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New slings offer more options

With so many rifle slings available for the M16 and M4, the days of the standard-issue, two-point canvas web sling are long gone. Now, how you choose to carry your weapon into combat is largely a question of personal preference (and your commander’s approval).

Spec.-Ops Brand offers two quality slings for trigger-pullers looking for a different way to shoulder their rifle or carbine — the Universal Mamba and the Lonestar Rig.

We sent one of each to Iraq with an Army major with 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, which deployed to the war zone from Fort Stewart, Ga., earlier this year, and he got back in touch with us recently to let us know how they fared.

Universal Mamba. Among the newest items in the Spec.-Ops Brand lineup, this sling is intended to fit not just the M16/M4 rifle family, but also shotguns and other rifles. It’s a three-point rig suitable for both left- and right-handed shooters.

After spending some time with the sling in Iraq, the major was particularly pleased with the corded pull strap attached to the sling’s adjusting strap, which makes it easy to lengthen and shorten the sling as necessary to account for the extra bulk of body armor. He also favored the sling’s wider straps, though he said a stretchy elastic section of the shoulder strap “doesn’t seem to do much.”

But overall, he said, “it’s a nice sling, probably the best of its type on the market.”

The Universal Mamba comes in black, coyote brown and foliage green; it sells for $49.95.

Lonestar Rig. If you like the freedom of movement a single-point sling offers and have a weapon with a suitable mounting point, the Lonestar Rig might be a better choice. The full sling, which wraps around the torso, is “great when not in armor,” the major said, noting that he preferred to disconnect the weapon from the full sling and hang it from his body armor with a Wolf Hook attachment (also available from Spec.-Ops Brand) that allows the rifle to hang straight down at your side while wearing body armor.

The Lonestar Rig is available in black only; it sells for $39.95. The Wolf Hook, available in black, tan and olive, sells for $14.95.

For more information, see http://www.specopsbrand.com.