Sling (firearms)

In the context of firearms, a sling is a type of strap or harness designed to allow an operator carry a firearm (usually a long gun such as a rifle, carbine, shotgun, or submachine gun) on his/her person and/or aid in greater hit probability with that firearm. Various types of slings offer their own advantages and disadvantages, and can generally be divided into the below categories.

Sling types

; Simple/Traditional sling (Two-Point): The oldest and most familiar design, this sling design has two connection points that attach to the front and rear of the weapon, and allows the operator to carry the weapon over his/her back, with the sling draped across the torso or over one shoulder.

; Ching/CW sling: This type of sling is a component of the Scout Rifle concept, and serves not just as a carrying strap, but also an aid to greater hit probability by helping the operator aim steadily.

; Two-Point (Quick-Adjust) Sling: Similar to a two-point simple sling, but with the capability to quickly adjust the length of the sling with a pull-tab. Two prominent examples of this sling include the VCAS (Vickers Combat Applications Sling) and VTAC (Viking Tactics) Slings. It fills a niche similar to the three-point sling, and has similar capabilities.

; Three-point sling: The advantages of the three-point sling are that it functions more like a harness and is therefore strapped to the shooter. This allows the shooter to release the weapon to use his/her hands for other tasks (such as transitioning to a sidearm) without fear of dropping it on the ground since it will remain hanging from the shooter and easily accessible when needed again.

The design of the three-point sling consists of a loop of material (usually cordura or similar) that loops around the torso, and to straps that go to the front and rear of the weapon. The shooter's body and the front and rear of the weapon are the three points that give this design its' name.

There are multiple ways (at least 6) to wear a long gun with a 3-point sling (one of these, known as "Military Patrol Ready", permits the operator to keep his/her weapon at the hip and ready to fire for long periods of time without fatigue).

Some consider the 3-point sling a poor choice with an AR15 style carbine, and claim the following disadvantages:1) A tendency to hang up on load-bearing equipment.2) For a right hander they can interfere with controls, and for a left hander they interfere with ejection.

; Single-point sling: A specialized sling design that easily permits the operator to transition to firing from the opposite shoulder. Like the 3-point sling, the single-point sling permits the operator to drop the weapon and let it hang downwards while still attached to their body. This sling design is not as good a general purpose sling as the 3-point sling, and is best suited for short-term tactical use (particularly forced building entry by a police tactical unit). While a 3-point sling can be worn in 6 different ways, a single-point sling is only worn in one way, and cannot provide the same degree of long-term anti-fatigue weight support. A single point sling is also used in precision target rifle shooting from the prone position. The sling is not intended as a carrying aid, but is used to steady the rifle. For a right handed shooter, the sling attaches to the top of the left arm, and clips onto the forend of the rifle. The left arm is wrapped under the sling. The sling with upper and lower arm form three sides of a triangle that provide a steady support for the rifle.The one great advantage of the single point design is that it is very easy to switch from shoulder to shoulder for weak side barricade shooting.Negative attributes are numerous, and include the following:1) A tendency to make the rifle dangle and hang off the operator in a most inconvenient fashion.2) When you are shooting on the move after a transition it tends to interfere with your movement as the carbine wants to hang in front of your body.3) It also likes to hang up on kit as it is tight around your upper torso.4) When the operator takes a knee, a weapon worn with a single-point sling is guaranteed to have its muzzle strike the ground unless controlled. 5) If the operator is trying to climb anything, the weapon will tend to hang in front of his/her body and prevent him/her from climbing efficiently.

External links

* [http://www.vickerstactical.com/TacticalTips/CarbineSlings.aspx Article on Carbine Slings by Larry Vickers]

See also

* bipod
* sniper rifle