Carrying an M-4 Carbine on Horseback

Cheney wrote to ask about any ready made solutions for carrying military style rifles/ carbines while horseback. "Hey, I am a elk hunting guide in north Jackson and a combat medic in the Utah national guard I was wondering is there a effective way to carry a M4 (handy trail caliber and very light available in big bores such as .458 SOCOM and .50 Beowolf). I wonder as my job involves a lot of riding and walking over rough bear filled country if there is a way to do that or your thoughts on the matter. Thank you very much. Cheney."

I received this on Veteran's Day and sorry it is taking me awhile to respond to you, Cheney. A little know fact to most Americans is the extent of which our National Guard and Reserves served in Iraq and Afghanistan,...thank you for your service.

Some people reading this may be unfamiliar with the .458 SOCOM and .50 cal Beowolf, so to summarize, the .458 SOCOM - with a 300-grain round has a muzzle velocity of 1,900 ft/s and 2,405 ft lb energy which is similar to a .45-70 Government cartridge. The .50 Beowolf also has a 300 grain bullet at a muzzle velocity near 1,900 fps and a muzzle energy of 2,300 fpe, again similar to the .45-70 Government. Complete Upper Receivers are available to turn a common M-4 in .223/5.56 caliber into a big bore carbine.

While I would prefer a big bore rifle if I was routinely in Grizzly country, I don't think I'd carry a M-4 chambered for .458 SOCOM or .50 Beowolf. While, a standard M-4 firing the .223 Remington or 5.56mm NATO cartridge may be pretty underpowered to put down a Grizzly, you would have 20 or 30 rounds to do so. But you are the one that's going to be potentially facing a Griz, so good luck on whatever you decide.

If you want to carry an M-4 readily accessible on horseback, your options are a modified scabbard that considers the M-4 pistol grip and extended magazine.

 I think you can get 5 or 10 round M-4 magazines, but even a 20 round magazine would be easier to cary than the standard 30 round magazine. The M-4 just offers some unique scabbard challenges. You may be able to find someone to build you a custom scabbard, or you could use a short gun bag and rig that to you saddle like a scabbard - maybe something like the nylon scabbard in the picture above left.

Or you could carry the M-4 across your back. Carrying the M-4 across your back would be better than carrying across your chest as this would obviously be a pain in the butt guiding your horse, using a rope or leading a pack train. A 10 inch upper (shorter barrel) would work better than a standard 16 inch carbine and accuracy shouldn't be a problem with the shorter barrel if you are primarily using it as a defensive gun against Grizzlies - probably no long range shots.  Plus the across the back carry ensures that you have the gun with you when you dismount.

A body sling would have to be tight so the carbine wouldn't swing around or otherwise bang around when at the trot or lope. But still allow for you to swing the carbine into action. I would like to have a quick release in case you got hung up on anything. In the video, I am using a older modified Mamba sling from Spec Ops Brand Military and Tactical Gear. This sling has a length of bungee cord covered in tubular nylon which allows the carbine to be adjusted tight to your body still while allowing enough movement for the gun to mounting to your shoulder. It would be necessary to have a side mounted front sling attachment.

I rode for a while carrying an M-4 carbine in this configuration and it worked pretty good.  I had to cross one hardball road and I hope a didn't alarm the lady in  the truck that passed by!  There is a modern day precedence for carrying military weapons on horseback.  During the early days of the war in Afghanistan, Special Forces teams from the 5th Special Forces Group infiltrated and linked up with anti-Taliban groups, then rode those little Afghani horse's into combat as they pushed the Taliban out of Afghanistan.  The Horse Soldiers, by Doug Stanton is a good book about this.    

Spec Ops Brand offers a sling called the Patrol sling which would work. This is a two piece sling with the covered bungee. This sling has a quick release buckle in case you get hung up, and has a quick adjustment buckle so you can tighten and loosen the sling as needed. I think this is your best bet. You can get to Spec Ops Brand through this link.