Though i have a sling on my AR for shooting, I rarely "sling" the gun, especially about this time of the year, because between shooting the thing and the general temperature, it becomes an "Arizona Branding Iron". I usually carry it by the handle when I'm walking over to inspect/change targets. Years ago when the movie "Silverado" came out, there was a scene that struck me deeply. The one where Emmett (Scott Glen) is in the desert shooting the Henry and his Colt. He empties BOTH, and a bad guy steps out of cover and says, "You're empty, mister". I ain't EVER gonna let that happen to me. I may have a tailgate full of empty guns, but one of my hanguns ALWAYS stays loaded and on my hip (most often the Beretta) and the AR with a 30rnd mag ALWAYS makes the trip to the targets with me. Wanna try and steal my guns while I'm away from my truck? You'll have to cope with 30 rnds of .223 and 15 rnds of 9mm from me.