
As
I become more and fascinated by the whole Cooper Scout rifle concept, I
realize we often forget about Cooper’s specification for an appropriate
sling on a scout rifle. The sling was more than just something to carry
a rifle, it was a key integral support mechanism for shots when support
was not available. I wanted a sling that fit the intent of the Cooper concept on my Ruger Gunsite rifle.
ABOUT ANDY’S SLINGS

FIT, FINISH, FEEL, & FEATURES
There
is really not a lot to to a sling - some strap material, swivels, and
rivets of some type. On the Rhodesian the strap material is all high-end
bridle leather, with a proprietary brass adjustment buckle and brass
Chicago screws as rivets. The design is absolutely bulletproof and
bombproof. Not only is the sling designed to last several lifetimes it
is beautiful.
Andy has radiused all the edges and added a tasteful line along the edge. Swivels of choice are customer supplied. In this case, I slipped on a set of Uncle Mike’s swivels which mounted up to my Ruger Scout Rifle for testing.
Andy has radiused all the edges and added a tasteful line along the edge. Swivels of choice are customer supplied. In this case, I slipped on a set of Uncle Mike’s swivels which mounted up to my Ruger Scout Rifle for testing.
Source Andy's Slings |
FUNCTIONS - HOW TO USE A SLING
Generally
a sling will have three positions for the user; a tight/collapsed
position, a carry position, and a shooting/bracing position. The
tight/collapsed sling position keeps sling out of the way during shots
when a hard shooting support is available. The carry position provides
just enough slack to shoulder to comfortably carry the firearm.
Finally
the shooting/bracing position is typically a sling slack level
someplace in the middle between the other two positions which allows the
forearms to be “wrapped” to create a bicep to wrist brace for the
rifle. In most sling designs there is a loop forward of the middle
position to lock in the bicep, elbow, and forearm into the guns’ stock.
Designs vary. The original Cooper Scout rifle specified a Ching Sling
which is actually a three point design which unfortunately not used much
due to the need for a third sling stud attachment and the specialized
Ching Sling. If you like this option, Andy’s makes a great version.
Most two point slings attached fore and aft to the rifle are used simply by looping the elbow around the sling and corkscrewing the forearm around the front sling ½ turn to lock the human arm appendage to the firearm and provide a much more solid shooting platform. The problem is that a standard two point slings front sling lays flat and can pinch uncomfortably during extended shooting.
Source Andy's Slings |
Most two point slings attached fore and aft to the rifle are used simply by looping the elbow around the sling and corkscrewing the forearm around the front sling ½ turn to lock the human arm appendage to the firearm and provide a much more solid shooting platform. The problem is that a standard two point slings front sling lays flat and can pinch uncomfortably during extended shooting.
Source Andy's Slings |
Once
I had the Rhodesian sling properly adjusted, the featured I liked most
was it was simple and fast to transition from carrying the firearm over
the shoulder to slipping in my bicep in the open front loop and taking a
shot. The open front loop is critical to the speed of use on the
Rhodesian compared to other slings.
FINAL THOUGHTS

SPECS
100% American Made Leather Sling
MSRP - $55
Colors - Brown or Black
Width - 1” or 1.25”
SOURCES
Andy’s Leather - http://andysleather.com/
Ruger - http://www.ruger.com
3 comments:
Is this the Walnut or Chestnut colour? I want to be sure before ordering one for my GSR.
Thanks!
Is this the Walnut or Chestnut colour? I want to be sure before ordering one for my GSR.
Thanks!
Chestnut I think... its been a while.
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