590 Sling question

[bboyin4food]

so, i dont really know much about slings, and was hoping some people could recommend a good one for my new mossy 590 im gonna be picking up on sunday! what do you guys have on your mossy's? or any shotgun for that matter. 2-point? 3-point? is the ERB necessary? ill be using it mostly for a home-defense/tactical application.

so far ive found:

http://www.cactustactical.com/osc/blackhawk-shotshell-sling-black-p-1072.html

this one looks like good quality:

http://www.specopstactical.com/sling-mossberg-reduced-stock-ambi-p-3268.html

im willing to spend the money for good quality products!

also planning on getting a buttstock shell holder, and a side saddle. also thinking of getting a light sometime in the future. any suggestions are welcome! thanks

[maxicon]

I've been trying out different sling setups on my Remington 1300 Defender recently, and I'd recommend against a 3 point, as the extra webbing gets in the way too easily with a pump action. Getting tangled up in the sling is a recipe for short-stroking.

Personally, I like a 2 point, but it depends on what you're going to do with it. If it's for home defense, and there may be times you'd like to sling it over your back (say, to carry a kid to a different room at 3 am), a single-point wouldn't be optimal for that.

I'm liking the popular style of quick-adjust 2 point slings - they're simple, quick and easy to adjust, and flexible. Some of the most popular ones in the AR world are the Viking Tactics VTAC, the Blue Force Gear/Vickers VCAS, and the Gear Sector GS-2P:

http://www.vikingtactics.com/prod_sling_VTAC-MK1-a.html

http://www.blueforcegear.com/slings.cfm

http://www.gearsector.com/browse/category/slings/two-point-slings/

My shotgun won't take a receiver plate sling mount, and the 2 point sling gets in the way some with a rear buttstock mount. Receiver mounts are readily available for the 500 series and aren't expensive, so it may be worth trying both to see how you like them. I don't like the standard sling stud on the bottom, as it makes the gun turn over if you let it hang. Mine's currently set up with a loop through my Knoxx SpecOps stock and the sling mounted to the top rear of the stock.

The tube cap sling swivel on mine is slightly in front of the barrel, and there are times when the sling can get in front of the barrel as a result. I had my light mounted on the left, and the sling would also block that sometimes, so I ended up switching the light to the right and mounting a Daniel Defense QD sling mount on the left hand side of the light mount. This fixed both problems.

You should also think about whether you want pushbutton QD swivels so you can remove the sling quickly and completely. I've tried both QD swivels and snap disconnects, and the QD is definitely better for me, if more expensive. The snap disconnects are fine, but leave the sling stubs on the mounts, which can get in the way a bit. One benefit of QDs or snap stubs is that you can use the same sling on multiple pieces of gear.

I'll try to post pics when I get home.

I'd also say a light should be a higher priority than a sling for HD use. You can use a shotgun with no sling, but you definitely need a light for HD.

[maxicon]

Here are a couple of pics of my current setup. This was bits and pieces I had laying around, and it works pretty well for me, but slings are like holsters - everybody has their own preferences. Likewise, some people don't like slings on HD gear, but I like to be able to use my hands without setting the gun down.

My goal is is to eventually have all my slings and long guns set up with QD mounts so I can take them off and on quickly and swap around easily.

Winchester 1300 Defender, Knoxx SpecOps stock, Laserlyte rail adapter, Fenix TK11 in a VTAC offset mount, Rocky Mountain Summit Tactical sling, Daniel Defense front QD rail mount, homemade rear loop for the stock.

I don't have a QD sling mount for the buttstock yet, so I put together a loop out of the webbing bag. There's a fast release buckle, which leaves a few inches of sling on the stock, but it keeps out of the way pretty well for now.
The sling is a convertible 1 point/2 point, but for this use, I keep it in 2 point mode, since there's no receiver plate mount for a 1 piece. To sling it behind you, you pull the adjusting loop tighter and push it back, barrel down. To get it back into action, grab the barrel, pull it around, pull the sling looser, and it's ready to go. There's a pictorial at https://www.rockymountaintactical.ne...&product_id=1&



Here's the front sling attachment point:




and the rear attachment point, which will be replaced with another QD mount when I get one:


Here's a little reading on choosing slings - it's written for rifles, but applies to any long gun:

http://www.tactical-life.com/online/exclusives/put-your-ar-in-the-right-sling/

[L-2]

After using three brands of 3-point slings, my shotguns are now fitted with 2-point slings of various brands. Here are some which I might own or would own should I need to get a new one:

http://www.butlercreek.com/products/mountain_slings.html

http://store.thewilderness.com/index.php?cPath=72_1_11

The 2-points do everything I want out of a sling without getting in the way of cycling the action or reloading with either hand from side-saddles or buttstock ammo cuffs. One can carry muzzle up, muzzle down, or sling the weapon over a the head onto a shoulder.

On my issued work gun, I've got to leave the issued 3-point sling attached, but I prefer to use it as a 2-point sling.
Here's a webpage which shows some of the 3-point carry options should you consider going that route: http://www.spectergear.com/carryoptions.htm

I looked at the Viking Tactical-type slings, but there were, again, too many straps and the material on one of the brands seemed to thin for my liking. Perhaps they'd work better with an AR type rifle, instead.