Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Original Model 71 sling: one piece or two?

I’ve lost track of which sling belongs with which rifle. The swivels are identical on both my Model 71 and my Savage Model 99, and made to fit wider than normal current versions…

Can somebody set me straight?

-Chris

I have a 1937 deluxe carbine that has a 2 piece sling on it ... it looks older than the rifle - haha
But no idea if it’s correct or not.
It’s stitched (not stapled).

Without pics it’s just speculation.

Pictures would help clarify whether the originals had two strips of leather or only one?

-Chris

No, but would help determine if it’s an original Winchester sling that belongs on your M71.

Ah. Didn't occur to me these might not be original. Family circumstances suggest they are.





-Chris

The bottom sling belongs on your M71 Special.
- Should have embossed edges on both long and short strap.
- Diamond-shaped keeper staples.
- D ring should be affixed to short strap with single rivet.
- Correct frog hook shapes and rivet styles.

Thanks, that's very helpful. Everything checks your list except maybe the embossed edges; they just look like plain ol' edges, to me.

The family rifles were the Winchester M71, a Savage M99, an early (as far as I know, especially given the likely age of the scope) Winchester M70 Featherwight in .270 Win, and a Remington 760 (I think) pump in .30-'06.

The other sling also fits the Savage studs. Both the M71 and M99 studs are wider in diameter than most modern pieces, so the jaws of the swivels need to be wider too... and they are, in both of these slings. I don't have last two in that list, but maybe I could guess that maybe the other sling might have originally come from the M70 FW instead of the Savage? Given the Winchester-like characteristics (keeper staples, frog-hooks, swivels)? I can't think why the other sling would belong to the Remington.

-Chris

- The embossed edges may just be a very faint line running along the very outer edges of each strap.
- Both of the slings have what appear to be Winchester Super Grade swivels. Savage also used the same or very similar swivels on one or two M99’s.
- M70 Fwts. used standard fixed sling swivels. Unless you have Super Grade Fwt. or a Special Order gun it’s likely that the top strap was used on your Savage.
- Winchester never catalogued one piece slings or used rawhide ties on any of their factory supplied slings

Thanks, Jack, more useful stuff, I appreciate it.

I guess 83-year-old very light embossing might not be all that visible just now?

Do you think Winchester may have out-sourced their swivels back then? And then Savage got some of theirs -- and maybe the matching diameter screw-in studs -- from that same source?

-Chris