The reason some people say a DG rifle should not be fitted with sling studs is they say it should never be carried on a sling on one's back. My PH on one safari claimed, it should be in your hands when in DG country, and if not in DG country, his tracker is carrying the rifle. Not a DR, a plastic stocked .416 Rem Mag Rem 700. The luxury of a tracker/gun bearer.

But virtually all DR's have sling studs on them. All of mine do, from 1879 to probably arounf 1910, plus the new ones too.

I certainly use the slings. Some of these rifles are damned heavy when walking 20 kms.

The other reason for not having a sling on the rifle in Africa is claimed it is something that might get snagged on the thorn bushes and if hunting DG increase the risk.

But we all have thickets in Australia, Asia, North America, even Europe! I have pushed through some dense thickets while hunting boar in Italy (only with a camera that time). So thick I declined to climb back up the hill through them, but walked the long way home around the mountain.

Trackers in Africa often carry the rifle by the sling too.