Eric Ching Article 01
The Ching Sling
by Eric S. H. Ching
The Mannlicher Collector #53, 1998
"The three-point shooting sling, which we now feature on the Scout rifles, is properly designated the Ching Sling, regardless of who makes it...Eric S. H. Ching designed it, and he deserves full credit for his ingenuity."
-- Jeff Cooper
Introduction
Prior to the introduction of the Steyr Scout Rifle (see Henry, Don L., "Cooper and Hambrusch Debut The Steyr Scout," TMC No.51), the Ching Sling was known only to a relatively small group of shooters who were familiar with Jeff Cooper and his Scout Rifle concept. It was also a specialty item, available only from custom or semi-custom gun leather manufacturers, that required a bit of gunsmithing to install.
Now that the Steyr Scout Rifle is a reality, the Ching Sling has graduated to being factory standard issue on a unique rifle made by a world-renowned firearms company, and the time seems right for an article on the Ching Sling's history and use.
Origins
In the field, most rifle shooters today still use a sling only as a carrying strap and not as a shooting aid, probably because the only effective shooting sling for many years has been the military loop sling that is somewhat complicated and slow to use. Several years ago, Jeff Cooper rediscovered a long-disused British sling system--the Bisley Two-Point System--that was eminently more practical for field use. He dubbed it the CW Sling in honor of the man who introduced it to him--Carlos Widmann of Guatemala--and incorporated it into his Scout rifle concept.
Both it and the Ching Sling are dubbed "speed slings" by Jeff Cooper. Compared to other shooting support slings, speed slings do not require the user to stop the action in order to "sling up." Rather, the shooter can get into the sling while moving or dropping into a supported position. This characteristic makes speed slings much more practical in the field, where speed and minimal motion are more important than on the target range.
Ching Sling's Predecessor: The CW Sling
The CW Sling consists of a cobra-style carry sling with quick-detachable (QD) sling loops and three sling sockets, two in the standard forearm and buttstock locations, and a third just forward of the magazine floorplate. For carry, the loops are attached in the normal fore and aft positions. A clockwise half twist (as viewed from below the stock) at the forearm loop allows the sling to lay flat against the arm when shooting. The sling works best if the wide end of the cobra strap is attached to the buttstock socket, and thus is most applicable to the African style of carry (muzzle down on weak shoulder). From this carry position, the only change required to convert to shooting mode is to detach the buttstock loop and reattach it to the middle socket.
The CW Sling's advantages are that it is simpler in design and faster to use than the military sling while providing the same level of shooting support. Its primary disadvantage is that it is slow to convert from its carrying to its shooting mode, especially if the wide end is attached to the forearm stud for American carry (muzzle up on strong shoulder); this setup would require both ends of the sling to be detached and reattached before slinging up for shooting. Another disadvantage is that it requires quick-detachable sling loops in at least the middle and rear positions, if not all three, thus requiring retrofitting of rifles that have fixed loops.
The Ching Sling
I conceived of the Ching Sling after taking a rifle class at the American Pistol Institute (known familiarly as "Gunsite") in Paulden, Arizona, under Jeff Cooper's tutelage with a CW-equipped rifle and becoming mildly irritated with its disadvantages. I was enamored with the Scout Rifle concept and was convinced that a better sling could be created to complement its other good features.
After experimenting with nylon webbing and fittings to test and refine the sling's concept and design, I asked Bruce Nelson, a well-known and respected custom gun leather designer and manufacturer, to make me a prototype in leather with metal fittings. He was so taken with the idea and the alliterative name I proposed that he asked to manufacture it. I took a Bruce Nelson pre-production sling to Jeff Cooper at Gunsite, and Jeff had one of the faculty members use it on his Scout Rifle during a one-week general rifle class, with Jeff observing closely. As a result of that field trial, Jeff Cooper endorsed the Ching Sling as superior to the CW Sling and declared it to be the new standard for his Scout Rifles.
Since Bruce Nelson's untimely passing, sources for the original one-inch-wide Ching Sling currently are Galco International and Beast Enterprises. Beast Enterprises will also soon debut "Ching Sling II," which will be 1.25" wide (but have 1" attachment tabs so that it can be used with the more common 1" sling loops) and 4" longer in each strap to provide more comfort and accommodate a wider range of body sizes. Also, Wilderness Products Inc., will shortly introduce a nylon 1.25" version with synthetic fittings. (See contact information at the end of the article.)
The Ching Sling was designed to overcome the CW Sling's disadvantages while retaining its advantages. In brief, the Ching Sling:
- Allows faster transition from shoulder carry to acquisition of shooting support, because it requires no shifting of sling loops when converting from carrying mode. Not having to disconnect and reconnect sling loops also means virtually silent operation.
- Can be used on any rifle with existing sling loops in the normal locations with the addition of a middle sling loop, since it does not require QD loops to function.
- Is flexible enough to be used with the rear loop located anywhere between the pistol grip cap and the end of the buttstock, at the preference of the shooter.
Like the CW Sling, the Ching Sling uses three sling attachment points. Unlike the CW Sling, which is a one-piece design, the Ching Sling consists of a main strap and a short strap.
