Looking for a sling for my work M4 (LEO).
We are qualifying on the new rifles later this month and will begin carrying them in the patrol car after that. What kind of sling is everybody else using? Thanks in advance.

James

Blue Force Gear VCAS. https://www.blueforcegear.com/vickers-sling

I have them on all my defensive long guns.

18 years as a city cop.
21 years as a sailor in the CG where we carried M16’s.
And I was a firearms instructor for 14 years.

I’ve tried every kind of sling on an AR.
I wound up coming back to the simple two point military sling. For several reasons.

1. For long distance accurate fire, a sling is better then nothing and we didn’t normally carry around a benchrest.
2. For policing, you have to remember that you might be traversing fences and what not. The two point sling frees up your hands to tackle those obstacles. And the rifle is on you bask and not in your way.
3. Probably the most important, with a two point sling, when you are climbing that fence in the rain and at night, if you release a single point sling the rifle will smack you in the giblets. guaranteed. Every time.

I couldn’t get past the price of a Vickers sling...when a $9 OD military sling does the same thing. I liked the Vickers sling but the military one just works.

And in reality, if you have a rifle out, you are not gonna be handcuffing people, that’s for the rookie who doesn’t have a rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Blue Force Gear VCAS. https://www.blueforcegear.com/vickers-sling

I have them on all my defensive long guns.

This one.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
18 years as a city cop.
21 years as a sailor in the CG where we carried M16’s.
And I was a firearms instructor for 14 years.

I’ve tried every kind of sling on an AR.
I wound up coming back to the simple two point military sling. For several reasons.

1. For long distance accurate fire, a sling is better then nothing and we didn’t normally carry around a benchrest.
2. For policing, you have to remember that you might be traversing fences and what not. The two point sling frees up your hands to tackle those obstacles. And the rifle is on you bask and not in your way.
3. Probably the most important, with a two point sling, when you are climbing that fence in the rain and at night, if you release a single point sling the rifle will smack you in the giblets. guaranteed. Every time.

I couldn’t get past the price of a Vickers sling...when a $9 OD military sling does the same thing. I liked the Vickers sling but the military one just works.

And in reality, if you have a rifle out, you are not gonna be handcuffing people, that’s for the rookie who doesn’t have a rifle.

^^^ that is right on the money. The fancy slings are cool but the plain-Jane old military sling does the trick.

quote:

1. For long distance accurate fire, a sling is better then nothing and we didn’t normally carry around a benchrest.

In the situations I use my rifles for defensive and LE work, I won't need to (or have the opportunity to) fully "sling up" on my bicep with a traditional shooting sling, like in competition, long range hunting, or on the range.

And an adjustable 2 point sling like the VCAS still allows you to use it as a "hasty sling" to provide some extra tension and help steady your rifle.

quote:

2. For policing, you have to remember that you might be traversing fences and what not. The two point sling frees up your hands to tackle those obstacles. And the rifle is on you bask and not in your way.

3. Probably the most important, with a two point sling, when you are climbing that fence in the rain and at night, if you release a single point sling the rifle will smack you in the giblets. guaranteed. Every time.

An adjustable 2 point sling like the VCAS does all this and more. It allows you to have your hands free without the rifle swinging around and tagging your nuts. And if you want, the rifle can be swapped to hang on your back easily.

But in addition, it's much quicker to transition from slung to usable, and back, than a traditional 2 point sling. It allows you to instantly transition from rifle to pistol, or from rifle to empty hands, by simply dropping the rifle to allow it to fall to its neutral slung position out of the way across your body. It's not a series of actions to sling the rifle, like with a traditional 2 point sling... Instead, it's one step: Let go. (Almost a non-action.) Getting the rifle back into action is just as easy: Pick it up.

And when it's in that slung position, it can be rapidly adjusted to keep the rifle held snug to your body, so it doesn't flop around or require keeping a hand on the sling or the rifle when moving around a lot, like a traditional 2 point sling does when slung on the shoulder/back.

It's also significantly more comfortable when carrying a rifle for an extended amount of time, especially on the move, because you can use the adjustable 2 point sling to support the rifle in a "patrol ready" position, and instantly transition to a shooting position. With a traditional 2 point sling, your options are having the rifle be in either an unusable slung position on your shoulder or otherwise fully held in your arms, with a not insignificant transition required between the two.

quote:

I couldn’t get past the price of a Vickers sling...when a $9 OD military sling does the same thing.

That's the only real category in which the traditional 2 point sling wins.

In addition to the extra money on the VCAS sling itself, you often also have to invest in alternate sling attachment hardware, since it's designed to be attached on the rifle of the rifle, not the bottom of the rifle like a traditional 2 point sling.

But the extra functionality is well worth the extra money and setup in my book. Hence why I have them on all my serious use rifles.

quote:

And in reality, if you have a rifle out, you are not gonna be handcuffing people, that’s for the rookie who doesn’t have a rifle.

Not true. But even if you're not cuffing, you could be climbing, hopping fences, crawling, manipulating objects, applying first aid, dragging a casualty, etc.

All good reasons to need to rapidly and securely sling your rifle to have both hands free, and rapidly transition back to having the rifle at the ready. Which is what the VCAS excels at.

quote:

Originally posted by depusm12:
Looking for a sling for my work M4 (LEO).
We are qualifying on the new rifles later this month and will begin carrying them in the patrol car after that. What kind of sling is everybody else using? Thanks in advance.

James

A good quick adjust 2 point sling.

Lots of options.

The Blueforce gear VCAS is good as is the Viking tactics sling which is issued by many federal agencies.

