Publisher’s Note: If you’ve been following the latest on the tariff nonsense, you will note that the Mango Emperor is doubling down on taxing Americans, again. It may be Make American Government Gargantuan Again Taxpayer, MAGGOT, instead of MAGA.
I’ll make this painfully simple: tariffs are a tax on the consuming citizens of the country that imposes the tariff and every penny of that money stolen from the captive consumers goes into the maw of the government coffers. No more complex than that.
Per the latest kerfuffle over the separation of children from their parents or guardians at the border, the bugbear is consistency. You’ll notice that both wings of the Uniparty have lorded over the Offal Office and the ranking scum in both the houses that pass laws like gas from a sick elephant. Not once have they protested the hundreds of thousands of Americans caged and separated from their children for the commission of crime for whom the only victim was the state from distracted driving to illegal vegetation to extortion fraud when they failed to pay the appropriate taxes to the local political warlords.
I am looking to my readership to give me a quality lead on some good videos on sling employment. The advice here is spot-on and he has since retired from active blogging. -BB
I briefly covered slings in a previous Praxis and want to plumb some more information for this basic yet vital component of the free rifleman’s kit. Slings have come a long way from the beautiful but anachronistic 1917 sling that adorned my M14 when I was on a Navy rifle and pistol team. Like my transition from leather holsters to Kydex, we’ve seen the ubiquity of nylon slings with various components. These serve the same purpose as the holster does for your pistol. They serve two primary purposes: nature’s bipod and the ability to multitask when conducting social work.
Nothing makes a long gun steadier after your hundreds of hours of training and mastering the seven steps to firing the shot than the sling properly employed. From the standing off-hand to the prone and everything in between from SBS to patty-prone.
The sling may be the least expensive and most cost-effective kit you employ with your long guns.
The primary sling variations employed today are one-point and two-point (to include the tactical sling and hunting sling).
The single point sling is generally a large loop that goes around your body, over one shoulder and under the other (normally strong shoulder above), with a bungee-type tether with a hook on the other end. The hook attaches to your rifle via a special point, usually behind the pistol grip so it will stay out of your way and ensure that it hangs muzzle-down when you let go of it. This may depend on the moment of the long gun and on its construction but you want it to drop to your front so your hands are free. Magpul’s MS4 has a cool feature that turns the two-point sling into a one point. You will not want to run with a single-point sling configuration.
The “tactical” two-point sling (to distinguish it from the “field” sling) is a slick rig. It’s far more specialized than the field sling setup, in that it uses a system of sliders and tensioners to allow you to lengthen or shorten the sling length with just a tug. You wear it in the same fashion as a single-point sling with it slung over your support-side (there is no weak side which is why your slings are QD’d at the rear on the same side as the strong side; you’ll thank me behind a barricade because you won’t be strangled when engaging support side targets). I am a fan of the loop sling (thanks Appleseed) and the Riflecraft RS3 I mentioned in the previous brief on slings and pistol holsters.
The field sling, like the 1917, is what most people are familiar with; it’s the leather or nylon sling that everyone takes afield with them when they go hunting and don’t want to keep a rifle in their hands all the time. They’re time-tested, battle-tested, and still the most practical addition anyone can make to their long gun. Especially if you can’t afford the better slings, one is better than none.
I have a sling on every long gun I own, even the 10/22s. They are either single point bungees for the shorter AR platforms or the Riflecraft RS3 on the bolt guns and the Magpul MS4 on everything else.
I have also increased my stability game with the use of Magpul angled foregrips and the low profile M-LOK AFGs are tremendous stability enhancers on the bolts guns, shorter AR platforms and 10/22.
The biggest improvements I have gained through these stability enhancements on the long guns has been the thumb grip on support side. This site provides a detailed of why this anatomically works. I do employ them on both sides on my shorter AR rifles.
