Just for background, I often shoot with a the version of the hasty sling that Dad taught me as a kid, even with sticks. Otherwise I tend to weave and bob. I tend toward 1 1/4 inch military type slings, but they are heavy.
I've looked at canvas slings and some of the nylon with clingy pads. Have those of you that use slings for shooting tried them? What do you think?
Thanks
Bfly

If you're going to use a sling instead of the ubiquitous shooting sticks, a 1" web strap will be fine, although if you leave it attached to the rifle all the time, it may catch on branches as you walk through the bush.

George

kinda depends on what you are going after. if its something that takes lots of walking like ele or buff, i really like the padded nylon ones. they are light and spread the weight out on my shoulder. plains game usually you're not walking that much (eland can be a big exception to this) then most anything works

I am a big fan of slings esp military type shooting slings. On my last hunt I didn't use the sling, although I came close - I used a sling in the sitting position on a waterbuck about 260 yards away. In the end, we decided he was no bigger than one I already had, so I passed.

I do find that when I shoot over the sticks the sling and swivel server as a nice thing to grab on to.

I never carry my rifle slung. I have not had any problems with slings getting caught in brush, but if you had QD swivels, you can always take them off.

quote:

Originally posted by Black Fly:
Just for background, I often shoot with a the version of the hasty sling that Dad taught me as a kid, even with sticks.

I do the same. Funny thing about using the hasty sling, once you get into the habit you will find that you wrap-up without even thinking about it as the rifle is coming to shoulder.

I like the slick, unpadded, 1 1/4" nylon slings. On most of my rifles once adjusted I can sling the rifle over my right shoulder and hold the recoil pad with my palm out(thumb towards the back, pinky forward) and the rifle rests against my back/shoulder blade. This keeps the rifle under control and spreads the load out. Both these factors contribute to making this method much less tiring than simply letting the rifle dangle by the sling.

I like the Montana slings.

Leather comes in two widths (1" or 1 1/4"), no metal hardware except the swivels. Knot slides easily but holds tightly and works well for bracing up in hasty sling. When I use it on the sticks I usually tighten it up all the way and rest the sling in the sticks under the fore end.

If you have a barrel band type sling attachment, my initial thoughts are to "sling-up" may result in hitting lower than your point of aim.

Firstly it all depends what and where you are hunting, and what type of rifle you are using. What I mean is, you never wrap up in a sling for shooting if you are shooting a double rifle, or a safari type rifle with the sling attached to the barrel. Even some with the sling attached to stocks that are very slim, and the barrel is not free floated the “WRAPED UP” sling pressure can change POI at long range.For these type rifles the sling is just that, a “SLING” or carry strap. If you warp up on these type rifles it will impact the POI negatively, extremely so with a double rifle.

I like a sling for the above rifles made from neoprene that is wider at the shoulder, and is somewhat springy. I only use one when the walk is going to be long,and/or for very open bush. I never use a sling when on a final stalk, especially on dangerous game.

With the sling swivels on the fore-end wood is OK to wrap, if you shoot better that way, and this type of sling is usually adjustable, and are rarely wide where it contacts the shoulder. IMO about the best of these are the military type, because of its large amount of adjustability. I think this type of sling should not be used when new and stiff but only if well used and flexible.

When following up a wounded animal, or when entering very thick bush any sling should be removed from the rifle before going into the weeds. Even plains game animals are dangerous when wounded, and especially in tight cover.

Everyone has their favorite habits in hunting, and all are good but not on all occasions, and should be modified under certain circumstances. In any area where dangerous game may be bumped into at any time, a sling can be a fight finisher that may not go your way!
...................

I only use the sling for carrying the rifle on long walks in fairly open terrain. The rest of the time it stays in my pocket.

I've found the Vero Vellini wide top to be exceedingly comfortable. I used this foam and cordura sling in Cameroon on a Lord derby hunt. The tracking went 4-8.5 hours depending on the day and I never felt like the rifle was unconmfortable on my shoulder.

With quick detach sling swivels you can remove the sling easily when in the heavy brush or on a final approach. I personally feel that a sling is a dangerous hinderance in the heavy bush.

Mark

Hunting and shooting is hunting and shooting...Africa is no different. Use what you are used to.

I have showed folks from my hometown (Jacksboro, TX) pics of the thick stuff in the Zam Valley only to have them ask if that was taken on the Trinity River (local North Texas river). Actually...the thickest stuff I have seen in the Jess of the Zambezi can't hold a candle to the greenbriar thickets of the Trinity.

