Is a sling a good idea for a HD long gun?

I have a sling on my main rifle which is used for HD. It is out of the way and won't snag on something.

I'd have sling studs on any long gun. However, on a long gun used in the confines of your home, I'd opt to detach it to prevent it snagging. The only plausible reason to abandon a long gun in favor of another type of weapon is lack of ammunition or severe malfunction. Then you are best served by either using it as a club or just dropping it in favor of another weapon within reach.

Sling studs would be handy, though, if your HD shotgun also doubled as your deer slug gun or your HD rifle doubled as a plinker or target gun. 12 guage pumps and AR-15 types come to mind immediately.

1911 guy said:

I'd have sling studs on any long gun. However, on a long gun used in the confines of your home, I'd opt to detach it to prevent it snagging. The only plausible reason to abandon a long gun in favor of another type of weapon is lack of ammunition or severe malfunction. Then you are best served by either using it as a club or just dropping it in favor of another weapon within reach.

Sling studs would be handy, though, if your HD shotgun also doubled as your deer slug gun or your HD rifle doubled as a plinker or target gun. 12 guage pumps and AR-15 types come to mind immediately.

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Perhaps you haven't read this thread yet, but the sling is there for a lot more than abandoning the gun.

When you tried a sling on your long gun in your house, what did you snag on?

18 inch Benelli, no sling, it would just get in the way, when I am done or out of ammo, I want to be able to drop it and go to a handgun if necessary. Hopefully it won't ever be necessary, so instread I ordered an extension tube, from 5 to 7 rounds should stop just about any sane attackers.

I have slings on mine. I train with a sling on my rifle and shotgun for work; never had a problem with them getting snagged on anything, and I'm now used to being able to just drop the long gun and have it slide to my support side if I need my hands for any reason.

I recently had to use a less lethal shotgun at work, and it didn't have a sling (a problem since corrected). It can be awkward trying to tuck it under your arm to use your hands.

For me, there is no downside to having one.

My two rifles, Lee Enfield and Micro Galil are both equipped with 'Assault Slings'

It's not enough for me to worry about. So either way makes no difference to me. If I grab a rifle or a shotgun depending on where I'm at it may or may not have a sling.

gym said:

18 inch Benelli, no sling, it would just get in the way, when I am done or out of ammo, I want to be able to drop it and go to a handgun if necessary. Hopefully it won't ever be necessary, so instread I ordered an extension tube, from 5 to 7 rounds should stop just about any sane attackers.

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That (dropping long gun and going to a handgun) is one of the reasons I have a sling on my rifle

"Is a sling a good idea for a heavy duty long gun?"

Yes, yes it is.
(Question answered)

I believe that long guns need a sling -- but it is not required. It will help in the event where you need to move an obstacle i.e. move a chair, opening doors, turning lights on, etc. Retention of the weapon is the main purpose. A fully-loaded shotgun, AK, or AR can be heavy especially with only one hand. In the dark or in a panic mode, your fine motor skills may break down. This is when the Sling is most helpful.

If a task required both hands, it will mean you have to put the long gun down if you don't have a sling. Not a good idea IMO. Sure, Everyone's home setup and situation may vary, but simply opening dead bolts or putting on shoes in a hurry may require both hands during an emergency.

If the sling getting caught in objects is your excuse, there are plenty of solutions for that. There are different sling options like side-mount, single-point, and 3-point setups that will eliminate the problem. Or just tighten your sling and train with it...

Worst case scenario is when the BG grabs your long gun by surprise. Can it happen? Possibly. Reminds me of that scene in the movie Terminator Salvation when Sam Worthington grabs the sling-less shotgun from Kyle Reese.

If you like it, you should put a sling on it.

In all seriousness, yes, it's a good idea. A properly managed sling won't get in the way, and can help with retention should the bad guy get the drop on you.