Here’s why:
“In traditional Cam forward position, recoil flip is managed principally by the “Flexor Carpi Ulnaris Tendon” (a very small muscle of forearm attached to the wrist via a small tendon not designed or accustomed to high repetitive forces and susceptible to chronic repetitive stress injuries). A secondary anti torqueing force is applied by combined shoulder forearm and wrist compression (combined adduction), which thru friction produces the anti torque.
The Cam forward or “ulnar deviation” position is well known to physicians to extremely inefficient, lacking and power and susceptible to repetitive stress injury, which is why great care is taken when repairing wrist fractures to avoid putting the wrist in this position.
With the Gas Pedal ® opposable grip, the much stronger muscles of the hand including the large thumb muscles and pincher grasp are utilized. Not only is this much more efficient, it mostly eliminates the need for muscle tension in the arms and shoulders allowing for a variety of shooting styles.”
In the end, you drive your rifle more effectively.
Drive a rifle or ride a railcar…
Try it, your life will depend on it in the coming Endarkenment.
If you have a ten-dollar head, buy a ten-dollar helmet. In the end, your investment in quality slings and quality time employing your slings through dry fire practice will make you a formidable defender.
Resist, rinse, repeat.
I’ve got a gun rule, I learned this rule twenty years ago. For every add on after three, something must come off the rifle. It’s a matter of weight, a matter of balance, a matter of efficiency, a matter of NOT looking like the range retard.
While I spend zero time on public ranges anymore, I fondly recall my last couple trips. The 511s, the polo shorts, the tan boots, the Oakley glasses and a hat that fits the motif. O yea tattoos, shooters gotta be tatted up!. I forgot the killer look attitude, the million mile stare, got have the stare, and a story in support of the stare.
Wouldn’t do to be seen crawling out of moms family wagon or grandma’s Datsun 510, no no, only a big ass 4×4, cuz that’s what killers drive.
And these killers have a fucking DPMS, with ever whistle and bell on the market, with a logical explanation for every piece of poggy bait, except for the parts that keep em in the fight, the guts of the rifle.
Not flaming you, I’ve just walked this wobbly road for thirty years or so. Admittedly I was a gear junkie, I’ve had the honor of using some truly cutting edge enhancements, and some real crap.
Their are some things available worth the weight. Their contribution are commendable.
All the shit marketed makes not, a shooter. A shooter can make any gun in their possession work effectively.
Bill I enjoy reading your thoughts, your sharing of kit which works for you. Where does it end?
Let me start with the flashlight. How many men and women here are going to clear a dark residence, or business. I learned early on, that if I got the call from hell. My shit needed to be right, before I exited my unit, and entered the AO.
Once one passes the line, theirs rarely time for adjusting kit, changing stuff, when the lines crossed, what you have is what you must work with. Ain’t no do overs. Early on we started with full auto folding stock mini 14s, and ended my career with G-36s, and M4s. Even used a 16 inch AUG for a few years.
I,don’t recall ever adjusting a sling on any of the assault weapons, for a sure shot, the sling was a tool, for carrying the weapon to,and from a situation, did not factor into anything after the first bullet flew.
Sniper rifle slings. I agree slings are a critical part of your kit, it’s not enough to purchase a great sling, one must understand it, use it daily, your point of owning VS driving the rifle via the sling is critical.
I had gone to a biathlon style sling my last several years. Humping some seriously steep hills and I needed that rifle securely attached. ” Rifles,only” out of Texas. The rifle was capable of dismounting in the traditional manner of the skiers, or by dropping either shoulder rolling the rifle off.
While not ideal for the arm wrap, I found a way to make it,work, not perfect but with an extra wrap around,my forearm I was effective.
If you think about the technology of slings, the history of, it’s truly amazing I can recal SEALS using surgical tubing from 1/4 to 1/2 round on their long guns for swim events. Leather rope, rubber plastic, shoe laces, or cord.
I recall the SAS, didn’t allow slings on the FNFAL they wanted the rifle in the shooters hands at all times. Yet conducting CQB without a sling would be virtually impossible. Perhaps the “no sling” thing was just “selection”, I really don’t recall.
