The Rifle Sling

[howardw]

I’ve been shooting pistol rather seriously for a little over a year now and got an AR in December. I recently got a Viking Tactics sling and have played around with it some. I like the way that it is adjustable to any position. Anyway, I was just wondering, aside from being a way to carry your rifle, what is the theory of the sling as it pertains to actually shooting the rifle in 3 gun type situations?

Do people use the sling to steady the sights up close in CQB type stages or is the sling mostly used for steadying the gun for long range shots? And how do you know if you are using the sling correctly and not actually causing harm? Is it purely a subjective thing? I assume only I can answer that question and should do some shooting with and without the sling and compare the results.

Anyway, just wanted to get some discussion going on “the sling” and maybe learn something.

Thanks,

Howard Walker

[David Benzick]

Sling the rifle muzzel down and around your neck only.  

If you are right handed, slip your left hand and arm through the sling.  The sling now runs over your right shoulder, down and across your back and under your left arm.

Adust the slling so it is fairly snug as you bring the rifle up to position.

This will not work well in prone but is works fine for any position where your torso is fairly upright.

Good Luck

[kellyn]

Wow what a can of worms!  As I see it there are 2 types of slings: carrying and shooting (not that one can't be used for the other)  Hopefully Kyle will give us the full scoop on the VTAC sling as he designed it but I'll jump in with some opinions.   The VTAC is primarily a carrying sling - and the best one at that!.  It's basic function is not to provide shooting support, instead it's a flexible retention system.  HOWEVER,  the VTAC sling is so adjustable that you can add stability to your shooting positions by tightening the sling to provide tension across your back.  This is something that the 3 point slings (Giles, HK, Chalker) aren't capable of.   I don't feel that any sling adds meaningful support to the standing position however, only the others.  The ranges of CQB stages are so short that there is no need for a sling to provide stability.      

The slings that are designed to provide support are the ching sling, CW strap, whelan, latigo and the old  highpower slings.  These are not nearly as versatile for carry as a VTAC but they provide more support in position shooting, again not so much in offhand.  They have their place in 3 gun.  I use them and I've seen Eddie Rhodes, Beenie Cooley, Steve Hendricks and Mike Voigt use them as well.  I'll bet the Miller boys use them too.  In 3 gun, support slings are used primarily in stages where the shooter cannot use a rest and needs maximum stability for difficult shots.  For example, a bipod may help your a flat surface but what if you're shooting prone off a slope.  Or what if the target angle is so steep that you have to shoot kneeling with no rest.  Or if you're shooting limited (no bipods) at difficult targets. That's where slings come into their own.

It is important that the support sling is not applying pressure on the barrel directly.  It should be attached to a free floating handguard.  If it's pulling on the barrel, it will change zeroes.

[kurtm]

Kelly:

Yep the Miller boys do in fact use Ching slings ( for ARs) and shooting slings for real rifles. So does Blane.     KURT

[howardw]

Hmm...

Thanks for the info guys. Kelly, that was just the kind of info I was looking for. But, I was under the impression that the adjustability of the Vtac sling enabled it to be used to stabalize any postion and hence would be great for 3gun.

I hadn't intended this to turn into a Vtac sling thread, but I guess I may have been mistaken about the sling? I'm quite happy with it so far, and have had some recommendation for it's use in 3gun.

Thanks,

Howard

(Edited by howardw at 6:00 pm on Jan. 9, 2003)

[KyleL]

Fellas,

The Viking Tactics sling was actually developed so that you could quickly adjust your sling to the right length. If you were rappelling or climbing a ladder or wall you could sling the weapon across your back, tighten it down, do the deed, then drop the sling to full extension again and put it back across the front of your body. You are also able to cinch it down across the front of your body for Fast Rope type scenarios. The sling also is intended for use while transitioning from a rifle to a sidearm without having the weapon take out your knee caps.

Now for actually shooting, while in the prone position you can still adjust the sling tight enough to give you the same support as a ching sling, however when you are done shooting you can stand up or move and the rifle is still ready to shoot from the standing, kneeling or sitting. I carry mine pretty tight all the time so when I go prone I don't have to tighten it. If you leave it tight it seems to help a bit while shooting offhand also. Bennie Cooley and Mike Voigt are using the Viking sling as well as Jerry Miculek.

