In firearms, a sling is a type of strap or harness designed to support a firearm (usually a long gun such as a rifle) on the shooter's body to ease the use of the weapon and/or provide him/her with a method of stowing it when not in use (usually using it to hang the weapon across the back).
Sling types
Modern gun slings can be divided into several types.
- Standard sling
- The oldest and most familiar design, this sling design in its simplest form has two connection points that attach to the front and rear of the weapon, and allows the shooter to carry the weapon over his back, with the sling draped across the torso or over one shoulder.
- Ching/CW sling
- This type of sling is a component of the Scout Rifle concept, and serves not just as a carrying strap, but also an aid to greater hit probability by helping the operator steady his or her aim.
- Three-point sling
- A newer sling design than the previous two, the three-point sling is most commonly used by special forces and SWAT units due to its' effectiveness in tight environments such as Close Quarters Battle, but has started to phase out older sling designs in some regular military units. The advantages of the three-point sling is that it functions more like a harness and is therefore strapped to the shooter. This allows the shooter to release the weapon to use his/her hands for other tasks (such as transitioning to a sidearm) without fear of dropping it on the ground since it will remain hanging from the shooter and easily accessible when needed again. The design of the three-point sling consists of a loop of material (usually cordura or similar) that loops around the torso, and to straps that go to the front and rear of the weapon. The shooter's body and the front and rear of the weapon are the three points that give this design its' name. There are multiple ways (at least 6) to wear a long gun with a 3-point sling (one of these, known as "Military Patrol Ready", permits the operator to keep his/her weapon at the hip and ready to fire for long periods of time without fatigue).
- Single-point sling
- A newer specialized sling design that easily permits the operator to transition to firing from the opposite shoulder. Like the 3-point sling, the single-point sling will permit the operator to drop his or her weapon and let it hang downwards while still attached to his or her body. This sling design is not as good a general purpose sling as the 3-point sling, and is best suited for short-term tactical use (particularly forced building entry by a police tactical unit). While a 3-point sling can be worn in 6 different ways, a single-point sling is only worn in one way, and cannot provide the same degree of long-term anti-fatigue weight support.
A single point sling is also used in precision target rifle shooting from the prone position. The sling is not intended as a carrying aid, but is used to steady the rifle. For a right handed shooter, the sling attaches to the top of the left arm, and clips onto the forend of the rifle. The left arm is wrapped under the sling. The sling with upper and lower arm form three sides of a triangle that provide a steady support for the rifle.
