So last week I got to looking for a seatbelt sling (nylon M1 sling) for the M16A1 kit I'm building for my dad (you have all seen the thread) I wanted a used, but not abused sling, and found what i was pretty sure was the right one.  Pic was kinda dark, so I wasn't 100% sure, but I did win the auction for a whole $17.50

Well, got it in over the weekend, and boy oh boy this thing is nice, proper seatbelt sling, used, and broke in, hardware has the zinc or whatever coating, stitching looks right...  I think it's it



Pic on the rifle:

Looks good!  Congrats.

One the subject of slings, and I'm sure this has probably been addressed a hundred times, what else would have been the most likely to have been on an M16A1 in the later Vietnam era time frame, say 1970-1973? The green canvas web sling like this? Canvas web sling We had the black silent sling in the early 80's but I don't want that. I know that ones a newly made repro, but could it have used one of these original ones? Mrt sling

Cotton would have been issued earlier in Vietnam, then after they rotted in the jungle the nylon seatbelt sling was adopted.  To answer your question, my sling would be correct for later in Vietnam 70-73.

Sling on backwards?

I was seeing things, I didn't see the clip on the buttstock at first. I took a couple off mine.

I ALWAYS take the clips off! I HATE them!

I started doing that on the first (Cal30) M1 Garand I ever owned decades ago!

Spurs are supposed to "Jingle Jangle Jingle" NOT slings!

I have one like the second link. It is one of my fav slings.

I have one also and really like it. Will be buying more.

Meh, not planning on roaming the jungle with this one

Gawd, twenty-four bucks.  About 10 years or so ago, before I found our little asylum here, work had me stuck over the weekend in southern Mississippi and I attended a small gun show north of Biloxie.  One of the vendors had a good sized cardboard box overflowing with real USGI canvas slings in pretty decent shape, take your pick for $3 each.  I picked out two or three and should have bought the whole dang box.  Wonder if that was jhud.

Don't even ask me about the guy at a Birmingham show, more or less about the same time period when work had me stuck there over a weekend, who had a boat-load of USGI 20-round mags, for five bucks each, and was ready to wheel and deal on large quantities.  Think I bought five or six, maybe.

There's a reason my wife tells everyone who will listen that if ignorance was bliss, I just have to be the happiest man on the planet.

That is too damn much.