Carrying Your Rifle upside Down???

ive always carried mine upside down, ive got a harris on my model 70 so its more comfortable to carry upside down. i havent had a problem with the barrel hitting the ground or getting clogged with mud. just remember its pointing down if you take a knee haha.
 
i dont carry my rifle with the barrel facing the ground it only takes on rock to hit the crown of the muzzle and you are dealing with accuracy problems. This goes with out mentioning that getting mud in the barrel is never a good thing.
 
In the last few years I've started carrying some rifles barrel downward, starting with the AR, and most recently some of the heavier barrels. I find this especially true with a CZ 550 Kevalar Varmint due to the fact that it sometimes wants to rotate backwards. During this time I've not experienced any problems, but I do find myself being even more self conscious about barrel contact and obstructions.
 
I carry mine scope down with muzzle pointing forward and angled towards the ground. I shoot long guns left handed, so the rifle is slung on my right shoulder with my right hand gripping the forestock. I simply swing the rifle up to my left shoulder with the sling dropping under my right elbow. My scope stays clean in rain and snow while allowing a very fast reaction time to shoulder the rifle.
 
I have been doing this for years, I carry mine on mt left shoulder (right handed shooter) and angled slightly forward most of my guns have fairly short barrels and I'm 6' tall so it is not a problem to keep clear of the ground and I can get an aimed shot off about twice as fast as I can with a conventional carry.
 
Looks like the general concensus is comfort. So go for try it. If you don't like it go muzzle up. Besides the whole idea of a sling is comfort anyway. Someone a long time ago figured it was more comfortable to sling a boomstick over the shoulder than it was to carry it around all day.

As far as the concerns about fouled barrels and damaged crowns just as many concerns could be voiced about muzzle up. For example, when I as in the USAF I saw one young cop fall on his M16. He was running with it at port arms when he tripped and fell on it. Bent that barrel good!!! My point is it doesn't matter if it's muzzle up, muzzle down, low ready, port arms, or locked up in the truck. Freak accidents can happen. Gun safety, muzzle awareness, and do what you can to minimize the chances of Murphy's Law rearing it's ugly head.
 
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