Point being...different animals...but terrain is much like Texas.

That's what I do!

I never use a sling for African hunting anymore.

I like to have my rifle in my hands and unencumbered at all times when action may be imminent.

And we only hunt in places where we might - and often do - run across one or more elephant or buffalo at any moment.

So, I just got tired of taking my sling off the rifle and carrying it around in my pocket all the time.

In essence, I found that the damned things are a nuisance - whether on or off the rifle!

If I were in a plains game only area, I would probably use one of my now neglected Vero Vellini, Brownell's Latigo or Trader Keith's web slings.

I like the Latigo sling. Occasionally Cabelas will sell what is an identical sling for a lot less that what Brownells charges for the Latigo.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
Hunting and shooting is hunting and shooting...Africa is no different. Use what you are used to.

I have showed folks from my hometown (Jacksboro, TX) pics of the thick stuff in the Zam Valley only to have them ask if that was taken on the Trinity River (local North Texas river). Actually...the thickest stuff I have seen in the Jess of the Zambezi can't hold a candle to the greenbriar thickets of the Trinity.

Point being...different animals...but terrain is much like Texas.

There's one very large difference! There are no hippos, Cape Buffalo, or elephants in that tangle in the Trinity River bottoms! That sling might get you a missed shot at a little whitetail,in the Trinity River, nothing lost but a shot, on the other hand in Africa..................

ledvm,

I agree with you about the brush. Where I hunt in Trinity river bottoms the only difference between the African thorn bushes and our is the color of the thorns.

Have you considered a Safari Ching Sling?

I do not have the experience of others here, and really appreciate your comments. I use a sling principally as a shooting aid, not as a carry strap, so I will take your cautions as good advice.
I will look into the latigo model. I like not having any thing that might come loose.
On the brush, It seems that no matter where you go, they have the worst brush in the world, jesse in Africa, regrowth pine in the south, blackberry thickets in the NE, whatever that thick stuff is in the west, or alders in the north. Some of them are full of thorns; some not. It all deserves respect and requires it's due, whether it's buffalo, bears or whitetails. I've never noticed my sling catching in any of them. When still hungting through the thick stuff, I often carry my rifle with my left arm already in the sling to be ready for a shot. It reduces the movement needed to mount the rifle, and really makes carry effortless, at least for me. Probably like my big ears flapping in the wind. Been there so long, I just don't notice. On the other hand, I have trouble with a 26 inch barrel catching in the brush, while others never do.
Thanks again
Bfly

quote:

There's one very large difference! There are no hippos, Cape Buffalo, or elephants in that tangle in the Trinity River bottoms! That sling might get you a missed shot at a little whitetail,in the Trinity River, nothing lost but a shot, on the other hand in Africa..................

Mac,
NO offence intended here but...

I notice a lot of slings on combat rifles carried in the bush by soldiers. A man with a rifle is the most dangerous game.

But here is my real point.

I have carried a rifle with me since I was about 6 years old. In my living at home years in the ranching environment...I never left home with out one. I bet I have logged as many hours toting a hunting rifle in the Brush (as we call the Bush here in Texas) as anyone my age.

I like a sling...I wear one on my rifle in Africa...and I never take it off. I have never had my sling keep me from making a shot quickly...in contrary...I belive it helps me be fast-on-the-draw. I for one am not going to change what I do naturally to unatural to hunt in Africa...seems like a stupid thing to do to me.

So again...my vote is to do it how you do it best...as hunting and shooting is hunting and shooting...where ever it is. Again... !!!

quote:

I've never noticed my sling catching in any of them. When still hungting through the thick stuff, I often carry my rifle with my left arm already in the sling to be ready for a shot. It reduces the movement needed to mount the rifle, and really makes carry effortless, at least for me. Probably like my big ears flapping in the wind. Been there so long, I just don't notice.

And that is just exactly how I would do it in Africa...if I were you.

Sometimes you just need both hands, like climbing a tree. I always have a sling.

Brush vs. bush. Yeah, it's brush here too in the West, but bush in good ol' Africa!

I take a Butler Creek padded neoprene sling but dont put it on the rifle unless I am on a long hike and in fairly open country. I do not use it for shooting.

When I get tired of carrying the rifle I will snap it on for a while. You can then carry the rifle on one shoulder for a few minutes then switch it to the other. You can also rotate the rifle down horizontally if going under overhanging bush.

