About the M1907 Rifle Sling

Most modern rifle slings are made of ballistic nylon and other synthetic materials and are equipped with quick-detach mounts. They’re also mostly more or less easy to adjust, some of them even with one hand.

The M1907 rifle sling is none of these things. It is all leather, with some hardware and is fairly difficult to adjust.

That said, the M1907 rifle sling offers something that other modern slings do not. It is designed, when properly adjusted and used, to deliver extra stability to the shooter, making it easier to aim and shoot more confidently and more accurately, even when standing and shooting offhand. It’s also a rifle sling that was carried proudly by American servicemen through two World Wars.

Here’s what you should know about this revolutionary rifle sling, that more than 100 years after its development and release, continues to be relevant today.

What This Rifle Sling Offers

Using the M1907 rifle sling, even just as a sling, not as a shooting support, is a little different from other slings that have QD mounts.

To use the M1907, you have to slide the leather straps through the sling mounts on the rifle (without conventional sling mounts, you won’t be able to use the sling) and then use the clawed “keepers” to attach and adjust the sling.

With the sling thus attached to the rifle, there will be one loop forward, which can be used to stabilize your shooting arm when you are standing, or even kneeling, and shooting.

Even discounting that for a second, with the sling installed in the manner described, it is a comfortable and adjustable sling that can be used to take a load off your arms, transferring the weight of the gun so outfitted to your shoulder, reducing your fatigue in the field.

If you adjust the loop at the front of the sling properly, this unique rifle sling can also be used as a shooting support.

To do so, make sure there is adequate slack at the rear of the sling so that you can place your support arm through the loop at the front of the sling all the way up to your support arm’s biceps.

It should be adjusted so that with the loop around your support biceps, and your support arm on the forend of the stock, the front portion of the sling is pulled taut.

This puts pressure on your support arm and helps to lock it in place. It also helps stabilize your overall form while you’re shooting, and can be used while sitting, kneeling, or even standing and shooting offhand.

Caring for Your M1907 Rifle Sling

High-quality M1907 sling replicas don’t just look classic and provide you with advanced shooting-arm support as well as a good way to take a load off your arms. They’re also generally made with quality hardware and from quality, top or full-grain leather.

A full-grain leather rifle sling is an investment that when properly cared for will last a lifetime and which will offer heirloom quality. That said, you still need to care for your leather rifle sling properly.

Naturally, being a rifle sling, you can expect that it will be exposed to somewhat undesirable conditions, including but not limited to extremes of temperature, high humidity, precipitation, and direct sunlight exposure. There are things you can do to limit this factor, but not eliminate it entirely.

That said, the next most important thing you can do is know how to properly maintain your leather rifle sling, since you can expect it to be exposed to less than ideal conditions.

Chiefly, this means allowing your sling to dry out whenever it’s become wet, but not to dry it out too quickly. Don’t place a wet leather sling too close to a heat source like a fire or furnace, as accelerating the process of drying it out can cause it to stiffen, warp, or crack.

Also, your leather rifle sling should be periodically conditioned, just as you’d do with any quality pair of leather boots.

At least twice per year, wipe off your leather rifle sling with a damp microfiber rag, and then treat it with an appropriate leather conditioner.

Being fastidious about cleaning and conditioning your leather rifle sling will help protect it against water damage, and will also keep the leather soft and supple, so that it will be less likely to crack, warp, split, stiffen or delaminate.

All in all, periodically conditioning your leather rifle sling is one of the most important things you can do to protect it over the long run.

Get Yourself an M1907 Rifle Sling

Interested in a new rifle sling, but already have plenty of modern nylon slings? Get yourself a classic rifle sling like an M1907, and if you have any questions before you buy, get in touch with us.