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I've been enjoying shooting all my life and avidly collecting firearms for about 3 years now. I have some pretty nice rifles including the fabulous Saiga .308 and the XCR.

 

The one thing I am missing is a good sling. I need advice on the best type, easiest to deploy, most comfortable, easy to use, etc.

 

Maybe some of the military guys or folks with sling experience could weigh in here and give me some pointers on what type to choose.

 

Three point, two point, single point? Some look kind of complicated. I know that a good sling can aid in shooting accuracy. I would like to hear different points of view on how to properly use a sling to shoot accurately and how to carry the rifle comfortably and also allow for quick deployment of the rifle and quick transition to sidearm.

 

I do have a few cheap slings, but I just can't seem to get them attached so that they work smoothly for me.

 

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

Badman

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Single points (and their variants) are for rapid deployment; they allow you to quickly use both hands without setting your weapon down.

 

For a shooting aid, get a regular end-to-end type that has an infinetly-adjustable buckle. The idea is to get it wrapped around your left arm (RH shooter) so that the arm pulls against the sling tension, making for a more solid hold. Ideally the forward hand will catch under the sling swivel, allowing you to relax your hand.

 

In marksmanship training they remove the sling from the rear swivel and wrap it around the left bicep, but I've found you can get a similar effect with a loose sling fully attached; from the rear the sling goes across the chest, over the top of the bicep, coming out under the bicep just above the elbow and off to the front swivel. It takes some adjustment of the length to get it right, but you get a nice triangulation of tension and it's quick to deploy. Plus, you can still sling it over your shoulder.

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Thanks Bob! This is exactly the type of info I was looking for.

 

Keep 'em coming. Any tips on good quality decently priced slings?

 

Anyone know of a website with pictures of different ways to use a sling?

Edited by badman400
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Whatever sling you decide to get will depend on the type of shooting you want to do. If you have a specific role for a weapon, then it's ok to sling it appropriately (single point for rapid engagement of multiple targets, standard sling for marksmanship). The point slings also allows you to transition to your secondary weapon quickly.

The loop sling (for me) is the cat's meow as far as stability in a firing position goes. I've used the hasty sling and that works fine in a pinch (this is the method BobAsh described) but I've never felt that comfortable with it. But I did find a third option which allows me to do both:

http://www.tacticalintervention.com/quickcuffsling.html

The online manual shows pictures of the sling in use.

I got the Model One in tan and comes with the quick detach swivels.

The craftsmanship is second to none, I wouldn't hesitate to use it for rappelling if I had to. I attached a quick detach sling post at the forearm (Uncle Mike's) and the threading was exactly the same (on the .308) as the screw that holds the handguard. I just cut it back to the same length as the stock Saiga screw. I have the skeleton stock so I didn't have to add a quick detach post at the rear.

 

It functions exactly as advertised, loop sling stability at tactical speed.

 

One of these days I'm going to get some webbing material and another buckle set to see if I can use it as a modified single point sling, disconnect and then reconnect as a loop sling.

 

I just want to point out that I consider a sling to be an essential part of shooting vice something to be used when transporting the rifle. The price is a little steeper than most slings out there but I thought it was worth it.

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Whatever sling you decide to get will depend on the type of shooting you want to do. If you have a specific role for a weapon, then it's ok to sling it appropriately (single point for rapid engagement of multiple targets, standard sling for marksmanship). The point slings also allows you to transition to your secondary weapon quickly.

The loop sling (for me) is the cat's meow as far as stability in a firing position goes. I've used the hasty sling and that works fine in a pinch (this is the method BobAsh described) but I've never felt that comfortable with it. But I did find a third option which allows me to do both:

http://www.tacticalintervention.com/quickcuffsling.html

The online manual shows pictures of the sling in use.

I got the Model One in tan and comes with the quick detach swivels.

The craftsmanship is second to none, I wouldn't hesitate to use it for rappelling if I had to. I attached a quick detach sling post at the forearm (Uncle Mike's) and the threading was exactly the same (on the .308) as the screw that holds the handguard. I just cut it back to the same length as the stock Saiga screw. I have the skeleton stock so I didn't have to add a quick detach post at the rear.

