For the competitors: How commonly are slings used for additional support and stability when it’s also possible to use a bipod or other method of supporting the rifle? I always used a sling long ago when participating in smallbore competitions, but when I’ve tried it in recent times while using a bipod or other support, it felt awkward and slow to position, and didn’t seem to help much.

What’s the consensus? Valuable if used properly, or really not necessary or practical?

(To stress: This question is about using a sling on the rifle for stability in addition to something like a bipod or other rest, and not instead of.)

I haven’t shot High Power in forever, and never above the local club level, but I can imagine a tight prone sling hold with a 1907 type sling AND a bipod would make for a pretty amazingly stable sight picture.

In theory a sling plus bipod might be pretty stable. But I haven't seen it done from prone position. I honestly think the sling could impart a sideways bias to recoil management, thus reducing accuracy.

The one place I have seen slings and bipods used in combination is from barriers in PRS-type match stages. Let's say the shooter is in a kneeing or standing position, jamming the bipod against a barrier (think top of a wall, high bench, or window opening), and slung up to provide some additional rifle support. I've actually done this in training with Rifles Only, but have not used in competition.

I should also state at the Rifles Only training we weren't slung up in the traditional sense with a tight cuff on our support side arm. We used traditional rifle carry slings run across our backs, much in the way we carry our rifles. Then the support side arm put pressure on the sling in whatever way worked best to tighten the sling across our backs as we pressed the bipod legs forward into the barrier. With practice, it worked fairly well. Not as stable as supporting the buttstock from one leg of a tripod, but better than no rear support at all.

Thanks again, fritz, for your insightful comments. That’s exactly the type of information I was hoping for. I tried a sling with a separate (detachable) biceps cuff, but couldn’t develop any love for it with a bipod. I will try just using a carry strap type and working to tighten and stiffen my other positions that way.