I enjoy following your political ideology your views on world vents and corruption of our govt.
I’m starting to think our gear views are vastly different. One can’t purchase weapon accuracy or speed.
And sometimes it’s better to be lucky rather then lightening fast. Like to think I’ve come full circle, and back to making a simple gun a very effective tool in my hands, with or without all the stuff hanging on it.
Respectfully.
Dirk
Dirk,
Thanks for your thoughts, that gas pedal is the best three ounces on my rifle. Don’t knock it until you try it.
Bill I enjoy reading your thoughts, your sharing of kit which works for you. Where does it end?
It doesn’t end, I am always improving my TTP. It is my shokunin in service to my kodawari.
I’m starting to think our gear views are vastly different. One can’t purchase weapon accuracy or speed.
I suspect our gear views are closer than you think. Per the purchase of speed and accuracy: Yes, you can, with a sling. A thought experiment; the removal of the stock will make your rifle lighter but certainly not effective.
Cordially,
Bill
Good morning Bill, thanks for sharing your thoughts. After reading the below suggestions/observations, just another view.
I shoot both right hand strong, but try to shoot left handed even more so, while at the range. My observation over the past thirty years is that we humans, continue to practice on what we’re good on.
IE, right hand shooting VS left hand shooting, nature of the beast kinda stuff. When I meet and greet folks, at some cognitive level in my pea brain, I’m figuring out what the persons strong hand is. For whatever reason to me it’s important to know which side is the persons strong side.
Anyways one of my trivial concerns is, when a rifle is set up specific to left/right hand shooting, it’s balanced for a specific side. That three ounces, is now six ounces if one balances the rifle out, placing a second device.
This has always been my complaint with flashlight or Laser placement, on one side or the other, don’t misunderstand, I’ve got the DBALS, and the good lights for a couple rifles, I run the VLTOR, kit, designed for the navy fighters, while it is bigger in diameter, I find for me I prefer it. I also like the fact that the foregrip physically attaches to the upper receiver Picatinny, which stiffens the rifle up kinda like a monolith upper, stiffer, which lends to a better shooting weapon regarding accuracy.
Attachment points on the for grip are drill-tapped to a common thread pitch, for easy use. Kit can be hung from all the classic angles, plus some odd locations, if the shooter should choose.
I think what I’m trying to say is simply this. Weapon selection, and related kit is a personal matter, when I’ve got all my purpose driven kit on the rifles, the dynamics have changed, the balance point the rifles natural ” can’t” ? ” side to side” balance is changed.
The initial rifle is now different, more weight forward isn’t a bad thing, again balance is key. But the rifles pushing 10 pounds, maybe more.
A ten pound M4 just wasn’t the intent.
While most folks are trying all this new kit, adding weight to their rifles, I’m trying really hard to go the other way. I’m trying to lighten my rifles up. I find that the intended m4 natural balance is pretty efficient, I also agree that some add ons are, or can be critical.
Most of my rifles upgrades are internal, simple stuff, such as crane “O” rings ,upgraded BCG’s, recoil systems and better triggers.
Second in order of importance is solid mags, shitty mags turn the rifle into a club.
Third is sights, better ability to quickly and effortlessly put the sight, be it a short scope, a dot or stock sights onto the target.
4th, ability to see in the dark. Is it a flashlight,,or nods equipment, a choice, while I’m no longer running a light, I acknowledge their are,some fantastic units on the markets, with the ” Lum power” tall enough to stun a person for a second or two, clearly adding an advantage.
I’ve opted for the PVS 14, yes it’s heavier, but the weights centered behind a T-1 Red dot, which is IR capable.
Their is a down side, the red dot, is not,an effective distance sight , but under 100y not,to,bad, certainly under 50y, it’s the shit!.
Lastly sound suppression. Is it needed, nope, rifle functions with or without a can. I’ve just found that a can lends to my shoot ability in odd and often I thought of ways.
