anyone familiar with enfield slings made out of fabric? PICTURES ADDED

[mtykim]

i have a khaki colored enfield sling that i'm trying to ID. all enfield slings i've seen to date were made out of webbing or canvas, this one is entirely fabric/cloth. there is something like 4 lines of stiching that goes the length of the sling (for strength i assume). the end fixtures are brass. anyone know what country and what model this is correct for? thanks.

pictures added below.

Information

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[peregrinvs]

It sounds a bit like an 'emergency pattern' early WWII sling. They were partly made of cloth rather than webbing. You can see a couple of examples on this page:

British Slings Overview Page

Cheers,

Mark

[Badger]

Is it similar to the one we have which came mounted on our H.T. Sniper rifle?

With thanks to Advisory Panel members Lance, Son, John Thorne, Wheaty and Jollygreenslugg for their assistance, there's an entry in the Australia - Milsurp Knowledge Library (click here), complete with a 222 picture photo montage.

Australian No.1 MkIII* H.T. Sniper Rifle (click here)
c/w matching serial number A.O.C. Model 1918 (3x) Scope
(Mfg by Australian Optical Co., Victoria)
c/w Canvas web sling with an inside layer of hard plastic (latex?).
(Mfg in 1941 by B.H.G. Ltd)

There are several follow up sections with additional pics noted in the "Collector's Feedback and Comments" section of the main library entry, including Comment #5 by John Thorne about the WWII ersatz canvas sling.

5. The sling shown mounted on the No.1 MkIII* H.T. Sniper Rifle in this Knowledge Library entry is a WWII version of the ersatz sling, made of folded canvas due to the shortage of webbing. Most but not all of these went to the home guard - the one in the MKL entry here looks particularly nice. B.H.G. Ltd are Barrow, Hepburn, and Gale. This was the WWII version of the name for one of the great British military suppliers - a firm that dates back to early Victorian times and were at times variously called Hepburn Ltd.; Hepburn & Gale; Hepburn, Gale & Ross (aka 'HGR", the most prolific supplier of leather goods, as well as some web, during WWI); and other names as the small military suppliers combined forces to stay alive. ....... (Feedback by "John Thorne")

(Click PIC to Enlarge)(Click PIC to Enlarge)

Hope this helps ..

Regards,
Badger

[Mk VII]

A number of webbing items (mostly straps of various kinds) in this materiel have turned up. In many cases they have not survived the years very well. Presumably they were a response to some kind of special requirement or local shortage.

[gew8805]

The best place to find 100% reliable information on British webgear is at the website "Karkee Web" at:

Karkee Web

The section on slings is:

Weapons: Slings

The sling that is the subject of this post is not included in the sling section but information about it is available at "Web Infantry Equipment, Pattern 1937, Ersatz Forms" at:

Pattern 1937 Web Equipment

This an ever growing site and as more reliable information on this rare variant sling is uncovered it will be added.