I had always thought of a rifle sling as a pretty simple piece of gear. As long as it held the rifle on my shoulder, I never gave it much attention. That changed on a recent evening deer hunt here in the Upstate.
I was walking in with a rifle I already knew well, but the sling on it started getting on my nerves almost immediately. It was a narrow synthetic strap with almost no grip, so it kept sliding toward the outside of my shoulder. Every few minutes I was reaching up and pulling the rifle back into place. The strap was also narrow enough that after a while I could really feel the weight of the rifle concentrated in one spot.
The adjustment was probably the worst part. If I left it long enough to get over a jacket comfortably, the rifle hung too low and moved around too much. If I shortened it, it became a pain to get on and off my shoulder. It also liked to twist near the swivel, which made an already narrow strap even less comfortable.
By the time I got settled in for the evening, I had messed with the sling enough that I was tired of thinking about it. Once I was actually hunting, I had the opposite problem. Now I wanted the sling completely out of the way, but it was just extra strap hanging off the rifle.
Nothing broke, and technically it did its job. That was kind of the problem. It worked just well enough that I had never bothered replacing it, while being annoying almost every time I used it. Walking back out that evening, I started thinking about the slings I had used before that I actually liked.
Three Slings I Actually Recommend
None of these recommendations are sponsored. CROSSCUT has no affiliation with the makers. These are designs I have personally used and genuinely like.
M1907 Sling
The M1907 is the most traditional of the three and definitely the most substantial. It is heavier and takes a little more setup, but it is extremely solid and can do more than just carry the rifle. I have used them enough to understand why the design has lasted so long.
Whelen Sling
The Whelen is probably my favorite traditional hunting sling. It is simpler and lighter than the M1907, but still gives you real support and works naturally on a sporting rifle. For an actual hunting rifle, the simplicity makes a lot of sense.
Andy’s Leather Rhodesian Sling
This is probably the easiest of the three to live with day to day. It works like a normal two-point sling, but the forward loop gives you a quick way to get extra support without a lot of extra adjustment. I have experience with these personally and have always been impressed with the design and quality.
That evening reminded me that a good sling is probably one you hardly notice. A bad one reminds you it is there all hunt long.