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Slings, vtac vs Vickers slings any thoughts

dtdk

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Minuteman
Mar 16, 2009
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mn in the us
I have been looking at these slings for a while now and have been leaning towards the Vickers slings. Is there any reason I should go with a vtac instead?
 
I’ve had both and kept the Vickers from BFG. I like the closed loop better, no loose tail flapping around. I also like the lack of metal hardware beating against my gun during my transport. Finally, I like the webbing a whole lot better. It is thicker and coarser, where the VTAC is thin and slick. All very subjective observations based on personal opinion, either one of them will work great for you.
 
Thanks

The closed loop is what was driving me to the vickers. It's nice to hear about the other points as well. I had not considered the hardware before, and the type of material is not something you can really tell untill you have it.
 
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If this is for an AR or similar you might also have a look at the Ferro Concepts Slingster. Closed loop as well and very slick.
 
I have a vtac and a magpul ms3...I only like the vtac more because of the padded sling for the shoulder. Carrying a rifle all day on a sling without the pad gets tiresome.

I hate everything else about the vtac sling. Trying to grab a floppy strap for sling adjustment with night vision and gloves is a royal pain. Like said above, the material just slides off jackets and clothing which is a pro and con but more of a con.

I wont be buying another vtac sling.
 
First sling I bought was the slingster. Closed loop, and adjusts super easy. Use it on every single rifle I own. Can sling everything from my 223 SBR to my 26" 6.5CM with MPA chassis. Although that is kind of ridiculous but doable.

The pad was well done, adjusts and can't move from where you put it. It's not to thick to feel in the way, but not to thin to feel pointless.
 
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And the Slingster is the North American love child of a Canadian designer and US manufacturing, making both sides of the border happy!
 
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If this is for an AR or similar you might also have a look at the Ferro Concepts Slingster. Closed loop as well and very slick.

I can't stand my slingster. It's lightweight and small, which is great, but the adjustment system sucks. If you take any weight off it the adjuster goes slack and lets out. The sling always wants to adjust and won't stay set correctly. The pull tab is ok but kind of small.

I have a Magpul sling. It's ok. Won't buy another.

I have a Vickers/BFG and it is my go to because it works right and the adjustment is easy to grab, but I don't love it. It's made with a pretty thick webbing and is bulkier and heavier than it needs to be for a 10lb AR. The padded version is nice for hunting.

I still haven't found a sling I love.
 
I have a padded vickers sling for my ar15 and it's pretty nice and comfy, with easy and quick adjustments.

The wife has a Haley Strategic D3 sling on her ar15, it's a nice sling. It's a slimmer design then the vickers, not quite as padded but works pretty well. Perhaps another one to consider.
 
If all you do is hunter-carry a rifle over a shoulder (cross-body included), like me, then take a look at Montana slings. I ran across them by accident one day and holy shit are those things easy to adjust and stay put.

You can order sewn-in hardware models or bolt-in-yourself models. I prefer sewn-in. They’ll even sew in your own hardware if you ask nicely.

They look weird, like a gimmick. But they have some magic leather knot that just fing works. I believe they have a patent on it. No plastic or metal is used to aid adjusting, no excess material, it’s seriously magic. There cannot be a simpler/more elegant way to adjust a sling’s length.
 
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Seems to me Kyle Lamb and Larry Vickers had about the same sling idea in the same place at the same time. Would have been one of those interesting "fly on the wall" conversations.
 
I just ordered a sling for my AR from Wisemen Company. It's similar to the slingster but with plastic hardware. It's the Contour Padded Sling.
 
There are versions of the vtac sling now with cordura instead of nylon, and plastic hardware instead of metal. They have worked fine for me, once it is set up the way you need it you can always trim off the tag ends of the webbing and melt the ends to prevent fraying.
 
I have a plethora of VCAS padded slings. BFG and LAV hit it on the head for a sling that transfers well a cross all platforms. I’m sure there are better slings for each specific use and like said before I’ve never found the perfect sling that I absolutely love, but from my LR bolt guns, HD and training Carbines, to hunting rifles and shotguns the BFG VCAS serves me well.

