09-24-2011, 05:19 PM
Malchira Wrote:The VTAC is a fine sling, and I have one on my 5.56, but it's a "carrying" sling, not a "shooting" sling. I don't think it's going to provide you with any significant aid in the accuracy department. I've tried mine in a hasty sling role and it didn't work all that well.
The Tactical Intervention Quick- and Slip-Cuff slings are very convenient. If you want a more traditional cuff-less sling, the Rifles Only TAB Gear Sling is also good.
If you don't have the VTAC sling set-up optimally, you will not realize the superiority of its use as a shooting sling. I've used the traditional leather slings with arm loop that came with the M24, modern versions of it with the cuff loops, and various slings of that specific nature, and I still personally prefer the VTAC 2-point, because I can tighten it exactly to the dynamic tension that I need for whatever position I'm in, with whatever gear or clothing I'm wearing, and do so in about 1 second. You won't get that with many other slings on the market, other than the copies. So, from having used the VTAC Quick-Adjust slings on a regular basis since 2003, I must clarify that they are in fact, excellent shooting slings, as well as a carry sling for retention and transport, in various positions.
I credit the VTAC sling with my ability to beat a lot of other competitors on a flat-range stage with 400m distances, shooting from seated or kneeling positions behind steel drums, even though my zero was off. I had more rounds in the black than everyone else in a recognizable group, because they couldn't hold steady enough positions, and the ones that had slings all had examples of the slings listed above. The key to setting it up to facilitate this is allowing maximum adjustment of the sling to get tighter, which has everything to do with how you space the front and rear portions of the sling. If you don't leave yourself enough adjustment room in the front, the quick adjust buckle will hit your slide lock hardware, and limit you from making it any tighter.
They may not look sexy, or have tons of bells and whistles hanging off them like my old 3-point slings, but they are my sling of choice, and I could literally make anything I wanted to. The KISS rule really wins out here, in my experience. The biggest disadvantage with the VTAC sling is the excess running end being a possible snag hazard, but they addressed that a while ago with a keeper on the running end that you wrap around the main sling body to prevent it from hanging, if that bothers you. I just use hair bands on my older ones to do the same thing.