elChupacabra!
member
- Joined
- May 29, 2008
- Messages
- 562
Alright, here is my situation. I'm working on getting ready for one of the Appleseed shoots here in Tennessee coming up in September (haven't yet decided which one) and know I need to buy 2 slings, one for each of the rifles I'm going to be bringing, since they are so highly recommended for the event.
Although I do have a simple nylon sling on QD mounts, I never use it. (I'm talking about shooting slings, not carrying slings, as my AR does have a QD single-point sling and my shotgun has a 3-point sling). I tried a couple times, but it honestly seems a little overwrought - by the time you adjust it down, wrap your arm in it and get into position, I could have just flipped the legs on the bipod down and (theoretically) have an even more stable shooting position.
So here is my question - with the growing popularity of bipods, has the sling become obsolete? Now please understand I'm not talking about competition shooting, I'm talking about fighting / utility rifles like an AR or something of that sort. It seems to me that, from a practical standpoint, if you are shooting on the move or at anything within say 100m, getting all wrapped up in a sling seems to be too cumbersome and more of a hinderance to mobility rather than an aid to accurate shooting. If you are shooting at a far target, have the opportunity to go prone and want to improve that prone position, the bipod seems easier, quicker, and more stable than using the sling. In either case, the sling seems like a losing proposition.
I know some may say that bipods are heavy and that 12 extra ounces is alot to hang out at the end of the barrel, and that may be a point... but even my SAM-R patterned AR, with the scope, bipod, AND an extra 30-round mag attached to the buttstock weighs less than a bone-stock M14 or M1A, and a LOT less than a Mk14 in an EBR stock, which people seem to love... so to me, the extra weight is well justified by the improved utility. On a carbine, you are so much lighter that 12 extra ounces seems like a VERY small price to pay for the utility of a bipod. Also, if you have it on a QD mount like a Larue or ARMS, you can pull it off and stow it if you don't anticipate using it, which is also what I do.
So what do you think? For a practical / tactical rifle, has the bipod rendered the shooting sling obsolete?
Although I do have a simple nylon sling on QD mounts, I never use it. (I'm talking about shooting slings, not carrying slings, as my AR does have a QD single-point sling and my shotgun has a 3-point sling). I tried a couple times, but it honestly seems a little overwrought - by the time you adjust it down, wrap your arm in it and get into position, I could have just flipped the legs on the bipod down and (theoretically) have an even more stable shooting position.
So here is my question - with the growing popularity of bipods, has the sling become obsolete? Now please understand I'm not talking about competition shooting, I'm talking about fighting / utility rifles like an AR or something of that sort. It seems to me that, from a practical standpoint, if you are shooting on the move or at anything within say 100m, getting all wrapped up in a sling seems to be too cumbersome and more of a hinderance to mobility rather than an aid to accurate shooting. If you are shooting at a far target, have the opportunity to go prone and want to improve that prone position, the bipod seems easier, quicker, and more stable than using the sling. In either case, the sling seems like a losing proposition.
I know some may say that bipods are heavy and that 12 extra ounces is alot to hang out at the end of the barrel, and that may be a point... but even my SAM-R patterned AR, with the scope, bipod, AND an extra 30-round mag attached to the buttstock weighs less than a bone-stock M14 or M1A, and a LOT less than a Mk14 in an EBR stock, which people seem to love... so to me, the extra weight is well justified by the improved utility. On a carbine, you are so much lighter that 12 extra ounces seems like a VERY small price to pay for the utility of a bipod. Also, if you have it on a QD mount like a Larue or ARMS, you can pull it off and stow it if you don't anticipate using it, which is also what I do.
So what do you think? For a practical / tactical rifle, has the bipod rendered the shooting sling obsolete?