The difference a sling makes

I am totally confused. The original poster said a sling helped him in offhand shooting. Yet from what I've read the sling is useless for that because 3 secure points are needed for stabilization. Further, none of the top shooters, e.g. Tubb, uses a sling for offhand.

I know using a sling offhand can make a hold feel tighter, but isn't all the wobble still there? Is shooting better offhand with it some kind of placebo effect?
 
It's not at all a placebo effect, and I'm rather surprised you're confounded by this.

By using a standard sling taught against the elbow you are adding constant and controlled tension to your shooting position, try it, see what you think, if it doesn't work for you oh well it does for others. The tension slows and moderates movements, for me, and numerous others I've spoken to.
 
guninhand said:
I am totally confused. The original poster said a sling helped him in offhand shooting. Yet from what I've read the sling is useless for that because 3 secure points are needed for stabilization. Further, none of the top shooters, e.g. Tubb, uses a sling for offhand.

I know using a sling offhand can make a hold feel tighter, but isn't all the wobble still there? Is shooting better offhand with it some kind of placebo effect?
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I'm not too sure if you are allowed to use a sling in National course in the standing position , which
David Tubb shoots .
Cat
 
catnthehatt said:
I'm not too sure if you are allowed to use a sling in National course in the standing position , which
David Tubb shoots .
Cat
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Cat is correct about no sling for X-the-course standing, but you can bet Tubb uses a sling for the other postions.
For Fullbore target shooting 300-1000 yards single point slings are use by about 99% of the shooters. There are still some (mostly Ausies and Kiwi's) that still shoot with 2 point slings. These 2 point target slings arrangements mount in front of the forehand and in front of the trigger guard, much like the old Enfields. If sling didn't help steady your shooting, why would you bother putting a sling on, of course they work.
For 3 position international smallbore, slings are not allowed in the standing position but are used in kneeling and prone.
In standing air rifle, slings are not allowed.

In a hunting situation, if time permits, I always use a sling.
 
maynard said:
Cat is correct about no sling for X-the-course standing, but you can bet Tubb uses a sling for the other postions.
For Fullbore target shooting 300-1000 yards single point slings are use by about 99% of the shooters. There are still some (mostly Ausies and Kiwi's) that still shoot with 2 point slings. These 2 point target slings arrangements mount in front of the forehand and in front of the trigger guard, much like the old Enfields. If sling didn't help steady your shooting, why would you bother putting a sling on, of course they work.
For 3 position international smallbore, slings are not allowed in the standing position but are used in kneeling and prone.
In standing air rifle, slings are not allowed.

In a hunting situation, if time permits, I always use a sling.
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I'm only talking about the usefullness of the sling as a steadying aid in off hand shooting only, regardless of rules. With prone, kneeling, sitting you can always get 3 grounding points, hence the stability of a triangle is incorporated into the hold. Not so when offhand, so therefore it's not used in high power offhand because it's useless, not because it helps.
 
I think you should revisit this statemant after you acttuallly try it.
Yes, the fact that theehigher a person gets, thee harder it is to hold, but what the sling does is steady thee upper body withh thee rifle in the standing position.
It is nnuch thhee same as shooting a group with the left hand far out oin the forend , or holding it in the Schuuetzen position, locked against the body with the rifle lying on the flat of the hand or on the finger tips to get a higher rifle
position.
Cat.
 
I've also read several times that the sling is no use in standing and/or offhand, but I've not found that to be true in practice.

I find even a cheap nylon sling on a 10/22 well worth the few seconds to sling up, even standing. I suppose technically offhand is more of a "snapshot" kind of thing, and maybe there wouldn't be time to sling up for a snap shot, but in every other case the sling is a big help.
 
Anyone have a photos of them shooting with a sling in the standing position, there a few methods mentioned.
 
IMHO, using a sling whilst firing in an offhand position is of little to no benefit to shooting; in order for the sling to be effective, the supporting hand MUST be firmly braced against something. (ie: the ground, your leg in a sitting position, etc.) Also, the front of the rifle must be "compartmentalized" with the tension afforded by the sling; in other words, it's not proper form to simply "sling up" with a run-of-the-mill shoulder strap. A military sling (that has a metal ring in the centre) or a "Ching-Sling," which can be an ordinary shoulder strap, consists of a third stud about halfway down the stock of the rifle that affords tension to only the front of the gun.

I actually shoot more accurately offhand using NO SLING than I do with one; however, properly "slinging up" (that is, a VERY tight sling that only produces pressure to the front of the firearm) is DEADLY accurate when the supporting arm is braced. Try it and you will see the difference!

I definitely recommend reading Jeff Cooper's "The Art of the Rifle" for anyone interested in learning proper rifle craft and use of a sling.
 
I shot my very first muely doe at well over 250yds. As I was trying to find a good rest in open field(NOT) and remembered my dad showing me the arm through the sling rest.
BOOOM! B o i l e r m a k e r !
Its the best rest in the bush, hands down...or game down.HAHA
 
scout3006 said:
IMHO, using a sling whilst firing in an offhand position is of little to no benefit to shooting; in order for the sling to be effective, the supporting hand MUST be firmly braced against something. (ie: the ground, your leg in a sitting position, etc.) Also, the front of the rifle must be "compartmentalized" with the tension afforded by the sling; in other words, it's not proper form to simply "sling up" with a run-of-the-mill shoulder strap. A military sling (that has a metal ring in the centre) or a "Ching-Sling," which can be an ordinary shoulder strap, consists of a third stud about halfway down the stock of the rifle that affords tension to only the front of the gun.

I actually shoot more accurately offhand using NO SLING than I do with one; however, properly "slinging up" (that is, a VERY tight sling that only produces pressure to the front of the firearm) is DEADLY accurate when the supporting arm is braced. Try it and you will see the difference!

I definitely recommend reading Jeff Cooper's "The Art of the Rifle" for anyone interested in learning proper rifle craft and use of a sling.
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Kind of a contradictory post , isn't it?
First you say" no", then you say "yes".
Anything done inproperly is usually not very productive, we all know this.

Cat
 
I have been shooting with a sling since the mid 1960's, and I cannot say that shooting with a sling from an unsupported position has an effect on my group size. Perhaps it helps someone who does not do alot of off hand shooting, or is attempting to shoot with a rifle which is too heavy for them, but there is no mechanical reason this should be so. The purpose of the sling is to allow the muscles to go dead, leaving only skeletal support for the rifle, while the sights remain on target. How could this be achieved in either a standing or off hand position? I challenge anyone who claims otherwise to fire at one target off hand at a 100 yard target slung - then repeat on a second target unslung, and tell us that the slung position produced a sigificantly smaller group.
 
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