You are correct, the topic was about the carry style, but I used it and have seen it used commonly, or for any length of time, only in Africa and only for carrying a bigger bore rifle so the topic is intertwined. It ain't called the "African Carry" for nothin'.

I'm sure it is used elsewhere at other times, but with nowhere the frequency. I use it from time to time here while duck or goose hunting and humping a shotgun and other stuff, which I'll hang off the shotgun to free up a hand, or occasionally when deer huting, but again nowhere near as frequently or as long as I do when carrying a heavy rifle in Africa. I supose I would revert to type and do it in Alaska but who knows?

For me, the carry requires quite a bit of upward force at the muzzles so that I can "hang" my hand on the muzzles for comfort and no expentidure of energy to actually hold my hand or the muzzles up. This doesn't work with a light rifle and I'd as soon carry one in one hand or on a sling.

Lastly, I've had the "opportunity" to carry a full length AK 47 in the bush. There is NO comfortable way to carry that damn thing. If one part isn't poking you then another piece is. Its too short for an over the shoulder carry with too many protrusions, but there are few alternatives. The one I carried had a sling (but I'm a lefty so the sling was on the wrong side) and I traded that uncomfortable method with the over the shoulder carry and back and forth and neither worked well. I was also carrying my double rifle at the time and that took a hell of a lot less active attention.

JPK