Use of a sling

[lunker 274]

So, much of what I know about shooting is either self taught or from books (which is probably evident in my shooting ). One thing I never got a good read on was slings. One point, two point, three point. I have read about their advantages and disadvantages. I have a two point on my AR.

I have never really learned to use one well. Most of the time, it is a glorified carry strap for me.

I use the method where my supporting hand is at an angle and the strap is tight enough against my outer arm to give me stability (i.e. the strap is to the left of the rifle, shaped like a V against my arm). I know that there are other (and probably better) ways of using the sling. I have read about how (for the garand and 1903) you take a loop off the sling and grasp it. The method I use is considered the quick-and-dirty way of shooting (i.e. not for precision).

Does anyone have any good resources on using a sling, and all the options?

Thanks in advance.

[Vlad G 345]

Depends .. I personally think the modern sling is not very useful as a shooting aid from unsupported position. The "classic" shooting sling as used in high power competitions or the Ching sling can aid with stabilizing the rifle but they often require very odd manipulation that is not really easy to do with any degree of speed. Remember that the high power shooters wear whole jackets meant to force rigidity and very very strict positioning. In the "tactical" world (I hate that word, I really do) the sling is mostly a carry strap that places the rifle in a good position for transitions to secondary weapons, or gets the rifle out of the way for using your hands. The classic slings are handy for support but not very useful for quick weapon manipulation, switching to secondaries, shooting from the "wrong" shoulder and all that stuff people ooh and ahh about in the Magpul videos

 

If you are interested in using a sling as a formal shooting aid, talk to the high power shooters (I think CJRPC runs a clinic every now and then) or pick up a copy of Jeff Coopers "Art of the Rifle".

[notmetoo 41]

Slings really help, even in unsupported positions. If you want an inexpensive and fun course in the use of slings, go to an Appleseed event. They are all about sling usage. Well, that's not what they are ALL about, but for the shooting part they require slings and teach you three methods.

[Odin 1]

Disclaimer alert, I have no experience with this product but I watched a youtube video the other day on the savvy sniper sling. It looked like a good product. If this is old news please disregard.

[lunker 274]

I am going to the High Power clinic, but am more interested in making use of a sling in more "real life" situations (I avoided the use of the word tactical . My way definitely does steady my arm when shooting, and is easy enough position to get into. I just figured there were better ways I did not know about. I am not really interested in putting on the CJRPC loaner jackets and doing the strap loop around the elbow formal method. I am taking the course to help with long distance accuracy, improving sight picture, windage estimation, etc. Just to be a better overall rifle shooter.

[Murphy4570 15]

If you want to get into old-school sling useage on the range, you'll need to get a M1907 sling and assemble it into a hasty sling. I would love to get training on that, it works great for target shooting.

[raz-0 1,259]

My take on it is you either can have a sling good at stabilization, or you can have a sling good at retention and transition to secondary weapons. I have yet to find one that is good for both.

[Caine 147]

My take on it is you either can have a sling good at stabilization, or you can have a sling good at retention and transition to secondary weapons. I have yet to find one that is good for both.

I'm sure you're familiar with it, but, have you tried the Ares Huskey Amentum? It supposedly does both

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xmYaU4Y4dg

[Ray Ray 3,566]

Yikes Pete, is that guy serious?

[raz-0 1,259]

I'm sure you're familiar with it, but, have you tried the Ares Huskey Amentum? It supposedly does both

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xmYaU4Y4dg

 

I have seen it before. 1) It is so awesome they keep on changing it. That means either the current product doesn't work, or the product that was so frikin awesome was flawed. What you cna buy now isn't what is shown in the video. 2) It doesn't do both well.

 

Honestly, some dude stuck his name on it because he probably thought it compromised better than the other 15 compromises he's encountered.

 

It's simply a 2-point sling that you can sort of use like a hasty sling. I've got slings that do that. I will say that wrapping your sling around your neck is a pretty crappy way to transition. It's doable, but slower than a single point, and if things go badly you are scrambling for the quick release while getting choked by a piece of webbing strong enough to decapitate you before snapping under load, which kind of sucks. If you don't land the transition exactly right, depending on how things fit, it can cause issues with being able to get a reasonable sight picture. Not so bad with a red dot, more annoying with irons, but really a PITA with a magnifying optic. 2 points are always pretty reasonable at holding the gun at a port arms like storage position as long as you attach them at both ends of the gun. Move the mount points in and that can get sketchy, or you introduce issues with stability and/or transitions. Then theres stability. a 2 point offers some help here when used as a hasty sling. However, it depends on your build. You can wind up with the sling pulling quite tight across an artery and introducing reticle movement form your pulse that you wouldn't get without the sling. Also, when you employ something like the m1907 as a hasty sling, you usually leave your head out of it, so you are JUST dealing with the pulse issue. With the modern 2-point slings, you are also putting your neck in the loop. So when you tension up, you can actually start yanking your head around with movement from your offside arm. As long as your neck doesn't leave the loop, they are ok at retention.

 

Single points are good at transitions, good at retention, do absolutely nothing for stability and are mediocre at storage of the weapon.

 

Slings like the no pulse, ching sling, qucik cuff, and a few others actually add a third vector of tension for more stability, they have varying usefulness for storage mode, and although the ching style is arguably the best at facilitating some stability while freeing you up somewhat for transitions. They are all pretty much useless for retention.

 

Keep in mind I am saying that ALL slings are a compromise and pretty much suck. If you can even remotely articulate a reason why one sucks less for you, it probably IS better for your uses. Just don't expect that advantage to hold up if you change use patterns.

 

for the shooting I do, the no pulse, ching, and quick cuff are out of the question. My choice of compromise is a quality convertible 2point/1point sling which I sue primarily in single point mode. I find that with altering my technique from what I learned as a kid with nra hi-power type instruction to a more modern squared up technique that employs supination of the off hand, I can get pretty close to the stability of a hasty sling using a bladed stance. But that's from my particular perspective from shooting 2-gun and 3-gun. If I had to run a check point stnading around all day, my answer would probably be different. Shooting hi-power, DEFINITELY different.

[tbtrout 141]

http://www.rifleshootermag.com/2010/09/23/shooting_tips_sling_0612/

 

Chris, give this a read to start. Having used both methods, for practical shooting a hasty works well.

[matty 810]

Chris,

The HP guys will help you with sling stuff, it really helps with prone and sitting. Standing not so much. I have used hasty sling with M1 and SKS, it does help me with the SKS in standing, I think. I even rigged up the SU16 sling so that it supports the rifle prone