Larry Vickers is one of the premier firearms instructors of today. His long career as a member of Delta Force gave him massive amounts of experience and training thathe now passes on in a variety of ways. This includes signature firearms parts upgrades, a whole series of Vickers Guide books on different weapons, and, of course, the Vickers Combat Application Sling, more often known simply as the Vickers Sling from Blue Force Gear.
In the mid-to-early 2000s, two types of slings seemed to rule the tactical world: the three-point and the single-point. The standard two-point was looked at as “past its prime” by the tacti-cool crowd. Like many things, what old is new again. The Vickers Sling is a two-point sling that has slowly become the standard across the tactical realm.
Unlike previous two-point slings, the Vickers was designed around users wearing modern body armor and other tactical gear. The Vickers featured a forward tab that, when pulled, allowed the user to instantly tighten or loosen the sling. This made it ideal for the dynamic situations modern fighting forces and law enforcement agencies were finding themselves in.
Perhaps most important of all, Blue Force Gear is proud to note that all of the Vickers Slings are built in the US out of US-made materials.
The Vickers Sling has become the world’s standard in tactical weapon slings – used by every branch of US service, local and federal law enforcement agencies, and by allies across the world. Long removed from a traditional strap or parade sling, the Vickers Sling is a two-point, quick adjust sling with no loose tail to snag on gear or jam up an action, and no springs or parts to fail.The sling is also in use by thousands of regular citizen shooters. Quite simply, the sling is popular for a reason.
As a heavy user of the Vickers Sling as both a Marine and now a civilian, I like the ability to nearly instantly tighten my sling to manage tasks like climbing ladders, doing buddy carries, fast roping, and more. I could instantly pull the tab, loosen the sling, and get back to the mission at hand. As a Marine, this certainly mattered a bit more. However, now as a hunter I still find myself climbing ladders, moving through thick brush, and trying to manage my rifle around gear.
While the Vickers is designed for tactical and combat operations, it’s still a good option for a hunting rifle. I’ve used the same Vickers sling for almost 10 years now, both in and out of the Marine Corps. Same sling, different tasks, and it performs them all admirably.
The sling hasn’t even frayed around the edges; it’s still rock solid after years and years of abuse. It’s been through a half dozen countries, countless training ops, through rain, desert, and up and down mountains. It’s been exposed to salt water, fresh water, and it’s been put away without much care given to its needs.
The little things count, too. When tightened down nice and snug, it’s supportive while shooting, especially at odd angles. This really comes into play when leaning around barriers and shooting in awkward positions. It’s also supportive and comfortable while carrying your rifle for long periods of time. It doesn’t dig in, chafe, or rub you wrong – a huge plus!
The pull tab, which is easily the most critical portion of this sling, is both durable and reliable. Remember: this sling has been through hell and back, and the pull tab still moves back and forth without an issue. It’s just as easy to slide the tab in year 10 as it was on day 1.
This sling is really designed around the AR platform, but works with almost any rifle. Blue Force Gear also produces a wide variety of different sling hardware to make the sling compatible with nearly any rifle or submachine gun. This includes HKs, AKs, bolt action rifles, and shotguns.
I personally use the U Loops quite a bit, and the Push Button QD Sling swivel. These make the slings adaptive, and easy to use with almost any platform. (If you can’t tell, I’m a big fan of the Blue Force Gear Vickers Sling. In fact, I own more than one! Speaking of which…
The BFG Vickers Sling should really be plural, as in slings. Blue Force Gear has modified and adapted the sling to fit more specialized military weapons, like the M240 and M249 machine guns. But Blue Force Gear didn’t stop with machine guns.
They produce, padded, push-button, standard issue, as well as the Vickers ONE, and the Vickers AK sling. Not counting color options (of which there are many), there are no fewer than nine different Vickers Sling variants to choose from.
I just so happen to have a Vickers AK sling and a Vickers ONE sling, and I’ll touch on the differences a bit.
The Vickers ONE sling is designed expressly for submachine guns and pistol caliber carbines. These small guns are typically equipped with smaller sling points, and are often lighter in weight. The Vickers ONE sling features 1-inch webbing that fits smaller sling loops and reduces the overall weight and profile of the sling. Since PCCs and SMGs are lighter than rifles, the extra quarter inch of webbing isn’t needed to comfortably carry the gun.
Here’s mine, seen rocking and rolling on the CZ Scorpion EVO.
The AK sling is very similar to the AR sling in terms of length and size. The main differences being the included Universal Wire loop. The rear of the sling has the capability to be wrapped around the rear of a wood AK stock if you lack a sling attachment option.
Here’s mine with my SIG 556R. (Note this is a Special Edition and features a leather tab instead of nylon.)
Sometimes the best thing you can do to improve a product is to simply leave it alone. Remember: if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. These are some of the best slings on the market, and it’s good to see that Blue Force Gear has worked with Larry Vickers over the years to adapt and build upon an already great product.
Simply put: if you are looking for a sling, you can’t go wrong with a Blue Force Gear Vickers Sling.