1866 Winchester original sling

[coyote nose]

Anybody have photos or a link to the original sling Winchester supplied on their 1866 Rifles back in the day? One day when I have spare time (HAHAHA!) I plan on making or having a repro made, but have no idea what they looked like....an actual sling? A strap? Stitched together? Riveted?

[Ysabel Kid]

I googled "1866 Winchester Sling" and there are a lot of images. Not sure which one is period correct though (though there were several that were certainly not!).

[Malamute]

The ones i recall seeing pictures of were a simple strap with metal slider buckle and a stud button on the other end.

The slings used for a time by Germany for their G-3 rifles looks very similar. they used to be commonly available for very reasonable prices, like $10 or so. They seem to have largely dried up for the cheap prices but some searching showed some in very good to like new condition for around $20 or so. I have several and would like to get a couple more.

[coyote nose]

I googled "1866 Winchester Sling" and there are a lot of images. Not sure which one is period correct though .....

Yes I did too with the same results, that is why I am wondering what they actually looked like from Winchester in that era. Going to Wyoming for a backpack this September...maybe I'll hit the Cody museum and poke around there.

[black river smith]

Here is a result from a search.

https://www.collectorsfirearms.com/2166 ... -w7741.jpg

And a second one:

https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/906/1316 ... quality=50

A third one:

https://cdn.rockislandauction.com/dev_c ... 15:12.000Z

A fourth one:

https://images.gunsinternational.com/li ... B56979.jpg


1 & 4 look the same. The other 2 appear to be different.

Another better view:

https://cdn.rockislandauction.com/dev_c ... 46:34.000Z

[Ysabel Kid]

I googled "1866 Winchester Sling" and there are a lot of images. Not sure which one is period correct though .....

Yes I did too with the same results, that is why I am wondering what they actually looked like from Winchester in that era. Going to Wyoming for a backpack this September...maybe I'll hit the Cody museum and poke around there.

The Cody Museum is an awesome idea!!!

[coyote nose]

Fantastic!! Yes 1 and 4 appear the same and both are on Muskets. I wonder if it was a military sling. The Rock Island one has a 'claw' on it which i want to shy away from....it damages the wood, plus I do believe the claw style is a later development too, but am not sure. I have seen the 'belt buckle' type before, I'll have to look into that.