Rhodesian/Ching sling opinions

jjohnwm

jjohnwm

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I've always considered a "sling" to be a simply carrying strap, adjusted in length when mounted and then never again. I use it to carry a rifle, and I almost always slip into a "hasty sling" position when actually shooting but I know I have never used a proper shooting sling as it is designed to be used. On a couple of occasions I have had a military sling demonstrated to me by someone who knows how, and I have even managed to get into one a couple of times to try out on casual targets. I know it works, I know it has value as a shooting aid, but I just never developed much interest in a sling that is about 8 feet long, weighs a pound and requires all those buckles, hooks, studs, hinges, loops and hardware.:)

But I do like scout rifles, and over the years I have read a lot about the benefits of both Rhodesian and Ching slings (2 and 3 swivel mounting positions, respectively). I finally broke down and picked up a nylon (lightweight and relatively inexpensive) Rhodesian sling to try it out. It works, I get it, and it's much faster and simpler than a full military sling...but so far I don't see any major significant benefit of it over a simple hasty sling. I'm going to use it hunting this fall, and fully intend to give it the benefit of a decent trial period. Depending on how that goes, I may give the full Ching sling a tryout as well.

Does anyone have some worthwhile experience with one or both of these options to mention? Like 'em, hate 'em, or just plain indifferent?
 
I favor the Galco Safari Ching Sling, but given Galco's shipping policies, and the state of the Canadian dollar, they are not an inexpensive option; I consider them worth the expense and have 4 of them. They are fast to get into and get out of, all that is required is to pull the horseshoe strap up on the back of your support arm with your shooting hand, and if properly adjusted it will stay put until you ease your grip on the forend of the rifle.

Since you already know about slinging up, I won't go into the advantages except to say that it works from supported shooting positions, since it anchors your support arm to a solid surface, but is of no value when shooting off hand despite many opinions to the contrary. If you think about what slinging up does, there is no reason for it to work off hand. But when slung up from prone, sitting, or kneeling, the rifle holds solidly on the target, and you will hit accordingly. When shooting off hand, if you tense your stomach muscles, the moment before you press the trigger, your sights will for a moment hold dead solid, and if you can break the shot in that moment you'll be rewarded with a hit.

Safari Ching Sling . . .


If the sling adjustment is too loose, the sling will not stay in place, but if too tight, but it will be difficult to place the butt into your shoulder, so take the time you need to adjust the sling correctly for what you're wearing . . .






 
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Andy who runs the (U.S. based) Scout Rifle forum makes Ching-style slings, very reasonably priced.
They're made of a synthetic material...a bonus in rainy hunting conditions.
 
Thanks, machman, as a matter of fact I just recently ordered one of Andy Langlois' Rhodesian slings, although in leather since I already have a nylon one. His products seem to be highly-thought-of, and he was very helpful and friendly on the phone when I ordered. It's always nice to call to buy something, and find that the guy taking the order is also the company owner and will be making the gadget himself.

Boomer, thanks for those pics. I was unfamiliar with that Galco sling...based on the pictures, it's more of a Rhodesian sling rather than a Ching sling, since it has only the two standard sling-swivel mounting positions. The original Ching sling requires the addition of a third swivel stud just ahead of the magazine...it looks awkward to me, but I haven't tried or even held one yet so I'll reserve judgment. That Galco version looks well-designed, I may have to try that out someday.

I know that slinging up is not supposed to work for offhand shooting, but let me run this by you: I always use the hasty sling "wrap", regardless of the position from which I'm shooting. I come from a long line of gibbons and giraffes...I have very long arms (and long neck), and when shooting offhand, my support arm is right under the gun, with the upper arm tucked tightly against my side. It's not the exaggerated hip-forward target shooting stance, but it's heading in that direction. My long arms allow me to have a firm grip on the forearm of the rifle while maintaining this position. When shooting like this, a hasty sling definitely seems to assist in locking everything up tightly, assisting stability and increasing my accuracy. Depending on the gun (specifically, the distance between front and rear swivels), I can usually adjust the sling length to allow comfortable carry and still slip into this position, assuming that I'm wearing anything more than just a T-shirt. Even larger calibers shoot well for me like this...the tight downward sling pressure seems to help minimize muzzle jump. I'm assuming that a Ching or Rhodesian sling will be even better.