I always take it off when getting close to the game or following up a wounded animal.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

There's one very large difference! There are no hippos, Cape Buffalo, or elephants in that tangle in the Trinity River bottoms! That sling might get you a missed shot at a little whitetail,in the Trinity River, nothing lost but a shot, on the other hand in Africa..................

Mac,
NO offence intended here but...

None taken!

quote:

I notice a lot of slings on combat rifles carried in the bush by soldiers. A man with a rifle is the most dangerous game.

But here is my real point.

I have carried a rifle with me since I was about 6 years old. In my living at home years in the ranching environment...I never left home with out one. I bet I have logged as many hours toting a hunting rifle in the Brush (as we call the Bush here in Texas) as anyone my age.

The above quote sounds like an echo of my own life! I was born on my maternal grandfather's ranch in the South East corner of Coleman County. About six miles from the McCulloch county in the late 1930s and though I started hunting with rifle and shotguns before the age of six I got my own first rifle for my sixth birthday. It was a model 67 Winchester 22 single shot. During WWII while all the men in our family were fighting I was given the task of supplying the meat to feed three families of kids, and wives who moved onto Papa's ranch. So I guess. Like you, I've carried a rifle or shotgun about as much as anyone my age as well. I'm 73 yrs old and can't remember the first time I fired a rifle, or the first time I went hunting with members of my family. I never saw a sling on a rifle till I was over 12 yrs old, and that was someong from back east who hunted withan uncle on Papa's rance in the early 1950s. I personally never used on till I was in my twenties for Muledeer, and elk hunting in the high mountains of New Mexico and Colorado.

quote:

I like a sling...I wear one on my rifle in Africa...and I never take it off. I have never had my sling keep me from making a shot quickly...in contrary...I belive it helps me be fast-on-the-draw. I for one am not going to change what I do naturally to unatural to hunt in Africa...seems like a stupid thing to do to me.

So again...my vote is to do it how you do it best...as hunting and shooting is hunting and shooting...where ever it is. Again... !!!

That is an absolute perfect idea. For you! Since you have always done so there is nothing wrong with you continuing. However, you, and I are not the only ones involved on this website, and there are many here who have not formed habits that may, or may not cause a problem. The time to get rid of a potential bad habit is before it is embedded in your brain.

You never see a PH carrying a rifle with a sling attached into tight bush where dangerous game lives, or when following up a wounded animal. I have sings, and always have one handy where ever I'm hunting, and I use them for the purpose they were originally intended, to allow both hands to be free and to allow you to rest a little before the action starts. I hunt almost exclusively with double rifles and they are not well suited to shooting and re-loading quickly with a rope hanging on them. There are time when one must reload the double rifle while moving quickly to another position in tight bush with the rifle broken open, and a sling there is a definite hindrance. So even when carrying my rifle on a sling, before starting a close quarters stalk I simply remove the sling. Like you say that works for ME, and that is one reason I recommend caution as to when and where a sling should be used.

If the sling works for you all the time then use it! That is the sensible thing to do for YOU. But that isn't a reason to not recommend caution against anything that could possibly hinder a hunter getting off a quick shot when it counts the most.

The military thing is not a good reason to do anything. The whole idea of the military is the "fire team" where they fill the air with bullets and hope some of the enemy is hit! If one guy gets hung up, there are ten others to take up the slack till he can get clear. In almost every firefight someone will get wounded, or killed. Additionally in combat the average distance between combatants is 200 yds to 700 yds except for street fighting door to door. I can tell you that enemy with a rifle is about as dangerous as they come, but war, and the hunting of dangerous game in Africa are two entirely different things.

It is a free country, and if the sling floats your canoe, the paddel on down stream, nobody here is telling you not to! Recommending something is not a order but a suggestion, and can be taken or disregarded by the reader. If a person wants to have a sling on his rifle, mount a 10 power scope on an elephant rifle, or choose a push feed rifle to hunt dangerous game that is his choices, but I certainly would not recommend any of those things to another person!

................. Free country, do as it pleases you, as long as it is legal and doesn't endanger others

quote:

Recommending something is not a order but a suggestion, and can be taken or disregarded by the reader. If a person wants to have a sling on his rifle, mount a 10 power scope on an elephant rifle, or choose a push feed rifle to hunt dangerous game that is his choices, but I certainly would not recommend any of those things to another person!

Mac again !!!

My point is that if you a USED to doing something routinely in the US and have grown accustomed to doing it...don't change for Africa as it will likely work just the same.

I have the utmost respect for you, not trying to be argumentative, and love reading your posts.