OK,
First let me preface this with there are several shooters/competitors that are using a GI Web sling. Nick Till from TEAM CMP wears/uses a GI Web sling and he is a High Master and very accomplished shooter.
The majority of us are using 1907 slings.
There are several options out there for a 1907 sling. Web slings are pretty standard in design so I won't go into that here.
1907 options:
There is the standard leather 1907 sling, many are available for $20. I do not use them, but some do. They come rolled in a coil typically, and are very stiff.
There are some popular manufacturers of 1907 leather slings. I have used 2 different ones.
Turner Biothane AWS and Ron Brown.
The Turners I liked at first. Until some other competitors started bagging on them, saying they have perceived stretch and also are prone to slipping. I experienced this myself with the Turners. They are not like a rubber band, but do have a little perceived/felt stretch to them. They have slipped on me before.
The Ron Brown in comparison, is night and day from the Turner AWS. It is a thicker leather, and stiffer. When I lock the keepers against my arm, there is no perceived stretch, and it has never slipped on me, thru this past year of competing.
The Ron Brown sling and the Turner AWS cost almost the same.
I recommend the Ron Brown emphatically.
Eventually I will be replacing my Turners with Ron Browns on all my rifles. Currently, the Ron Brown is on my AR 15 Service Rifle.
What are the benefits of a 1907 compared to a web sling?
In my opinion:
- Easier (in time) to apply
- Repeatable, I know what notch to put my frog/dog into, for each position. Conversely, I could never find that repeatability with the web sling. I tried marking it, but it always seemed to be different, under the pressure of "your 3 minute preparation period begins now", especially in a rapid string.
Applying the sling to the arm with a 1907 can be a bit difficult/confusing at first. Here is my method, assuming it is configured the USMC way. There are a few different ways to rig a 1907 sling. Jim Owens has a "no pulse" method that several use. I use the USMC/Ken Roxburg method.
- Unhook the tag end of the sling from the rifle, and hook the sling to the rear swivel on rifle
- Pull some slack to make the loop, the loop the arm goes in is the bottom loop *The Loop that ends at the frog* (if you see 2 loops)
- Apply 1/4 turn clockwise to the sling and insert my support arm
- Put loop high *and in the same spot* on my support arm
- Pull one length of sling and the loop will start to tighten (while holding the sling tight in my armpit with my arm). You will know if you are pulling the right end instantly, if on the wrong piece of sling, try the other piece.
- Slide sling so that the keepers will be centered on my arm, and more inline with the rifle.
- Put both keepers tight up against the dogs. This will keep it locked in and it will not slip.
Removal, slide the keepers up and away from the dog. Then simply pull the other end of the sling (the one that does not tighten, it is the one outboard) and the loop will get larger so you can remove your arm.
I use a Turner on my Rimfire Sporter rifle as well. Thing to be careful about when using a 1907, is to not get the sweatshirt wrapped up in the sling, you will not be able to loosen or tighten the sling if this happens.
Personally, I find the 1907 sling to be very stable and easy to use. You may find this as well. I get slung up so tight, that I am often nervous I will pull out the sling swivel from my sporter stock.
Web slings are fine for use as well. This is not me bagging on web slings, just showing why I swapped to a 1907 and a Ron Brown at that.
Some 1907's I have not used, but know from several HIGH Masters that they are awesome, are Weller slings and Les Tam slings. Weller is no longer with us I am told, so those will be hard to find. Les Tam is in Hawaii I believe and his slings are held in very high regard. They have a longer waiting period I am told.
You can Google Ron Brown Slings and order directly from him. He can emboss your initials in them, and do different colors if you like.
Ron Browns and Turners can be found also at Creedmoor Sports.
Ron Browns come in one length.
Turners come in different lengths, dependent on the application. For the AR15 I used a 54", and the Garands got a 52".
If you have been using a web sling and have been curious about whether or not a 1907 sling would be better, give it a try. I am sure you can find someone at your local club that will let you try one.
R/
Chris
I bought a custom made Les Tam 1907 sling, it rapidly became my preferred sling.
I like the 1907 and the GI sling, but the only 1907 I've used is a Ron Brown. It's great, but I've no basis for comparison. I think I stretched the keepers on my first one, as it will slip a bit under load.
Regardless of your sling choice, Appleseed instructors should learn both, just in case someone shows up with a leather sling and says "how do I make this work?" Ken Roxburgh's method is better than the WWII one I learned at first.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V80JyfZ4gBQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V80JyfZ4gBQ)
Thanks Maxwell for posting the Roxburg link and GREAT point on the keepers.
One can order replacement keepers, I'd suggest replacing annually, if you shoot a full season with them, maybe every 2 years.
Chad from Garand Thumb Blog, has done an experiment by soaking his old Ron Brown keepers in hopes of them tightening back up. I'll have to ask him how that panned out.
I've noticed that most (I'd say 70%) use the Roxburg/USMC method of applying the 1907 sling. It is EASY and will not slip if you do it by the numbers. The no pulse type stuff, and alternate configs make me nervous. But I guess it works for them.
R/
Chris
I ordered another Ron Brown sling yesterday. Spent some time on the phone with him.
Many competitors rave about Les Tam slings. You may or may not be aware, that Ron Brown was taught by Les Tam.
Here is a cut/paste about that from his website:
Over sixteen years ago my wife and I met Les Tam while vacationing in Hawaii. We hit it off right away with our mutual interests in high power competition and top quality leather slings. Over the years Les and I have shared ideas on sling construction and constantly try to improve our quality of slings. We agree; it takes the best leather and that is from Hermann Oak. Thanks to Les, Custom Match Slings by Ron Brown are now offered in the Creedmoor Sports catalog and Creedmoor commissioned us to make a sling for the "Gunny," R. Lee Ermey. Les also introduced us to DGR who has been selling our slings for more than fifteen years. See our slings at www.creedmoorsports.com and www.dgrguns.com, as well as on the following pages.
Ron Brown slings, can be ordered and customized via this website:
http://www.servicerifleslings.com/
I also ordered some spare keepers, as those do wear out and will eventually cause the sling to start slipping.
A friend of mine, mentioned earlier in this post "Chad from Garand Thumb Blog" did an experiment, where he boiled his old keepers in water, and let them dry. He said that works out awesome.