My patrol carbine now has more stuff hanging off it than I had ever imagined it would, and has become quite heavy.  I've got the Colt two-point sling which came with the rifle, and, while I love its simplicity and have resisted "upgrading" to a three-point sling, I think its time I invest in something better.

Points of interest:

- I'm looking for a LOT of padding

- A friend has a sling with bungee-type material on it; this keeps the rifle tight against the body until its needed, and then the bungee material stretches and the weapon shoulders normally... So I'm looking into that material as well

- I wear a Camelbak much of the time but would still like some way of carrying the rifle near or on my back, away from my duty belt, on long hikes

- I am dumber than a bag of left-handed hammers and three-point sling operation and use confuses me to no end

Any comments or suggestions welcome.  I can't readily modify the weapon without agency policy being violated so I can't go with fancy sling mounts or QD mounts or anything else... Got the standard sling ring near the bayo lug and the newer-style crappy plastic buttstock with the slit at the end for the other side.  So whatever I end up with has to work with factory sling mounts.

Thanks gang.

IMHO a 3pt sling is a pain in the ass! for me it just gets in the way, there is just too much sling to get caught on shit. i ran one on an M4 for a while and ditched it for one of the BlackHawk bungee end slings. (don't see them on the website, may not carry them any longer)

you may want to look into a sling like THIS. it works with your standard 6-pos stock, it's easy to use and real cheap. for the money if you don't like it you're not out much. it gives you the ability to quickly disconnect if you need to and it's not all in your way.

The adjustible two points are the way to go now and some come padded. Vickers or Viking Tactics are very popular IIRC, also Magpul has one that came out recently. A single point setup seems to find favor with those who have to get in and out of vehicles while carrying the rifle. The three points have a reputation for getting caught in other gear you may have on your person and binding you up.

Larue Tactical sells a modified Vikings Tactical sling that is fully padded and comes with the QD attachments for doing quick detach to and from your gun.  Most new stocks support QD swivels.  I have one and I love my sling from Larue.  I have heavy guns too.

I have a VikingTactics paded 2 point that came with a Magpul rifle that I purchased.  Although I would not have thought to order it as I would have thought that the extra padding would add unnessary bulk and weight I've actually become quite fond of it.  Its well made, light, and quite comfortable.

http://noveskerifleworks.com/cgi-bin/imcart/display.cgi?cat=69