A gun sling may not seem like a top priority for your airsoft loadout, but this simple piece of kit can provide a great advantage and lead to an overall more enjoyable game. Used by soldiers and hunters to make carrying rifles easier and more efficient, it makes sense to employ these benefits in various skirmish scenarios too.
Available with several attachment options, airsoft slings are incredibly practical and will serve you well in the field. Still considering whether you really need one? We break down what you need to know about using airsoft rifle slings.
The Benefits of Using a Rifle Sling
A gun sling is a simple harness or strap that attaches to various points of a gun, enabling you to carry the weapon across your body without having to carry it with both hands. The obvious and primary benefit here is that you’ll have your hands free to complete other tasks without having to lose contact with your gun.
Whether you need to get your hands on more ammo, navigate some particularly tricky terrain or just want to wield a snack or two, a sling lets you do so with ease, all while keeping your gun close.
Carrying the weight of your gun across your shoulders or back helps reduce arm fatigue, so you can stay sure and steady when taking vital shots and reserve energy/strength when walking for longer periods or waiting between games.
An airsoft sling also makes going for your primary weapon to a secondary or sidearm much more convenient. Plus, if your gear is slung around your body, you’re far less likely to drop it, preventing you from wasting precious seconds and reducing the chance of accidental damage.
Is an Airsoft Sling Necessary?
As a keen airsoft player, one of the things you’ll often find yourself asking is ‘do I really need it?” With all the potential gear and upgrades, it can be hard to get the most out of your budget.
Slings tend to be pretty affordable bits of kit – you can usually get a decent one for under £20. For all the benefits they provide, we’d say they’re worth it (and plenty of other players agree), especially if you’re looking for an easy, cheap way to enhance your loadout.
They’re particularly useful when transitioning to a sidearm, but even if you’re not playing with a sidearm, we’d recommend considering using a sling for all the benefits noted above.
Different Types of Airsoft Slings
There are a few different types of airsoft gun slings to choose from, with their differences coming down to how many points of attachment carry the weight of the gun.
- - One-point gun sling
- - Two-point gun sling
- - Three-point gun sling
One-Point Gun Slings
Here, the sling attaches to your airsoft gun from just one point, usually at the rear of the weapon. With just a single point of attachment, you are afforded a wide range of movement, ensuring good manoeuvrability and ease when changing position.
While great for mobility and CQB scenarios, the main drawback of this style is that your gun may swing uncomfortably when you aren’t holding it. As these slings go over the shoulder and across the body, you may also have difficulty climbing as you manoeuvre the gun to your back.
Two-Point Gun Slings
The two-point style is the most common option for firearm and airsoft slings. Slings that are fixed to your gun at two points (the rear and the front) allow for increased stability and a more comfortable hands-free experience. They will allow the gun to fall more naturally across your body, ensuring it doesn’t get in the way when you’re transitioning to secondary weapons and hangs nicely in moments of rest.
Two-point slings are also easy to adjust, making them more versatile. Climbing and navigating obstacles is made possible as you can carry the gun on your back, unlike with one-point slings.
One slight disadvantage is that a two-point sling offers less freedom of movement, but the stability and support with carrying tend to make up for this.
Three-Point Gun Slings
This is the most complicated sling type and is therefore less common. Three point slings attach to your gun in two points like those mentioned above but have an additional loop that goes around your body. This makes it possible to carry your gun vertically on your back.
These can be good for carrying heavy weapons but are likely not ideal for general use as the various straps can easily get caught on gear and may end up being quite impractical.
How to Put a Sling on an Airsoft Gun
Fixing your chosen sling to your gun is usually a fairly simple task. You will need to feed the strap through your gun’s sling loop, hook, adaptor or Quick Detach system, securing it to either the single or two attachment points, depending on your sling preference.
If your weapon is not already equipped with an attachment loop, you can buy these separately to fix to the gun. Along with our airsoft slings, we stock various styles of mounts and attachments, including tactical sling swivels.
When attaching your sling for the first time, it’s important that you test how it feels and ensure it doesn’t do more hindering than helping. You may need to adjust the length of the strap until you’re happy with the functionality and security. It’s worth wearing any extra gear you’re planning on donning at your next skirmish to make sure the sling still allows good freedom of movement without getting caught on anything.
Bear in mind that your sling setup may also depend on your specific airsoft rifle, so you might require different slings for different guns.
Ready to step your loadout up that extra bit? Shop our full range of airsoft slings, holsters and cases for ultimate practicality and a great game.