 

It functions exactly as advertised, loop sling stability at tactical speed.

 

One of these days I'm going to get some webbing material and another buckle set to see if I can use it as a modified single point sling, disconnect and then reconnect as a loop sling.

 

I just want to point out that I consider a sling to be an essential part of shooting vice something to be used when transporting the rifle. The price is a little steeper than most slings out there but I thought it was worth it.

 

 

Thanks for the detailed rundown GunnyR! I think I'll exercise the poll option on this one and see what is being used most out there in the world of slings.

 

Oh well, the poll option was there one second and then gone the next. :unsure:

Edited by badman400
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Hey Gunny that's pretty cool, never seen that before.

 

I have to tell you, it really works. If I have any complaint about the setup, it's that the part that goes around the upper arm must have been sized for Jesse "The Body" Ventura arms because it's a bit large for my unmanly, flaccid biceps. I could trim it myself but I hate to mess with the rig. That and I keep telling myself that if I just went back to weight training my arms would fill it up in no time.

 

Now I understand why my wife keeps those old jeans in her closet that she hasn't worn in years.

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I like to use a sling attached at twor points and wrap my non-firing forearm through it. It's a great help in offhand shooting, and using this method, I was able to down a deer on the first shot (shoulder hit) with my Savage Tactical 308 from the kneeling position at a measured ~600yds, witnessed. \brag off :D

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i'm glad this thread started...i've been googling on how best to us a sling. do any of you guys have pictures?

 

Gooey... when you wrap in around your forearm... it's not around your back also right?

 

How long do you make the sling?

 

thanks.

 

I keep it one length for carry and address. I unsling from the carry position, and the sling hangs from both mounting points. Then plant my elbow about halfway on the inside of the sling, and wrap my forearm around the sling as my hand makes its way to the foregrip.

 

Kinda hard to explain, but I hope you get what I mean. It basically gives tension between my elbow and buttstock so the rifle 'locks' in position when I seat the stock against my shoulder. This was really useful when I used to shoot for my ROTC rifle team back in the day. Those Anschutz 54's got pretty heavy when fully equipped (about 17-18 lbs), and the sling really helped to keep things steady when shooting from a standing position. The shooting jacket was key too.

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I use a single point MOUT sling from Specter Gear . They have a good website for looking at the various slings and how to deploy them.

 

http://www.spectergear.com/

http://www.spectergear.com/mout_1_lg.jpg

 

 

Edit to add: Badman hows the XCR working?, I'm really looking at getting one in 6.5 or 6.8. I'm waiting to see which way the wind blows on the different calibers.

Edited by Paladin
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I've ended up going with a 2-point sling similar to the Vickers style on my Saigas and my AR. It features a quick expansion capabilty to allow you to rapidly adjust for off hand shooting, corners, etc. I got mine from BooniePacker and it's only $12 (with free shipping). It's well made and works great. I used them on my Saigas through two Suarez classes.

 

One thing to consider about a sling, if you ever expect to use it in a real tactical application, is how easy it is to get out of. If you are using a shotgun or rifle for home defense and the bad guy grabs it, you may be going along for the ride. With the two point sling, I usually carry it looped around my neck. It hangs just fine and it's comfortable -- but a quick duck of my head and the gun is off my body.

 

Jim

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One thing to consider about a sling, if you ever expect to use it in a real tactical application, is how easy it is to get out of. If you are using a shotgun or rifle for home defense and the bad guy grabs it, you may be going along for the ride. With the two point sling, I usually carry it looped around my neck. It hangs just fine and it's comfortable -- but a quick duck of my head and the gun is off my body.

 

Jim

 

Err...off your body and into the hands of the bad guy? :cryss:

 

You bring up a great point Jim. You can train for that scenario though by actually having someone trying to grab you weapon (dummy weapon preferably) and examining exactly what your close combat options are. Personally, I'm a believer in the "cold dead hands" methodology of weapon retention so if I have to take a ride, I'm taking that ride but on the way down that bad guy is going to get a beating or worse.

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  • 2 years later...

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