Sniper / target sling swivel on N0.4s

[eddystone3006]

What is its purpose, how is it used? I never see it in use its always just there and empty.

Information

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[jmoore]

I never use the rear swivel. Not if the rifle has the one pictured!

[Patrick Chadwick]

If it is the correct sling swivel for target shooting, it will not turn past the loop on the trigger guard. You can observe this in the photo above. This prevents the sling getting twisted. The sling in the photo is not properly set up. You can see the twist between the swivel and the arm. To avoid this, the sling must actually have a 180 degree twist when it is hanging loose, and NOT the "all-square" parade-look. Awkward to describe, but try it out and you will see what I mean. And to keep just that 1/2 turn twist, you must have the type of swivel that will not rotate past the loop!

However, there do appear to be longer swivels around, that pass over the loop. I am not sure if these are fake, or just simply a variant, but if you have one, I advise you to shorten the screw shank* to achieve the desired effect mentioned above.


Patrick

*That will probably require the thread to be extended down the shank, to achieve the same thread length - it is 1/4"x26tpi (1/4BSF, before anyone asks!)

[bouletbill]

However, there do appear to be longer swivels around, that pass over the loop. I am not sure if these are fake, or just simply a variant, but if you have one, I advise you to shorten the screw shank* to achieve the desired effect mentioned above.

Hi Patrick, I wouldn't call the 'long shank' swivels fake as such, it's just that they are probably not military. They were made by BSA, Parker-Hale etc, for the civilian target shooters. If you are in a tactical situation, you don't want to find your sling all twisted, so a 180° stop is a good idea. However, the target shooters can set themselves up at a more leisurely pace and 360° rotation gives more flexibility (IMO).

I have a 1945 BSA .22 Lee-Enfield as it came out of the factory, with a long shank swivel, but of course ... it's not military issue. Must confess, I don't know if any M47c snipers were issued with these swivels.


Bill.

[Patrick Chadwick]

Hi Patrick, I wouldn't call the 'long shank' swivels fake as such, it's just that they are probably not military.

Well, I regard it as a swindle when they are offered for sale as military swivels - which is what I have seen more than once over here. And my No. 8s definitely have the correct type.

However, the target shooters can set themselves up at a more leisurely pace and 360° rotation gives more flexibility (IMO).

The correct type allows a rotation of a little under 180 degrees, but stops the sling going over "top dead-center" and everything getting snarled up. ASAP I shall make a photo showing how I think a target sling on a Lee Enfield should be set up. At least, how it works for me!


Patrick

[Badger]

There's an excellent discussion about sling swivels by Peter Laidler and others under most Knowledge Library entries for various No.4(T)'s ...

As an example, check the "Collectors Comments and Feedback" for:

1944 Enfield No.4 Mk1(T) Sniper Rifle

Extract …..

The Military issue sling swivel, B1/CR-540, WILL FOUL the steel loop at the front of the trigger guard. Read that again. It WILL FOUL the loop at 180 degrees of rotation either way. The reason is to prevent the sling loop and sling rotating and getting itself into a twist.

The post war commercial item that fakers use is slightly longer and will just clear the small wire loop. This allows it and therefore the sling to rotate through 360 degrees. The sling can and will twist.

Also, here's another older thread in the forum on the same subject which has a lot of interesting information and feedback:

Center Sling Swivel

Regards,
Doug

[muffett.2008]

What happened to the photo of the sling in use?

[Parashooter]

Deleted because sling was "not properly set up" - although it functions just fine that way. Putting in the half-twist during installation is unquestionably more elegant than applying it when assuming shooting position. Either method produces the critical flat run where sling contacts arm and hand - but the former eliminates the inelegant twist between triceps and swivel.