A couple of buddies have tried this at my urging, and they just can't get it to work...with their support arm against the body, they can't reach the forearm of the rifle well enough to grip and control it. Long arms make buying shirts and jackets a PITA, but they seem to work to my benefit in this one area.:)
 
jjohnwm said:
Thanks, machman, as a matter of fact I just recently ordered one of Andy Langlois' Rhodesian slings, although in leather since I already have a nylon one. His products seem to be highly-thought-of, and he was very helpful and friendly on the phone when I ordered. It's always nice to call to buy something, and find that the guy taking the order is also the company owner and will be making the gadget himself.

Boomer, thanks for those pics. I was unfamiliar with that Galco sling...based on the pictures, it's more of a Rhodesian sling rather than a Ching sling, since it has only the two standard sling-swivel mounting positions. The original Ching sling requires the addition of a third swivel stud just ahead of the magazine...it looks awkward to me, but I haven't tried or even held one yet so I'll reserve judgment. That Galco version looks well-designed, I may have to try that out someday.

I know that slinging up is not supposed to work for offhand shooting, but let me run this by you: I always use the hasty sling "wrap", regardless of the position from which I'm shooting. I come from a long line of gibbons and giraffes...I have very long arms (and long neck), and when shooting offhand, my support arm is right under the gun, with the upper arm tucked tightly against my side. It's not the exaggerated hip-forward target shooting stance, but it's heading in that direction. My long arms allow me to have a firm grip on the forearm of the rifle while maintaining this position. When shooting like this, a hasty sling definitely seems to assist in locking everything up tightly, assisting stability and increasing my accuracy. Depending on the gun (specifically, the distance between front and rear swivels), I can usually adjust the sling length to allow comfortable carry and still slip into this position, assuming that I'm wearing anything more than just a T-shirt. Even larger calibers shoot well for me like this...the tight downward sling pressure seems to help minimize muzzle jump. I'm assuming that a Ching or Rhodesian sling will be even better.

A couple of buddies have tried this at my urging, and they just can't get it to work...with their support arm against the body, they can't reach the forearm of the rifle well enough to grip and control it. Long arms make buying shirts and jackets a PITA, but they seem to work to my benefit in this one area.:)
Click to expand...

When I caught onto the idea, I intended to go with the original Ching Sling, and added a third swivel stud to my wife's Husky '06. But when I saw the then new Safari Ching Sling, at Gunsite's on line store, (they no longer want to deal with Canadians) designed by the same guy, Eric Ching a Cooper disciple and Gunsite student who became frustrated with the loop sling, thought of a better way, I knew I had found my answer. The Safari Ching Slings I bought from Gunsite have the Gunsite raven embossed on them. The Rhodesian sling is a single strap, where, unlike the Safari Ching Sling, the length of the loop impacts the length of the strap, so conceivably you have to constantly make length adjustments when transitioning from carry strap to shooting sling. Not so either version of the Ching Sling, both utilize two adjustable straps, albeit with different configurations, so the length of the carry strap and the length of the shooting sling are independently adjusted to the shooter's needs.

There is a simple way to determine whether or not the hasty sling is useful when shooting off hand. Shoot as good a group as you can using the hasty sling, then shoot as good a group as you can using the method I described earlier. Which can be done quicker, more accurately, and more intuitively? On a good day when the wind isn't pushing me around or the bugs aren't carrying me away, I can put 3 in 2 MOA off hand at 100 if I'm on my game. Lots of ifs and whens, but the point remains.
 
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I understand what you're saying, and I realize that I sound like I'm trying to hold up a length of rope in my right hand and then climb up it with my left!:) I need to spend some more time working on my slingmanship.

I see on Galco's site that the Safari Ching isn't the cheapest piece of leather on the market, but it still looks worthwhile. Maybe after hunting season, one of those will be something I'll try. Thanks for the lead.
 
jjohnwm said:
I understand what you're saying, and I realize that I sound like I'm trying to hold up a length of rope in my right hand and then climb up it with my left!:) I need to spend some more time working on my slingmanship.

