Blue Force Gear, widely known for their VCAS sling and Helium Whisper load carriage technology, has just released the R.E.D. (Rapid Emergency Detach) sling swivel. The patent-pending R.E.D. swivel takes the industry standard QD sling attachment concept a step further, allowing the user to attach and detach the sling with much greater ease.
Unlike the traditional QD sling swivel which requires a push on a very small recessed button, the R.E.D is activated by a pull on an injection molded nylon toggle on a stainless steel cable, which provides great purchase even with gloves or sweaty hands. In the event that the user is snagged by their sling, or in an emergency egress situation, one pull on the toggle will release the sling from the QD cup and allow the user to free themselves or the weapon. The push-button QD was a great leap forward for sling mounting technology, and has been overwhelmingly popular as an aftermarket attachment as well as being integrated into the design of various weapons and accessories. As many users can attest, sometimes activating the button on the swivels can be frustrating due to it’s size and location inside of the sling loop, which prompted BFG to develop the R.E.D. swivel.
In addition to the obvious benefits of being able to rapidly detach your sling with ease in any situation or emergency, the R.E.D. swivel is a breeze to attach as well. BFG has a number of products that will allow to the user to rapidly reconfigure their sling as the situation dictates, and the R.E.D. swivel enhances a number of these . BFG was a pioneer of the rapid configuration weapons sling with the SOC-C package. The SOC-C is adaptable to almost any platform and could be used as a 1, 2, or 3 point sling. With the development of the R.E.D. swivel the wildly popular VCAS sling joins it’s sibling and can go from an adjustable 2-point sling to a single point in a matter of seconds. By attaching the R.E.D. swivel to a forearm mounted QD cup and using a BFG UWL with push-button socket, the user is able to pick between 1 and 2 point configuration instantly and securely.
The R.E.D. is constructed of zinc phosphate coated heat-treated steel, and accepts any sling up to 1.25 inches in width. BFG will have a 1” version available as well. As with all BFG products, the R.E.D. swivel is made in the USA and is backed by BFG’s Lifetime Warranty.
Reference part number P-PBER-125 for the RED swivel from your BFG dealer or directly from Blue Force Gear at www.blueforcegear.com.
Tags: Blue Force Gear
Great to see this part finally come to market! It’s pretty dang slick. Well done, BFG.
Brilliant device – even better that they designed it to work within existing frameworks, rather than creating a new, proprietary attachment system of their own.
Glad to see this in production. More excellent work by BFG.
What keeps this from snagging and the sling coming detached constantly? This looks like your rifle will be on the ground all the time.
Billy,
The swivel can only be activated with a firm pull on the knob on a line within 10 degrees of the axis of the swivel. If the knob is snagged two things tend to happen: the knob slips through the obstruction before the load reaches 7 pounds and triggers the release or the obstruction pulls at an angle of more than 10 degrees and the release will not be triggered until the mechanism fails.
We are not saying that it is imposable to accidentally release the red swivel, just quite rare. Like all emergency releases RED swivel adds a potential failure point to the sling. Each user must decide for themselves if the ability to free one’s self of their sling in an emergency is worth the risk, however slight, of unintentionally dropping their weapon.
Great info! Thanks.