Thinking of going with a gun boot. Just seems more secure and less apt to being jolted off zero than the forked racks. What do you think

 

I've used the rack forks and the Kolpin Gun Boot.

Gun Boot all the way. Will not use the forks ever again to transport my guns. Gun is protected sooo much better.

 

I used to use the fork racks, but after rubbing the finish off my rifle, I only use my Kolpin Boot. If you use the rubber fork racks, I'd wrap the rubber forks with a rag or something to protect the finish of your weapon.JMO

 

I use the Moose fork rack. I made sure to position the rack so that the gun only rested on the stock and the rubber fins. I also turn the fork a little sideways to help clamp the gun in there. I like to keep a bull barrelled 10-22 with a Hogue overmolded stock in it so I can get to it quickly. It fits in snug enough I don't even use the straps. Works well for my AR-15 also. I would use a Kolpin gun boot to carry my Urika 391 Sporting Clays Beretta though, the gun is too wide for a fork mount. I guess it may come down to what type of gun you are carrying....

 

I took my rubber type hooks OFF permanetely, twice I had missed nice animals because my scope had got knocked off zero.
I bought a good sling and now that is the only way I carry my rifle, zero has never drifted since.

 

I haven't used either of the two. (hooks or boot) It just seems like the boot would be a better choice to keep the gun dry and dust free. I would just want to make sure the barrel doesn't reach the bottom of the boot. I would be afraid that something MIGHT get jammed into the end of the barrel. (just in case something was to fall in the boot without you knowing.) I would also be careful that the boot wasn't made so the total weight of the gun is being held up by the scope because of a inside edge. It might throw your scope off.

The only gun I carry with me is on my hip.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

When prospecting in the high desert the biggest elemental concern is not rain but sand & silt. I carry my rifles in forks mounted on the front rack. Since the rifles are not "primarily" for hunting purposes they do not wear scopes, but rather peep sights. "Depending" I carry one of the following: either a 30-30 or 44mag lever action, a bolt action 308 (Ruger RSI), a Ruger Mini 30, or a pump action 357mag (IMI Timber Wolf).

If I were in the vicinity of trees, I would use a Kolpin set-up; however, beware: the Kolpin boot set-up usually puts ALL the rifle's weight on the Objective Bell of the rifle scope. This is worse than carrying it on forks. My Alaskan pards, stuffed the bottom of their Kolpin rigs with foam rubber so as to put the weight of the rifle to bearing on the muzzle.

I'd appreciate how some of you deal with this problem.

 

I had rack clamps on the Grizzly but I had to be careful around trees. Had I kept it, I would have tried to make some kind of mount between the front and rear racks that used clamps, keep the gun close to your hip but fore and aft instead of sideways. I don't like the gun boots because they hold moisture and dirt. There is no way to get the muzzle end of those things clean.

 

I don't seem to have the problem of my rifle's weight being held by the scope. But, I'll take a better look.

I know what you mean Coyotechaser when you mentioned about something getting jammed in a weapon. It didn't happen to a rifle in a kolpin case, but a friend fell and stuck the barrel of his 870 shotgun into mud. He got so rapped up in the hunt, he forgot to check the muzzle for obstructions. Needless to say, I now have a blown-up 870 shutgun for my hunter safety classes. Fortunately, no one was injured. But he **** his pants when that thing exploded 26 inches from his face. So, it can happen to anyone.

 

I have used the Koplin III mount with boot for ten years and have never had an issue with the scope being thrown off in fact I have rolled my quad and the boot broke off and the gun zeroed at inch and half at 100 yards, right were she has been for the last 15 years. I had never heard of this problem with the scope either but i will bring the subject up this season and see if anybody has had this problem, always need another reason to talk about rifles and scopes at hunting camp, could get some interesting theroies on this subject especially after happy hour has started.AlaskaBoy.