For instance stalking, I don’t require ear protection, muzzle flash is,much reduced, and shots fired from good concealment are difficult to detect ones direction and location, if your not shooting lots of bullets quickly.
I find the can to add the forward weight I like, I prefer a slight barrel heavy rifle, ” I’m just so use to my sniper rifles with their huge cans hanging off the barrel”
So I’ve added the weight I despise, but in kit that I,find critical to my style.
I shoot with my forehand forward or extended. I need my thumbs to operate anything that needs to be pushed/ minipulated, I don’t use push pads, just seen to many ADs, a light AD, is a very bad thing in the wrong place.
I guess we’re just adding the same weight just for different purposes, your gas pedal is where I would have my light or the DBAL, again a choice.
Keep up the good work, im sure your rifles are working good for you. That’s what’s important.
Happy coming Independence Day to you all.
Dirk
Dirk,
Thanks for your thoughts, lighter is always better, my friend Mike at Straterra Tactical sells a 3.5# AR for 2k.
Bill
I’m not sure what point you were making about the flashlight. You may agree with me here. I’ve got a Streamlight on my AR, because I look at the 24 hour clock and see that I have IDEAL natural lighting inside my house from about 0800 until about 1600. Also, from about April through August, and from about November through January, I can expect weather that further degrades natural lighting in my area. On top of that, living rural means my little power coop lets my electricity flash on and off occasionally, and that when it actually goes down, it’s usually down for a few hours.
What I’m saying is that I can expect to be in a situation where I have less than ideal lighting, and being able to give myself full illumination is something I want.
Great article! I had not heard of or seen the thumb gas pedal grip before. I just ordered a few to try out.
I standardized all my slings to the MagPul MS1–one slider, no tails. I am a right handed shooter and have both of my sling QD attachment points on the RHS of the buttstock and handguard (just behind the angled foregrip). My sling usage is trimodal; 1.)carry and general shooting from either shoulder–sling used just as a neck loop, 2.)social work– strong arm through sling muzzle down, 3.)assisted precision– strong arm through sling adjusting length slider with firing hand to increase sling pressure across the back of my support hand and upper back. This simulates a cuff sling, without having to unsling/modify the sling or have the cuff slide down my bicep.
For my angled foregrip I switched from the MagPul AFG to the Fab Defense PTK. It is more narrow than the MagPul (either version) and just fits my hand and rest angle of my wrist better(also holds a CR123). And if the thumb grip “gas pedal” that you mentioned works as well as I think it will, I will be changing out my Fab Defense VTS, which I currently use at the 9 & 3 o’clock as a handstop/thumb grip.
Again thanks for the info!
Best
Joe
That gas pedal is going to change your shooting for the better.
Sure thing. The tariff is to make the product more expensive to consumers so that they don’t buy it. Which means less exports from the originating country. Punish the makers and the buyers. Whoever caves in first loses. But you know that. And with all the choices we have in America I’m sure no one is inconvenienced too much if that German washing machine they wanted costs $25 more than a Maytag. I’m sure you know all about Chinese steel being sold cheaper than they make it and by selling raw steel plate to Canada who then cuts the sheet in half it then becomes Canadian steel that is sold in the US far less than US plate. Its Chinese dumping. They use Mexico to move aluminum into the US the same way. The entire Rustbelt is from bad trade deals.
Nothing would make me happier to see Wall mart empty it’s shelves of Chinese products for one month. Then America will see what how deep Chinese products infest America. That equates to closed US factories. Americans have no patience, it’s instant gratification. The stock market drops 300 and America panics. Give the tariffs a chance to work. If they don’t then Washington will pull them. Trump ain’t a perfect man. No one is. But he’s miles better than Obama or Hillary. My opinion.
Let me say I’ve been following your blog for as long as I can remember and have learned many things. And I don’t read your blog for Economics or trade policies. But in trade disputes I disagree.
Jaque
Jaque,
You and I will always disagree on tariffs because they punish home consumers with a tax imposed on the domestic market that doesn’t touch foreign markets and the Feds pocket the impost. What a deal.
