A Look at Slings

CaptureAsk most practical/tactical style of shooters about their choice of sling, and chances are they have not put nearly as much thought into their choice as they have other accessories. In many cases, you can go an entire match without even using a sling so it may not be front of mind. However, the mindset around slings is changing as match directors come up with increasingly challenging and dynamic courses of fire that incorporate more positional shooting. Competitors are also looking at new ways to utilize slings to give them an extra advantage in an increasingly competitive sport. Therefore, the need arises for a sling that is specifically designed for the practical shooter in mind. The sling is becoming yet another piece of indispensable equipment.

So why does our style of shooting dictate a different approach to slings? In other more traditional shooting disciplines where slings are employed, there is often plenty of time to make sling adjustments between positions and the sling is generally not used to carry the rifle around. In contrast, our chosen discipline may require the use of a sling in multiple positions with only a few seconds to make adjustments between positions. A sling may also be called upon to steady one’s position when shooting off a prop such as a barrel, rock or a barricade. In other words, when a sling is employed in our discipline it needs to be a nimble jack of all trades.

With these thoughts in mind, the 6.5 Guys have decided to take a look at some popular slings. As is the case with many equipment choices, there is no right or wrong choice. It’s our aim to provide information to help our audience members make a more informed buying decision.

ArmageddonSling

Armageddon Sling

Armageddon Gear has very versatile offering that is also very light weight compared to some of the other slings we’ve seen. While it will serve you well in the sport of precision rifle, the overall design and light weight would make for an excellent hunting or three gun sling. They have a video on their web site that explains the use and adjustment of the sling – it’s apparent that a lot of thought went into creating a simple yet functional design. The arm cuff is designed in such a way that the weight of the rifle keeps it tight – there’s nothing more aggravating than a sling that slips down your arm. As a side note, we received several items from Armageddon for evaluation and the quality of their sewing is absolutely top notch – so hats off to whomever does their sewing. Retail $69.95 plus $15 for hardware.

FTWSling.

FTW Gear Sling

The FTW Gear sling by Rifles Only also incorporates a bungee section reducing the felt weight of the rifle and allowing for quick deployment of the sling. Jacob Bynum takes the sling through its paces in this video and illustrates additional use for the bungee section. Everything on the sling is heavy duty, but they went to a plastic Cobra buckle to reduce the weight and noise associated with the original AustriAlpin buckles. The sling loop locks tight to prevent it from sliding down the arm – a very nice design feature. There are also two adjustment points for sling length as illustrated in the video. Retail $130 plus $15 for hardware.

HTISling

HTI Sling

The Hard Target Innovations (HTI) Chuck Mawhinney Signature “Kopfjaeger” sling is sold by Triad Tactical and Steve has used this sling for a number of years. Unique to the sling are hook and loop attachable dope cards. Similar functionality can be brought to your other slings with the purchase of the Tab Gear Dope Thing. While you’re at it, you can also attach tools to your sling with the Tab Gear Sling Thing. Another thoughtful design feature is the additional of non-slip material inside the arm cuff which can be set tight around the arm with a “Riggers Belt.” The sling is also quickly adjustable for length. Instructions can be found on the HTI site. Retail $95 plus $8-12 for hardware.

SAPSling

Short Action Precision Sling

We know the folks at Short Action Precision well and they are avid (and very capable) competition shooters. They leveraged their experience to create a very functional sling suitable for competition and unsupported positional shooting. The arm cuff is very easy tighten. Additionally, the tension of the sling can be easily fine tuned while slung up using a metal cam buckle that has an easy to grab 550 cord loop and a nylon grip tab for loosening or tightening the fit. The sling has a unique “escape” feature which can be very useful when you need to get out of the sling ASAP and in to another position. Retail $90 with hardware of your choice included.

TABSling

TAB Gear Sling

TAB Gear offers three different slings (TAB Sling, TAB Biathlon Sling, TAB Pinnacle Rifle Sling). Ed has owned the TAB Sling since 2009 when they were first offered with the metal AustriAlpine metal buckles. The sling is unique in that it has three sections – the use of the middle section is optional. Another unique feature is the rear section of the sling which has a 5″ section of webbing that is three layers triple stitched and is stiff enough to use as a hasty rear support should a rear bag not be available or allowed. If you have access to a heavy duty sewing machine, you could retrofit your other slings to have a stiff rear section. Overall it’s a basic sling and does not have some of the quick adjust features seen in newer designs. Shooters may wish to consider the TAB Pinnacle Rifle Sling which is unique as they did away with the arm cuff entirely.  Retail $125 with hardware of your choice included.

AISling

Accuracy International Sling

Rounding out our evaluation is the Accuracy International Sling. To our knowledge the sling is only available with HK Style hooks although we expect this to change with AI’s migration to flush cups. It’s a very basic sling, but they did include some non-slip material in the arm cuff to keep it in place. Retail $69.48 with HK Style hooks inlcuded.

Sling Hardware Considerations

These days just about everybody seems to be using flush cups – why would somebody consider using anything else? For one, flush cups can fail if sand gets into them so be sure to keep them clean. Be sure to give your sling a nice tug after you insert the flush cups. Ed knows somebody first hand who had a flush cup fail in a match when they were carrying their rifle and it hit the ground hard. Imagine how you would feel in that situation!

Sling swivels and HK Style hooks seem to be bomb proof as it’s easy to verify visually that they are in place. Another advantage of utilizing sling studs is the sling can be centered underneath the stock. This can be advantageous when using the sling in conjunction with a tripod where it’s better to have downward force centered on the stock.

Considerations for the Left Handed User

With some of the complex designs of modern slings, a left handed shooter might wonder if they require a left handed sling. All of the sling designs that we’ve seen appear to be ambidextrous and we’re not aware of any left handed slings on the market. However, we did notice that some of the labels and logos might be upside down when used left handed – just another reminder that left handed folks are different.

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