I like to carry my rifle muzzle down hanging off my left shoulder. This lets you very quickly shift the buttstock to the right shoulder, keeping your left hand on the forend. The rifle comes up in the hasty sling position. The neat thing about the Prohunter, with the detachable sling studs, you can reverse the sling so the padded part is next to the butt, cushioning your left shoulder. This carry keeps the muzzle pointed safely into the ground just ahead of your feet, but you need to be wary of sticking the muzzle into mud (or snow, for y'all up North). :wink:
I totally agree. I've been carrying my bolt guns as you describe for a long time. It's comfortable and long as you have your left hand on the handguard you can shoulder the rifle in one fluid motion. I think I read about carrying a rifle like that in some magezine article years ago. It made since and I've been using the technique since. 8)
I found it on the net, I think, and copied a couple of step-by-step illustrations. I would try to attach them here, but I am not really sure how to do that. If anybody wants a copy, PM me with an e-mail address, and I will send them. One modification I do- once the butt hits your shoulder, you can take an extra wrap around your left forearm, this helps keep the sling in place and lets you tighten it up by pulling the left hand in closer. This all sounds much more complicated than it is, and if you practice, it is really fast. I have seen pictures of Israeli soldiers using this carry, and once I learned it I understood why!! Happy hunting, and remember, when you practice, practice safety first.
Off the topic, but how does your prohunter group. I like the spiral barrel...seems like a very solid rifle. I don't like the Steyr action nearly as much as on the Tikka, but if the rifle shoots, I may end up buying one. I can buy the prohunter for $500, so any insight to it's accuracy would be appreciated.
I have been out of the country and haven't had a chance to fire that rifle, but I have talked to several owners and local gunshop workers who swear by them. One of them carries aroun a laminated 100 yrd group. I have been told that it shoots best if the forend support is back near the magazine--the forend is flimsy further out (the Tactical308 version comes with a stiffer black stock). That bolt lift is a bear, and the only way I have heard to lighten it is to smooth up all the bearing surfaces. On the Scout you can adjust the firing pin spring tension, but not on the Prohunter.(You might cheat and shorten the spring, but be sure you have a spare in case it won't fire!) I had my heart set on a Tikka T-3stainless, then a few went KaBoom and they tried to keep it hush-hush. I think I would always wonder what was going to happen when I pulled the trigger, and I don't want that kind of excitement when I'm hunting. I had a redheaded wife like that, a long time ago. That $500 is a real good price for a Steyr-- the new importer in Mississippi has prices that reflect the decline of the dollar against the Euro. I think a $500 Prohunter is like a $300 Steyr pistol-- once the supply of old ones is sold, we won't see that price again except on the used rack. I will file a range report when I get the rifle up and running-- right now I'm leaving again for a couple of months-- off to England where only the criminals are armed :cry:
Stay safe in England. That is one European country that I never had the desire to visit. As far as the T3's it was only a small batch of the SS models...had a bad batch of barrels...my friend is a gunsmith for Gander Mountain and he told me that it didnt' affect many rifles. I am going to buying a T3 in 243 SS probably sometime this week...I like the 243 round and I love how smooth the triggers are on those rifles. I may have to consider the Prohunter @ $500...I cannot recall what caliber it was...I believe .308 or 30/06...both good calibers regardless what the rifle is chambered in. I look forward to hearing your impressions of your prohunter.
Yeah, I love the countryside there, but have no desire to stay-- for one thing, the cost of living is about 1.7 times higher there. If it cost a dollar here, it costs a puond there (except gas-- even today it is almost 3 times higher). Neither their liberals nor their conservatives seem to be able to turn the country around. I keep asking myself how these people ever conquered and held on to an Empire. I just hope a hundred years from now they aren't asking the same question of us.
It was funny-- you replied to a different thread I was in. It took me a minute to figure it out. Anyone else looking in is probably scratching his head-- "what the heck does that mean?" I am sure they won't figure it out, because there aren't many visits to the rifle forum.
