NOT! for me.

by shouldered I meant ready to shoot

My father just got me a 300 savage. The neat thing about it is it has a sling that coils up in the stock like a tape measure. Dont know where he got it but i'll ask. That would solve your problem.

A couple of my hunting buddys got the safari sling and it is the best. Keeps your hands free to glass and the gun is right there ready to raise if a shot presents itself.

i always use a sling. couldnt hunt without it. keeps my hands free for other things. i've never had it get in the way. my .270 only weights about 7 1/2 lbs, but ive never used it without the sling
slayer

I use a sling! For me it would suck with out one!
jmo

I definitely prefer having a sling on my gun. I have a super sling 2 which is infinitely adjustable. I only put the sling to use when the hunt is over and I'm walking back to the vehicle. I hunt over 50 days a season and on average will walk 6 miles in mountainous terrain per day(I have a GPS and keep tabs on mileage with the track log). After a long days hunt it's nice not to have to carry your gun out of the woods.

The sling on my .06 is always there....it can steady even when I cannot due to long holding time on a Buck. For me it is an invaluable tool for my 30.06 most of the time.

I had a leather sling on my .270 for years and recently replaced it with a sling that has a rubber like surface on it. It won't slip off my shoulder now. Wish I had of made the change years ago.

Timber another way to keep it on your shoulder is to sew a largw button on the coat on top of the shoulder. keeps the sling from going off the shoulder.