muzzle-down carry

[Mississippi10]

I tried searching this, but couldn't get anything, maybe due to bad word choice. Anyway, way back when, I and most of the others I've asked carried a Car-15 with a 3/4 inch nylon strap from the front sight to rear of stock, slung over left shoulder, muzzle pointing to a spot about fifteen feet ahead and ten feet to the left. Just about all the pictures I've seen from current operations show a carry with the muzzle pointing within a couple of feet of the left boot, resulting in a bent right wrist that LOOKS like it would be uncomfortable as hell after just a few minutes, plus making the safety harder to dis-engage. Is this carry current doctrine? What's the reasoning?

[DbeforeD]

Sir,

I have seen the SFS around here use a large karabiner attached to the front of their plate carriers and hooking it into the carry handle. This also restricts movement, as I have observed. And I am in no way stating this is a correct technique or advocating it in any way. But what would be faster, throwing your shoulder through a strap or unhooking the carry handle?

I have weapons, but am in no means a gunfighter. I just made an observation and decided to contribute. Hopefully it will spark up a conversation on effective techniques or systems to employ in securing a rifle to ones body.

Stay safe.

[Eagle5US]

M-10
First and foremost, welcome to PS.Com. Not many One Zero's and One One's around and your experience is quite incredible.
Thank you for your service.

As you have no doubt noticed, there are some distinct differences between the gear carried today and the gear of the SF contingents in RVN. Most noticeably the turtle shell of body armor that we wear which gets in the way of almost anything attempted to be thrown over a shoulder.
Where many historical photos showed your RT's in a minimalist posture, we are not able to do the same. As such, many of us use a single point sling attachment on our weapon from the collapsible buttstock directly to our right (or left for the backwards folk) shoulder. This allows us a dynamic ready up while wearing the body armor without the fumblings of a sling. In those of us significantly more challenged in the coordination department, slings tend to get hooked on all sorts of goofy stuff (including my neanderthal type neck).

This single point sling attachment is relatively short, bringing the butt of the weapon quite close to the body. The cross body posture you see of many troops is due to the short distance of the buttstock attachment and the necessity to keep the weapon from flopping around. Therefor, it would either have to point straight down, straight out or off the left foot. Most choose the left foot.

I am sure there are other "more cool" (and perhaps more steely eyed killer) reasons - but this one is the one I tend to see as a matter of practicality.

Again - thank you for your service, and welcome to PS.Com

[Gene Econ]

Originally Posted by Mississippi10

I tried searching this, but couldn't get anything, maybe due to bad word choice. Anyway, way back when, I and most of the others I've asked carried a Car-15 with a 3/4 inch nylon strap from the front sight to rear of stock, slung over left shoulder, muzzle pointing to a spot about fifteen feet ahead and ten feet to the left. Just about all the pictures I've seen from current operations show a carry with the muzzle pointing within a couple of feet of the left boot, resulting in a bent right wrist that LOOKS like it would be uncomfortable as hell after just a few minutes, plus making the safety harder to dis-engage. Is this carry current doctrine? What's the reasoning?

M10:

In addition to what Eagle said, it is also a muzzle awareness / fratracide prevention issue. I believe it started when SF and then the conventional side got heavily involved in CQB training.

Gene