

[johnnyblues]

Matter of preference really. I've always used a sling wherever I hunted. I found the sling an annoyance in Namibia to be honest. To much thick brush, so midway thru the hunt I took it off. Tiresome to carry the rifle that way though.

 

[rookhawk]

Like all the comments.

The one I'd address from the OP is that barrel bands theoretically reduce accuracy just as he said in his opening volley. They do not, however, reduce measurable accuracy for hunting under any realistic Africa conditions. Barrel bands are 900 yard problems. (Hence why the finest safari guns in the world all have them...their utility exceeds their limitation)