Garand sling question

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BullRunBear

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I had a chance to try a friend's AR with a sling, using what he called the hasty method. I was amazed at how much it improved my off hand shooting. (This is the first time I used a sling since I tied some rope to my Red Ryder BB gun. I think Ike was still president.)

I want to start using one for off hand shooting with a Garand. Not for competition, just for fun.

1. Any suggestions on which sling to use and which materials? My friend's was a cotton web and felt comfortable but is there an advantage to leather?

2. Don't know if this matters but I'm the size of an NFL linemen who is no longer in shape. Do slings come in different lengths to accomodate height and bulk?

Thanks for any help.
Jeff
 
You can get the 1907 pattern sling from some places for under $20

I would recommend not buying an inexpensive M1907. The things are too short to be useful, and the leather tends to be thin. I used to meet Mr Turner at the Birmingham Alabama Gun show and buy seconds of his National Match slings.

https://turnersling.com/national-match-service-rifle-sling/

I bought 54" long three loop slings for the Garand and 56 " for the AR15. Short, 48", aftermarket slings were too short to use prone with a sling with either a Garand, or a M1a. A 52 inch may work if you don't use a shooting coat or mitt and are under six feet tall.

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I see that Turner sells seconds on the web, they cost about twice to three times as much as they did at the Gun Show!. I never could figure out what was wrong, I think that some of the hides had barb wire scars where the cattle walked into the fences. Given a couple of XTC matches, the whole sling looked like they were dragged across charcoal. See the one hanging off Bud's arm? He was a glue shooter and I will bet he had to occasionally scrape the glue off his sling.

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Anyway, if you ever plan to use the sling more than as a hasty sling, get a good thick one, and get one no longer than 54 inches.
 
Folks, Thanks for all the good information. It was just what I needed. I'm going to order from Turner this week and may try one of the inexpensive slings mentioned as something to use on another mil-surp rifle and to experiment with. I only use two shooting positions these days: standing off hand or seated at a bench. These days getting up from kneeling, sitting or prone requires a Sky Crane or a four man working party. :D

Jeff
 
I've bought a couple Brownell's brand Competitor slings for $30 on ebay for my M1s. They're pretty nice, and less than half the cost of a Turner.
 
You might want to look into the M36 clotch sling with its spring steel rear clip.

It's much easier to learn with, for really only having two adjustments (one if you are only running hasty sling). Also, you are looking at $20-25 to get one.

If you like how that works, then invest in a leather sling. And, after you get it, sign up for the nearest Appleseed shoot so they cane really show you the good stuff on running with one. (They will rather you fir one up to a 10/22, as that's cheaper for the amount of shooting they do. But, they can adapt to M2 ball.
 
M1 Garand cotton web sling. That's the one that CMP ships with the M1. Sounds like the one CapnMac's recommending. There's another thread on slings and deer rifles where this was covered recently.
 
From the description of the shooting that you do, I think that a web sling is your best bet. Thick leather 1907 slings are best suited for position shooting with a shooting jacket. Web slings are better suited for a hasty sling shooting offhand, and can also be effective for position shooting. If set up properly, they don't slip.
 
The web sling, for position shooting, has a loop feature. That other thread I mentioned... I think it was Garandimal posted a couple of videos on set-up and general use. But I agree that the web sling is very effective using the "hasty sling" method. There was a time I only used the hasty method... the only reason I never used the loop was I didn't know how simple it is.

Edited to add: MidwayUSA has the M1 Garand web sling by CJ Weapons for right at $15/each. If someone wants to run the web sling on a sporting rifle with QD swivels, they also carry American-made all-steel GROVTEC for, IIRC, $7 and change or $12something if you want what they seem to be selling for military grade. If you order over $49, if you have a free shipping code...

Also, check eBay... MRT govt contract slings can be had reasonable, too.
 
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I purchased a Garand sling a few yrs ago for 50$ or 60$, seeing these for 10$ to 20$ I will have to get some of them for other rifles, one has a white one that will look good on my turkey shoot shotgun.
 
Another excellent 1907 sling is made by Ron Brown and sold by Creedmoor. I own one and the quality is excellent. I have not owned a Turner sling, but those who have owned both Turners and Ron Browns report that the leather of the sling and keepers is a bit thicker on the Ron Brown sling.
https://www.creedmoorsports.com/product/RON-BROWN-SLING/Rifle-Slings

Creedmoor also sells a much cheaper model 1907 sling that is not too bad: https://www.creedmoorsports.com/product/N035/Rifle-Slings

I have one of those as well, and it really is a fairly decent quality for its price. But the frogs, sling keepers, and material are very significantly better on a top quality sling like a Ron Brown or Turner sling, and for those in the market for a 1907 sling, I would pony up for the more expensive sling if possible. The better sling will pay for itself in time.

Ammogarand is a good source for USGI web slings as were used on the M1 Garand (during the latter part of WWII), the M14, and the M16. They make them in both cotton web and nylon. Most people prefer the cotton web claiming they are less likely to allow the keeper to slip. I actually have used both nylon and cotton without any problems. An important aspect of this type of sling is the quality of the hardware. Some web slings found on Amazon and elsewhere use cheap hardware that is not as durable or secure. The hardware sold by Ammogarand is of very high quality:

https://www.ammogarand.com/bayonetsslings.html

I think a model 1907 sling looks great on an M1 Garand or M1A. But a USGI web sling is also "authentic" as both were used on the Garand. I agree with those who feel that a web sling works just as well, if not better, when used as a hasty sling than a model 1907 sling does. The web sling also works quite well as a loop sling, but I prefer the model 1907 sling for a loop sling shooting sitting or prone. I feel it gives a bit more secure and comfortable grip on the support arm.

I have done a bit of three-position shooting with both 22 LR rifles and ARs. For shooting offhand, I use a web sling in the "hasty" configuration. For sitting and prone I switch to my Ron Brown model 1907 sling. With quick detach sling swivels, switching slings is quick and easy.
 
That is the Magpul RLS (rifleman's loop sling). The Magpul RLS is not a bad sling, depending on what you want to do with it. It does work pretty well as a loop sling. The biggest problem with it is that it has no facility for making quick adjustments in sling tension or overall length.

If you want to shoot from multiple positions using a loop sling (prone, sitting, kneeling) many people find that they need to make small adjustments in sling tension between positions. If you want to use the sling in the "hasty" configuration when shooting standing, the overall sling length often needs to be adjusted as well.

Adjustments in sling tension and overall length can be done much more easily and quickly with either the USGI web sling, with its cam-lock sling keeper, or a model 1907 leather sling. The CJ Weapons slings are USGI type web slings.
 
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