Whats safest, muzzle up or down ?

[Tackleberry270]

I have always been taught that it is safest to carry a rifle muzzle down, behind / my right shoulder with the muzzle pointing just slightly in front me towards the ground. It have been doing this for years and always felt it was fine.

However the other weekend i went on a booked weekend of stalking with some friends. It was the first time id been to this place, whereas the chaps i was with had visited on many occasions. So in the interests of safety, once we got out to the woods , being unsure of my previous experience the stalker who was accompanying me decided to give me a talk about how was safest to hold the rifle whilst walking, asking me to hold it on the front of my body on the left side with the muzzle facing to the sky.

Not wanting to argue with someone who is undoubtedly far more experienced than I, and wanting to learn as much as possible i immediately adopted this new way of carrying the rifle. I found it uncomfortable but put this down to it being new to me. However as the weekend progressed i noticed more and more than occasionally times came when he (being about 1.5 foot taller than me) ended up with the muzzle momentarily pointing at him. Additionally the whole time id been extremely uncomfortable knowing that if the rifle went off id be sending a 150grain bullet up into the sky with no idea where it might come down, possibly on the head of some poor pedestrian in the next village.

After the second stalk the nagging in my head got to me and i must admit when he wasnt looking i decided id had enough and reverted to carrying the rifle muzzle down. He obviously noticed this after a while as at the end of the stalk we discussed the merits of muzzle up and down, his argument was that muzzle down can lead to dirt getting into the barrel or mod and causing a high risk if the gun is discharged, my perspective was that at least if the gun went off it would go into the dirt not the back of his head or three miles into the sky ..........

So i would love to hear your opinions, it seems the world is divided. However, one is surely better, so chaps ............muzzles up .... or muzzles down?????:idea:

Can you create a poll on the edit function?

 

[8x57]

As others have already said it's safety and muzzle awareness that counts, not whether the rifle is carried muzzle up or down.

I have several rifles some of which are fitted with moderators others are not. Some I tend to carry muzzle up some I carry muzzle down and one I carry in the continental fashion of muzzle up barrel in front. It all depends on the balance of the rifle and having proper control of it at all times.

Pine Marten touched on a very valid point of rifles slipping on the shoulder and the need for a good sling that stays put and doesn't slide around on the shoulder allowing the rifle to tip in an unsafe direction.

 

[scrumbag]

I don' think it matters given muzzle awareness. I like muzzle down over right shoulder with left free to carry sticks.

It is interesting what people feel is safe and isn't. I only take paid stalking and I find that stalkers often have their own views on what they like to see. Perhaps sometimes a little worryingly, they only tell you when they see you not following their preferred procedure rather than before hand.

 

[paulbshooting]

+1 on muzzle down. Safe and easier to get on the bipod or sticks as well.

 

[jamross65]

However, if the terrain is so harsh where you cannot stalk without falling about as suggested, it begs the question as to why you would have a round chambered at all?
MS

Really? Where was that suggested?

 

[gixer1]

Your wrong MS...

Spend some time loading over 20 years at double gun days using shotguns. Then tell me that the danger of where a muzzle points can be eradicated by a particular way a gun is carried or handled. Its always down to the users awareness and this is something half a day on courses should be dedicated to IMO, not just a few minutes effectively.

There are some folk out there who have no clue about where a muzzle is when they stop to spy and lift the shoulders and arms with the Binos, chat, swing the gun off at the end if the days stalking and so on. I've had folk turn towards me with the muzzle down and it's ended up pointing at my knees. The muzzle never ever points straight down and at best I would guess 30deg from vertical. I don't care if its pointed at my face, feet, shoulder, knees its a life changing injury if it goes off.

Its impossible to carry a rifle here without it snagging on cover if pointing down unless its got a barrel of 10" and no moderator. And as for never plugging a barrel, if you've never slipped when out stalking on hidden branches or smooth rocks the ground your on must be very easy. I've gone up in the air before, last season in fact with the muzzle up and at least I knew when I came down and whacked the ground that muzzle was pointing away from the direction of my head and body. Carried down it could easily have been pointing at my feet...

To be honest every time this question appears it irritates me a bit because the actual carrying of the rifle should not matter in some respects, it's having complete muzzle awareness when the rifle is moved from that position, either deliberately to alter the direction the muzzle points in to take a shot, put away, hand to someone that counts as well as the movement of that muzzle by a change in your body movement, a non deliberate movement you can't avoid because of where your walking, stooping down etc.

I was sat in the back of a double cab pick up a few years ago waiting for the under stalker to return after a day helping out on Sika. A paying guest was in the front. As the young lad arrived back the head stalker asked if his rifle was empty. It was pointing at the ground just outside my door, within 1m of where I was sitting but pointing at no-one. It went off showering me in bits of stone from the track, in my eyes, mouth face. The guest started screaming he had been shot. I jumped out to find either a pice if bullet or stone had entered his welly where he sat in the front, gouged through his calf and exited through the roof of the cab. It was a relatively minor injury compared to what could have been.

Rifles with muzzle up only wander about if the person carrying it allows it, just the same as if its pointing down and ends up at my feet or knees. Don't say never happens in the shooting field, because it might just the next time your out.

Very good post that covers the topic well.

regards,

Gixer

 

[Monkey Spanker]

Really? Where was that suggested?

This bit seemed to suggest that it might have been an occasion where you might have preferred not to have a round chambered?
Just as well you were alone.
MS

if you've never slipped when out stalking on hidden branches or smooth rocks the ground your on must be very easy. I've gone up in the air before, last season in fact with the muzzle up and at least I knew when I came down and whacked the ground that muzzle was pointing away from the direction of my head and body. Carried down it could easily have been pointing at my feet...

 

[jamross65]

This bit seemed to suggest that it might have been an occasion where you might have preferred not to have a round chambered?
Just as well you were alone.
MS

If I don't have a round chambered walking round woods for Sika, I would shoot very few...

this slip was on a hidden flat stone under moss on the forest road. My point was it can happen, not exactly daily mind and not always resulting in a fall like this one to the ground...

 

[Paul at Fechan]

down whenever possible, any rifle up soon starts to slip down to point at the person behind you, especially when there's a mod on it. That's not friendly...

 

[Ranger22]

It is now obvious that what suits some doesn't suit others, there is no one way that is going to suit all. The main thing is how ever you carry it, it must be safe. Today I have tried carrying my rifle "up side down", it is definitely not for me. My dogs kept bumping it and when this happened it was very nearly tripping me up. But my biggest concern was the safety catch rubbing on my jacket, I carry it on my right shoulder, when I had on my left one it was uncomfy and felt alien. So for me it's defo muzzle up from now on

Al

 

[Ranger22]

down whenever possible, any rifle up soon starts to slip down to point at the person behind you, especially when there's a mod on it. That's not friendly...

Use a ruck sling they don't slip with these slings

Al