Now I have a question about the way I have the sling attached. Do most of you carry muzzle up or down? The sling has a shoulder pad and I've rigged it for muzzle up.
Neither Honestly it depends on how you want your sling to function. That sling mounting worked ages ago for the M1903, M1, M14, etc.. It still works well for programs like the Appleseed or Creedmoor or other long distance, hyper accuracy programs. For carrying I have always carried muzzle down. It makes movement easier when slung with the weapon on your back and when slung across your front, it can aid a bit in employing. But as I said it is ideal for accuracy. For this I would use an M1907 sling However using it for a fighting rifle leaves a lot to be desired. There are two components to this 1) Sling Type 2) Mounting locations. Sling types: Your best options are a one point or two point sling. One point slings (meaning they only attach to one point on the rifle) are great for actually fighting with your rifle. Properly configured they give the best transition to weak sided shooting and allow you to employ the weapon the fastest. They are not great for carrying or crossing obstacles. This is a typical 1 point sling set up Two point slings (meaning the sling attaches to the weapon at two points, which is what your current set up is) are great for carrying the weapon or traversing obstacles (crawling under wirer, going over walls). But they are a bit slower than the one point for employment speed. For a two point sling I like tie Blue Force Gear Vickers slings. These are pics of a 2 point sling set up and the sling in question Oh and lest I forget, Three Point Slings. They are a solution looking for a problem at best and a problem in their own right at worst. Avoid them So you have two and one point slings. Both have their positives and negatives. However there is a way to meld the two so that you can make a one point into a two point and vice versa on the fly. I present the Magpul (did that really surprise anyone) MS2 sling It was created based on end user feed back and jury rigging of other slings. It works and works well. So now you know your sling options. Now how are you going to attach your sling? If you look at the pic of the 2 point sling above, the sling is mounted to the SIDE of the weapon, right hand side for south paws and left hand side for righties. That is how you will mount a one or two point sling up front. There are multiple tools to help you do this with out breaking the bank. You have this option from GG&G or go even cheaper with the Colt USGI Barrel mount But let me take you down tactiCOOL lane. I am going to suggest the Magpul MOE handguard ($30). To that add the accessory rails (Polymer, $6) and the front sling mount and then get a rail sling mount (from Troy, Midwest Industries, Daniel Defense). I like this the best in that you are not attaching the front of the sling to the front sight base. You can move the sling closer to the upper receiver, putting less stress on the barrel. That means there is less of a chance on the sling tension moving your point of aim. Finally there is the rear mounting. You can go with the hole at the TOP of your stock sling. You can also purchase aftermarket butt stocks with integrated sling swivels. Or you can get these add on mounts that go right between the castle nut and the butt stock. Midwest Industries Daniel Defense Troy Industries All three options are relatively low cost and are designed in a way that you dont have to break the castle nut and its staking and then have to get a new one and attach it I hope this helps and this is Asyn...er I mean Frontline signing off.
An M4 like that? I'd rig it for tactical carry. See how there's a hole in the buttstock, just under the buffer? Instead of using the rear sling swivel, I'd buckle the strap around the buffer (and I would go with the padded side at the butt. Then instead of slinging the rifle over your back in a traditional manner it hangs in front of you. If you're right-handed the sling will hang over your right shoulder with the rifle butt hanging in front of your chest. Then the sling crosses your back and comes out near your left hip, attached to the muzzle. This way the rifle is hanging in what Marines call the "alert position" and if you bring the rifle up it will automatically go into a hasty sling. [Edited to add: Good stuff from Frontline, but a little "gear queer". I don't like a one point sling at all. I guess the good thing about it is that if you are in MOUT so you need to shoot around a corner with your weak arm you can do it easily. The downside is you have a lot less control of the weapon. Since I don't do a lot of urban combat I just rig a standard sling the way I described above. If doesn't cost anything, you don't have to buy any special gadgets or doodads, and it allows for a lot more positive control of the rifle.]
