I'm sure there is an excellent reason but I don't recall having heard it. Why is the sling attached to the barrel and not the stock on large bore rifles?

because on a heavy recoiling rifle your front hand slides forward with the recoil & the sling on the forend hurts like hell when it digs into your fingers

From what I have read and heard it seems there are three reasons:

1. as mentioned it hurts like hell when shooting a big bore and the sling stud digs into the hand

2. big bores in bolt actions were made popular and started as British/German guns. The Europeans don't shoot a rifle with the sling as developed by US military. Therefor attachment on the stock, which eliminates the pressure on the barrel when using the sling, wasn't important

3. lower carrying position when over the shoulder which helps in thick bush in Africa.

Just what I'd heard. Personally I like the way it looks.

Red

Two more factors also need to be considered when deciding where to put the front sling point, namely:
1. Shooters arm length - guy with long arms would prefer barrel band leaving more room for front hand and
2. Length of barrel itself - much better balanced support when sling is fitted to a barrel band on barrels of 26" and longer.

The above applies to medium bore rifles as well.

I'm glad this question was asked. I've always wondered myself.

I differ with Dago Red though. Personally I don't like the way it looks. It just seems weird to me. That is why I'm buying the 375 H&H Browning A-Bolt in September. It's screwed into the fore-end of the stock. I just like the conventional look. I hope you guys are wrong about the hurting part. I don't think my front hand is going to be sliding. I plan on hanging on like Hell.

Brockman's stocks split the difference by putting the hanger on the forend tip just under the barrel. Not for everyone but it solves the hand problem and keeps a conventional carry position.

All the explanations are correct! The fact is this all started when it was common for barrels to be 28" long, on bolt rifles, because the barrels were 28" long on the shotguns, and double rifles shooters were used to, and the sling eyes were always on the rib between the barrels, never in the wood of the forarm. With a rifle that creates a lot of recoil, most shooters like to hold the rifle at the end of the forarm with finger, and thumb wrapped around the barrel, to hold down muzzle rise. This is hard to do with the sling attached in the forarm. The long barrels of the old Bolt rifles, caused it to catch every branch the shooter went under, while the rifle was slung. The use of the sling for shooting support is not needed on a big bore rifle, anyway!

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
I'm glad this question was asked. I've always wondered myself.

I differ with Dago Red though. Personally I don't like the way it looks. It just seems weird to me. That is why I'm buying the 375 H&H Browning A-Bolt in September. It's screwed into the fore-end of the stock. I just like the conventional look. I hope you guys are wrong about the hurting part. I don't think my front hand is going to be sliding. I plan on hanging on like Hell.

When buying a Pushfeed A-Bolt for a DGR, hurting your hand, because of the possition of the sling swivel, is the least of your worries!

I too have been wondering the reasoning behind the barrel band sling attachment. I just assumed it was an Africa thing. That’s the way it was done decades ago, and if you want it to look like a safari gun, it needs the band. I stand corrected.

Does anyone have comments or experience with respect to accuracy and the barrel band? It seems to me it would introduce a lot of randomness as too the fine tuning of the barrel, and its repeatability. Perhaps the heavier barrels are less susceptible to this. And of course, that kind of accuracy isn’t what you’re concerned with on a big bore from 100 yards and in.

Final question, because I do want to look cool, are after market barrel bands available? Do they require a gunsmith? I picked up a BRNO 602 in 375H&H. The recoil isn’t that big a deal, but that old bracket on the fore end can be a pain just in everyday handling.

Thanks, Brian

My favorite 30-06 is a gorgeous thing with a wonderful circassian stock and beautiful thin tapered barrel with band. The only thing I dislike about it is that I can't shoot it from a tight sling because accuracy goes out the window, and POI drops several inches at 200 yards.

I have a matching 416 Rigby which doesn't seem to be affected by sling tension. I don't know for sure because after three shots prone with a tight sling, I'm lucky if I can hit the mountain behind the target.

Oh, and aftermarket barrel bands are available from several sources. Check the Brownell's catalogue.

