PRS Talk Slings

[Poirierpro]

I’ve been doing homework on slings and I realize there are quite a few great options out there. My question to you is bungee vs. non and is an arm loop really necessary? I’m not only looking for a sling for my center fire, but also my .22 trainer (where I might use it more). Thanks

 

[Trigger Monkey]

I like a bungee sling because it's more comfortable as I'm carrying the rifle slung across my front. The bungee also gives the sling some versatility and the ability to get stable in different positions without having to loop up. I do prefer a sling that has a loop also as I find it to be more stable than using the sling in a hasty fashion. However, actually looping up takes a little time so the decision to use it is situational dependent but it's nice to have the option. I use the same sling for both my centerfire and rimfire rifles.

Whichever sling you end up with, practice, practice, practice.

 

[A&8's]

Bungee. Rifles Only has the best I have found. It has a detachable bicep cuff, too. I personally like the carbine rather than rifle, as the bungee is not as strong.

 

[Poirierpro]

Bungee. Rifles Only has the best I have found. It has a detachable bicep cuff, too. I personally like the carbine rather than rifle, as the bungee is not as strong.

Ya that’s a nice sling. My question is when was the last time you actually slung up, in the arm cuff, in a PRS match? I can see it more in an NRL22 match though.

 

[Trigger Monkey]

I have slung up at matches before, for both centerfire and rimfire, and I've also utilized the sling in other ways to take shots. Now, I couldn't tell you exactly how long ago the last time was specifically but probably in the last year or so. Like I said, using the sling comes down to a conscious decision based on the amount of time you have in the stage, the distance to the targets, and how big they are. In any case it's a useful skill to have when the situation calls for it.

 

[A&8's]

Ya that’s a nice sling. My question is when was the last time you actually slung up, in the arm cuff, in a PRS match? I can see it more in an NRL22 match though.

Never, used the cuff in CF match. However, O have used the bungee for barricade positional stages.

I, however, have used the cuff for unsupported stages at my 22 matches at my place.

 

[Darkside-Six]

2nd for Rifles only. I actually run the carbine sling as it’s a little longer and they do have a bonfire and a loop.

 

[DaleAGribble]

Are you using it for positional slung shooting? Or for mostly carrying the rifle?

Personally I think bungee is the last thing I want in a precision rifle system but thats just an opinion.

I'm personally very happy with the SAP sling for positional rimfire, centerfire, and rifle transport

 

[Poirierpro]

Are you using it for positional slung shooting? Or for mostly carrying the rifle?

Personally I think bungee is the last thing I want in a precision rifle system but thats just an opinion.

I'm personally very happy with the SAP sling for positional rimfire, centerfire, and rifle transport

I’d use it for unsupported off hand stuff in rimfire shooting but unlikely in center fire. May need 2 different slings...

 

[danatkins]

I like the armageddon gear precision rifle sling

 

[TurboTrout]

I have a few SAP slings, mostly for positional shooting, the tension cam on the front and quick detach cuff is great.

Rifles only has a video where Jacob used his bungee sling (yeah biased no doubt) in what seemed to be a interesting way, he had the bipod legs over the edge of a ledge, bungee around is back via neck and below other arm, with what appeared to be a little of his weight aft, looked like a good use of the bungee and appeared quite stable from the video

 

[LV Precision]

I like the armageddon gear precision rifle sling

+1 for the AG Precision Rifle Sling. I've also got the SAP and the Blue Force Gear slings, and the bungee definitely makes a big difference for offhand and positional shooting.

 

[ThePretzel]

Ya that’s a nice sling. My question is when was the last time you actually slung up, in the arm cuff, in a PRS match? I can see it more in an NRL22 match though.

Honestly I've never slung up for a stage in a PRS match, and I've only been to a single match where they included a stage where slinging up would really benefit you (it was the classic 4-Position prone, sitting, kneeling, standing with bipods banned, but you were allowed to use shooting bags which meant really only standing was an unsupported position).

That said for any standing shots you'll be better off using the Olympic position, so you'd only really get use from the sling if you encountered a stage that required you to take shots from unsupported prone, kneeling, or sitting. That one match is the only time in PRS I've ever seen those shooting positions mandated, but I know the basics from 4-P carry over well to a lot of the barricade/positional shooting stages so you might find some sling uses in rare circumstance. The main issue seems to be that using a sling is much more difficult when the forend of the rifle is supported by the shooting prop, it just blocks your grip or the sling's path a lot of the time if you tried to use any kind of traditional method with the sling itself.

I'm trying to think of any stage I've shot where a sling could have helped me and coming up blank, just because every obstacle where I could use a sling also has a faster and/or easier solution. Free recoil or a shooting bag under the forearm with your support arm (and possibly a tripod or large positional bag) focusing on rear support is just plain more effective and less awkward than trying to reach forwards far enough to use a sling in the majority of cases. Slings for rear tension with a bipod or barricade stop preventing the gun from pulling further backwards could be an interesting idea though.

