Got an ariska sling today and noticed something (not arisaka sling)

[ziconceo]

hello everyone I got my hands an what looks like an original ariska sling today... upon closer inspection i noticed there were 3 notches in the sling, they were done by a human and there seems no logical reason to do this to a sling...were they perhaps kill tally marks? Let me know what you guys think!

[MrTokarev]

Maybe it gave him somewhere to hold it that didn't slip when he was marching.

Or maybe it's the number of GIs he bayoneted.

It's things like this that make me wish our C&R stuff could talk.

[SVT-40]

I don't think thats an Arisaka sling. It looks to me like a modified Swedish SMG sling. All the extra holes are one of the indicators as is the buckle....

[TRAP55]

http://www.rollanet.org/~stacyw/index.html

[GOEX FFF]

I don't think thats an Arisaka sling. It looks to me like a modified Swedish SMG sling. All the extra holes are one of the indicators as is the buckle....

^^ Correct

Many people think these are Arisaka slings, which in fact they're Swedish.
I've seen people on Ebay spend big bucks for these common Swede slings after the seller states they're "Japanese".

Do your homework first before you buy, folks!

[ziconceo]

Ah, you guys are correct! Thanks for the link TRAP55! I got the sling in a Arisaka parts kit so i assumed it was Japanese.

[Marcus von W.]

The Swedish Mauser sling, being a vintage design and often made in the Ww2 or earlier period, makes a wonderful substitute Arisaka sling. One of the features that quickly identifies a stock unmodified Swede sling is that the buckle is stitched on, where as the Arisaka sling just has the leather folded around the buckle but it is not stitched.

By removing the stitched portion of leather and making a new hole for the buckle tongue, the Swede sling can be made to better resemble an Arisaka sling. Me, I use Swede slings on Arisakas but don't bother to modify them - it is what it is, 99% of people out there who aren't Arisaka collectors or sling experts can't tell the difference, and I'm not out to fool anyone.

Due to their age and quality leather, Swede slings do look better and more correct on Arisaka rifles than most of the various reproduction Arisaka slings I've seen, that have a cheap, nasty, schitty look like many of the replica 98k slings also have.

[TRAP55]

Ah, you guys are correct! Thanks for the link TRAP55! I got the sling in a Arisaka parts kit so i assumed it was Japanese.

I wish the owner of that website would make his email accessible again, and update the site. The amount of info that's been sorted out on slings has to be three times what he has listed since the site was turned off.