Having a really hard time with Slinged Prone- tips?

I've been trying to practice the slinged prone position and I'm having a lot of trouble. It feels like my left (support) shoulder is going to dislocate every time I try to bring the gun off the deck. There just feels to be way too much tension on the sling if I try to get a good shoulder weld with the stock and lift up the gun.

I'm using a leather sling and I'm already on the last hole adjustment for the front frogger, making the loop as long as I can make it. I'm a short guy standing at 5'6", so I really don't understand why the sling doesn't seem to work for my arms.

I've swapped out my buttstock for a shorter A1 length, and it helps a little in the seated position, but still doesn't work for the prone.

Any tips?

Do you have the tail end still attached to the buttstock by some chance?? Either way, its hard to tell what is going on from the way you described it, but why are you trying to "Bring the gun off the deck" while in prone? Anyway, take a look HERE then click on "Leather Sling Help".
Mike B

Yeah, sorry- it's hard to describe.

I have the tail end off the stock, but it doesn't make a difference.

The problem feels like the sling thats looped around my left arm (above the bicep) is pulling on my arm much too hard. I'm trying to bring the rifle off the ground because Its being balanced on the pistol grip or magazine right now, and my point of aim is much too low as a result.

The sling should be very tight when it's on properly, that's more or less the whole idea. However, I'm wondering just what sort of sling you have? There is a lot of information online about the proper rigging and use of a sling for highpower. Do a little research and you'll find plenty.

Using a sling in the prone position, or any position for that matter, requires a heavy coat for protection and comfort. It's not something one does in a t-shirt. A competition shooting coat has a full 1/4" of felt padding in the sleeve to protect the upper arm from the sling. Use something like a field jacket with liner. You shouldn't have any difficulty maintaining an erect position with your sling adjusted properly, and It should be so tight that you can't just shoulder the weapon, without grabbing the butt with your shooting hand and placing it into your shoulder. If you can get it into your should without doing this, it's not tight enough.

Remember that it only has to be shouldered for a minute (or less) at a time, or you'll have saved rounds.

Roy

As stated....it's hard to picture.....get someone to photograph you in the sling and post it. I can tell you that when I'm in
the sling there's no way I can get the stock in position by pulling it up to my shoulder. I have to lift the stock over my should and pull it down
where it sort of cams into position against the sling tension.

Sling - Illinois HP site

This also may help, good luck!
Mike B

How far off the rifle-target line is your body? The more you have your body directly in line with the rifle-target line, the longer your sling has to be. I'm 6"4" with long arms and I use the next to last sling hole when I get almost in line.
The more you angle your body to the side, the shorter your sling has to be (and the closer your eye gets to the rear sight).

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Went out today with a lined M65 field jacket and it wasn't nearly as painful.
It still feels like someones trying to yank my left arm from underneath me, and to solve that, I think I need to get a longer sling. Thanks ArmyOrdGuy- I'll keep that in mind, as I'm currently forced to shoot at an angle and NTCH- which is kind of a pain when the recoil keeps bumping my shooting glasses...

BTW: how do I measure what length my sling is- is it just the top loop? I need to figure out which sling to get in the future.

Again, thanks for all the help you guys are providing to this CMP shooter wana-be

The front loop is all that counts. The rear strap is just for carrying the rifle. If you left it home, you still could shoot all day.

Very nice link. Thanks.

B

Just not at a highpower match.

The front sling swivel is further out on an AR-15/m-16 rifle than on a M-1 Garand or M-14. Get yourself a good quality AR sling from Les Tam, John Weller or Turner or you can use a good cotton sling

Are you by any chance trying to push your left hand all the way out to the swivel?

Try this. Build your position with the correct elevation, head position, alignment and bone support without the sling first. Take note how everything positions out. Chances are your left hand will be closer to the mag well than to the sling swivel if you're 5'-6" (unless your knuckles drag on the ground when you walk.) If you are following Konrad's ISRA method of slinging up (the USMC method with two keepers below (on the arm side) of the frog, leave the frog unhooked. In your earlier built position, with the sling loose and unhooked, have someone pull on the loose end of the sling to add tension until you feel like you're getting some support. Note which set of holes the frog is nearest to. Hook the frog into the hole and repeat the same position you assumed with no sling on. You should be close, but will need to fine tune the hole position to get the amount of sling tension you want.

I just noticed that you're on the last set of holes on your sling. Measure the fore end swivel side of your sling from frog to tail and post the measurement.

I had the same issues. Felt like I was about to pull my arm out of it's socket. Then I loosened the sling one notch, and it was much, much better, and my scores went up. I also was no longer sore for a week afterward with popping joints.

Contrary to popular belief, your sling can be too tight.

THIS!

At 5'7" I'm on the last position (contrary to what's shown in the pics) on a 54" Turner leather sling. Perhaps you have a 50"

Yep, just took measurements and I'm on a 50"

My sling actually has a lot more space beyond the last set of holes. Maybe I should dig new holes into it to give me more slack? What do you guys think?

drill a pair of holes at the same spacing all the way to the end (leave some meat at the end)


just be sure to make them clean holes, hence the drill, which gives the best chance of success at avoiding cuts (which would eventually lead to tearing in the leather)

It's pretty common for smaller shooters to need longer slings with the service rifle, especially the AR15. If your sling is only 50", that's pretty short. A 54-56" might be closer to what you'll need. If you have extra leather at the end, definitely try making new holes. And, if you ruin it, or the sling wears out sooner, buy a new one that's a good bit longer than your current one.

I see that this thread is a little old, and you got some good advice with positioning. I wanted to add one more thing that helped me. This is my second year of shooting high-power, so I am trying about everything that people are offering. I moved my position on the mat to about 45 degrees to the target, vs straight on. I noticed that the sling was REALLY pulling tight on my arm and I was also having issues with the sling slipping down from the tension. I changed my support arm to be more in-line with the rifle. This brought my elbow in closer to the gun and took some of the strain out of the position. My sling is still tight, but I am more comfortable and getting better sight pictures. I also noticed that when I breath the front post goes straight up and down more, instead of moving diagonally. I think that this is an indicator that I had my support arm cocked out too far and was putting too much tension on the rifle.

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