Slings for flintlock

[kkmemmott]

Does anyone use a sling on their flintlock? Were there certain styles that were used back in the early 17 and 1800's. I have a Colonial Virginia style flintlock with a 42" barrel. Just looking for suggestions. Thank you.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

I have two fowlers; a 36" and a 44", both .62. I have sling swivels (front) and buttons (rear.) I use a sling to carry the guns to/from where I am shooting/hunting, but do not hunt with the slings attached. The loose fabric slings catch on everything when hunting. If the sling was shorter to not get in the way, it would be too tight to fit over the shoulder to carry. It sure is handy to have the sling when dragging out your deer!

ADK Bigfoot

 

[Sidney Smith]

I have a slip on sling that I used to put on my TC Renegade back when I hunted further upstate Pa where there would be a long walk on a logging road before getting to my stand. I dont use a sling with my flintlocks due to their length, plus these days I hunt close to home and the walk from my truck is only about 250 yards. I just carry the gun in hand.

 

[Cruzatte]

I have a sling on my 20 ga. fusil which has a 41 inch barrel. It is permanently attached. I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't bother. I target shoot with the gun.

From what I can gather, it was military muskets that were equipped with slings and swivels during the 18th and 19th centuries.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Absolutely! I made my full stock Hawken to hunt with and it weighs in at over 10 lbs. This woven sling seemed a bit wimpy and I have since replaced it with a leather version from Leatherman. The sling makes it much more comfortable to carry.

 

[Howard Pippin]

Absolutely! I made my full stock Hawken to hunt with and it weighs in at over 10 lbs. This woven sling seemed a bit wimpy and I have since replaced it with a leather version from Leatherman. The sling makes it much more comfortable to carry.

View attachment 11193

I'm on your side Tom. If I only did reenactments, like is done at some of the gatherings, a sling wouldn't be a necessary item and would surely be out of period. I mainly target shoot to get ready for being able to hunt deer or antelope. There, a sling is a necessity due to the weight of the rifle and have to carry a possible sack too. All the years I carried a 270 pump it was with A sling, before I got old and went muzzleloader style.The nearest rendezvous to me is at least 100 miles or more in any direction. You get out of this kind of shooting which you put in it, but sometimes the price is too high.
Squint

 

[kkmemmott]

Thank you so much for your help. My flintlock is meant for hunting and I do a lot of hiking in the mountains here in Utah. I'm thinking I will build one for those long hikes and take it off, asyou suggested, when I get to my hunting spot. Thanks again.

 

[Grumpa]

The European Jaeger rifles were used for hunting, they were equipped with slings, often fine linen. Were the early jaegers made here so equipped? I don't know. As has been pointed out here, our folks were under constant threat of attack by Indians; having your rifle in your hand, rather than hanging on your shoulder, might mean the difference of life or death. We don't live in that world. A sling can be mighty handy when you are dragging that deer out of the woods. (Or, you can lash the rifle to the travois/slide carr that you are dragging.)

Richard

 

[tenngun]

At least one painting by Miller shows a mountain man with a sling on his rifle, and Kurtz paints a guy with a sling on and holding the gun across his shoulders.
I don’t like them myself, but I bet these were not as rare as we like to think now.

 

[Col. Batguano]

I've often wondered why we don't see provisions for them on original guns very much. Could it be that traditional placement on the fore end and butt makes for stress in the wrist, and makes them more prone to breakage there? Older long barreled military guns often had the rear swivel loops placed at the front of the TG bow. The barrel is going to be tougher than the wrist as far as resisting bending.

With a 44"+ barrel sticking straight up over your shoulder you are more prone to be struck by lightning.

 

[Artificer]

I've often wondered why we don't see provisions for them on original guns very much. Could it be that traditional placement on the fore end and butt makes for stress in the wrist, and makes them more prone to breakage there?

That's possible, though we still see original sling swivels and studs/buttons on 18th century German Jaeger Rifles. I am not sure if the wrists on their rifles were that much thicker to make them stronger for sling use, but I don't think so.

My speculation is they didn't want to go to the added expense of sling swivels and slings for the few times they would have slung their long rifles. A piece of rope or braided leather tied to the rifle would have worked just as well for the few times they may have had the need for a sling.

Gus

 

[bud in pa]

I made my sling out of a sash that no longer fit. I put leather ends on it. It is real handy when I am lucky enough to get something and have to drag it home.

 

[shane a gress]

I rarely use a sling. They can make noise and catch in the brush. I always said a rifle should be in your hands and not on your shoulder. But.......I have had ocassions that a sling would have made chores easy.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

And, sometimes...both hands are occupied.

 

[WRustyLane]

So you guys use a sling to carry the rifle? That is not what I was taught in the USMC. The sling is used for shooting not for carrying yer weapon. I was taught to use a hasty sling when shooting any rifle and all my rifles have slings on them except for my flintlock. I had thought about putting sling swivels on it but found out that it isn't HC/PC so I've never put a sling on my flintlock. Shooting would be the only use for me having a sling on my flintlock. Of course, that's my USMC opinion and I'm stickin' with it.

 

[Stantheman86]

Hasty Slings or using the sling to shoot a rifle did not come into use until the WWI period or just before. Of course we can shoot any way we want now , we have that option but if you went back in time to 1840 you would not see a mountain man using a Hasty Sling to shoot.

Previous to that , they were simply a strap to carry the rifle/musket etc.

The British Army even banned the use of slings for a time, I think in the 1760s? A "non functional " sling was used for appearance only.

 

[Pete G]

Do not forget that we know more now than they did back then.

 

[tenngun]

Slings were used on military guns and Central Europeans put them on rifles before the first rifles were made in America.
Miller showed one as referenced above. Was it real or artistic license?
As I said I don’t like them, but I would think there was a practical reason why use was rare on civilian guns, not just America but most of west Europe.
With all due respect to Hawkeye I don’t think you could run through a melee with a rifle on your back intent on saving your fair lady, before some wise guy grabbed one of those ends of your gun, tripped you off balance and lifted your hair.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Even from a military perspective, slings were not in general use as slings. Yes, my avatar shows the musket with sling over the grenadier's shoulder as he is tossing a grenade. Only on rare occasions do we ever carry a musket using the sling. Certainly the sling is not used to support the musket during firing. Its just too much to disentangle to reload if the sling is wrapped up in a support mode.

Obviously people knew of slings and if a sling was not part of the firearm, then a strap or cord would be used to fashion a temporary sling.

 

[hanshi]

I put this sling on my smoothbore and it's come in handy on many occasions, plus it looks good. Never cared for one on a longrifle.