Other options are the Ferro Concepts slingster and the Centerfuge Training sling. What I like about the centerfuge sling is the hook set up for sling control ie keeping the sling out of the way when not in use, getting in and out if vehicles etc.

Blueforce gear and forward control designs have some good and inexpensive sling control options. This is something often overlooked by .MIL users who wear the sling most of the time and casual users who aren’t worried about getting caught up trying to unass a vehicle.

FCD Sling Keep A

FCD Sling Keep B

Good point on the potential need for sling control, HCM. I keep my slings wrangled when stowed by using Blue Force Gear Sling Sleeves, but something as simple as a rubber band or piece of bike innertube will do the trick.

A properly mounted military 2pt web sling would work well...but I agree a quick adjust 2pt is the best IMHO.

I have Blue Force Gear, padded VTAC, and a Gear Sector on different long guns, like them all.

Twenty-three years active duty service in the Army.. about half that time I had the additional duty of unit armorer.

I was never happy with the standard issue two point slings. Before Blue Force Gear was up and running, I was introduced to Tactical Tailor's slings. These were leaps and bounds ahead of the issue two point sling.

In recent years, I've been equipping my rifles and shotguns with BFG slings. I love the simplicity and durability of them.

Ask the Marine Corps what they think about BFG slings.

VCAS or VTAC. The quick adjust is good if you are throwing on rifle plates, also a quick adjustment on the sling can help you steady the rifle when a rest isn't available. Plus, you can snug it up quickly if you need to climb or navigate unusual terrain.

I really like my Savy Sniper Sling.
https://savvysniper.com/slings

For home rifles I have the savvysniper quad slings. At work I installed most of ours with BFGs except my work rifle is a 1pt since it’s the only short barrel. I couldn’t get a 2 pt working well with it.

quote:

Originally posted by myrottiety:
I really like my Savy Sniper Sling.
https://savvysniper.com/slings

Yep. I’ve used Blue Force Gear and tried MagPuls when it came out but only use SS now.

quote:

Originally posted by GCE61:

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
18 years as a city cop.
21 years as a sailor in the CG where we carried M16’s.
And I was a firearms instructor for 14 years.

I’ve tried every kind of sling on an AR.
I wound up coming back to the simple two point military sling. For several reasons.

1. For long distance accurate fire, a sling is better then nothing and we didn’t normally carry around a benchrest.
2. For policing, you have to remember that you might be traversing fences and what not. The two point sling frees up your hands to tackle those obstacles. And the rifle is on you bask and not in your way.
3. Probably the most important, with a two point sling, when you are climbing that fence in the rain and at night, if you release a single point sling the rifle will smack you in the giblets. guaranteed. Every time.

I couldn’t get past the price of a Vickers sling...when a $9 OD military sling does the same thing. I liked the Vickers sling but the military one just works.

And in reality, if you have a rifle out, you are not gonna be handcuffing people, that’s for the rookie who doesn’t have a rifle.

^^^ that is right on the money. The fancy slings are cool but the plain-Jane old military sling does the trick.

And with the old issue sling you could use it IDF style....just use an old 203 front sling clip, that's what we used before the HSLD slings came out

quote:

Originally posted by gibby29:

quote:

Originally posted by myrottiety:
I really like my Savy Sniper Sling.
https://savvysniper.com/slings

Yep. I’ve used Blue Force Gear and tried MagPuls when it came out but only use SS now.

Same here.
I have the good fortune to have a gun & police supply salesman as my neighbor. (It IS really expensive to have a dealer of fine goods living so damn close!) So I get to try out a lot of cool shit. I've tried the Blue Force and the Magpul, both are well built, comfortable and work well.

That Savysniper has them beat! Lightweight, comfortable, quick adjustment. I have the QD mounts on a single point sling, but can quickly make it into a 2 point.

I use a good old department issued rubber band as a sling keeper. If it breaks, I just grab another one out of the front desk. The rubber band I'm currently using has lasted about 9 months.

4 years USMC
20+ year LE
18 years Firearms Instructor




I put Viking Tactics padded slings on my two AR's. While I've certainly used the old reliable GI sling, I prefer to have one that is adjustable. Quick and simple to use.

All my ARs and my SCAR 17 wear Blue Force VCAS and they are worth every penny. High quality webbing and hardware, properly sewn. Very rapid adjustment of the sling. One great use of this ease of adjustment is if you're slinging the rifle at times while wearing body armor, and at other times without body armor. Once you have the sling properly adjusted a quick pull on the adjustment strap gives you the correct length of sling for your rifle to hang at the desired height on your chest.

On top of that, the good people at Blue Force Gear are some of the politest and most helpful people I've encountered in the gun industry, and if you have any sort of issue with one of their products, they will take care of you. I can attest to this personally. I ordered an incorrect sling configuration. This was my mistake, not theirs, but when I called to return the sling, they said "Keep it and we'll send you another." Mind you, this wasn't a defective product or an oddball configuration. They could have sold that sling as new in no time at all, but instead made a gift of it to me. Really outstanding customer service.

I have Magpul slings on most of my rifles and am happy with them.
With that said I will buy a Blue Force sling the next time I need one due to support I've seen on this forum. Y'all haven't steered me wrong yet.

The Magpul MS1 is a solid sling but not as nice as the VCAS. For example, the adjustment slider on the Magpul sling doesn't have the hanging strap attached to it like the VCAS. Adjustment of the sling is slower because you have to firmly grasp the slider to move it. If you're wearing gloves and/or trying quickly to make an adjustment, the VCAS is superior to the MS1. Also, the quality of the webbing doesn't seem to be quite up to that of the VCAS. However, if a man told me he was on a budget, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the MS1.