slinging a shotgun while fly fishing?

FlyingHigh

FlyingHigh

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so i figured the tacticool experts here would know a fair bit about shotgun slings.

i'm planning on getting one of the short barreled Dominion Arms shotguns to carry on my wilderness fly fishing trips. as luck would have it, the best fishing is in the heart of grizzly/black bear country.

i'm looking for a slinging option that will allow me to carry a short shotgun while i fly fish. obviously it's needs to keep the gun secure and keep my hands free. it doesn't have to allow super fast delpoyment of the gun. mainly because if i'm scrambling to get the gun up, i wasn't paying attention, am ####ed anyways and deserve to be eaten. but being able to have the gun shouldered and ready within 10 - 15 seconds would be ideal.

i would just leave it on the bank behind me and carry it in my free hand, however when fishing rivers i tend to move along the river fishing the whole time. i don't stay in one place for more than 20 minutes or so, and when i move, i'm casting to various holes along the way. having to pick up a shotgun, walk 20ft, set the shotgun down, fish, repeat would be a hassle.

just fyi, i'm not envisioning a sudden charge coming out of nowhere. i want to carry the gun more the the times when i come around a bend and "oh ####, momma with cubs..." unsling gun, back away, go around. or if a bear comes onto the bank a ways away and is feeling a bit aggressive.

so, any suggestions on rigs i can use to set up?
 
Well first I would recommend avoiding a traditional shoulder sling, it will be constantly sliding off your shoulder while casting. Depending on how deep the water is that your fishing in, a single point may work, and is pretty quick to draw while staying mostly out of your way when not in use. Slinging over the back can be a bit tough to draw in a rush in my experiences. If the water is shallow enough I would go single point, mounted on a sling plate between the reciever and buttstock, for deeper water I would go with a 2 point sling mounted with the same sling plate and a forward mount near the end of the mag tube to hold the shotgun infront of you with the sling going over one shoulder, around the back, under the opposite arm and out to the front of the gun. Almost as quick as a single point and very comfy for long periods of time
 
great info super nova. the 2 point sounds like a good bet. sounds like it will hold the gun a little more securely than a single point, and keep it from bouncing around while casting.

any suggestions on who makes a good 2 point sling?
 
I made something like you are looking for but use it while hiking and .22 hunting.
I got a shotgun scabbard like the Condor and a set of speedfeed grips. The rounded rear grip, not the standard pistol grip style. I absolutely love it. Now I have both hands free to fish or carry something else. Rides great, adjustable and the grip is more comfortable on the web of the hand when shooting. More natural feel. It seems to ride with rather than stop the recoil. A 18.5" barrel really helps. It has become my go-to general purpose bush defense gun. With the scabbard in a cross draw accross the back it isn't prone to sliding off your shoulder when you bend over and the speedfeed grip doesn't snag branches when pushing bush like the full stock did. It was a work in progress for awhile.
If you need, I can take a pic of them for you and you can see what I mean.
Not much stands up to 00Buck. Reach up over your right shoulder with your right hand and there it is. Kind of like the Evil Dead set-up.
 
colin455 said:
I made something like you are looking for but use it while hiking and .22 hunting.
I got a shotgun scabbard like the Condor and a set of speedfeed grips. The rounded rear grip, not the standard pistol grip style. I absolutely love it. Now I have both hands free to fish or carry something else. Rides great, adjustable and the grip is more comfortable on the web of the hand when shooting. More natural feel. It seems to ride with rather than stop the recoil. A 18.5" barrel really helps. It has become my go-to general purpose bush defense gun. With the scabbard in a cross draw accross the back it isn't prone to sliding off your shoulder when you bend over and the speedfeed grip doesn't snag branches when pushing bush like the full stock did. It was a work in progress for awhile.
If you need, I can take a pic of them for you and you can see what I mean.
Not much stands up to 00Buck. Reach up over your right shoulder with your right hand and there it is. Kind of like the Evil Dead set-up.
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that sounds awesome. if you have pics that would be great. where would a guy find such a scabbard and a speedfeed grip?
 
Thats a great idea Colin, it doesnt want to snag and hang up in the scabbard? Ive never used one but alot of people say they just arent quick to draw, maybe too much junk on the shotgun causing snags? But back to the OP, heres a bunch of single and 2 point slings from Dave's https://dstactical.com/index.php?cPath=161 S&J and several other board sponsors can hook you up with all the goodies to mount them too.
 
Here it is. It measures 30" long. Actually rides a little low in the scabbard but I'm going to remedy that by folding over the end and strapping it up. There are provisions all over it for attaching accessories and sling points. Kind of a MacGyver scabbard. Recently wore it while shed hunting in the bush for over 5 hours and somewhere over 5km. No problems. Very comfortable and doesn't slide around enough to get annoying. Shotgun never even started to slide out at any time. I love having 2 hands again.
Have shot it numerous times with shot, 00buck and 1 ounce slugs to get the feel and aiming points. It wasn't designed to be shouldered. If the threat is close enough I need this, it's too close to run. Aiming becomes moot at 20' with a 18.5" barrel and 00buck. Shot goes where I want it. Not worried about it.
SAM_1025.jpg

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Hanging a little low in the picture. Have it set up for a jacket. Shotgun just peeking out but easy to grip.
 
nice rig. yeah i'd definitely consider something like that. my only issue i think would be drawing it over my shoulder. i'm fairly short (5'6"), and as such have short arms. i'm thinking a shorter barreled shotgun will be easier to draw over my shoulder than an 18.5". i don't think a 12.5" grizzly with that speedfeed grip would be over 26 inches though
 
I would think some sort of leg holster ( similar to the shoulder rig pictured) would work better. I would think the shoulder holster would be a pain while casting. Mind you the leg holster would have to be made of some sort of waterproof material.
 
FlyingHigh said:
nice rig. yeah i'd definitely consider something like that. my only issue i think would be drawing it over my shoulder. i'm fairly short (5'6"), and as such have short arms. i'm thinking a shorter barreled shotgun will be easier to draw over my shoulder than an 18.5". i don't think a 12.5" grizzly with that speedfeed grip would be over 26 inches though
Click to expand...

It is currently 30". Take off 6" of barrel and it will be too short at 24".
 
Win/64 said:
I would think some sort of leg holster ( similar to the shoulder rig pictured) would work better. I would think the shoulder holster would be a pain while casting. Mind you the leg holster would have to be made of some sort of waterproof material.
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The only real way I couls see a leg holster is if it had a pistol grip and that 6" barrel. Otherwise it would be too long to kneel or too high and get you in the short ribs. This setup allows total free movement of both arms for me. Find a store that has one and try it on. May or may not work for you. Good luck.
 
colin455's scabbard is a better idea, but a Sterling SMG sling, if you can find one, will hold a shotgun on your back out of the way too. A Sterling sling can go long enough to carry it over one shoulder but still be handy. Mind you, if Yogi wants a fish you took from his river, throw it away over there and slip out.
 
Has anyone mounted one of these scabbards on a backpack, on the side or the back, and was still able to draw it quickly?

Yeah, I think a leg holster would make it hard to kneel and also possibly awkward to draw a 14" barrel, but if anyone has that setup I'm curious how you find it.
 
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