Brass Facts reviews 15 rifle slings, keeps Flatline Fiber Co as go-to

Why it matters: Most rifle slings now look alike, and this roundup sets 15 current models against one set of criteria (the adjuster, the webbing width and the padding) while naming as its long-time pick a sling that the channel's sponsor sells, a link the video discloses.

In a YouTube video posted October 30 and titled “I review 15 slings so you don't have to,” the host of the Brass Facts channel works through a stack of rifle slings bought during what the host calls “a bit of a sling buying binge.” The video concentrates on the adjustable two-point sling, a style the host says the industry has “heavily converged on.” It gives single-point slings a short closing segment and sets three-point slings aside entirely. The host puts the total spent at almost $1,000 and says the reviewed slings will be given away to supporters through the channel's SubscribeStar.

The host describes a sling as “the holster for your rifle”: a way to carry it hands-free, a safety device that keeps the rifle on the body during a fall, and a brace against cover or the shooter's own body for steadier shots. Viewers are asked to compare the slings on three features: how the quick adjuster works, how wide the base webbing is, and whether there is padding.

Flatline Fiber Co padded sling stays the daily pick

The host's own choice, used for three to four years, is the Flatline Fiber Co padded sling. The video gives several reasons. Its narrow webbing lets the plastic triglide adjuster slide smoothly and stays out of the way while shooting. It carries no extra buckles to create hot spots. Its center section is only slightly wider than the rest and lightly padded. The host says full padding adds friction and “chokes me out” under a backpack, but the bigger complaint is what the video calls “flippage”: webbing twisting on itself until it acts like a rope. A modestly wider center section, the host says, prevents it. The host also avoids metal adjusters, calling them loud and prone to snagging on backpack straps.

The video includes a sponsor segment for Blue Alpha, which the host says sponsors the channel and sells Flatline Fiber Co slings. The host says the preference for the Flatline sling started before that sponsorship.

Magpul, Blue Force Gear and Viking Tactics slings revisited

The Magpul RLS, a non-adjustable sling the host says costs about $20, is recommended for shooters who don't use quick-adjust features; its wide webbing, the host says, is comfortable without a pad. Magpul's MS3 and MS4, which convert from two-point to single-point, were the host's first sling. The host says that in single-point mode a correctly sized sling hangs too low, and that the newer flat triglide is harder to grab and adjust than the loop on earlier models.

The host calls the Blue Force Gear Vickers sling and the Viking Tactics VTAC sling the two that nearly everyone used in the 2010s. The host ran the Blue Force Gear sling for about five years and credits its medium-wide webbing with resisting hot spots and flippage. The host used the VTAC for three to four years but says they never liked it, citing thin webbing that twists and metal hardware that binds on rucksack straps and rattles against the rifle. The host notes that a padded VTAC version exists. The unpadded Ferro Concepts Slingster draws the same two objections. The host says its reverse-acting metal adjuster is something some shooters prefer and something the host “could take or leave.”

Padded slings for heavier rifles: ESD, HRT, Beez and Agilite

The Edgar Sherman Design sling has thick, memory-foam-like padding and a second adjuster forward of the pad. The host's main objection is price, about $100 delivered, and calls it a little too padded for 5.56 carbines. A thinly padded sling the host nicknames the “Lucas Botkin sling” is described as a good fit for shooters who want low friction, though not the host's preference. The HRT sling is described as nearly identical to the Flatline with a slightly thinner pad. The host ranks it on the same tier for carbines but too thin for heavier rifles such as 6.5 Creedmoor. The Beez Combat Systems sling, with a thicker pad on narrow webbing, is the host's choice for heavier guns. The Agilite sling is wide and thin and, per the host, about $60, with metal hardware that usually costs another $15 to $20. The host says it spread weight well at a cold-weather match but cut into the neck in warmer conditions without layers.

Three slings that take different approaches get the most criticism. The host calls Q's sling “the world's most pretentious sling” and says it is a niche option for lightweight rifles rather than the universal carbine sling it is marketed as. The host credits its loop attachment, which avoids QD sockets, a part the host says has failed for them more than once, but says its lack of width and its cord front end make it twist. The Phoenix sling adds a second adjuster for a third carry length; the host dislikes its plastic-backed pad but says it suits heavy rifles carried in the backcountry. The Warrior Poet Society sling ranks below the Q sling in the host's view. The host objects to bulky hardware where its webbing changes width and to a bungee section the host says makes the sling behave erratically.

Single-point slings: Flux Defense and JTF

The host says single-point slings make sense mainly on compact guns where a two-point sling does not fit. The Flux Defense sling, which the host owns three of, stays packed against the gun until needed; the host calls the sling itself “quite awful” but says it does that one job well. For a single-point sling in constant use, the host prefers the rope-style JTF sling, arguing that rope suits a sling that rotates on the body. The host would prefer a non-elastic version, and says the JTF now rides on a .300 Blackout rifle and an APC9.

Tags: rifle sling review, two-point sling, Flatline Fiber Co padded sling, Brass Facts, Magpul RLS, Blue Force Gear Vickers sling, Viking Tactics VTAC sling, Ferro Concepts Slingster, Beez Combat Systems sling, Agilite sling, Q sling, Warrior Poet Society sling, Flux Defense Ripcord, single-point sling