Make an even cheaper and simpler sling

[boss_hawg]

This is a follow up to my post a week or two back. I will attempt to show you how to make an even simpler, less complicated, and cheaper sling for your rifle.




Expendables – minimum of what you’ll need:



1” wide Nylon Milspec AA53801 webbing – 6’ or 2 yards: 2 yards @ $2.37 per yard = $4.74

Basic Triglide Slide 1”: 1 @ $0.22 = $0.22

Basic Wide Mouth Slider 1”: 1 @ $0.24 = $0.24



This basic version would attach to pre-existing sling swivels or slots in a collapsible stock.



Add’l nice-to-have’s:

1 more Triglide (secures the excess portion of the sling better): $0.22

Better / easier on-off sling attachment method, different options below:

2 HK style hooks: 2 @ $3.79 per = $7.58

2 Mash hooks: 2 @ $6.50 per = $13.00

2 basic plastic snap hooks: 2 @ $0.42 per = $0.84

2 Magpul paraclips: 2 @ $9.00 per = $18.00

Simple rifle attachment different options:

4’ of paracord = $6.99 (for a roll)

1/16 coated wire rope with cable ferrules = $7.98 + $16.99 (all you will ever need)



So you can be "all-in" at $5.20 (plus shipping / taxes) for the basic version or $13.00 with two triglides and two HK hooks.



Non-Expendables/Tools:

Scissors

Lighter to burn webbing ends

Speedy Stitcher, sewing machine, or means of sewing-in one end of the sling

Ice cold beer (actually this is expendable but oh well)


Let’s get started...

 

[boss_hawg]

Cut and “burn the ends” of 58” to 64” of webbing.

I am just over 6 feet tall and attaching this sling to the stock and FSB of a M4 carbine. You may need more or less sling depending on your physical build and rifle length / attachment points.

Sew-in the end of one side to the middle of the wide mouth triglide.

Thread the other end around your front attachment and then back through the wide triglide.

On to part three of this post...

 

[boss_hawg]

Thread the free end through one or two (I used two) triglides. Then thread through your rear attachment or the stock slots if you aren’t looking for a quick means of quick de-attachment.

Size for fit (measure twice; cut once) and loop the remaining webbing back through the triglides at the rear. You’ll probably want to burn the end of any cut to keep the webbing from fraying if you make a cut. Go over through the triglide close to the free end and then through both slots of the end closest to the rear attachment.

This is the finished product. I used paracord because it’s light and cheap. Your attachment method may be different depending on your hardware.

At this point, you’re basically done. The only thing to add - if you’re using HK or mash clips - are the cheap elastic pieces to silence any impact of the clips against hard plastic or metal. Those can be found here:

Elastic Hook Cover

The Elastic Hook Cover installs over attachment hardware such as Sling Snap Hooks or MASH Hooks and reduces noise and prevents scratching of the weapon s finish.

www.blueforcegear.com

 

[boss_hawg]

What is not shown is that the front paracord came untied after I finished and strapped the rifle to my body. Luckily it didn’t drop the rifle on the floor.

I replaced the front paracord with the vinyl coated wire cable.

With a sharp knife, I shaved the vinyl off the ends of the cable before threading it through the FSB. I then used a ferrule to capture the ends and a crimper to lock the ferrule and ends into place.

I will try to get some pictures tomorrow.

 

[boss_hawg]

I sized the sling so that the wide-mouth slider with the attached end (shown in part two) is directly under the armpit of my non-dominant arm when the rifle is at the tightest position to my body with the least amount of slack in the sling. This is the “hands free” position.

It is sized so that the stock is right at the top of my dominant shoulder with the muzzle pointed down and away on the non-dominant side.

When the rifle is brought into a shooting position, I simply grab the slider with my non-dominant hand and move towards the hand guard to assume a ready position.

The sling gives slack and I’m ready to shoot in one motion. I believe this to be superior to the action of my favorite Blue Force Gear VCAS sling which requires you to pull back towards your body for slack and then move the support (non-dominant) hand forward to grasp the rifle for shooting. The home-built sling is quicker.

Also, there is no “tail” or loose end of the sling like you see with a VTAC or Sheriff of Baghdad sling.

Those are all great slings and I don’t mean to insult them in any way, but I’ve come to the conclusion that this is the simplest and most-streamlined way.

 

[2Glocks]

@boss_hawg this is great, thanks for writing all this up. I have everything listed above around here somewhere and I wanted a simple sling for my Mak90.

 

[boss_hawg]

Just a follow up - I mentioned to you all that I would show you how to make super simple and super cheap front sling mounts out of wire rope. These work great with AR-15s with a front sight base but can be added to almost any firearm with a little imagination.

So you'll need some 1/16 wire rope. I like mine vinyl coated to prevent abrasions.

You'll also need 1/16 aluminum ferrules, wire cutters, a crimping tool, and a sharp knife.

It is pretty simple really: measure wire, cut, remove vinyl from connecting ends with the knife, connect ends through the ferrule and crimp.

The coated wire won't fit through the ferrule without shaving off the vinyl layer. I crimp twice to ensure strength.

Below are some pictures.

You make a free loop to use in a temporary girth hitch around the fsb. Or for a more permanent solution, you can go through the sling swivel ears of the fsb before connect and crimp.

I have been told that the crimp is rated to 80+ lbs tensile strength so it should be good to hold a rifle.

Sent from my SM-T290 using Tapatalk

 

[boss_hawg]

One more photo that failed the upload

Sent from my SM-T290 using Tapatalk

 

[2Glocks]

Thanks for the write up @boss_hawg! Got two made today with my BIL. Went with 1.5 inch webbing cause that’s what I prefer. Still need to play around a little with the final trimming length, but like you said it’s a lot easier to take off than add back

 

[boss_hawg]

Nice! I have a sling I made for an AK. Maybe I will post pics at some point. I didn’t want to lead with it because it’s not simple or cheap though it works well.

Like you I used 1.5” webbing to help with the heavier rifle. Mine was a little more complex because I used a 1.5 to 1” reducer on both ends to use my mounting hardware.

I used a mash hook or Magpul paraclip on the front because they work well with the standard hk sling loop. The rear has a QD to interface with the CNC warrior stock I have on the ak. I paid a bit extra for a Cobra slider just to try it out. It slides nicely but I don’t think I would go that route again because of the cost and the weight. Totally not worth it in my opinion to use climbing-grade equipment on something that should never have to support more than 50 lbs of force.

The sling overall looks pretty good and works well but the added weight on a heavier rifle makes me wonder what the hell I was thinking.