I had a Gunfighter Moment putting together a BCM carbine and I noticed this nice thick black rubber band around the BCM stock holding a bag of Ranger Bands by GEARWARD. I wondered how many people didn’t know about “S” rolling the sling and securing it to the stock to keep it out of the way until needed, so hopefully I can help a few learn something new.
This simple heavy duty rubber band has been very useful for me over the years. Only, I had to use the beige rubber band that my Rigger friends would also use on parachutes. One of the uses with the carbine is to collapse the stock and “S” roll the sling so that the rifle is compact and a 215lb commando can fit into a sedan with kit on and spring into action as the vehicle stops without hanging himself by the sling around the neck and catching it on the corner of a car door thus becoming an obstacle for his team mates.
I learned another reason watching my cousin from Arkansas pull out what he calls a “Black Gun”, which was that he simply stored them in his safe collapsed and “S” rolled to make for a neatly kept gun safe. The sling is always in the way until you need it and having a few extra rubber bands in your pocket is always a good idea during operations…and rubber band wars!?
Having a “Gunfighter Moment” is way cooler than having a “Senior Moment”.
– Daryl Holland
Daryl Holland is a retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major with over 20 years of active duty experience, 17 of those years in Special Operations. Five years with the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) and 12 years in the 1st SFOD-Delta serving as an Assaulter, Sniper, Team Leader, and OTC Instructor.
He has conducted several hundred combat missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Philippines, and the Mexican Border. He has conducted combat missions in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush Mountains as a Sniper and experienced Mountaineer to the streets of Baghdad as an Assault Team Leader.
He has a strong instructor background started as an OTC instructor and since retiring training law abiding civilians, Law Enforcement, U.S. Military, and foreign U.S. allied Special Operations personnel from around the world.
Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn, they offer some words of wisdom.
Thank you for the succinct and practical explanation. I’ve seen this quite a bit, but the people whose advice I’m interested in kinda shrugged it off and the people excited to tell me have been… well…
I appreciate advice, Daryl
That looks like a very practical stock, quite streamlined and simple. Anyone have experience with them?
This guy 😉 gives it high marks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3FPqoV8zJw
I love mine. Its really smooth and streamlined, and also locks up tight. It’s also stupid strong and lightweight. Unless you have some special need such as adjustable cheek weld or if you really want battery storage, the BCM is the best stock on the market imho.
I cut up old bike tubes to make them. You can get a variety of sizes that way.
Is there some secret to getting the triglides to not get all hung up when pulling the sling out of the band? I tried this with some shock cord and didn’t get very good results so there must be something I’m missing.
Might have been better giving folks with no frame of reference a step by step visiual tutorial. Probably alot of folks see what the end product looks like but are not quite sure how you got there. As for the triglides the bands are consumable items. just pull hard enough to get the triglides out even if it breaks the bands.
Thanks. Maybe the bands work better than the shock cord that I first saw suggested due to their thicker width. The shock cord would get caught between the triglide and the sling and make for a very unsmooth sling deployment. I like this concept for the safe and for the vehicle mount at work a lot but couldn’t quite work it out. I’ll have to give the bands a try. Now I just have to figure out how to get them to stay in place on my beloved STR.
For anyone looking for a visual, this might help: http://themoatgroup.us/post/76245595272/truck-gun-sling-a-response-to-a-question
Thanks for the write up Daryl. Very cool seeing the Ranger Bands being put to good use.
As far as dragging the triglides past the band goes, just yank it out as needed. The Ranger Bands are ludicrously strong for their size.
Here’s a terrible photo I just snapped, holding my 55lb kettlebell off the floor with one. The band has stretched to over 16″ (from an original 2″) without breaking.
http://www.good-kit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Ranger-Band-test.jpg
They should hold up to the VBOST application for quite awhile.
“without hanging himself by the sling around the neck and catching it on the corner of a car door thus becoming an obstacle for his team mates.”
Which is why the Infantry School taught us to remove the sling for all field operations.
If you need one, this does help. MP, 3Gun, whatever. Consider, tho, that if you need to move and quickly, a sling can and will hang up on any protruding object – including the gear on your teammate stacked next to you.
Outdoors, it can be even worse. Not every combat zone is vegetation free, reduce your baggage and it won’t visit Murphy on you.
Infantry School vs SMUs. Who knows more? Hmm.
Or… just learn how to use a sling right, and the right type of sling at that, and you’ll be more effective with the added benefit of not have miles of webbing draped over you like a rapey octopus.
+1
So what do you do when you need to move but can’t carry your weapon?
Mountain ops, rappelling, casualties, resupply, skis, rope bridges? Weapons stays with you but can’t be carried in hand.
Do you stop EVERY time and pull off your sling?
Vegetation free? Obviously you haven’t worked close to the Tigris or Euphrates in Iraq or gone through orchards in Afghanistan.
Pretty sure the taking off of the sling was more about concern of noise discipline over the noisy sling swivels that come standard on the M16 FOW than anything to do with snag hazards.
So what happens when you have to go hands on with an EPW?
I have really been trying to figure out this concept and have been using a piece from jones tactical, but it goes around the front. And i kind of figured it out from a video. Anyone have, or can make, a video of how to beat set this up and deploy?