Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Rifle Sling

You could not run fast enough to give me a leather sling. Pass the Butler Creek Mountain sling for the win.

Been using them for years myself, perfect size and weight, more folks should try them out. I rake mine off alot while hunting, put it back on when walking out of area, etc. Its super easy to mess with, ha.

Put me down for the various claw model slings as well. I use as a carry tool not a shorting tool. They work quite well at avoiding slipping off the shoulder. They carry comfortably, are maintenance free and economical.

I still like a Whelen sling.

I like the Hunter Quick fire

https://www.huntercompany.com/collections/slings/products/quick-fire-sling-1-with-swivels-230-series

Been running these on my deer hunting rifles. On and off all day they have a quick pull to loosen and easy pull and hold tight for rapid setting from relaxed hanging to arm wrapped shooting on moving deer.

https://www.vikingtactics.com/shop/vtac-pes-ultra-light-sling-w-metal-buckle/

Makes you more steady and they are light.

My whole group has moved to using these.

Not pretty leather but the function is great.

A million Chinamen can't be wrong. I'll take an SKS or AK sling any day. Keep it simple.

kwg

Butler Creek neoprene/nylon slings on my deer rifles.

Ron

Quake claw contour for me....the thumb loop is a nice addition.

https://bpioutdoors.com/contour-sling-w-loop-black/

Andy3

I guess I am an outlier here in that I have no interest, or more precisely very limited interest, in using a sling to carry a rifle when hunting. I used to carry a 1" leather sling with QD attachments rolled up in a coat pocket with the idea that I'd clip it on and sling my rifle when I had to drag out a deer. I eventually came to the conclusion that I only needed one hand to drag a deer and having the rifle slung over my shoulder or across my back was a bigger PITA than anything. Carrying it in the hand that wasn't dragging the deer provided a sort of balance, as well.

In the northeastern woods where I've done most of my deer hunting on the ground, opportunities often come suddenly and you don't have a lot of time, nor do you want to move around a lot, just raise your rifle with as little commotion as possible and shoot. In a treestand/climber, the last thing I want when I'm 15 to 30 feet up in the air with limited room to maneuver is something hanging off my rifle. I shot one deer walking in to my stand this year and having to unsling my rifle before doing so may have blown that opportunity.

A couple of my rifles are 700's with bolts that don't lock down on safe and the fact that I don't have my rifle slung out of sight, behind my back may be one of the reasons it really doesn't bother me.

I have used a sling on shotguns more than rifles. I have a leather sling with slipknot loops at each end, one sized for the barrel, one to fit around the stock. I'd carry it in a pocket back when we spent most of the winter running fox and coyotes so I could sling my shotgun when I needed both hands free to handle hounds. I also used to use it when manhandling bags of decoys back into the swamps during early duck season.

I've often hunted with a backpack of some sort, but I like to have my rifle in my hands.

Slogan Slings for the win.

I still use my older Turner Saddlery NRA HP Service rifle slings. Older M1 Garand slings work of me as well.

have a variety of slings. Put a vino villeri on one of my long guns. Like it a lot, but it don't serve any better purpose than many other slings out there.

I like the Els & Co 2" Nieu-Bethesda. Enough that I ordered one for myself.


Added. These actually look better than the Westley Richards offering.

I use the leather Montana Rifle Slings on my lever guns and wood stocked bolt action magazine rifles. My two stainless bolt guns wear the easily adjustable synthetic hunting sling from Blue Force Gear that sells many products designed by Larry Vickers. My Short barreled 12 ga. and AR's and SBR wear Vickers 2 point slings.

I remove my slings when actually hunting but like to have one for going to and from my stand, don't do much spot and stalk hunting these days and like to have a sling to put my rifle on my shoulder if just for a moment if I'm sorting gear vs putting it on the ground or against a tree. I do hunt from climbing stand so having a sling for ascending/descending is a must. Otherwise, I prefer to have a "clean" rifle, no sling to make noise or get in the way.

Call me the “odder-than-odd man out” but I started using Banded shotgun slings on my hunting rifles about 8 years ago, and really can’t seem to stand many other slings now. Yes, they’re a bit wide, and they have the 3 shotgun shell loops. Yes they are a bit heavier than other, sleeker slings. Yes they don’t look as pretty on a classic rifle. Yes, the wide strap fights my backpack strap for space when I carry one. All true! However, I saw them years ago and bought one figuring if they were made for dragging around heavy, long barreled waterfowl shotguns, they ought to work for a lighter rifle. After the first day of using it in the woods, I was hooked. Between the handle and extra long thumb loop, it allows a super comfortable carry, with lots of adjustability. They ain’t the prettiest, lightest, or cheapest…but they are the only ones I use on my big game rifles.