The Vickers sling

[Mrs. Smith]

Hey, gang!  I have a student coming to my next event that wanted to know if the Vickers sling will do the job needed.  I know NOTHING about the Vickers.  The photos look like strictly a single point system, but I was hoping someone here had actually messed with one before.

Thanks in advance!

[CarrollMS]

https://www.blueforcegear.com/vickers-sling 

couple of videos embedded on this page.

[Roswell]

It seems it can be done but will take some fiddling with it. The link CarrollMS posted is great. Also check out this thread. â€"> https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/Vickers_sling_as_andamp_quot_loopandamp_quot__sling___/19-674540/

[Kimber Custom]

I run a 2 point Vickers on my carbine. It works great for me.

[Mrs. Smith]

Thank you!!!

[Bobasan]

I posted pics a while back showing how to use the Vickers sling both as a conventional and tactical sling.  I really like them for my carbines.

https://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=55799.0

Bob

[Mrs. Smith]

Perfect!  Your pics and the various links are exactly what I needed. You guys are awesome!

[ItsanSKS]

I have a Vickers sling on a bolt gun that I use for hunting & hiking.  I've modified it slightly, but out of the box it can be used as a loop sling, and can also be used in a modified hasty configuration, to great effect. 

[Lomshek]

It took some googling but here are some photos that show current Marine Corps doctrine on the usage of the Vickers Tactical as a shooting sling.

The thing to note is it's not used as a loop sling but more of a hasty "Rhodesian-esque" sling that's much quicker to get into and does not require any fiddling with.  When set up right the length that works well as a patrol sling works instantly well as a shooting sling.  The shooter can make instant length adjustments as needed with the quick slide adjuster to tweak length for different positions although a little tweak of the support elbow location can adjust sling tension on the fly even quicker if needed.

It will be a more functional method of using any two point tac sling to stabilize the rifle and is much easier to pick up than trying to convert a tac sling into a loop sling.

Here are the pics...

First you'll note that the sling is attached high on the buttstock and loops over the shooter's trigger side shoulder and neck. 
This photo shows the Vickers buttstock adapter on the A2 stock while others use a QD socket or sling attachment on carbine stocks. 
See that just like the hasty or loop sling the shooter's support arm is vertical under the rifle and pushing the sling over so that it is directly under the rifle rather than angling off to the support side. 
The lady shooting is a retired USMC marksmanship instructor who was brought back for a fun range day with other retired instructors using modern gear.
For carry and quick shouldering installing the rear of the sling sling on the trigger hand side of the rifle butt works better than placing it on the support side.


From the support side of this Marine recruit you can see that the sling wraps around their back and under their support side armpit.  While his support elbow is nowhere near directly under the rifle the sling is cantilevered on his wrist and is as inline with the rifle's bore as possible given the side mount on the handguard.  I haven't gotten a lot of rounds downrange yet with it but my own rifle is set up with a side mount forward sling attachment and I don't think I'm giving up much at all if anything vs. a 6 o'clock sling mount.


Here is a Marine in the prone position using the sling the same way.


From the front you can get an idea of how this lady Marine is using the same sling position although she could get that support elbow under her rifle a little better!


Last one is this retired USMC marksmanship instructor having fun on a reunion range day.  He's standing and while his support elbow isn't tucked under the rifle and his support hand is gripping the mag well that may be to tweak sling tension to his preference.


Before anyone asks if someone brings a GI sling or some other variant of a shooting sling I teach them that but...if someone shows up with a tactical sling I don't waste time trying to turn it into a GI sling because it isn't.  I'd much rather teach a shooter how to use the equipment that they own as is rather than try and turn it into something that it isn't.

[Mrs. Smith]

That's. That's actually kind of awesome!

I'll pass these along so he can fiddle with it before the event.

Thanks, everyone!

[pblanc]

I think the idea of using what the person has on his or her rifle has merit.  I am going to give my own impressions regarding the use of "tactical" rifle slings.

