Old Jarhead - FNG with a question about slings

[spidermac]

Good Day Gents (and Gentettes if there are any),

New Guy here, 50 something Jarhead, and got me my first scary black rifle

DD M4A1, and it is a sweet piece of kit. I fired it for the first time last weekend, zeroing in the Holosun Green Dot that I got for free for buying DD. And quickly realized a few things...1. my eyes are old as hell, and 2. just like at the KD Range when i was qualifying, I need a sling to stabilize the weapon when firing off hand...my Range Coach at Parris Island taught me how to use the sling on my off arm (loop it around my bicep) to keep the weapon still (or at least stiller).

I have sorted item 1 by purchasing a Vortex Micro 3X magnifier.

When looking for a decent sling...I discovered there is now such a thing as a "cuff" sling. And I was like, maybe i need a cuff sling...then i saw the pricing compared to normal two point slings, and I was like, what the heck is a cuff sling and what makes it so special? I found a simple looking sling from Magpul, their Rifleman's Loop Sling, it's like 20 bucks...wouldn't this be just fine?

[Teufelhunden71]

Hey devildog. Also 50 year old 0311 here. Slings are much different now than when we were in - better if you ask me. I run a Padded two point sling (VTAC) with QD mounts. Over strong side shoulder and under weak side armpit. You can try a fee different set-ups and see what you like. A lot of info out there if you search.

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[gunnerblue]

The Magpul offering is a more traditional shoulder-strap style sling. A VTAC or Blue Force Gear two-point would be better for using across the back and are adjustable for retention while changing positions.

[Curlew]

When you mention a “cuff sling” I think of something that’s meant strictly as a marksmanship aid, e.g. in Highpower competition.

On the other hand, slings like the Vickers or VTAC are meant as something to use for carrying the rifle around, supporting it when you need your hands free, etc. There may be a way to use them to shoot better, but that’s not the usual emphasis.

My guess would be that in the USMC you used an M1 web sling. If you liked that, maybe get one of those — it sorta does ok for both jobs. (Some competitors really like them, actually. ) I’ve found them on eBay, both cotton and synthetic versions. If your rifle is set up for QD swivels, you can swap out the old J-hook for one of those….

[spidermac]

When you mention a “cuff sling” I think of something that’s meant strictly as a marksmanship aid, e.g. in Highpower competition.

On the other hand, slings like the Vickers or VTAC are meant as something to use for carrying the rifle around, supporting it when you need your hands free, etc. There may be a way to use them to shoot better, but that’s not the usual emphasis.

My guess would be that in the USMC you used an M1 web sling. If you liked that, maybe get one of those — it sorta does ok for both jobs. (Some competitors really like them, actually. ) I’ve found them on eBay, both cotton and synthetic versions.

That is exactly it Remove the sling from the stock, make a loop, slip it around my bicep, tighten it down and wedge the rifle into my shoulder to mitigate "muzzle sway"...I don't intend on actually using the sling to carry the weapon, just to help me shoot better. I have a nice little carbine case that holds the DD and my Ruger PC Carbine for moving the weapons :P

[spidermac]

And thank you for the warm welcome too all of you...

[Stickman]

Good Day Gents (and Gentettes if there are any),

New Guy here, 50 something Jarhead, and got me my first scary black rifle

DD M4A1, and it is a sweet piece of kit. I fired it for the first time last weekend, zeroing in the Holosun Green Dot that I got for free for buying DD. And quickly realized a few things...1. my eyes are old as hell, and 2. just like at the KD Range when i was qualifying, I need a sling to stabilize the weapon when firing off hand...my Range Coach at Parris Island taught me how to use the sling on my off arm (loop it around my bicep) to keep the weapon still (or at least stiller).

I have sorted item 1 by purchasing a Vortex Micro 3X magnifier.

When looking for a decent sling...I discovered there is now such a thing as a "cuff" sling. And I was like, maybe i need a cuff sling...then i saw the pricing compared to normal two point slings, and I was like, what the heck is a cuff sling and what makes it so special? I found a simple looking sling from Magpul, their Rifleman's Loop Sling, it's like 20 bucks...wouldn't this be just fine?

Welcome aboard, and to answer your question, the old school slings work as good now as they did back then. I have an old school “issued” sling on most of my 20” rifles. I wrap the sling like we were all taught, and while it is not anything fancy, it solidifies the shooting position just as God intended.

If you start looking at adjustable 2 point slings, they are a bit different, and not really what you are asking about in this thread.

[T2C]

Welcome aboard!

We used a "cuff sling" when shooting open rifle. For service rifle shooting a deliberate sling was the order of the day.

The old school military sling with spring clip on the buttstock end works very well for both hasty and deliberate sling setups. If you use a green sling, you can mark the sling for reference points making adjustments quick when changing positions. A cotton M1 Garand sling or early M14 sling should be long enough and works well for carbines. An AR-15 with a 20" barrel requires a longer sling.

[Renegade04]

Old jarhead (1978-84) here too. For the DD M4A1, here is my recommendation.

Vickers Blue Force 2-pt. sling
https://www.blueforcegear.com/vickers-sling

DANIEL DEFENSE RAIL MOUNT QD SWIVEL ATTACHMENT POINT W/SWIVEL
https://danieldefense.com/rail-mount...-w-swivel.html

Since it appears that the DD stock has a QD sling swivel socket, you would also want this.

DANIEL DEFENSE HEAVY DUTY PUSH BUTTON QUICK DETACH (QD) SLING SWIVEL
https://danieldefense.com/heavy-duty...ng-swivel.html

I have a very similar setup on my M4A1 SOPMOD Block II clone except I use snap hooks instead of QD swivels.

[bamashooter]

Nice gun for sure.
Cuffs are cool when doing precision stuff.
VTAC is very nice.

Being cheap but wanting reliability in my USA bubble, I went with this faux MS4. Very good imo, good peeps, good service, cheap as hell. Have several and use all regularly with my grandson. https://www.ebay.com/itm/302488377945?var=602767243370

A few years back I learned about them in another forum before I punched. https://ar15armory.com/forums/topic/...ling-for-less/