I see on Galco's site that the Safari Ching isn't the cheapest piece of leather on the market, but it still looks worthwhile. Maybe after hunting season, one of those will be something I'll try. Thanks for the lead.
Click to expand...

I picked up two last year after reading Boomer's endorsement of them in every sling thread there is and really like them. I bought mine from Optics planet I believe. Galco wanted $56 to ship one sling.
 
My Rhodesian sling from Andy Langlois arrived the morning that I departed for a hunt a couple of weeks ago. I picked it up at the post office on the way out of town, and installed it on my rifle the first night in hunt camp. I had no chance to use it much, and so when a couple of shot opportunities presented themselves, I just slipped back into old habit and used it as a hasty sling.

I do see the advantage of a sling that allows length adjustment and adjustment of the forward loop independently of each other. On my Steyr Scout, I was lucky enough to find a setting that allowed for comfortable carry and also seems to be keep the right tension on my forearm when used as a shooting sling. I can see where this might not be the case on a gun with a longer distance between front and rear sling studs. Still, I like the relative simplicity of the Rhodesian, and I think that it might be my go-to sling on this gun at least. I have other short/light rifles that it might work on as well without making any further adjustments; I'll have to try it out on them.

I also just ordered a Ching sling off the EE, the take-no-prisoners three-swivel job. My Steyr is the only rifle I own that already has the third sling-mounting position on it, so it will be my test platform for this thing. Maybe it will live on that gun permanently, and the Rhodesian will work better on my 2-sling-stud guns. Life is complicated for sling whores! :)
 
Time to update "Adventures with Slings". :) I've played with the Rhoesian and the Ching slings for a few weeks now and I'll make a couple of observations that might help someone toying with the idea of trying one of these fancy-shmancy slings.

The Rhodesian sling I have is a great product. It lets you use that wonderful "loop" around your firearm, which adds great stability to any supported position...and when used off-hand, it still gives me the illusion of steadiness, like a hasty sling on steroids. It is mounted using two sling studs in the typical positions, so can be used on any gun without modifications. One slight catch: there is only one adjustment, which simultaneously alters both the overall length and the size of the loop. Depending on your size, your carry preference and your rifle, it may be impossible to find an adjustment setting that works well as both a shooting sling and a carry strap. Once you have ascertained, by trial and error, what the proper swivel stud spacing is for your individual build and preference, you can quickly decide on which guns it will and won't work for you.

The Ching sling solves that issue...this is a fantastic product! It allows you to independently adjust the length of the sling for carrying purposes, and the size of the shooting loop. It'll work on any gun, for anybody, once it's adjusted properly...BUT...it requires the installation of a third swivel stud on the bottom of the fore-end, somewhere in front of the trigger guard. This is an easy enough project, and one that I would do without hesitation on any working gun...but there's no way I'm drilling an extra hole in the stock of a classic old sporter or levergun. For me, this sling has earned a permanent home on my Steyr Scout.

These slings both came from Andy Langlois, an American leather-worker who is also the sponsor of ScoutRifle.org, a useful website geared towards scout-type rifle users and owners. The Rhodesian is leather, and it is the nicest, highest-quality leather sling I have ever owned. The Ching is...well, it's black. I'm not sure what it's made of! It might be leather, or it might be Langlois' synthetic "biothane", but whatever it is it's comfortable and feels right. Only time will tell how both of these slings will age and weather and endure.

Embarrassingly, although I have used the .308 Steyr for three game animals this fall, I never once even thought of slipping into the shooting loop. Fully intended to, but each time a shot presented itself I sort of went on autopilot, did the hasty-sling thing, and only remembered afterwards that I should have been "looped up". Finally, this morning an unfortunate coyote responded to a wriggling acrylic rabbit decoy, and I had the presence of mind to use the sling (Rhodesian) as intended. I look forward to it becoming more of an automatic step for me to take in preparing for a hunting shot on actual game.
 
I just read through the thread and realized that I basically repeated much of what Boomer already stated. I have a great memory, but it's short. :)
 
Riflecraft used to make an excellent alternative to the Ching and Rhodesian slings (inspired by both). Sadly they are no longer doing it. His RS3 looked to be about the fastest design to get in and out of I've seen.
 
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