Mark Levin says it adroitly (and I don’t agree with him very often):
“[I]f that’s so great for America and American jobs, well why would you just limit it to steel and aluminum and lumber?” asked Mark Levin about the effectiveness of tariffs. “Let’s massively increase tariffs on wheat. Let’s massively increase tariffs on corn. Let’s massively increase tariffs on every d— thing we produce, whether it’s a raw material or a finished good. That way we’ll have explosive growth, explosive wage increases. We will destroy every competitor. Well, of course, that’s nuts. You know what you’ll have? The poorest country on the face of the earth. To the protectionists out there, the Republican Herbert Hoovers and the Republican Bernie Sanders, the question is: Why limit the tariffs?”
After our exchange about tariffs I decided to google your name. Well I’ll be dammed. There’s a whole big world of Bill Buppert digitized and converted into electrons. All along I thought Zerogov was it. I’ve spent many hours viewing your YouTube presentations and listening to podcast interviews. Let me say this old geezer is humbled.
I urge Zerogov readers to look for Bills work on YouTube and the Dangerous History Podcasts. With a Roku or equivalent you can lean back and watch YouTube on the big screen.
Regards,
Jaque
Jaque, I have been on speaking sabbatical since 2016 hence the absence of later podcasts and media. You are very kind.
If they made an M-LOK version I’d try one. I use a variation of this with a Magpul AFG and a Hand Stop offset 90degrees to hook my thumb over, similar to how this Gas Pedal thing is used. I can see how the flatter/lower thumb rest could allow the wrist to be rotated further and still allow something to grip.
I like and use Blue Force Gear Vickers sling. it is quick adjusting in both directions. I set mine up to fit me at its shortest and then can quick adjust to longer when carrying my rifle slung.
Hi Bill, hope you are well. Appreciate your Praxis posts.
Beginning last summer I began to carry my combat carbine everywhere, kind of Colonial “minute man” style, in my small mountain ridge community. Without going into detail of a couple events which gave me serious pause to have a combat weapon with me 24/7, I wholly agree with you about the need for running a sling. My own number 1 reason has to do with practical requirements, for example, very difficult to take care of our truck garden chores with a carbine in one hand and a hoe for tilling in the other. Strap a sling onto my carbine, ( 80% built 300blk 16 inch AR running iron sights and ten round mag), and over my shoulder muzzle down, got two paws now to do my garden chores, or walk my fence line, jump on the tractor, etc.
I also discovered, very practical upgrade to this carry style is to electrical tape the muzzle, or get a gross of those .mil plastic muzzle protectors. Reason being I jammed my muzzle into the dirt on two occasions, stuffing the bore with dirt about an inch in, and subsequently when I tipped the rifle barrel up to look at the debris, whole bunch of nice fine soil went down the barrel and got into every crevice of the bolt.
Imagine if I had to fire my rifle? Could very well blow the barrel apart and score the rifling from the dirt stuck everywhere on the lands and grooves.
The sling comes in super handy running a tractor or other equipment. I hang my carbine on the ROPR bar, keeps it from getting hung up in the controls or under the air seats. And it’s in an instant ready was to grab spot.
We have wild dog problems, making the sling super practical, like having to run across a couple hay meadows and jump 4-5 ft fence lines, scoot up a crazy steep WV hollow, setting up to for a hasty ambush on the wild dogs or coyotes. I can’t express how utterly essential running a sling is, before I even get to the live fire aspects.
I have run simple 1″ nylon adjustable slings with H&K hooks at first, found as things went, a sling with quick slide hardware adjustment really boost the practicality of my slings. Another discovery was where your front and rear mount points are located. It’s probably different for Everton due to type of rifle, body shape, etc, but I found the over the back muzzle down carry, ( which affords me to only have to grab the stock end of my sling to slide the weapon around to ready position across my chest ), having the rear mount as close to the junction of the buffer tube lower receiver interface, and the from at the forward edge, at our above the bore centerline, of the forend.