Hmmm... Will that work with the sling mounted to the quad rail ring? Frontline's choice clearly will not work with my rifle because I don't have the standard forward sight. I've got the flip downs. Which I like, by the way. I can convert from the iron sights to either scope in a matter of seconds.
You have a quad rail ring on there? Where? Can you take a close up shot of your gas block? The Colt USGI mount may still be able to work. On the other hand since you already have the sling mount under the gas block, then I'd suggest spending the $36 and getting the Magpul MOE hand guard and polymer rails. Then move your sling mount to the hand guard.
Check out Page 2 of the thread, Frontline. I'm not sure, Muad. I hate to admit it, but I don't own my own M4. Yet. The stock market took a shit, I wound up without a regular job, and M4 prices went through the roof all at the same time (Thanks Barack!) My airsoft M4 has a sidemounted front sling swivel. But I think it'll work. I mean hey. It'll take you what, 5 minutes to rig it up? What do you have to lose?
Yeah but I need a closer look at that gas block to see if the USGI mount would work. As for an M4, start searching the classified. Remember you can get a damned good one for less that $1K. I know times are tough. Been there, done that and riding the self employment roller coaster. But if you can put $100 per month away, you'll have it in no time.
I've got 2 of those Magpul magazines now. Yeah, I like 'em. I just flipped over to the Military Channel and there's a show on about close quarters combat weapons. I don't know the name of the rifle they were talking about, but they said that it had a piston system instead of a gas system, which enabled the rifle to be submerged, raised, and fired while still full of water. They did say that the rifle was designed that way for SEALs. Would that work for my Stag piston gun? Not that I'm planning to do it. Just one of those things that's good to know just in case.
Got my Magpul ASAP plate put on today for an ambidextrous single point sling. Another reason I recommend Stag: you will never have to worry about your rifle falling apart. Stag Locktites the living daylights out of their rifles. It took three of us to break the big castle nut loose to remove the stock and attach the plate.
All you have to do to ensure that a nut (I.e. Castly Nut, Gas Key) does not come loose is to properly stake it into place, ya know per the standard. Locktite sucks for the exact reason you just posted. When it takes that much force to loosen something like the castle nut you run a high chance of damaging the metal I got a new lower with the ASP plate and Im liking it. Hopefully Santa gets me the MS2 sling. Then you can transition the sling between a one point and a two point. When in one point mode that ASP makes transition to weak side shooting a breeze.
My sling converts from a 2 point to a 1 point, but not as simply, smoothly, and easily as the MS2. I want an MS2, I know I won't be getting it for Chrsitmas, so I'll probably just buy it after. The ASAP is ready to go.
ARRRGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!1!! I hadn't fired my rifle any since the guys at the gunshop installed my ASAP plate. Last week, I cashed in my bucket of pocket change, also known as the Muad Dib Gun and Ammo Fund, and bought the green laser I've been wanting. Brought it home and installed it on the rifle. I went outside to sight the laser in, dropped the laser boresight in and sighted it in at 50 yards. Good to go. I figured I'd pop a few rounds to verify the laser, but when I went to eject the boresight...my rifle jammed. I opened her up and the buffer retainer fell out, the buffer spring shot halfway across the porch, and I found the bent and stretched buffer retainer spring laying down inside the trigger mechanism. The guys at the gunshop hadn't adjusted the castle nut right when they installed the ASAP. Fortunately: 1. They're good guys and they make things right. They've got a new spring ordered and will fix it at no charge. 2. The rifle will work without the buffer retainer until they get it fixed. Lesson here: anytime you modify your rifle, test it before your life depends on it.
I had it pimped out for the photo. There's no bipod or scope on it right now. Just the light, laser, and forward grip. But I've got the bipod and scopes if I need 'em.
Got the buffer retainer fixed today, have an extra spring in case it happens again, she fires like a dream, and all is right with the world. Well, really, if that last part was true, I might not need the rifle.