The main strap is attached to the forearm and buttstock sockets just like a normal carry sling. A clockwise half twist in the sling (as viewed from below the rifle) at the forearm socket allows the strap to lay flat against the arm while shooting. A stop button attaches to the main strap about two-thirds back from the front loop, and the main strap has evenly spaced holes along a portion of its length so that the stop button's position can be adjusted to create a properly sized shooting loop.
The short strap attaches to the middle socket and to a rectangular ring that slides freely along the main strap, and whose rearward travel is limited by the stop button. The rough side of the short strap should face toward the muzzle to provide greater friction against the upper arm.
When the Ching Sling is used as a carry strap, the short strap falls out of the way when the rifle is mounted to the shoulder, whether in American muzzle up, strong side carry or African muzzle down, weak side carry. Note also that the half twist in the main strap does not interfere with shoulder carry.
When the Ching Sling is used as shooting support, the short strap is pulled back tight against the stop button, and the loop formed by the forward part of the main strap and the short strap becomes the shooting loop, and functionally equivalent to the CW Sling.
To sling up into shooting position, the main strap is pulled down to open up the shooting loop. The support arm is first inserted fully through the sling, with the main strap riding up high into the armpit. Then the support hand is brought clockwise back under the sling and reinserted into the loop, coming to rest holding the forearm just behind the forward sling socket. The Ching Sling thus forms a direct connection under tension between the shooter's upper arm and the rifle's forearm, providing solid support.
Because the Ching Sling System does not require moving sling loops, a competent user, starting with the rifle on his or her shoulder, can dismount the rifle and sling up in about three seconds, and while getting into shooting position.
The Steyr Scout's Ching Sling
The Ching Sling (inadvertently mislabeled "Scout Sling" on early brochures and packaging) on the Steyr Scout Rifle is made under contract to GSI by Turner Saddlery (P.O. Box 120, Clay, AL 35048-0120). It is made of heavy-duty 1" wide leather with matte black metal fittings, and comes in any color you want as long as it's black. (The prototype available at the press debut event last September was 1.25" wide, but the width interfered with the deployment of the bipod legs.) Millet "hammerhead" QD sling loops come with the sling. The sling also features the Steyr Mannlicher bullseye logo, and Jeff Cooper's personal emblem.
The Turner, Galco, and Beast Enterprises versions of the Ching Sling vary slightly from each other in construction and hardware, but all three are functionally identical. The latter two slings, however, are available without having to buy a Steyr Scout, and also come in brown (light brown only from Galco, light and dark brown from Beast Enterprises).
Endorsements and Reviews
Several noted gun writers have commented favorably on the Ching Sling, mostly in the context of reviewing Jeff Cooper's Scout Rifle as manufactured by Gunsite Custom Shop and Clifton Arms, among others, who feature the Ching Sling on their custom Scout Rifles.
- Mark Moritz wrote of using his Ching Sling-equipped Scout rifle in the Keneyathalon: "For getting steadier in a hurry, the Ching Sling is the last word. Of all the modifications on my [Scout] rifle, the Ching Sling is the one I value most." ("Keneyathalon," Guns Magazine 1993 Annual of the Shooting Sports, Vol. 45)
- Chris Pollack noted in a product review of the Ching Sling: "Most hunters...opt for a comfortable carrying strap instead of a shooting sling. The Ching Sling and the original CW sling serve both functions extremely well. Only a little practice is required to achieve very rapid assumption of the shooting position." ("The Ching Sling," S.W.A.T. Magazine, May 1994)
- Peter G. Kokalis's evaluation of the Gunsite Scout rifle concluded: "The Ching sling...is a decided improvement over the CW sling... Once you have used the Ching sling, no other system will suffice." ("Gunsite's .308 Scout," Soldier of Fortune Magazine, March 1994)
- Finn Aagaard commented: "I never cared for the original CW sling...Your elegantly simple solution completely obviated the problem [with the CW sling], and left the rest of us wondering why we had not thought of that. Thank you!" (Personal correspondence, March 1996)
- Gary Paul Johnston's review of the Gunsite Scout Rifle included: "The sling used exclusively as part of the Scout package is the famous "Ching" sling...Most efficient...allows more steadying of the rifle than other shooting slings...[The Ching Sling is] one of the most important aspects of the Scout Rifle system." ("Scout Rifle 1996," Guns & Weapons for Law Enforcement, May 1996)
Conclusion
Jeff Cooper's Scout Rifle concept is an example of synergy in action; the features, while useful in and of themselves, combine to produce a greater whole than the sum of the parts. Steyr Mannlicher and GSI have done an excellent job in taking what was previously a custom gunsmithing proposition and creating an off-the-shelf incarnation of his concept.
Like the Scout Rifle for which it was designed, the Ching Sling cannot be adequately explained in words or pictures; it must be experienced to be fully understood. I'm proud to have the Ching Sling be a part of Jeff Cooper's Scout Rifle concept, and am grateful to Steyr Mannlicher and GSI for giving the Ching Sling a new beginning as a standard factory-installed component of their excellent product: the Steyr Scout Rifle.