I’m running a carbine length flat top upper with an A2 full length stock. I had to fabricate my own mounts for these location, no commercial bits are available. What this does is cause the rifle to ride very flat to my body, from or back carry. A very stable set up. Remember, this is all day carry, it don’t take long for things to start to cause discomfort or inhibit the ready state carry aspect. I think it’s safe to say this is a very personally orientated style of carry, where your particular circumstances dictate how to modify for practical comfortable ready carry.
A funny thing happened when I began to carry my carbine everywhere in my community, a large percentage of the ladies and girls in our community took to tooting and waving enthusiastically as they would drive by as I work in the garden or fields. I’m talking big smiles, thumbs up, lots of honking the horn, long waves etc.
It made me feel pretty awesome. And it wasn’t only the woman in our community, men have taken to making sure I know they are tootin’ and wavin’ also.
I’m not sure what it’s about, but it seems like a big positive.
Hope this all helps everyone in some way. The point here is there’s a big diff between safe queens, square range, and every day slinging a combat carbine.
I have much to thank Max Velocity for, taking his small unit infantry and combat handgun carry courses. Extremely empowering instruction and experience. These instructional courses involve the most elemental aspects of 4th Gen Combat tactics and procedures, which made it most practical to further my own style and needs on the personal level, in common sense ways. Bet myself I would never have arrived at practical solutions as readily, or maybe never, if I had not taken what Max teaches seriously, in both his books and schooling.
I’m running a magpul s3 sling in the 2 position config. 1 points suck bad. Now the issue i ran into all the sling mounts out there rub me bad or i can’t trust them.
i ended up running a double thickness of paracord 550 through the holes in the rail. i basically have a 4 finger loop. that I clip the s3 into [on the left side of rail for a right handed shooter] on the rear MOE stock. i have a double length of 550 tied onto the toe of the stock, exiting in a bight out the sling lock hole. You basically start the knot in the bight, then work backwards tying in a wrap and a bowline.
This keeps the sling connections from biting into my hand and my should er or chest.
I can sling the rifle behind me or hanging in a low ready in the front.
Drop your left elbow into the sling and your wrapped in tight. Good for 100-200 yards after that. I use my day pack as a sand bag [still working on a good pack load out for the rifleman}. A good bag is better than a bipod. [511 rush bags are lousy, maybe a maxpedition is what I’m looking for]
Maybe a bit of a slide sideways here, but if you run a conventional hunting rifle rather than something with a very protruding magazine, the Ching sling is an awesome setup. It’s a simple speed loop that you get into with the same motion as the “hasty” sling, but it puts you in a weight-bearing loop in one second. Works like a charm on a bolt gun.
I think the Ching Sling is a great sling for a weapon like a Garand.
Yes if you don’t mind putting in the extra swivel. The M14 front swivel works as well as a commercial one.
Thanks for the post on Gas Pedal. It is something that really works well but few know about. About weight it is negligible. The one in pic is our first first out of CNC metal which works great. Our version now is Poly and less expensive. The verbiage is from my technical explanation as an A rated shooter, Physics degree and 35 years of sports medicine so I know how the hand works.
My favorite combo is with Magpul AFG. About the MLok mount, we have not made one officially but you can modify the Gas Pedal in 5 minutes or less to make it work. Simply dremel off the Picatininy flanges, drill a hole straight thru the body and attach with MLok or other proprietary bolt. I have two on my Stoner AR15. One of the beauties of it is you can mount forward as traditional rifle position or very close to mag for very quick arc of fire shots.
Thanks for all your comments.
Bill:
“I am looking to my readership to give me a quality lead on some good videos on sling employment. The advice here is spot-on and he has since retired from active blogging. -BB”
Larry Vickers demonstrates use of his Blue Force Gear Combat Applications Sling in the traditional loop sling configuration at time 2:44:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psk65mhcxrs&t=25s
We have tried it. It works.
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