 

[TurboTrout]

Honestly I've never slung up for a stage in a PRS match, and I've only been to a single match where they included a stage where slinging up would really benefit you (it was the classic 4-Position prone, sitting, kneeling, standing with bipods banned, but you were allowed to use shooting bags which meant really only standing was an unsupported position).

That said for any standing shots you'll be better off using the Olympic position, so you'd only really get use from the sling if you encountered a stage that required you to take shots from unsupported prone, kneeling, or sitting. That one match is the only time in PRS I've ever seen those shooting positions mandated, but I know the basics from 4-P carry over well to a lot of the barricade/positional shooting stages so you might find some sling uses in rare circumstance. The main issue seems to be that using a sling is much more difficult when the forend of the rifle is supported by the shooting prop, it just blocks your grip or the sling's path a lot of the time if you tried to use any kind of traditional method with the sling itself.

I'm trying to think of any stage I've shot where a sling could have helped me and coming up blank, just because every obstacle where I could use a sling also has a faster and/or easier solution. Free recoil or a shooting bag under the forearm with your support arm (and possibly a tripod or large positional bag) focusing on rear support is just plain more effective and less awkward than trying to reach forwards far enough to use a sling in the majority of cases. Slings for rear tension with a bipod or barricade stop preventing the gun from pulling further backwards could be an interesting idea though.

You don’t think shooting standing a sling helps?

 

[A&8's]

I'm trying to think of any stage I've shot where a sling could have helped me and coming up blank, just because every obstacle where I could use a sling also has a faster and/or easier solution. Free recoil or a shooting bag under the forearm with your support arm (and possibly a tripod or large positional bag) focusing on rear support is just plain more effective and less awkward than trying to reach forwards far enough to use a sling in the majority of cases. Slings for rear tension with a bipod or barricade stop preventing the gun from pulling further backwards could be an interesting idea though.

I thought the same way, until I went to Jacob Bynum's "Alternate Positions" class last fall. Even PRS barricades are a ton more stable when using a bungee sling. I still have my sticky target from Jacobs class where I put 10 rounds from 100 yards, standing off a PRS barricade inside .5". I also have two videos of me shooting "The Mouse Trap" down there, cleaning it in a hair over 3:30sec (par time was 4:00). And I am NOT a pro shooter, by any stretch. We also shot his mover @ 400y standing off a PRS barricade and tank trap. Slung up made it so much more stable. Main thing is, like any other "new" thing, you have to practice a lot with it to become proficient and speedy getting in and out of the sling to move position.

 

[143lrsd]

(PRS) Pinnacle Rifle Sling – TAB Gear - It's a little pricey but, I've used this one for years.

 

[ThePretzel]

You don’t think shooting standing a sling helps?

Shooting while standing a sling is objectively worse than using the Olympic position, at least when you're not snap-shooting like in a hunting scenario. For hunting a sling is beneficial while standing because you may need to aim and shoot within seconds. The Olympic position may take slightly longer to get into, but it provides a more stable shooting platform than standing with a sling.

Slings work to stabilize a bent arm to act more rigidly, but the Olympic standing position uses a vertical forearm with a straight line of bone support from the balance point of the rifle down to the ground. It's more solid and stable than having your support arm unsupported, but stabilized with a sling. It's the same reason you put your elbow on your knee when sitting/kneeling rather than using a sling in the same fashion as a shot from the standing position.

You can further stabilize your shot with a sling in the sitting/kneeling position, but using the Olympic position for standing shots doesn't really leave much benefit when also using a sling just because of the arm position to get your forearm vertical and resting on top of your hip bone. Olympic position is far more stable than the traditional standing position with a sling, however.

The other thing is that I have literally only encountered 1 PRS event where you had to shoot standing unsupported. I haven't heard of any other matches that required that shooting position, meaning that standing unsupported (where the sling vs Olympic position debate is even relevant) is incredibly rare, at best, or more non-existent in PRS in 2021.

I thought the same way, until I went to Jacob Bynum's "Alternate Positions" class last fall. Even PRS barricades are a ton more stable when using a bungee sling. I still have my sticky target from Jacobs class where I put 10 rounds from 100 yards, standing off a PRS barricade inside .5". I also have two videos of me shooting "The Mouse Trap" down there, cleaning it in a hair over 3:30sec (par time was 4:00). And I am NOT a pro shooter, by any stretch. We also shot his mover @ 400y standing off a PRS barricade and tank trap. Slung up made it so much more stable. Main thing is, like any other "new" thing, you have to practice a lot with it to become proficient and speedy getting in and out of the sling to move position.

I imagine it works quite well on stable obstacles, I haven't tried it myself but I've seen others use it with great success. My main concern would be how usable it is when your obstacle isn't perfectly stable itself, I know I've been to a good number of matches where the PRS barricade itself, or a wall with shooting ports, had its own amount of wobble. Pulling against an obstacle that isn't perfectly steady seems like it might be counterproductive, but if your obstacle is sturdy then it seems great.

