AR 15 Sling

First thing is have fun in the training class!

A quick break down of what I have read and seen in videos is the 1pt. is generally best for close quarters work and being able to easily switch the shoulder to shoot from. The 2pt. works better when you need your hands free to do other tasks and I think is more stable.

As you can tell I have very little experience with slings but when I decided to buy one I got the Magpul MS4 sling that allows for a quick change from 2 pt. to 1 pt. I will say that the little I have messed with it I like the 2 pt. better for most functions.

darbo is right. I prefer 2 point. The gun hangs on my left side (I'm left handed) and is as quick to get to as a pistol in a holster. I never liked the AR ergos, then I got one and started playing with a sling, a long sling made for ARs, not a Walmart sling. The gun is handy as heck when I'm outback working on stuff or hunting so long as I'm using the sling. I sling it over my off shoulder, unlike the way I sling my hunting rifles. So long as it has a 30 round mag in it, it says put. If I install the 10 rounder, what I use when hunting, I have to make sure my left arm keeps it from flipping upside down. The 30 round mag prevents that. I'm usually in a box blind when hunting, though, and this little inconvenience doesn't bother me. When I'm just walking around, I'll put a 30 round mag in it.

darbo said:

First thing is have fun in the training class!

A quick break down of what I have read and seen in videos is the 1pt. is generally best for close quarters work and being able to easily switch the shoulder to shoot from. The 2pt. works better when you need your hands free to do other tasks and I think is more stable.

As you can tell I have very little experience with slings but when I decided to buy one I got the Magpul MS4 sling that allows for a quick change from 2 pt. to 1 pt. I will say that the little I have messed with it I like the 2 pt. better for most functions.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion on the sling. I'm totally in the dark on this. As for having fun when surrounded by security people, police and swat personnel, I'll try. And the instructor is the swat commander for our county. No pressure...

Aberdog1 said:

Thanks for the suggestion on the sling. I'm totally in the dark on this. As for having fun when surrounded by security people, police and swat personnel, I'll try. And the instructor is the swat commander for our county. No pressure...

Click to expand...

Definitely no pressure! Show them how it's done!

A two point sling will drop and rest around your left leg (if you're right handed), a single point will drop to your... err... jewels. It hurts. I much prefer the painless version.

1 point slings are great for male birth control, be careful!

Bellows1 said:

A two point sling will drop and rest around your left leg (if you're right handed), a single point will drop to your... err... jewels. It hurts. I much prefer the painless version.

Click to expand...

I carry my 2 point sling on my left side barrel down vertical with my body and I'm left handed. I just reach back and grab the pistol grip and swing the gun up.

When I was studying this, there were some helpful youtube vids on AR slings. I'm wondering if they're gone now that youtube has gone anti-gun?

NativeTexan said:

When I was studying this, there were some helpful youtube vids on AR slings. I'm wondering if they're gone now that youtube has gone anti-gun?

Click to expand...

I watched some last night. The videos were helpful but they didn't mention any brands. I found some ranging from $7.99 to over $100. I got confused...

These guys don't use their slings the way I do. I don't want the gun on my belly, want it to my side. So, I sling it over my off shoulder and let it hang to my side. But, then, I'm practical, not practicool.

Get a 2 point. I've got one of these. It has a quick release adjustment, is padded, and high quality. I picked up a second one that isn't padded for about $20 also a while back, not realizing it's not padded, but still a good sling.

Viking Tactics Wide (Padded) Sling

NativeTexan said:

These guys don't use their slings the way I do. I don't want the gun on my belly, want it to my side. So, I sling it over my off shoulder and let it hang to my side. But, then, I'm practical, not practicool.

Click to expand...

I'm a righty, and want my rifle to hang at my side also. But I want it on opposite side from my sidearm. So when I drop it, it rotates away from my sidearm holster, so it doesn't catch or get in the way. So I put my left arm through the sling, and it drops to my left side. Strong side is unobstructed, which may be a moot point since I carry appendix now. I grab it by the handguard and rotate it up. FWIW, I'm taking a rifle class in May, so I'll find out if my system actually works well or not.

I have the fortuitous blessing of shooting rifles lefty and shooting handguns righty, so I adapt. This is due to an eye dominance problem. I taught myself to shoot lefty at age 8 with my Benjamin .22 caliber air rifle and never looked back, dominant eye or otherwise.

Get a 2 point. I've got one of these. It has a quick release adjustment, is padded, and high quality. I picked up a second one that isn't padded for about $20 also a while back, not realizing it's not padded, but still a good sling.

Click to expand...

I refuse to pay the price for anything tacticool, so I got an unpadded sling and bought a pad for it which attaches via velcro. You can buy such pads intended for seat belts at auto parts stores. I got this one online and it's advertised for laptop bags and such.

I'm with Darbo. The two point is better if you're going to be moving, climbing and crawling alot. It also keeps it more secure to your body. One point works for letting hang or switching hands faster. I'm sure you'll see both there though. I took a class were I put a single point on a shotgun. Worked great for not just holding but moved around alot when walking (kept hand on barrel to keep at side).

Don't look at the You Tube vids by tacticool instructors, look at the vids from Afghanistan. Carry the way soldiers in combat carry when on patrol.

For the kind of class you are going to, I would go with either a MagPul or a Vickers sling. If you are undecided as to single or two point, get one of the slings that can quickly convert. I have MagPuls with the QD mounts that can switch between single and two point slings quickly. I personally like the single point with a pistol size AR and the two point with anything larger. With a short AR the single point works well when you cinch it up, so it doesn't flop down and hit your legs. Big thing on any sling is the ability to quickly adjust the length.

I'm a big fan of quick-adjust two-point slings. The Viking Tactics VTAC (I love mine!) is probably the best known, though I've also used (and quite like) this one I picked up on Amazon for $20, which uses a loop to manage adjustments. Both are fantastic.

If you're looking for a video covering the benefits of the two-point quick adjust sling, the InRange guys put one up some time ago that I found super helpful:


They shoot (and record videos of) a lot of two-gun, which is also fun to check out.

MisterNoisy said:

I'm a big fan of quick-adjust two-point slings. The Viking Tactics VTAC (I love mine!) is probably the best known, though I've also used (and quite like) this one I picked up on Amazon for $20, which uses a loop to manage adjustments. Both are fantastic.

If you're looking for a video covering the benefits of the two-point quick adjust sling, the InRange guys put one up some time ago that I found super helpful:

They shoot (and record videos of) a lot of two-gun, which is also fun to check out.

Click to expand...

Good video.

Made by SEALs for SEALs developed and used by a SEAL that I know. If he tells me something about slinging a rifle I listen.

***Disclaimer*** there is language in this video. NSFW