Monday, July 21, 2008

Blue Force Gear Victory Sling




The Victory Sling, made by Blue Force Gear, is an excellent sling at an excellent price. This 2 point sling is the more economical version of Blue Force's Vickers sling, but you'll notice I didn't say cheaper version. This sling is very high quality. The webbing material is very good and seems sturdy enough to last quite some time, and all hardware is high quality (ITW). This sling is also made in the US, Georgia to be exact.

I have always used 3-point slings as a tactical sling and never really gave much thought to a 2-point sling. I always thought the 2 point sling wasn't as versatile as the 3-point and didn't
work well as a tactical sling. My mind was changed greatly when I received Blue Force Gear's slings for review. Here are some things I've found advantageous in the 2-point sling...

  1. There isn't the extra material there is in the 3-point sling to get in the way of the functions of the rifle. With the 3-point sling there is the extra material that runs down the side of the rifle and can get in the way.
  2. Can perform the same functions as the 3-point sling in a simpler format.
  3. Quick and almost instant adjustment to length (on the Blue Force style slings).
  4. When switching to your weak side you're not "locked" into the sling like 3-point slings that utilize a release that lengthens the sling but tightens it around your body.
  5. The sling can be tightened around your body for things such as fast roping and then instantly loosened for action if set up this way.
The Blue Force 2-point Victory sling uses a pull tab toward the hand guard end of the sling for instant adjustments. All you have to do is grab that tab and slide it forward to tighten the sling and slide it backward to loosen the sling. It's that easy. This is very useful when transitioning to the weak side. Just loosen the strap and drop your weak side arm out of the sling to grab the pistol grip and transition to your weak side (see video below). Another good use for the quick adjustment is when using a collapsible stock. If you want to extend the stock but have the sling set up for when the stock is collapsed you can easily adjust the length of the sling to accommodate the length of the stock. When taking a more precise shot you can lengthen the stock and sling and get a good shooting position. The sling can then be shortened to pull the butt stock back tight to the shoulder and give you a good shooting platform for a better shot.

One thing I really like about the Victory sling is that there isn't any extra webbing hanging off the rifle or sling. This is especially important when lengthening or shortening the sling via the pull tab because it's the only part dangling off the sling. You can't mistakenly grab some random useless strap to try to lengthen the sling. This could be a deadly mistake when time is of the essence.


Attaching the sling to your rifle is pretty easy too compared to other 2-point slings. Ideally you
would want a side sling mount on your hand guard, but this isn't necessary. The sling attaches in the front by just looping the webbing around the front sling mount and re-threading it through the hardware on the sling. The rear is fairly easy as well, but not quite as easy as the Vickers sling. For the rear mount the hardware is taken off the sling and the sling is thread through the sling slot on the collapsible stock and the hardware is re-attached. The initial length of the sling can then be adjusted with a little bit of work. It shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to get the sling attached and adjusted, if that.

Blue Force also has an M16 adapter kit if you don't have a collapsible style stock and also a quick release SRB that I highly recommend. It attaches to the butt stock end which I like. most quick releases are on the hand guard end. The butt stock quick release is just as easy to get to, but stays out of the way when you don't need it. It also makes adjusting your initial length of the sling easier...much easier.


The only thing that is kind of a negative, and it's really not, just the closest thing to a negative comment you'll get out of me over this sling is that it's only available in black. I believe this is to keep the cost down. I really don't have too much of a problem with this and if necessary you can always break up the outline with some spray paint.

Overall I highly recommend this sling if you like 2-point slings. If you've never tried a 2-point sling...try it...you won't be disappointed! Blue Force is definitely a leader in the sling area of tactical gear.

MSRP: $35.95

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