thoughts about adding sling to your rifle

Various artist of the early to mid 19th century (Miller, Ranney, Kurz, etc.) showed a fair amount of slung rifles, but I've never seen a civilian rifle of that period with sling attachments. Evidently there must have been some sort of extemporized sling strapped onto the rifle. I would think that might leave some fairly distictive wear patterns. Anybody seen evidence of this? I don't have them on my guns (ML's anyway), but I can see where they would be handy.

By the way, I'm in awe of the one handed deer drag--the muleys up here can hit 250+ lbs. dressed out. A far stronger man than I :bow:

Amen. Cooner if you're that strong from slinging paint and making rifles, you need to come out here so you can pack my elk.

Seriously though, Miller painted a lot of guys with guns slung over their backs like they were bow quivers. Given the weight of the average rifle of the day, I suspect these were mostly NW guns, some of which were carried in 'snow cases'. Of the rifles, I've seen in person, most seem to have forearm wear suggesting they were carried on the lap in the saddle. However, given the survival rate of western fur trade era guns and the number I've seen, that may not say a whole lot.

The only reference to sling swivels I've seen for non-military guns in the 19th century is one Deringer smoothbore contract for guns that went to the tribes on the frontier in 1839, ie Cherokee, Delaware, Shawnee, etc. Half of the roughly 1000 guns for this order were made with 46" barrels and the other half specified 34" barrels with sling swivels. The one known short gun from this contract has swivel holes in the stock and wear from the swivels, but they are missing from the gun.

Sean

 

[tg]

"tg, I must be missing something here

I usualy prefer to tie a length of rope to the deer and tie the other end to a stick and reach both hands behind and pull, I find it an easier drag this way, particularly with a large deer,there are often logs and such in the thck steep, brushy canyons that make a sling an advantage around here,and when wading a stream thigh deep I like to keep a hand free for a staff, I do not alwsy use one but keep one handy usually a length of deer hide about 2" thick with a slit cut for making loops on both ends that slip over the wrist and below the first pipe.I also used one when Hunting and Beaver trapping and had my hands full of flattails.

 

I have slings on all my rifles - to include cap locks and rock locks. I have found them to be handy when dragging a deer out of the bush. With the rifle slung over a shoulder its easier to put two hands on a drag rope.

 

Dress them in the field and tuck them under your arms, fellas! :haha:
Naw! I use a rope around the hocks and pull it along behind like a trailer. I guess I sling my critters instead of my rifle. :hmm:
That stick as a handle idea is a good one ,tg. :thumbsup:

 

[SunSetter]

I shot a small buck and a doe the first year I hunted with my ml, no sling knee deep snow. Year two I had a lace on sling and won't go hunting without it.

 

[bucktales]

Not being PC, I have slings on everything. Soft slings at that. This includes my modern SxS I use for upland. It's nice having a free hand when handling the dogs as well as dragging deer.
Use of a sling is helpful in offhand shooting as well.

 

as noted A. J . Miller and others have shown slings ... here's another period documentation.
from Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, recollections of John H. Fonda, a mail runner between present day Green Bay and Chicago, 1827:

My dress was à la hunter, one common to the early period, and best suited to my purpose. A smoke-tanned buckskin hunting shirt. Trimmed leggings of the same material, a wolf-skin chapeau with the animal's tail still attached; and moccasins of elk hide. I must have had the appearance of the perfect Nimrod. My arms consisted on a heavy mountaineering rifle I bought in St. Louis. ”¦I had the barrel shortened and the cheek piece cut off, and a strap attached to it, so I could sling it over my back. Suspended by a strap from my shoulder was a large horn containing two pounds of [gun] powder. Buckled around my waist and over the hunting shirt, was a belt containing a sheath-knife and two pistols”¦ attached to the belt also, was a pouch of mink skin, wherein I carried my rifle bullets. The foregoing comprised my arms and accouterment of offence [sic] if we except a short-handled axe, thrust into the waistbelt.

also note he carried a horn that held 2 pounds of powder! That's one big -deleted- horn!!