I have experience with a variety of tactical slings including the Larry Vickers Blue Force Gear VCAS, the Viking Tactics VTAC, the Ferro Concepts "Slingster", and the Frank Procter "Way of the Gun" sling.  These slings are all primarily intended for weapons retention, allowing the rifle to be held against the chest hands free so that other tasks can be undertaken.  They are usually worn over the strong side shoulder, crossing behind the back diagonally and under the support armpit and arm.  They all have some type of quick adjust feature for length.  This allows them to be quickly loosened to be slung over the back for climbing over an obstacle, or transitioning the rifle from strong shoulder to weak shoulder for blading around corners and obstacles.  Different shooters have very different preferences as to where to mount the sling anchors.  Some mount the front anchor out near or beyond the end of the hand guard, some back close to the receiver, or anywhere in between.  The rear anchor point also varies a lot.  Many use some attachment point on the butt stock but many others use an anchor point on the lower receiver end plate (of an AR).  For use in AS, an anchor at the rifle butt stock probably would work the best but this might not be what the individual in question has.

Although they are not primarily intended for rifle stabilization for shooting, the can be used in that fashion to some extent as has been well-demonstrated in the above posts.  I find that if the sling is properly tensioned and used in the usual manner (over strong shoulder, under support arm) and the support hand is looped over the sling in hasty sling fashion, the sling can provide a fair bit of support when shooting in a more isosceles type of stance.  To be able to loop the hand over the front end of the sling requires a front anchor point out toward the front of the rifle, however.  For tactical slings I usually use a front anchor on the side of the hand guard and I have occasionally set up rifles that way to be used with more conventional loop slings.  I have found, however, that with some set ups a front sling mount on the side of the rifle tends to promote cant of the rifle when shooting.  YMMV.

I have tried using the Blue Force Vickers VCAS as a loop sling and while agree it can be done, it is far from ideal IMO.  The use of the sling in Rhodesian fashion as mentioned by Lomshek probably makes the most sense since it allows for a rapid length adjustment of the front portion of the sling when transitioning from sitting to prone, assuming a length adjustment is needed by the shooter.  Otherwise, if the sling is used in a more traditional loop fashion, a quick length adjustment is a bit awkward.  Personally, I dislike the Rhodesian sling arrangement as the sling tends to slip down my arm while shooting.  I actually prefer to leave a loop sling tightly slung on my support arm and detach and attach it from the rifle between stages using a quick release sling swivel anchor.  But again, that is just me.  If I try to use the tactical sling in its usual over-under arm configuration to support the rifle shooting sitting or prone, I find it provides much less secure support than a traditional loop sling, again my experience.

The overall length of two point tactical slings is typically much longer than the usual 1907 or USGI sling that is used in parade carry over one shoulder only.  Even when the quick adjust feature is used to shorten the length maximally, in order to use the sling in a conventional hasty sling configuration, you will need to shorten up the sling considerably and secure the excess sling webbing under duct tape or elastic keepers.  For my money, I prefer to keep the tactical sling set up with a length adjustment to allow it to do what it does best, and use a dedicated loop sling for the AS style of shooting.

[henschman]

I do it the way Lomshek posted.  I find it to be a vastly superior method of using the sling for field use than anything that can be done with a GI web or 1907 sling.  For that reason and due to the increasing prevalence of tactical slings, I now teach the technique at every event I SB, and believe it should be made part of the official POI. 

[Prescott]

I agree with henchman!   I used a Vickers tactical sling at our last KD event.   This was the first time I had shot with the sling, and it took a bit of getting used to, but by the end of the day, I had a favorite new sling.   It provides enough stability to be used a shooting sling that will allow shooters to shoot to Rifleman proficiency.

AS has taken most of it's teaching techniques straight from the CMP shooting manual.   They are bound by competition rules to use specific gear, where AS does not have the requirement.   As equipment improvements are made, we need to adapt our program to incorporate those advancements in our COI.