Now that you have your AR rifle sighted in, you need to buy yourself a gun sling. Norman gives his picks for the best AR-15 sling for your rifle.
Best AR-15 Sling You Should Own
Arizona – The humble AR-15 sling is one of the most valued, yet strangely enough, underused part of a rifle. Anyone who has ever served their country or just hunted this great land knows the value of a rifle sling.
It is used in the act of shooting, transporting your rifle from place to place, and allows you to use both hands while keeping your rifle close or transitioning to a handgun.
In the worst of times, it has served as a tourniquet and saved lives. But most of the time I find it’s left behind until the time it’s needed most and not available. Wise hunters and shooters carry their slings with them for times like this.
But which sling to buy, one point, two points, three-point, quick detach, sport, professional, educate yourself before you purchase, this will help make the wisest choice for your application. Many sites have videos on products they sell and you can learn a lot from people in the know, I highly encourage you to watch them so you purchase what you want the first time, it will save you from playing mailman and a whole lot of aggravation.
The list that follows if my pick for five of the best AR-15 rifles slings on the market in no particular order:
Bushnell’s Butler Creek Comfort Stretch AR-15 Sling
Brownells Tactical Plus AR Rifle Sling
I have embedded and series of videos from Brownell’s that help make many of my points and provide better insight into picking the sling that is right for you.
Sling Attachments
Before you get to the sling you need a rifle with a proper sling attachment point that your rifle may already have. There are also many good aftermarket sling mount points available online.
The Five Best AR-15 Sling For Your Black Rifle
1 Point Tactical Rope Sling :
Let’s start with the one-point tactical sling, they are as simple as one could want. Simply place it over your head and/or shoulder and clip it to your attachment point on your black rifle and you’re in business. 1 Point Tactical Rope Sling.
The rope portion allows your rifle to move while walking and offers a shock-absorbing type effect. It’s made of a 64” adjustable 1.5” wide heavy-duty nylon webbing that weighs in at 3.5 oz and is easy on left or right-handers. The simple swivel trigger snap is easily detached from the rifle and easily re-attached and is insanely affordable, at $15.00 or less. Buy three or four as they are handy for shotguns, crossbows, and spotting scopes as well, you can’t go wrong.
AR-15 Sling 1 Point Bungee AR 15 Sling
Blue Force Gear – AR-15/M16 Vickers Combat Sling :
Two-point slings are the tactical equivalent of a basic hunting sling except they do more things in some cases. Blue Force Gear – AR-15/M16 Vickers Combat Sling is a two-point sling baptized in combat. Designed by Larry Vickers (Former Delta Operator) this sling is designed with hard use in mind utilizing steel and military-grade polymers along with Cordura nylon. It allows for multiple adjustments with no loose ends to tangle in your gear and it works with all rifles using a 1 ¼” sling swivel. Soldiers don’t keep bad gear, it ends up on the side of the road, this AR-15 sling is simple and effective; the way things should be.
Blue Force Gear – AR-15 M16 Vickers Combat Sling
2 Point Sling Quick Adjust Sling for AR15 or M16 :
Two-point slings offer slightly more bells and whistles but are simple in their use. One like the 2 Point Sling Quick Adjust Sling, is for a full-length rifle. It comes in black with additional swivels and easily installs on the bottom or side sling swivel mount points. The 2 point rifle sling strap length can be adjusted from 38.6” to 70”, with 4 adjustment thumb loops that allow you to put the extra length in the plastic buckle and you won’t feel it wrapped around you. Upgraded metal clips can open wide which makes them fit well.
It’s higher in price but it better grade gear so expect to pay a bit more.
Spec-Ops Brand Patrol Sling 2-Point
Bushnell’s Butler Creek – Comfort Stretch AR-15 Sling :
Shooting and hunting are addictive and a severe drain on funds so anything that can help stretch the budget is welcomed. Bushnell’s Butler Creek – Comfort Stretch Sling is very functional and easy on the wallet offering two different models. Both models use waterproof webbing, closed-cell neoprene shoulder pads with raised rubber dots on the backing to reduce slippage.
The stretchable backing on the pad behaves like a shock absorber reducing the jarring to your shoulder. The Alaskan model includes four loops for carrying extra rounds and both are budget-friendly and great for your MSR (Modern Sporting Rifle).
Bushnell’s Butler Creek – Comfort Stretch Sling
The simplest rifle sling is often the best and being time and battle-tested makes it even better. Most are familiar with the leather sling that was used on the M-1 Garand in WW 2, today copies are far better using space-age BioThane making it supple, easier to adjust, and weatherproof.
The new Brownells – Tactical Plus Rifle Sling is great for any rifle using mounts of 1 ¼” or less and comes in Black, brown, and OD. It’s constructed with metal hooks attached with brass rivets and it can be used on almost any rifle, “Versatility Rules!” It’s not fancy or high-tech, it just works every time and that’s why this sling is one of my favorites for a general-purpose sling.
Brownells – Tactical Plus Rifle Sling
By no means is this the be-all-end-all list of slings you can choose from. There are so many more choices, but whether you are a hunter, weekend warrior or a proud professional Soldier or Police Officer this quick guide will get you on the right track by identifying the most popular AR-15 Rifle slings and sling types.
Norman Gray has been involved in the shooting sports for well over 30 years. He has served in both active duty and a reserve component of the United States Army as an Infantryman and was honorably discharged at the end of his service.
Moving to Arizona, he began assisting his long-time friend and mentor Bob Shell, an accomplished writer and author in his own right. Norman is a freelance contributor with Handguns Magazine, Canadian Firearms Journal, and Manzano Valley Outdoors. He is also a member of (POMA) The Professional Outdoor Media Association, the (NSSF) National Shooting Sports Foundation, and a Life Member of the (NRA) National Rifle Association. Visit: https://www.unleaded-ink.blogspot.com/
