I have an early fn commercial mauser serial # under 700 i'm stocking, that has a barrel mounted sling stud. My question do you think being barrel mounted it would change p o i more than a stud in forend.Probably will instal one on forend anyway, so can use a bipod if the notion hits.

You don't pull down on them when you are shooting it. Leave it where it is.
Sling swivels are on barrels for one or more of three reasons:
1. So your hand won't get cut in recoil
2. You have a thin German for end that does not have room for a swivel or stud.
3. It just looks cool.

Slings are for carrying guns AFTER you are done hunting. Bipods, well ....prairie dogs come to mind but not much else. Practice, practice, practice.

foreend mounts cut one's hands on big bores, i have scars,,, mediums, dude, suit yourself on aesthetics - if you have a barrel ling mount, and pull the rifle hard, well, that's on you, boo -

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
You don't pull down on them when you are shooting it. Leave it where it is.
Sling swivels are on barrels for one or more of three reasons:
1. So your hand won't get cut in recoil
2. You have a thin German for end that does not have room for a swivel or stud.
3. It just looks cool.

Military and other rifle shooting training used to teach a tight sling for a steadier hold. If the sling is attached to the barrel, a tight sling WILL affect accuracy.

I have slings on all of my bolt action rifles,including my .375 RUM, have shot tens of thousands of shots through them, and never had a sling cut.

All of my rifles have forends thick enough for the flush mounted detachable sling swivels that I have in them.

All of my bolt action rifles have scopes, and I think their barrels look best without any iron sights or slings attached to them.

The rifle carries lower on your shoulder, more handy in the bush.

BB; you are one in a billion rifle shooters and hunters. I know of no one who has those ideas.
Slings are for carrying, not used for shooting, and they look better on the barrel, will be the consensus here. Like 99.9%.
But of course if you like them, go for it.

A fine sentiment if you are a person who has never had any contact with match rifle shooting. The sling on the barrel is primarily a European feature. American rifles, with their roots firmly in Camp Perry, mount the sling on the fore arm, where it is used as an aid in close holding.
This is one reason why American rifles (like the Model 70) typically have longer fore arms than do European or English rifles. Slings are for shooting, and not just for carrying. Regards, Bill

Hunting ain't match shooting and I warn and teach everyone NOT to even think about wrapping themselves up with a target/match sling; you will miss and lose many shots that way. Or they walk around with the rifle slung up tight?
I have never met any experienced hunter who used a sling for hunting; not around here anyway. Hunting here is not like a rifle range; maybe some places it is....

I find the barrel sling point places the rifle a little low off the shoulder for my liking, just doesn't feel as comfortable to carry as a sling mounted from a stud off the forend. In rougher country if carrying on a sling, the higher forend mounted position allows the right arm to better wrap around the rifle with the hand holding the rifle against the body around the bolt and scope position.

With the sort of hunting we do here for animals in our alpine regions bipods are pretty much mandatory so a forend sling stud is needed with bipods 'permanently' attached on the forend then the sling connected to the bipod. With suppressors almost standard issue too our rifle barrels are increasingly either factory free floated or done after market.

I use a sling for one purpose and one purpose only.

To carry my rifle over my shoulder at the end of a day of hunting! Sometimes dragging out a deer, most times not!

Hip

Twice over the years, I have used a rifle sling to wrap around the downed animals horns to allow me more room to drag the animal back to the truck

Once when I was a lot longer, as I put the rifle on my shoulder the front loop came undone. Muzzle of the rifle went down into the dirt.
Had to go home and clean the barrel. Never fully trusted a sling loop after that.

Just my 2 cents

Jim Wisner

thanks for the input I usually use a sling for carrying, I know pulling down on the barrel is a bad thing for accuracy, just wondered if carrying it with barrel mounted sling would change poi.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Leeper:
A fine sentiment if you are a person who has never had any contact with match rifle shooting. The sling on the barrel is primarily a European feature. American rifles, with their roots firmly in Camp Perry, mount the sling on the fore arm, where it is used as an aid in close holding.
This is one reason why American rifles (like the Model 70) typically have longer fore arms than do European or English rifles. Slings are for shooting, and not just for carrying. Regards, Bill

Pretty much my sentiments....

I've favored Brownell's Latigo sling for over 45 years. I like the ability for "quick" sling use, or detach the sling's rear and utilize as a full target sling.
For coyote calling stands.....quick sling use is very handy, as I find bipods cumbersome.

You can even carry the rifle with it!!

Kevin

dpcd...your reason #3 should be #1....!

Yes, #3 is certainly my #1, but so many guys apparently don't understand the concept, I put it as #3.
You Americans are spoiled.
For the OP; don't worry about the sling bending your barrel when you carry it; it will be fine!

I like to shape my forend tips to allow for the swivel stud to be in the end of the tip.
I've never cut or injured my hand on a traditional forend stud. But, I like to shoot off sticks with the forend resting as far as possible to the end of fore end. Also, there are times I have inadvertently hung the stud up on something under some circumstances.

Often when I am glassing, skinning/cutting something up, changing layers or just taking a break, my rifle is hanging on my sticks from the sling.

Sometimes I take the sling off and just put it my pocket or pack, but I always have it with me.

My first head of big game was an antelope. I shot it from prone, with a sling (at about 69 yards). I low crawled over the brow of the ridge I was on, with my arm in the sling. Any time I could shoot prone, I could use the sling. Usually, when I could shoot from sitting, I could use the sling. I use the sling whenever I can. I will not use a bipod. I have never missed a shot because of the time spent getting into a more solid shooting position. Naturally, if the shot is a quick offhand shot, sling use was not an option; unless one happened to be prepared to shoot that way. I could explain how that is done, but I don't think I'll bother.
When I'm backpacking, I don't often use the sling. I generally feel best with the rifle in my hand.
Again, the sling swivel location is often influenced by the stock, and rifle, design. European or English stocks, with short forearms, get the sling attached to the barrel. Stocks with longer, heavier forearms, get the swivel mounted on the stock. In either case, the front swivel is about the same distance from the rear swivel. Regards, Bill.

I was rudely surprised using a hasty sling on a Mini-14 at a match once (young and ignorant). Moved the sling stud to the forearm shortly thereafter, then awhile after that realized that taking a Mini-14 to a centerfire match against Garand shooters was folly no matter what.

I carry a 7/8 leather sling fixed and for the barrel sling...usually in my pocket..Don't use the barrel sling to shoot with, its carry only..

If Im hunting I carry my rifle in my hands..Seen a few trophies pop up and disapear while the hunter played switch finger trying to get his rifle to his shoulder but too late.. a MILIARY SLING IS FOR SHOOTING WAY OUT YONDER, AND IT WORKS WELL.

Funny how a post will make you go back and think. My father taught me how to shoot, wrapping the sling. It helped me shoot better offhand at targets. I rarely practiced it though and truly did far more shooting without a sling, using either a BB gun as a kid or a 22 LR. I have never bothered or even thought about wrapping a sling when taking a shot at big game. Instinct always takes over and I automatically look for a field rest when hunting. And yet, the OP's question was one that I had thought about. With all that said, put the sling swivel stud on the barrel for me.

Used properly from the sitting position or even off hand, the military sling works, but I have not used one in a number of years, in fact I have not used the barrel band or military swivels on any of my old safari guns. but keep a small 7/8 strap in my pocket, just in case?????