My ZKK 602 had a short forend so I set it up that way. It worked well enough. I shoot with a tight sling and don't just use it to carry the rifle. If I were to do it again, I would have it bedded into some kind of block to help keep the wood from splitting. Hope this helps, Okie John.

the used Whitworth I bought had the barrel band removed and a stud added to the front of the stock. I'll try to post a picture later today.

Jim Brockman has a sling stud device that installs in the bottom of the barrel channel and provides attachment at the front of the forearm.

Well, my mistake the Whitworth has a conventional stud in the forearm. I remember seeing one somewhere???

WashougalChris,
This is the prefered method for the African Sheep Rifle, or any other rifle not barrel-band-bound to a nostalgic tradition.

It is really the best method there is for attaching a sling to a rifle. Just be sure the stud is well set into epoxy and a nut buried in the forearm (both is best, the nut approach being from the barrel channel side and glassed over).

I have done several rifles this way, and would never again consider a barrel band sling base when building a rifle, unless I was just going for that museum piece "look" in a fit of nostalgic madness.

Thanks for all the comments. I was assuming I would just be able to use the same type of stud that one uses for the rear swivel, which is basically a big wood screw. Looking at the fore-end on my stock, it's over 6/10" thick, and the hollowed out part under the barrel doesn't start for over 3 3/4". So I'm not sure how I would be able to glass anything in, or use a nut (unless I used a very long screw). I can understand the concern about splitting the wood, though. Is a laminate stock better or worse in this respect?

Thanks,
Washougal Chris

barrel band is the way to go... get the muzzle DOWN from snaggin on all the branches...

oh, yeah, and not have the stud embedded into you off hand...

my handirifle, in 45/70 for cryin out loud, has a stud RIGHT in the middle of the forearm... can you say "5 stitches, el jeffe?

not that i did it... stud came RIGHT off

jeffe

I like a barrel band for what it's worth...even on RIP's child of Satan "African Sheep Rifle"

Chris,

All my hard kicking rifles have the stud way out on the end of the forend or have a barrel band. I think the forward mounting serves the same purpose as the barrel band and saves a load of money. If your stock is a wood laminate just bore a pilot hole for your sling swivel stud, apply some epoxy to the threads of the stud and screw it in. I can't imagine it ever coming loose.

Regards,

Mark

I hear ya jeffe. I got bit once by my 45-70 handi-rifle. Luckily, it was a glancing blow and I was wearing gloves. That stud does make it hard to shoot in a natural hand position. I always have to remind myself to keep that left hand back near the reciever before each shot. I kinda like the barrel band look over the end of forearm mount - even if it is more expensive. Not that one works better than the other exactly, but it looks better to me. maxman

I like the barrel band swivel as it makes the carry lower with not much barrel sticking up above the head, but its strickly for carrying, not shooting...but I never bother with a shooting sling, its just too slow for me to use and I have never needed a sling to shoot....I did at one time but decided that it was not necessary....fact is I seldom use a sling, but do keep one in my day pack or jacket pocket most of the time.

I like barrel band sling swivels because they look "African"!

I replaced the swivel on my .300WM from midway up the fore-end, to up top, only I didn't think it through and screwed it in at an angle to the barrel. Now, with prolonged carrying, the screw has started to move a bit, because the angle resulted in a bit of a torque on the scew. Other than that, it works beautifully. If you put a stud in at right angles you should be doing just fine.

Frans

WashougalChris,
The wood screw threads set in epoxy are fine on a wood stock or laminate as you have.

On the synthetic stocks, I think the machine screws with a retaining nut buried under epoxy bedding is definitely best.