There are two types of people in the world. Those that only take their rifles out for a brief walk at the range and those that train. To the casual user of the modern carbine, a plain bargain basement nylon strap will suffice as a sling. They are inexpensive and honestly are more decoration than anything else. To those that train with their rifles, a serious sling is not an option, it is a necessity. For both types is the Magpul MS1 Sling.
The Magpul MS1 Sling
Some of you are shaking your heads right now, saying amen, brother, because you have been there. You sign up for a class and bring your trusty bullet slinger with you. On it, however, is a less-than-stellar sling. At that point, you spend the next X number of days cursing said sling and wondering if it really has gashed open the back of your neck.
You leave the class on a mission to move out of your ghetto sling and into something more professional. Well, my friends, I can feel your pain because I have been there. There are countless options in this arena, but a good sling to consider is the MS1 Sling from the team at Magpul.
The MS1 sling is one of the most versatile in the Magpul line of rifle slings. It is built around their MS1 slider. This system provides rapid adjustments to either lengthen or shorten the sling with no slipping once it’s set—with no tails, loops, or other potential snag hazards.
The MS1 allows easy shoulder transitions, rapid adjustability for hands-free rifle carry, and shooting support from various positions. Likewise, it also has a series of adapters that are sold separately and based on the Magpul MS3 and MS4 slings. By adding the appropriate adapter for the sling, you can easily configure your MS1 for your fit and carry needs.
During Magpul’s testing, the sling had to survive tens of thousands of cycles in wet, dry, and sandy conditions. Not to mention static load testing without slippage for 72 hours and weighted six-foot dynamic drop tests.
In addition to the controlled lab tests, they also swam it, jumped it, hunted with it, hiked into the mountains with it, and most importantly, shot with it in a variety of rugged field conditions.
The Versatility of the MS1 Sling
The MS1 is a very versatile sling. Using adapters available through Magpul, you can configure it into either a traditional two-point sling or a one-point.
I find the greatest thing about this sling is its adjustability. With traditional slings, once the length is set, you are forced to deal with it. This can be a problem if you must do a transition or move to different shooting positions.
The slider allows us to quickly make the sling longer or shorter to work in various applications. It is fast and easy to do. I find this very helpful, for example, when I transition from shooting the strong side to the support side.
Once I am done doing what I need, I can return to my regular carry position and tighten the sling back down for a more secure carry. I also like the way the sling offers modularity. If at one point you need a single point, you can use adapters to set it up for that.
If later, you want to go back to the regular two point, it is just a matter of switching adapters. You are no longer forced to have two separate slings.
Made by Magpul—Enough Said
The last thing I will say is that these are made by Magpul, giving them immediate street cred. They are American-made and snag-free. You will not suffer the razor-like effects of rough nylon.
These slings are also intended for military use and as such, the webbing has Near Infrared (NIR) treatment to reduce IR signature. While not a major concern for most of us, it is a cool feature that simply comes with the sling.
As someone who has about a billion hours carrying a rifle, I can tell you that a good sling is an essential piece of kit. This is not something that should be an afterthought. Take your time and get a good sling. The Magpul MS1 is certainly one of the best out there.
For more information, please visit Magpul.com.
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