A sling is definitely as appropriate in the home as it is out of the home, provided you choose the right type of sling for the job. You aren't going to use a target sling or standard carry strap effectively in a residential environment, but a "tactical" (I hate that word) type of sling may be useful.

I use a single point sling on my work rifle, and it's the same sling and rifle that is in my closet when I'm home. If I were to deploy that rifle in the house, I can't think of a reason that I wouldn't want the sling to be available to me.

I find this to be almost silly!

Of course use a sling! Even in a home defense situation!

If you are hunkered down in a "safe room" or bunker, then you aren't moving around and a sling while unnecessary, is unlikely to get in the way or snag on anything.

If you are moving around, in a home defense scenario, you might need to use both hands for something, what do you do with your long gun then? Carrying small children comes to mind, or assisting an incapacitated spouse another.

Now if you have access to several guns, maybe have one with and one without a sling, and then choose which you think might be best. And hope it works.

To each his own, but I think a sling's advantages outweighs the disadvantages by a long shot.

Well after reading both sides it seems pretty clear there is no right or wrong answer just opinions.

The good points is it allows you to retain your weapon if necessary, without just setting it down in the dark. I can't really see where you'd need it to stabilize a weapon in a CQB situation, now if you wanted to finish them off as they're running down the street maybe.

Bad point is it can snag. Yeah, yeah that only happens to other people who don't train good like me, but Murphy has a way of upsetting the best laid plans. So you have an unnececssary attachment with few if any practical uses that could hang you up at the worst possible moment.

Personally I have one on my HD rifle but not my shotgun.

Did I miss it...or has not one person given even one example of something their sling snagged on in the house??

We've had plenty of references to the fact that the professionals use slings in houses, why are us amateurs making up what we think will happen without an actual factual basis behind it?

Why sit around philosophizing about what you think might happen instead of clearing your HD gun, slinging up, and moving around the house??

I've been hunting and have snagged a sling on branches, rocks, etc... on numerous occasions.


Is it really that impossible to believe it couuld happen while going through a house in the dark?

Weevil said:

I've been hunting and have snagged a sling on branches, rocks, etc... on numerous occasions.


Is it really that impossible to believe it couuld happen while going through a house in the dark?

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The people who do it professionally generally use a sling.

The people here who have done it generally laugh when people who haven't tired it talk about what will happen.

Is it really that hard to go with people who have actually done something??

Sure...it could happen...lots of things 'could happen'...but I have never yet in my life heard one single person say they got hung up while properly using a sling in the house.

We are of course not talking about a GI web sling just hanging off the gun while you hold it, we are talking about a modern 1 or 2 point sling used to carry and retain the weapon

I don't see how a sling can snag when you're wearing it like it is supposed to be worn.

1,2,and 3 point slings go around your body. If you let them dangle like most hunters do then yeah, it's going to snag. If you aren't going to wear the sling then leave it off.

Yes I have a nice 2 point sling for my AK and am not particualry worried about snags.

However I haven't found a decent sling for my shotgun I would trust.

Rather than making blanket statements we should make it clear that a good tight sling that stays close to your body is a good idea.

However a dangling tacti-cool sling that holds a few extra shells and swings like a pendulum, not so much.

In the Nam a sling was rigged to fit crosswise so when the M16 was not in hand it was facing forward, stock under armpit so both hands were free. Cabelas sells these as "Safari slings" . I use them on my 870 and Mini30. However for home defense it is a whole different ball game. I remove the sling from the 870 and would never use a high powered rifle for inside home defense due to penetration.

Try waking up in the dark, groggy, grabbing your shotgun with a sling and see how it gets in the way or snags on the night table etc.

Oh I also have the .40 under the pillow.

ronbow said:

In the Nam a sling was rigged to fit crosswise so when the M16 was not in hand it was facing forward, stock under armpit so both hands were free. Cabelas sells these as "Safari slings" . I use them on my 870 and Mini30. However for home defense it is a whole different ball game. I remove the sling from the 870 and would never use a high powered rifle for inside home defense due to penetration.