I'm 5'9" and certainly don't put my hand far enough forward to get hit by the stud on any rifle. I do like the barrel band swivel as it puts the end of a 24" barrel below my head, so it's not constantly caught on the brush when I duck under. Plus it looks better especially when combined with a barrel band front sight on a big bore.

MacD37, do you think the early British forends on big bore magazine rifles were influenced by the desire to wrap the barrel with fingers?

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
Brockman's stocks split the difference by putting the hanger on the forend tip just under the barrel.

That's what I did on my .300WM years ago. Now if you are smart, you take out the barrel first, so you can srew the thing in straight. If you are an idiot, like me, you do the best you can with the barrel attached, resulting in a swivel that stands at an angle. Ah well, I was young, and foolish...

Frans

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
MacD37, do you think the early British forends on big bore magazine rifles were influenced by the desire to wrap the barrel with fingers?

I think you may have something there, and I think it was a matter of styling, and the earlier single shots, and double rifles had splinter forends, and the style trend simply was transfered to the bolt rifle when it became popular! I am personally very fond of the Britt style stocks on safari rifles with short small forends. I'm one who wraps my forehand around the barrels all my double rifles, and simply HATE a beavertail forestock on any double, rifle, or shotgun!

Brian,

I believe that if you look back you will see that barrel mounted, but not banded sling attachments were the original style. at least the envy creating pics that Alf has posted of earliest mauser sporters are setup that way.

Aftermarket banded sling attachments are available, you will need a smith. the band will have to be fit to the barrel, attached and then there will be some rebluing. You could also contact a smith about a barrel mounted one if you want, without the band. the rule of thumb that many follow is that if the front sight is banded the sling eye should be, if not then the sling eye shouldn't be either.

Lee Heugefeldesomethinorother (seriously, don't know the last name, but member of the gunmakers guild you can find him there) makes one of the best looking sling studs I have ever seen.

Red

Spoke to a highly respected gunsmith and expert on these things in RSA.
According to him a 'barrel band' is totally out!

Reason:

quote:

My favorite 30-06 is a gorgeous thing with a wonderful circassian stock and beautiful thin tapered barrel with band. The only thing I dislike about it is that I can't shoot it from a tight sling because accuracy goes out the window, and POI drops several inches at 200 yards.

Noel H is 100% correct.

Só, why have it at all?

I have only one rifle with a barrel band on it..my .416 Wby, with a 24" barrel..it would serve to carry the rifle with a sling, but I still put a swivel stud in the forearm. All of my hunting rifles, including my .378 and .416, are set up for attaching Harris bipods..barrel bands are basically for looking at (and I like the way they look). But having the Harris bipod on the rifle makes for much more reliable shots, at any range, in the field. And to my surprize, they work on heavy rifles (at least to .416 Wbys).

My go-to rifle has a Ching Sling on it. It has been many calibers over the last 20 years but always in the same Clifton stock with the Ching because the combination works so well, huh Slingster?

The flush-mount Pachy swivel mounts eliminate the banged finger stuff as does a good tight sling.

Most of you have over looked or failed to mention that English guns only have an 8 to 8.5" forearm, so you sure don't want the swivel in the wood..

I like everything about the English rifles..They knew a thing or two about DGRs, something many of our smiths have not delt with to any great degree...they suck up recoil, point and shoot off hand very well, and everything about them is there for a reason, not just looks and nothing is added because some smith had a brain fart, common with the American classic and Monte Carlos....

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Most of you have over looked or failed to mention that English guns only have an 8 to 8.5" forearm, so you sure don't want the swivel in the wood..

I like everything about the English rifles..They knew a thing or two about DGRs, something many of our smiths have not delt with to any great degree...they suck up recoil, point and shoot off hand very well, and everything about them is there for a reason, not just looks and nothing is added because some smith had a brain fart, common with the American classic and Monte Carlos....

Outside of aesthitics there is no reason in the world for a barrel mounted sling swivel on an American style stock. As Ray pointed out English Stocks are much shorter than the American style and require them.

With the longer American style it is only in dreamland that the swivel will hurt your hand. If it does than hold on tighter.