7 Best Rifle Slings: +Buyers and Users Guides

Sling, sling, sling. Boy does a good sling make a huge difference. On long guns, a sling makes such an enormous difference. A simple strap made of nylon, leather, or whatever that connects from one end to the other of your rifle and provides many benefits to the shooter. We can and should use slings for hunting, tactical purposes, competition, and even just range use. If you do anything more than look at your rifle, a sling nearly becomes necessary. 

What Is a Sling

It’s a strap, essentially. It fits on your gun and then gives you a versatile means to carry your rifle. What a sling is, is simple. What a sling does is more important. A sling makes life easier when you are carrying your rifle. It allows you to go hands free when possible and allows you to climb a tree stand, navigate obstacles, or maybe carry a deer. On the split side, when it comes to tactical use, the sling offers you the same hands-off freedom, and you can climb, fight, and carry the wounded. 

Beyond support, a sling can also be an aid to accuracy and stability. With proper tension set, the sling can stabilize the rifle and act as a supportive element in your shooting. You can use this not only for slow-fire accuracy at an NRA High Power match, but also in tactical applications or competitive scenarios. I use a sling to provide tension when I shoot PCC matches, and those are rapidly moving and timed matches. 

Slings can also help you retain your weapon. Lord forbid you fall, trip, or stumble and drop your dad’s prized pre-64 Winchester Model 70 in the dirt. Trust me, don’t do that. In the tactical world, it’s also valuable to prevent someone from taking your weapon. It’s awfully hard to take someone’s gun when a 1.25-inch of strap is securing it to your body.

This article coves slings for all types of rifles. If you are looking for a sling for an AR-15 style rifle, we have an articles dedicated to those here.

Gun University’s Choices of the Best Rifle Slings 

Best Rifle Slings

Best Budget Magpul RLS Rifleman Loop		Built In Rifleman’s Loop Design Affordable Made With Modern Materials	Buy on Amazon
Best Leather Diamond D Leather, Leather Rifle Sling		Classic Leather Sling Can be Personalized Wide supportive strap	Buy on Amazon
Best for AR-15 Arbor Arms Dual Adjust Weapon Sling		Dual Adjust Design Made of a Modern Proprietary Material Customizable	Check Price
Best Modular Magpul MS4		1 or 2 point Quick Detachment Easily Adjusted	Check Price
Best for Modern Hunting Blue Force Gear Hunting Sling		2 Point Cordura Webbing resists rolling, cracking, or hardening Comes with sling swivels	Buy on Amazon
Best Tactical Blue Force Gear Vickers Sling		2 Point Cordura Webbing resists rolling, cracking, or hardening Large Pull Tab to Adjust	Buy on Amazon
Best Heavy Duty The Boonie Packer Safari Sling		Wide sling for comfort Automatically drops away as you shoot	Buy on Amazon

Best Rifle Slings Specifications

Below is a table of the specs for each sling. Click the name of the item to jump to that review.

Best Rifle Slings

Here is our list for the best rifle slings:

1. Magpul RLS Rifleman Loop
2. Diamond D Leather Leather Rifle Sling
3. Arbor Arms Dual Adjust Weapon Sling
4. Magpul MS4
5. Blue Force Gear Hunting Sling
6. Blue Force Gear Vickers Sling
7. The Boonie Packer Safari Sling

Best Rifle Slings – Reviews

Best Rifle Slings – Buyers Guide

Slings do lots and lots of stuff. Here we have both a buyers guide to help you choose the right sling features for you along with a users guide to explain how to properly use and size your sling.

The Points of Slings 

We’ve covered the figurative point of slings, but what about the literal point? When we talk about slings, you’ll often hear things like 2 points, 1 point, etc. Let’s break down those points and what they mean. Let’s dig into the point of slings. The term point often is utilized to describe how the sling connects to the gun and the user. 

One Point Sling (Single Point) – A one-point sling is one big loop, and it connects to a single point on a sling. They have slowly fallen out of favor but are still handy in some niche situations. In and out of vehicles, they are quite nice to have. They also allow for a ton of freedom of movement. However, they don’t offer much support when carrying the weapon. The weapon can swing around if you are hands off (no longer holding the weapon in your hands and using your hands for other tasks). Additionally, they don’t offer any tension support for aiming your rifle. One-point slings do work best with short carbines and subguns. 

