Kerr slings revisited

[rayg]

Well without any actual documentation we can only guess.
I am away from my Brophy book so I can't comment on what it says. Does he say any canvas slings were ever produced according to the 1913 Ordnance request and if so, what did they look like and did that request state Kerr no buckles were to be used and in fact if any were manufactured?.
We may be talking about an entirely different pattern sling and possibly that request was not even acted upon until a few years later unless Brophy has documentation showing it was was in fact a Kerr pattern sling and a date of mfg.
As long as we are guessing, I would think that just before we entered WWI. Ordnance decided to produce a different pattern sling as an alternate to the 1907 pattern sling and using the no-buckle that was available at the time.
Possibly the first ones were made in leather following the norn for leather and later switched to canvas per the 1913 request.
Just because the patent date is 1914 doesn't mean the slings with those buckles were made then. Many items are made years after their patent dates. As you said they were originally made for stirrups not slings. The bottom line is does any one know the actual date the Kerr slings were first produced? Lots of questions remain. Also how do you explain the leather ones?
Out of curiousity, what are the lengths of yours and your buddies? Ray