RIFLE SLING WITH STABILIZING LOOP
The rifle sling with stabilizing loop includes a central loop having a forward portion and a rearward portion. The forward portion is flexible, and the rearward portion is substantially stiff, thus maintaining the central loop in an open, non-collapsed state. The rifle sling further includes a forward strap having opposed first and second ends, the first end being adapted for releasable attachment to a forestock of a firearm, the second end being fixed to the forward portion of the central loop. A rearward strap is further provided, the rearward strap having opposed first and second ends. The first end of the rearward strap is adapted for releasable attachment to a butt of a firearm, and the second end of the rearward strap is slidably secured to the rearward portion of the central loop.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/472,735, filed Apr. 7, 2011.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to firearms, and particularly to a rifle sling with stabilizing loop having a non-collapsible loop for stabilizing the elbow of a user's arm when firing a rifle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Rifle slings for stabilizing the elbow of an individual firing a rifle are known. Such a rifle sling 100 is shown in
The forward strap 135 extends through a buckle 136, then through eyelet 121 on the forestock 122 of rifle R, back through the buckle 136, terminates in a free end 139. The opposite end 137 of the forward strap 135 is rigidly connected to the forward portion 140 of the loop 134. The forward strap 135 permits adjustment of the distance from the forestock 122 to the forward portion 140 of loop 134. This permits the sling to be adjusted to fit individuals of differing statures, arm lengths, etc.
Typically, the sleeve 133 slides along the loop 134 so that the sleeve 133 may be in a first position on the rear portion 141 when the rifle is being carried with the sling 100 extending over a shoulder of an individual in conventional fashion, and may be in a second position on the rear portion 141 when the rifle is being fired in the manner illustrated in
In
Such slings such as the sling 100 include flexible straps formed from fabric or the like. Due to the flexible nature of the straps, the loop 134 is often in a collapsed state. Thus, insertion of the user's arm into the loop 134 is relatively difficult and time consuming. When hunting, though, time is typically of great importance, as a hunter often must don the strap as soon as prey is spotted.
Thus, a rifle sling with a stabilizing loop solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe rifle sling with stabilizing loop includes a central loop having a forward portion and a rearward portion. The forward portion is flexible, and the rearward portion is substantially stiff, thus maintaining the central loop in an open, non-collapsed state. The rifle sling further includes a forward strap having opposed first and second ends, the first end being adapted for releasable attachment to a forestock of a firearm, the second end being fixed to the forward portion of the central loop. A rearward strap is further provided, the rearward strap having opposed first and second ends. The first end of the rearward strap is adapted for releasable attachment to a butt of a firearm, and the second end of the rearward strap is slidably secured to the rearward portion of the central loop.
These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSThe rifle sling with stabilizing loop, the sling being designated generally as 10 in the drawings, is best seen in
The central loop 34 includes a forward portion 40 and rearward portion 41. As opposed to prior art sling 100, the rearward portion 41 of the central loop 34 is formed from stiff, but flexible material, rather than being formed from a loose strap or the like. The forward portion 40 is preferably formed from the joining of flexible straps 60, 62, as shown in
The forward strap 35 is fixed at one end 39 to the forward portion 40 of the central loop 34 by stitching or the like, as shown in
Similarly, the rearward strap 30 preferably also has an adjustable length. A plurality of adjustment apertures 16 may be fainted therethrough. The rearward strap 30 may be folded or looped and held at a desired length by a Chicago screw 18 or similar fastener (a Chicago screw has an internally threaded socket extending from a first disk and a threaded stud extending from a second disk, which forms the head of the screw, so that the disks retain the screw in the aperture 16). It should be understood that the rearward strap 30 and the forward strap 35 may have any suitable type of length adjustment, such as buckles, hook and loop fasteners, hooks or the like.
The rearward strap 30 forms a loop or sleeve 33 at one end 32, as described above. This allows the loop or sleeve 33 to slide along the rearward portion 41 of the central loop 34.
In use, as shown in
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A rifle sling with stabilizing loop, comprising:
- a central loop having a forward portion and a rearward portion, the forward portion being flexible and the rearward portion being substantially stiff;
- an elongate forward strap having opposed first and second ends, the first end being adapted for releasable attachment to a forestock of a firearm, the second end being fixed to the forward portion of the central loop; and
- an elongate rearward strap having opposed first and second ends, the first end being adapted for releasable attachment to a butt of a firearm, the second end being slidably attached to the rearward portion of the central loop.
2. The rifle sling as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for selectively adjusting the length of said forward strap.
3. The rifle sling as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for selectively adjusting the length of said rearward strap.
4. The rifle sling as recited in claim 1, wherein said central loop has sufficient stiffness to maintain an open, non-collapsed state,
5. The rifle sling as recited in claim 1, wherein the rearward portion of said central loop is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of leather cord, rubber, rope, and flexible plastic.
6. A rifle sling with stabilizing loop, comprising:
- a central loop having a forward portion and a rearward portion, the forward portion being flexible and the rear portion being substantially stiff, the central loop having sufficient stiffness to maintain an open, non-collapsed state;
- an elongate forward strap having opposed first and second ends, the first end being adapted for releasable attachment to a forestock of a firearm, the second end being fixed to the forward portion of the central loop; and
- an elongate rearward strap having opposed first and second ends, the first end being adapted for releasable attachment to a butt of a firearm, the second end being slidably disposed on the rear portion of the central loop.
7. The rifle sling as recited in claim 6, further comprising means for selectively adjusting the length of said forward strap.
8. The rifle sling as recited in claim 6, further comprising means for selectively adjusting the length of said rearward strap.
9. The rifle sling as recited in claim 6, wherein the rearward portion of said central loop is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of leather cord, rubber, rope, and flexible plastic.
10. The rifle sling as recited in claim 6, wherein the rearward portion of said central loop is substantially arcuate.
11. The rifle sling with a stabilizing loop as recited in claim 10, wherein the rearward portion of said central loop is substantially semi-circular.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 5, 2012
Publication Date: Oct 11, 2012
Inventor: WILLIAM HOWARD DEES (Natchez, MS)
Application Number: 13/440,802
International Classification: F41C 33/00 (20060101);