Try waking up in the dark, groggy, grabbing your shotgun with a sling and see how it gets in the way or snags on the night table etc.

Oh I also have the .40 under the pillow.

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The .223/5.56 is a great choice for home defense, and penetration is no more more of a concern than with .40.

I've tried it...it doesn't snag on anything.

Sometimes listening to those who do it is better than making wild guesses.

Home defense and slings seem to me to only lead to problems. As in ,what happens when you jump out of bed,grab your long gun and it gets hung up on something? Think about it. :

Hand guns .............Only way to go. I know some like the 'long gun' and it fits their needs, so you folks are set in your ways. Nothing wrong there.

Yeah most military and police aren't being suddenly woke up from a sound sleeping and suddenly grabbing a weapon in a dark room.

They have time to prep and get their sling on probably, and aren't fumbling around with a sling in the dark half asleep.

And if you just grab the gun in a hurry without mounting the sling it's gonna be a snare hanging there waitting to snag.



What the "pros" do doesn't always apply directly to the situations you might encounter at home in your bed at night.

Weevil said:

Yeah most military and police aren't being suddenly woke up from a sound sleeping and suddenly grabbing a weapon in a dark room.

They have time to prep and get their sling on probably, and aren't fumbling around with a sling in the dark half asleep.

And if you just grab the gun in a hurry without mounting the sling it's gonna be a snare hanging there waitting to snag.


What the "pros" do doesn't always apply directly to the situations you might encounter at home in your bed at night.

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You sure aren't giving people any credit. When it comes to making assumptions about the training, experience, and knowledge of others I give the benefit of the doubt. I would appreciate it if you returned the favor.

But I will address your points, as they apply to me personally, in hopes that you will come to realize why making a bunch of assumptions and then applying them, in a blanket manner, to everybody, is not likely to work very well

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My room has plenty of light for the task. There are night lights all over the house, including one directly behind my rifle, and 2-3 others providing light to the bedroom. I have multiple battery powered night lights that come on even brighter if power is interrupted. Seeing my way around, even in the dead of night, is not a problem...especially with dark adapted eyes. And who says every HD situation will be woken up in the dead of night anyway?

Getting the sling on is very simple, and very easy, and can be done very quickly. Grab sling with off hand, lift over head, push hand through sling. Done. I have done it many times and don't even have to think about it.

If I don't have the 0.5 seconds necessary to get into the sling, I won't be picking the rifle up at all, I'll be sticking with the handgun I got off my nightstand before I even got out of bed. Or, if I don't have the time, it's because somebody made it into the bedroom very very quickly, in which case I'll be shooting from where the rifle is, and there won't be anything to snag the sling on anyway (nor the movement necessary for that to happen).

I have outdoor lighting, passive defensive landscaping, securely locked/reinforced doors and windows, two large dogs, and a monitored alarm. Chances are I'll never have to use an HD gun. If I do, chances are I'll have the few seconds necessary to get to it and pick it up. Also, the adrenaline dump will make sure I am no longer half asleep.


If I need to use my hands for something, it is probably going to be better to have the rifle hanging in front of me, by the sling, than having to set the rifle down on something (or just let it fall). Dropping it into the sling is faster than setting it down, easier than setting it down, and keeps it where I can go right back to it, if necessary.

I have moved/ran around and maneuvered with the rifle slung, and it rarely gets in the way enough to be a concern.

I have moved/ran around and maneuvered with the rifle in my hands and the sling 'on', and it has never come close to snagging on anything. Further, given where the sling is, getting caught on something seems quite unlikely.


There is no reason that everything in my post cannot apply to anybody/everybody else.

And if you just grab the gun in a hurry without mounting the sling it's gonna be a snare hanging there waiting to snag.

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Then store it tight?

It takes roughly the same amount of time, maybe less, to sling a gun as it does to stuff a pistol holster in your pants and several people here have said they would do exactly that in an emergency.