The only down fall that I have heard from folks is that it is too simple, well I'm a GI and I have been tangled up a few too many times in three point systems, so that is where this originated.

In our match we make it mandatory that you have a sling since we require you to transition and carry the rifle throughout the stage. USPSA doesn't really do much of this so you don't see alot of slings at those matches.

Hope I answered a couple of the questions.

Thanks KyleL

[SGDM]

KL,

I found another use...You can sling the M4 across your chest while flying and have access to the controls or quickly bring your weapon to bear for a little door blast'in.  Also, with a little 550 cord you can make a dandy Bronc halter.  

[Mistral404]

https://doctrine.usmc.mil

You might find this link interesting.  The Marine Corp training manuals have a wealth of information.  You can download their manuals.

[kellyn]

I have to disagree with Kyle about the sling (any sling) assisting in offhand shooting.   I don't think they help and only get in the way of a good offhand position.  I also think that the shooting slings do provide more stability than the VTAC in shooting positions.   Perhaps I've just shot so much highpower that I'm used to a loop on my arm.

So I carry both a ching sling and a VTAC.  The VTAC is for general use and the ching is for those stages that I'll be shooting kneeling or sitting.  If I could only have one for 3 gun , it would be the VTAC.  if I could have only one for hunting, it would probably be the Latigo sling.

Kyle I have a funny VTAC sling story.  Another sling maker (who shall remain nameless) saw my FAL with a VTAC sling on it at a recent gun show.  He commented about how it was such a competition-only sling that would not cut it in the real world and that his sling was the for "REAL DEAL, in use by innumerable elite military and police units."   I just smiled and said "oh really, I'll contact the designer and let him know."  So now you know.  Get some experience and report back with a better sling.  :-)

[kurtm]

DARN YOU KYLE AND KELLY!!!! Just when I thought I had enogh gear, you go and peak my interest in this here VTAC sling. I know Todd really likes his, he aint a G.I. but simple is good for him and Me too! Probably won't ditch the ching sling soon unless the VTAC is really good for support, but I now want to try it!! Don't look for one on My 14 however the 1905 leather sling just belongs on it!!! Where do I get one ( the VTAC) or do I just order it off your web site???             KURT

[KyleL]

Kelly,

If I go back to Camp Perry trust me I won't be using a Viking sling. I will use a loop sling. Too different types of competition.

I have found that the loop around the bicep slings work great until I transition to my sidearm then the rifle seems to flop around a bit.. especially on reloads..LOL

KyleL

[TNShooter]

Here are my thoughts on this sling issue. First the use of a shooting sling is not appreciated by most of the shooting world. I never realized what an aid it was until I started shooting High Power rifle and small bore. The sling enables a skilled shooter to hold incredible tight groups as amazing distances. And there is a reason that the NRA does'nt allow a sling to be used in the off hand stage of a High Power match. However, as much help as a "match" sling is in shooting well , once you throw in the " timer factor" none of the traditional slings allow you to "sling up" and still be competitive. And On the reverse side of the coin is the "carry strap" which is easy to get into and out of , but lends almost no aid to the shooter. The ching sling and variations are a much betterchoicefor the hunter than the traditional loop sling because they allow for a smooth "sling up" and also help the shooter. But they are not ment for much violent action or any kind of quick transition. Then along comes this V-Tac sling . Most peaple don't know enough about it to use it to it's  full potentail. This is the first sling to bridge the gap between the shooting sling , the carry strap and the tactical sling.It lets the shooter place the gun either front or rear, weak side or strong side . Take any other sling and try to transition from strong to weak hand  and then sling the gun on your back and see what a tangled mess you end up with. The quick adjustment feature on the V-Tac sling is what makes it so usable. If you are shooting an odd position simply adjust the sling to fit. And once you are used to it you can "pre set" it on your way to the next shooting position. All in all it does what no other sling out there can do.