I will disclose that I’ve trained with Larry a handful of times and he’s a fucking riot, a gentleman, and a scholar so I tend to be a touch biased.
 
I have a SOB tactical sling on my lighter rifle. I much prefer the Vtac padded sling especially on my Larue with the heavy ass scope. I vote the Vtac, I’ve bought them for $40.
 
I chuckle at the similarities between the VTAC and the VCAS. I could write the exact post as tron 205, just substituting Kyle Lambs sling. Even the last paragraph, as I'm sure my bias comes from training with Viking Tactics.
 
Having used both I prefer the VTAC Mk2 (the padded one). The closed loop on the VCAS may be appealing to some, but I like the ability to really tighten down the VTAC past the point where the VCAS would stop. It helped a lot when fast roping or other situations where you don't want the gun moving around.

As far as quality goes I've had the same VTAC for 10 years now. I took it on two deployments, god knows how many field ops and it still serves me well to this day.
 
No first hand experience with these but plan on ordering one to try. All custom options, prices don't seem bad and he is local to me.
Anyone tried one?
 
I currently have the padded vtac, vickers and also the Haley D3.

Hands down I prefer the vtac. It adjusts way smoother than the other two, is super comfortable when wearing it for long periods and I feel has the widest adjustment range when wearing it.
 
BFG VTAC Padded user here. I have two and the wife has one. Very nice and well made. I think its perfect for just about any firearm out there. Very fast intuitive adjustments and can lock up tight for positional shooting where the sling is used for support.

Cannot recommend it enough. Mine are all made via their custom page. Wife’s is a basic one that we added QD hardware too.
 
No first hand experience with these but plan on ordering one to try. All custom options, prices don't seem bad and he is local to me.
Anyone tried one?

I’ve got a Savvy Sniper sling, it’s good. I really like how the sling stores inside the adjuster loop. The model I have is for a precision rifle but I’ve used it on a carbine.

All in all I have both Vtac and Viking and prefer the Vtac.

I may be incorrect, but the Vtac was around before the Viking, again as I recall. I’d use whichever but just prefer the Vtac.
 
No first hand experience with these but plan on ordering one to try. All custom options, prices don't seem bad and he is local to me.
Anyone tried one?

All my carbines/AR pistols have SavvySniper slings. Great quality and very easy to use. Will continue to buy his stuff. Great products.
 
Years ago, when Kyle started his business in the very beginning, I called to order a sling. Being so new, he didn’t have a credit card machine running yet, but I needed the sling for an upcoming match. I thought there was going to be a problem for sure, but they said it was no problem, and they sent out the sling that day, as I snail mailed them a check. I know it was just a sling, but that cs has never left me. Have used that sling for three gun, PRS, hunting and about everything else. Has always run flawlessly.
 
I prefer Armageddon carbine sling to the ones listed. Everyone is different.
 
The VTAC, because it uses that alice pack adjuster, has much more range of adjustability. This is good for if you want your sling to go from really loose for being able to shoot with your gun slung both left and right handed, and if you want to be able to cinch it down really tight for when you're doing things like fast roping.
 
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I have 3 VTAC's and like them. I either fold up and cut off excess webbing. Sometimes when hunting I walk around for 4-5 hours and my shoulders get tired but the padding doesnt cut into my skin. In the future I may try a Vickers but for now I'll stick with the VTAC.
 
I've been using a Vickers/BFG padded sling since 2012. Used on multiple deployments in multiple environments and never failed. Great comfort when wearing a rifle for a long period of time/distance and also easy to adjust to shoot with or keep tight when climbing ladders or working in/around helicopters. Bought a bunch of attachments for it that allowed me to carry everything from a SBR to a MMG with no complaints.

My ignorance with other slings leaves me biased.
 