Two Point Sling – A two-point sling is the OG of slings. They’ve been the standard since the very beginning. A two-point sling attaches to the front and rear of the gun, often near the barrel and at the stock. These slings are versatile and popular in the market, available in modern tactical designs or the classic leather strap used in hunting rifles. Two-point slings are quite popular and are the most popular sling currently on the market. 

Three Point Slint – Three points were all the rage a few decades ago in the tactical world. A three-point attaches to two points on the rifle, and then a third strap connects to the user. They were famed for the support they provided, but have fallen out of favor due to the tactical two points. Three points tend to be a mess of straps and a bit more complicated than they need to be. The modern world does not look upon them favorably for that reason. I hated having a three-point on my M16A4 and was so excited to see the Blue Force gear sling take over the Marine Corps. 

Packing Heat 

When choosing a sling, you have to take into account a few factors.

Length – First and foremost, the length of the sling in comparison to your body and weapon. A sling that fits an AR-15 carbine might not work well with a great big precision rifle. 

Sling Hardware – Additionally, you’ll want to examine what hardware you need to attach the sling to your rifle. Most use simple sling swivels, and modern rifles and rail systems allow for QD ports if desired. Other guns, like the AK, may benefit from loop-style attachments. The famed HK hoops are another popular way to attach a sling. Your sling and weapon need to gel well with how you plan to attach it. 

Users Guide – How To Wear A Sling – Tactical Style

Let’s talk about how to set your rifle sling up for success. Having a sling is just one part of the battle. Knowing how to set it up is the second part. With that said, there are lots of ways to set slings up. This is just the way I’ve found most successful. 

Let’s divide the sling and rifle into front and rear portions. The front portion of the sling attaches to the front portion of the rifle. How far forward matters to you, the shooter. When mounted closer to the receiver, it is easier to use in and out of vehicles and tight-fitting locations. However, if your sling has quick-adjust control, the mechanism can be awkwardly located on the sling. 

My favorite position is right behind where my support hand sits on the rifle. This keeps the sling out of the way but is still easy to reach. 

When we get to the rear of the stock, we have to examine where you mount the rear portion of the sling. With most modern rifles, this means either on the stock or on a point in front of the stock at the rear of the receiver. 

Mounting it closer to the rear of the receiver makes it easier to use in and out of vehicles, as well as around barriers. Swapping your rifle from shoulder to shoulder also is easier with this setup.  

I attach my sling to the stock of my rifle. I find this maximizes my ability to use the stock as a supportive shooting aid. Attach the rear portion of the sling to the dominant-hand side of the stock. This seems odd, but it has a purpose. With the sling mounted to this side of the rifle, you can easily swap shoulders without getting choked out by the sling. 

Outside of mounting the sling, it needs to be sized for the user. When sized, you need to account for a plate carrier or a chest rig in your sizing. Those can add inches to your body. Heck, you might even need to account for warming layers. 

If you have a quick-adjust sling, run it as loose as possible for sizing. With it loose, throw it over your body and observe where it sits. We want to adjust the sling until it sits right over your chest at approximately mid-chest height with the quick adjust selector running loose. 

When we make adjustments, you want to make them from the rear first. Adjust the rear portion to tighten or loosen the design. If you run out of adjustment in the rear, you can adjust the front. The reason we avoid adjusting the front is to give the quick-adjust device as much space as possible to adjust. 

Once properly sized, the sling should sit at your chest level and easily move into your shoulder. At the same time, there should be some tension when shouldered. When you tighten the quick-adjust device, the gun should be tight against the body for a truly hands-free experience. 

Slung Out 

Slings are one of the most affordable accessories on the rifle accessory market. It’s quite nice to have and can be a multi-purpose tool for your rifle. Like most things guns these days, there are options for everyone. Hopefully, we’ve provided a diverse selection of slings that provided you with an excellent sling option for your specific purpose. I also hope that we’ve helped you learn how to wear it.