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I bought a 1907 pattern sling, $25 shipped on Amazon from International Military Antiques. I gave it a good rub with Lexol leather conditioner, but it's still fairly stiff.
It adjusts from carry-loose to rack-tight nicely, but the top frog keeps falling out while I'm tightening the keepers on my arm.
Is that something that happens less as a sling breaks-in, or did I just go too cheap?
I have one that I purchased from IMA. I think I paid 12 bucks for it, and its well made. I used Neats Foot oil to make it more supple. Neats is a great product that I use on all my leather, boots knife sheaths ect. If your frogs keep coming out you might want to pinch them down a little with a pair of pliers.
I have one I got from Brownells and used Dubbin on it because I had some. It broke in OK and is basicly where I think a service sling would be. It's darkening up with time and use and I think your's will too. Don't worry about it.
Keep in mind that the original M1907 sling was just as "stiff" as the repops just as were all military leather goods as well as most civilian leather items. The thing that softens them is use. Neatsfoot oil (pure neatsfoot oil) also helps but the constant use is what sets the leather and allows easy use. Dubbin may help some but the Lexol (good stuff for preservation of new leather) is water based and will evaporate rather quickly and needs to be renewed frequently.
Slightly pinching the hooks is a good idea but do it carefully. Brass, depending on it's composition, can snap easily and then you are in trouble.
I have 2 repops, as we call them. One of them is a Turner and the other is of "lesser" purchase provenance... I have to say that the high end product is better quality wise.. brass and stitching... but both are stiff. As was previously mentioned, they should break in fine.
I have purchased slings before from IMA, and got what I expected... they are serviceable... :)
My original 1907 is still stiff
I found this by chance after trying the products mentioned above without much luck. The new repro slings always looked out of place to me on my old rifles. This sling was lighter colored and stiff - My son always played baseball and I used a product he had that's made to break-in new baseball gloves and it worked very well. It's like a light oil and it penetrated the leather to soften it up as I worked it in, as well as darken it. It darkened the bright white stitching on the keepers too. The hangers were brightly plated with a gold color to simulate brass and looked way too new, so I tried using some inexpensive 'Cold Blue' on them and it worked to blacken them some and make them look older.
Not perfect, but it's an inexpensive and strong sling that looks closer to a real vintage sling. I have one authentic early sling for display but it's too valuable to take a chance of carrying a rifle with, and it would be a shame to break a vintage sling that old.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...17sling2-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...643Small-1.jpg
All of these slings are new repros and after handling them I think they looked better than they did in this photo when I first finished them. The baseball glove oil really helped to speed up break-in and soften the leather as it's intended to do for baseball gloves.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...0/GunCab-1.jpg
oven cleaner works great for ageing new leather