Have a Beretta CX9 as my go-to hd weapon. Using a red dot and light, but trying to figure out if a sling should also be included. Tell me what you have and why:

Question:
Do you have a sling on your hd rifle?

Choices:
Always on, never comes off
On when I use it outside, otherwise off while in the house
Don't use a long arm for hd
What's a sling

 

All my defensive rifles have Blue Force Gear VCAS slings.

A sling for a rifle is like a holster for a handgun. It gives you a way to retain the weapon if your hands are needed for something else.

But I don't always sling up when using the rifle. I keep my slings organized with Blue Force Gear Sling Sleeves. They're a piece of tubular elastic that are installed on the rear section of the sling. You then Z-fold the rest of the sling inside it. When the sling is needed, you just yank on the front portion, and the sling pops free for use. But when folded, they keep the slings from getting tangled when the rifles are in the safe, and allow you to use the rifle unslung without the sling dangling around.

For example, here's a recent shot of one of my ARs, with the sling folded and contained by the Sling Sleeve:


You can achieve a similar effect with just a rubber band around the stock:

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
A sling for a rifle is like a holster for a handgun. It gives you a way to retain the weapon if your hands are needed for something else.

That says it.

I won an MS3 here & currently have it on my AR.
Wife gave me a VCAS for my birthday, so I'll give it a try as well & may transition the MS3 to another or karma it off.

A sling is a holster, a retention device, a shooting surport.


ARman

Already been said....”like a holster for a pistol”

Yes, absolutely. I can use the sling to stabilize the gun for longer shots, if justifiable, and I can use the sling to keep the gun with me while I do other things with my hands like dial a phone, operate a door, etc.

I figure I lose almost nothing, and gain some advantages. One of my guns has a Specter Gear 3 point, one a V-Tac two point, and the third, a simple sling. Of the three, the V-Tac is the best for HD, and the Specter Gear 3 point best for all around. The simple sling is better than nothing, but will likely be replaced eventually.

Without a sling, here's what my hands are committed to:

Holding the long gun. Holding the gun, to the exclusion of most other things, and to the exclusion of pretty much everything that requires two hands.

So I have slings on all my duty and HD long guns. I "bundle" and tape them with masking tape to minimize the chance they'll get tangled in anything, but a firm pull on them will break the tape for use.

ETA: Like this:

I would think that you wouldn't want a sling for HD. I would think it would snag on something or make it cumbersome if you needed to get it in the middle of the night.

Now my definition of HD is a Remington 870 18" with 7 shells of 00 Buck,a side-saddle and a Surefire X-300 mounted on the hand guard. If my alarm goes off at night or my dog barks, then I grab my 870 in the dark and take care of business. If I need more than 11 rounds of 00 buck, I've got problems.

Now if you're definition of HD is more of an anarchy, monkeys running loose in the streets scenario and you need to hold the fort down, then my idea of that is my 14.5" AR. Yes, I have a GI web sling on that.

Tony.

quote:

Originally posted by DennisM:
Without a sling, here's what my hands are committed to:

Holding the long gun. Holding the gun, to the exclusion of most other things, and to the exclusion of pretty much everything that requires two hands.

Yes, I used to be slingless for HD long guns, but now, a sling is essential for me.

My HD rifle has a sling strapped down similar to RogueJSk's second picture to make it easier to grab without the sling flopping around. Although mine is not nearly as clean looking as that one. Once the rifle is in my hand and no threat is immediate I will put the strap on so I can go hands free if need be, calling 911, wiping my arse etc.

I don't have my rifles slung but have 2 slings which have been fitted to the weapons (ARs or SCARs) next to them.

Depending on the situation, I may sling them or may not.

I like the look of that sling sleeve, seems cleaner than the rubber band. May have to try one.

No.

Bump in the night, someone in our home, heading towards our MB, split seconds to react... Take that precious time to sling up, no. Sling would slow me down, potentially get in the way.

Put me generally in the 'no sling' camp.

There's pros / cons with either.

-----------------------------------

Since I think the "split second" to react is the outside scenario, and since I could just grab the gun and shoot them w/o slinging up, my rifle has a sling.

Similar thoughts on armor. It sits under the bed. I'd feel dumb getting ventilated if I did have time to put on armor, but didn't have any available because in a "split second" to react situation I wouldn't be able to get it on.

quote:

Originally posted by offgrid:
Take that precious time to sling up, no. Sling would slow me down, potentially get in the way.

Nothing says you always have to sling up. And there are ways to keep the sling from getting in the way if you're not using it. See my first post.

Something as simple as a rubber band eliminates nearly all the cons of having a sling.

Why I have a sling on my HD rile: I have a 4 year old son.

Thats the main reason. But it leaves me ready if I have to call police, or pick up my son. I don't have to set my rifle down or balance with one hand.

Sling on on the rifle. If I have to barricade in place. I probably won't need it. But if I have to go retrieve my son, leave the master bedroom. Slinging up. A good 2 point sling like a Savy Sniper or other only takes a second to get in or out of.

Yes. In addition to what has already been mentioned, part of my thinking involves if I/we have to exit the house quickly. In that case, I might need to sling the long gun and have hands free for other things.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by offgrid:
Take that precious time to sling up, no. Sling would slow me down, potentially get in the way.

Nothing says you always have to sling up. And there are ways to keep the sling from getting in the way if you're not using it. See my first post.

Something as simple as a rubber band eliminates nearly all the cons of having a sling.

And this is something of why I asked the question.

Attending immediately to what goes bang in the night, the sling just doesn't come to mind. But, the afterward of clearing additional locations or places and having to move something or needing the hands temporarily suggests I need to leave the gun outside my hands. So why not hang it! Hence a sling.

RogueJSK's answer seems to answer my question.

When I was a contractor in Iraq working from a vehicle, I s-rolled the sling and just wrapped 1 layer of 100mph tape on it. That way, I could fight with it from the vehicle out of the way and with a quick tug break the tape and sling it if I dismounted.

The rubber band or sling keeper idea would be a perfect solution for anyone concerned about it getting in the way.