Suggestions for sling material

[Taylorz1]

Looking for some suggestions for a more traditional minded/historically appropriate rifle sling. I hunt in the west and my style of hunting pretty much demands a sling. Carrying in the hand doesnt work for me. I know its blasphemy but ive used modern styled leather and nylon slings on my guns as the best option to date. Ive tried loop style slings that go around the barrel and they stretch and distort in the rain so have moved to  a front swivel with a button or just swivels to mount slings to the rifle. Ive seen some very handsome braided slings on contemporary “plains” styled rifles but wasnt sure 1-what the material was and 2- how robust it was. Ive seen issues with stretching and quick degradation with cotton slings before. I drag my poor guns through rocks, in the rain, strap them to backpacks and throw them in the back of trucks with large dead things. Anyone have any suggestions ? Thanks and best

Zack

[Jerry V Lape]

woven sling with leather ends.  Body of waxed linen threads about 1 1/2 inches wide.  Stronger than cotton or wool and very abrasion resistant. Mostly water repellent and you could supplement that with periodic thin coat of bee's wax rubbed on and warm to penetrate.  Could argue it is made of period correct materials.

[Elnathan]

Here is a thread from a couple years back that might be useful: https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=56442.0
Another: https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=70934.0

Leather seems to have been the material of choice for most military slings. If you want to go vegetarian, I can recommend this hemp webbing: https://hemptique.com/collections/hemp-webbing-1
Strong, soft, machine-washable (and dryable depending on the hardware attached), and while I can't swear to it I suspect that it would handle being wet without stretching, as they used hemp for ship rigging for millennia....I'm wearing a belt made from it now, as a matter of fact.

[Taylorz1]

Thank you very much to all for the replies. Im embarrassed to say I missed the thread re Jaeger slings when I was searching before I posted my question- thank you very much for the links. Also thanks for the links re the hemp webbing ! I am going to try that for a sling and also have a few other project ideas for it as well. Best wishes-

Zack

[Pukka Bundook]

Taylor,
As others have said, hemp webbing works well any weather it seems.
I made one for my 'Jaeger'  rifle.

I have a pic of that sling dated 2012, so its been on the gun at least that long and still works like new.

[James Rogers]

Leather

[Bull Shannon]

The waxed linen or wool, woven straps have served me well on a number of different guns. Travis Baur of "A Second Chance at History" made me a matching bag and sling. The sling is treated with warm beeswax and water just beads up on it.





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