Chris in TN
WKR
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2025
- Messages
- 1,942
I don't spend enough time on 'pack' type hunts to justify ditching conventional rifle slings in favor of the pack-mounted options. I'm not saying they're bad, at all, just don't fit what I do with a rifle.
Years ago I started buying Vero Velleni(?) padded slings and they are great but don't hold up for many years. I then started buying Butler Creek padded slings that seem to be really good for the money. Get the Alaska model then carefully cut the extra ammo carrier thingies off. Carrying ammo on a sling is dumb. I have one of the Alaskan models that is 7 years old now and shows no signs of wear. Then I ended up buying Chinese cheap padded slings on Amazon (BOOSTEADY is the brand) and, ehhh, they have held up just fine thus far. The one that actually gets used the most is on the single-barreled shotgun that I often will put on my shoulder when working on the tractor. It's over 4 years old and still going strong, and it was just the cheapest padded sling I saw on Amazon at the time I bought it.
I also have various leather slings including the old brass-hook things and they work well enough for shorter length walking days, hunting around the house, and offhand practice. My favorite is the all leather Hunter Quickfire but mine is old - like, decades - and the photos of the current production look like they've went to thinner/cheaper leather though I cannot verify that.
Years ago I started buying Vero Velleni(?) padded slings and they are great but don't hold up for many years. I then started buying Butler Creek padded slings that seem to be really good for the money. Get the Alaska model then carefully cut the extra ammo carrier thingies off. Carrying ammo on a sling is dumb. I have one of the Alaskan models that is 7 years old now and shows no signs of wear. Then I ended up buying Chinese cheap padded slings on Amazon (BOOSTEADY is the brand) and, ehhh, they have held up just fine thus far. The one that actually gets used the most is on the single-barreled shotgun that I often will put on my shoulder when working on the tractor. It's over 4 years old and still going strong, and it was just the cheapest padded sling I saw on Amazon at the time I bought it.
I also have various leather slings including the old brass-hook things and they work well enough for shorter length walking days, hunting around the house, and offhand practice. My favorite is the all leather Hunter Quickfire but mine is old - like, decades - and the photos of the current production look like they've went to thinner/cheaper leather though I cannot verify that.