 

[A&8's]

I imagine it works quite well on stable obstacles, I haven't tried it myself but I've seen others use it with great success. My main concern would be how usable it is when your obstacle isn't perfectly stable itself, I know I've been to a good number of matches where the PRS barricade itself, or a wall with shooting ports, had its own amount of wobble. Pulling against an obstacle that isn't perfectly steady seems like it might be counterproductive, but if your obstacle is sturdy then it seems great.

Well, the very 1st barricade we shot of down at Rifles Only that day was a hanging rope (550 cord) on a post. Next was a rope strung across the door of his helicopter. Once we were showed "how" everyone was 10x more stable.

 

[TurboTrout]

Shooting while standing a sling is objectively worse than using the Olympic position, at least when you're not snap-shooting like in a hunting scenario. For hunting a sling is beneficial while standing because you may need to aim and shoot within seconds. The Olympic position may take slightly longer to get into, but it provides a more stable shooting platform than standing with a sling.

Slings work to stabilize a bent arm to act more rigidly, but the Olympic standing position uses a vertical forearm with a straight line of bone support from the balance point of the rifle down to the ground. It's more solid and stable than having your support arm unsupported, but stabilized with a sling. It's the same reason you put your elbow on your knee when sitting/kneeling rather than using a sling in the same fashion as a shot from the standing position.

You can further stabilize your shot with a sling in the sitting/kneeling position, but using the Olympic position for standing shots doesn't really leave much benefit when also using a sling just because of the arm position to get your forearm vertical and resting on top of your hip bone. Olympic position is far more stable than the traditional standing position with a sling, however.

The other thing is that I have literally only encountered 1 PRS event where you had to shoot standing unsupported. I haven't heard of any other matches that required that shooting position, meaning that standing unsupported (where the sling vs Olympic position debate is even relevant) is incredibly rare, at best, or more non-existent in PRS in 2021.


I imagine it works quite well on stable obstacles, I haven't tried it myself but I've seen others use it with great success. My main concern would be how usable it is when your obstacle isn't perfectly stable itself, I know I've been to a good number of matches where the PRS barricade itself, or a wall with shooting ports, had its own amount of wobble. Pulling against an obstacle that isn't perfectly steady seems like it might be counterproductive, but if your obstacle is sturdy then it seems great.

Don’t all the biathlon folks use slings, and high power?

 

[6.5SH]

Can't use a sling for standing in high power, sitting and prone only.

 

[ThePretzel]

Don’t all the biathlon folks use slings, and high power?

Biathlon shooters do not use slings, except to carry their rifles. They all use Olympic position for the standing portion of the course of fire.

High power shooters also use the Olympic position for all of their standing shots. Here is 10x National Champion for match rifles Carl Bernosky:

Here's what the same position looks like for the service rifle class (a bit more awkward, but still the most stable):

A solid pillar of bone support from the gun straight through to the ground is the most stable position to shoot from while standing. Using a sling is better than no sling, but it doesn't outperform bone support because a sling still relies on muscles to hold the front of the rifle elevated and steady. No muscles are used to elevate for the rifle's muzzle with the Olympic position, meaning the muscles are much more relaxed and steady than if you had to constantly use support-arm muscles to hold the weight of the rifle.

 

[Poirierpro]

Great feedback and talk here guys...I’m learning!

 

[TurboTrout]

Biathlon shooters do not use slings, except to carry their rifles. They all use Olympic position for the standing portion of the course of fire.
View attachment 7538595

High power shooters also use the Olympic position for all of their standing shots. Here is 10x National Champion for match rifles Carl Bernosky:
View attachment 7538597
Here's what the same position looks like for the service rifle class (a bit more awkward, but still the most stable):
View attachment 7538598

A solid pillar of bone support from the gun straight through to the ground is the most stable position to shoot from while standing. Using a sling is better than no sling, but it doesn't outperform bone support because a sling still relies on muscles to hold the front of the rifle elevated and steady. No muscles are used to elevate for the rifle's muzzle with the Olympic position, meaning the muscles are much more relaxed and steady than if you had to constantly use support-arm muscles to hold the weight of the rifle.

The biathlon folks sure use those arm cuff slings for prone

Kneeling I have made good use of a sling

To each their own, however not having a cuffed sling on a precision rifles seems odd

Agree 100% on bone to bone being king, I like the sling to help hold those joint together, if that makes sense, only using muscle to hold the butt aft into my shoulder pocket.

 

[Makk]

Biathlon shooters do not use slings, except to carry their rifles. They all use Olympic position for the standing portion of the course of fire.
View attachment 7538595

High power shooters also use the Olympic position for all of their standing shots. Here is 10x National Champion for match rifles Carl Bernosky:

I follow the sport and know that they do use the slings for support. You can clearly see the arm loops on nr 27 and nr 22 in your own picture.