A few days ago, Pops and I were speaking with an old Marine (retired) who was working the gun counter at a retail sporting goods chain. The subject went to the M1 Garand, and eventually to sling use. Both Pops and the clerk had been taught sling use in the military. I had learned some from Appleseed training, and more based on my own research after that.
There is much information, and much misinformation out there about use of the sling, so I thought I'd take a moment to catalog the uses of the sling.
What does it do?
Everybody has a Natural Point Of Aim (NPOA). This is a position where the body is completely at rest, and still holding the rifle. This is important, because since the muscles are not holding the rifle, the shooter's "platform" is much steadier.
The sling helps steady a rifle by assisting in the creation of a more stable platform from which the rifle is held. Typically, the sling is used in one of the four major shooting positions.
Using the sling is important because the steady hold of a rifle is imperative, if the shooter wishes to hit a target far away.
Applications
The sling is best used competition, or personal shooting training.
Because "slinging up" (putting the sling on for proper marksmanship use) is time-intensive, use of the sling in combat is highly situational. In fact, given the advent of the bipod, or finding other platforms from which to rest a rifle for a long range shot, one might argue that sling use in combat is counter-intuitive.
I'd probably never use a sling in combat. That said, I've never been in a combat situation. However, extensive conversations with those who have been, added with suggestions from noted combat experts backs this claim. There have been very few documented uses of the sling in combat. There's a reason for it: TIME.
How to use the sling.
Here are some demos and pictorials on how to put on a sling:
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
How to put on a 1907 style sling.
How to put the 1907 style sling on an M1 Garand.
How to put on a web sling (click on "Web Sling Help").
A great step-by-step.
How tight?
Many from certain disciplines, and some yahoos who refuse to really learn the art, will advocate a very tight sling "the tighter the better" - this is outright wrong. These folks often say these things in error because they lack in-depth training, or have only received marginal training from a single source. Certainly, they lack the competition experience that would teach them the difference.
The old Marine clerk talked about fellow Marines that were slung up so tight, it cut off circulation in their hands, and the skin on their fingers split from the pressure! This is an example of way too tight!
The objective is not to get the sling as tight as possible. The objective is to tighten the sling just to the point where it holds the weight of the rifle. Another way of saying this is "thwump tight" or just taut.
Why is this important?
Two reasons:
1. A sling that is too loose will not help steady the rifle.
2. A sling that is too tight will cause the shooter to have to use muscle strength to get to his NPOA. This degrades the stability, or the shooter's NPOA, and neither is acceptable.
Why not too tight?
1. It can pull the stock such that it affects the POI by creating different harmonics due to the stock touching the barrel in places it was not designed to touch.
2. Slings that are too tight cause the shooter to use more muscle to get on target at his normal NPOA.
3. On the AR15 and similar (and a few other) platforms, the sling attaches directly to the barrel. A sling that's too tight actually pulls the barrel off of the rifle's normal POI.
4. Slings that are too tight can cut off circulation in in the support arm.
5. Slings that are too tight can force the shooter to use a different "POA" than is normal and natural.
Loop tightness
Additionally, it should be noted that the loop or cuff that is used on the upper arm should not be too tight, either. Most experienced sling shooters (p. 38) feel - and I agree - that the correct loop on the upper arm will leave enough room to easily slide a couple of fingers into and out of.
A loop that is too tight will not only cut off circulation, but will also transmit more pulse to the rifle and therefore decrease steady hold.
Best summary out there. Kind of contrary to what some "instructors" with a certain apple dumpling group will claim. But accurate, nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteI struggled for years with a sling that was too tight. When I realized that it, too, must be used in moderation, my scores went up.