IMHO, the Vtac is a better option. I’ve run the Vickers/BFG for the last 7 to 8 years at work. A couple deployments and numerous training events and I still dislike it as I did out of the packaging. It’s really stiff, the plastic hardware is just that, plastic which breaks often and when you don’t want it to, when used in a SBR or AR configuration I’ve had rope burns across my back and neck from it.

To fix this issue I personally purchased the Vtac Orginal and it was life changed. Then I grabbed the padded version and it change my life again. From the metal hardware to being able to leave some material to switch it between weapon systems!

OP, what is this going on? The purpose of that rifle?
 
I run two of the padded Vtac slings with the sewn in QD attachments. I have no complaints and I haven't seen a reason to try anything else. That being said, I have no experience with any of the others mentioned as well.
 
The larue is also a decent option.
I would rank them as BFV Vickers >VTAC> Larue.

They all work well, just user preference. And get the padded versions.
 
I have used magpul, haley strategic , vikers and other slings. The ferro concepts takes the win, light weight but durable easy adjustment.
 
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I have the vtac, Vickers and ferro. I like the vtac best, but I've used several of them for years and I'm very familiar. I just got the ferro last year and have used it very little, it's operation is different from the vtac and I'm having problems getting acclimated to it. I think if I had the ferro before the vtac, then the ferro would be my go-to. The Vickers is kinda stiff with too little adjustment range. I've relegated it to hunting rifles.
 
I can never decide on slings because there are so many options and, to me, a lot look very similar. Don't even know what specifically i'm looking for in a sling other than comfort as i don't compete or anything.
 
I can never decide on slings because there are so many options and, to me, a lot look very similar. Don't even know what specifically i'm looking for in a sling other than comfort as i don't compete or anything.
Which is why I end up trying several before settling on 1 or 2. That being said, there are still a few more precision rifle slings I'd like to try.
 
I love my Vickers padded sling. I use it for everything, including hunting.
One thing though: When opening the package there was a warning sign saying the content was "carcinogenic". What's up with that? Do you get cancer from the sling rubbing on your skin? Or do they mean you shouldn't nibble on it?
 
The state of California has the ridiculous Proposition 65, a law that says pretty much everything has to be labeled as causing cancer.

 
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Figures. Alright thanks, I'll stop worrying about the sling touching my skin then. :LOL:
 
I love my Vickers padded sling. I use it for everything, including hunting.
One thing though: When opening the package there was a warning sign saying the content was "carcinogenic". What's up with that? Do you get cancer from the sling rubbing on your skin? Or do they mean you shouldn't nibble on it?
I think it is the latter. Like those little bags of silicate, which are designed to absorb moisture and keep whatever item dry. And those may or may not poison you but they will get log-jammed in your intestines trying to absorb all the moisture in there.
 
Have used both extensively. I personally avoid any slings that have exposed metal. Not just the sound, but the scratches on your optics (even an Eotech window doesn't appreciate being hit by metal).

VTAC: smooth, fast when you have the tail in your hand, cinches tighter and has more range of motion; useful for when you need to sling rifle over your back to climb a brick wall; tail doesn't really catch on anything but flops around; the material "flips over" fairly easily and the sling is rather thin in width; I had a non padded version/early and it never seemed to get hung up on anything in regards to the neck area

Vickers/BFG: simpler, not as smooth, more basic design, not nearly as much range of motion, better as a "do all" sling

For basic carbine usage, a padded V/BFG is the one I would recommend. The VTAC feels like a more specialized sling. I used it for years and it has it's strengths, but it has it's negatives as well. If you need the VTAC, you'll know once you've used both.

The V/BFG is more of a "good overall" sling. I run the V/BFG "Medic" sling on my bolt guns, basically longer with adjustment on both ends. No "tactical" reasoning for using it except it adjusts for what I want when using it with a bolt gun.

I've trained with Vickers, he doesn't push his own product which I respect.
 
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I also echo going for one with the padding, easier on the shoulder. Have the VTAC. Like it overall, though it does feel bulky at times
 
Vickers is replacing the VTAC for me as well. Both are excellent.