Description: During World War II, after 1942, brass hooks/fittings on M1907 slings were allowed as "substitute standard". This represents about the last of such specimens, marked "JT&L 1943". By the way, miscellaneous background, rigging, action and historical photos are in this auction for INFORMATIONAL AND DETAIL PURPOSES. Only one sling is for sale in this and my other sling auctions. Effective 12-30-2024, the JT&L 1942 should also again be on hand!! These are on hand for immediate delivery. Very fast sellers, the factory that produced these is CLOSED, and there will apparently be adjustments to inventory for that reason. Not many on hand!! Brass hooks ONLY. Sturdy 12 ounce selected hides, drum dyed. They are a stock item that sold out so fast I was astounded!! Additional neatsfoot or other oil style conditioner is highly recommended. This will darken the leather some, but will prolong the life and increase the durability of the strapping. Also have a few UNMARKED and a few marked "ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL 1918". Those are in another auction...see the "other auctions" panel!! If that's more your cup of tea, advise, please, and I'll make sure that's what you get!! THOSE ARE IN A SEPARATE AUCTION. If you need the JT&L 1942, they'll be along soon. Genuine vintage specimens go for $100-250, and are often so dried out as to be unsafe for use actually carrying or "shooter forearm wrapping" a rifle. Very highest quality replicas, fully to optimum regulation, drum-dyed, select hide leather Model of 1907 full length and weight straps. In 1941, the government regulation on fittings for rifle straps was changed to reflect that new ones had to utilize blackened steel, rather than brass, hooks and rings. Civilian contractors were given substantial time to change over. Brass was still o.k. as a substitute due to local shortage or other factor. This JT&L 1943 marked unit is a replica of the production until early 1943, in fact the type with which World War II was primarily fought, with the brass fittings as they looked after the blackening coat wore off. The '43 date would've been unusual in the field, even at the very end of the war, but was often preferable, as brass doesn't rust. Looks right, feels right, these even SMELL right. 1 1/4" wide, leather thickness just over 1/8", long strap 46-48", short strap 24-26", hefty stock all the way around. Treating these with neatsfoot or other oil-based conditioner will aid moisture resistance, prolong life, and generally make these look more authentic and interesting. That's right, YES, these should STILL be neatsfooted or conditioned before use, but this type will greatly outlast the lighter weight commercials and looks correct. Neatsfoot or other leather conditioner increases flexibility and moisture resistance. Many of these treated heavily with neatsfoot's oil from World War I are still quite usable. Rifles and other items depicted in the comparison and rigging shots are NOT included!!! These are the very best of the M1907 reproductions, and many precision shooters buy these because they are so sturdy. No two ways about it: The web sling was very much in the minority in fighting units until the very end of World War II, and was still a minority item in the field then. The M1907 is by FAR the definitive U.S. rifle sling of World War II, especially among combat infantry. Generic details: The U.S. Sling, Rifle Model of 1907, featured two sturdy hooks ( called "frogs" in some parts of the world ), was comprised 10 or 12 ounce leather strapping, 1 1/4", in two belting components: the longer by regulation ran 46-48.5". The shorter, bearing the "D" ring, was typically 24" to 26.5". Length was adjustable, and they were rigged standard with the hook "flats" facing away from the butt stock. However, originally, there were various other uses and applications for the slings, and they were often rigged "upside-down" by users who wanted the sharp hook ends AWAY from their arms while shooting. I used a couple of shots of another premium sling with identical leather to fill out my shot array here, but please look at all the images! These were used on the last of the U.S. Krag rifles at the end of their duty, all '03 bolt action variants, the M1917 "Enfield" U.S. Rifle, the M1 Garand, even shotguns, and pretty much any rifle on military duty which could/would accept a 1 1/4" sling. Rumors to the contrary, if properly conditioned, they held up better to most climate and moisture conditions than the later web. They were slowly replaced by web slings primarily because the web units were much cheaper. Until well into 1942, metal fittings were brass, originally "blackened" ( that finish wore off almost immediately), after 1942 almost entirely blackened steel. The blacking could be phosphate, blue, or various paints or lacquers. It was adjustable for use as a shooting brace/stabilizer with a "sling wrap", and because it was so sturdy to use in that incarnation, many additional nations utilized them. Slings were issue at the unit level, and during World War II, generally, slings were OLDER than the rifles upon which they were first mounted. Part of the reason for this was the huge post-World War I surplus in military inventories, and indeed, many 1917 and 1918 dated slings remained in military inventories LONG AFTER WORLD WAR II!!! These are all "to regulation", with the correct riveting and stitching in the appropriate places, using the newer, easier to adjust hooks. Original hooks seem to have been almost all of the "continuously curved" style, not popular in civilian use because of difficulty of adjust them until holes are somewhat fatigued. The holes were generally elliptical, and numbers varied. The version--NOT PART OF THIS AUCTION!!--for the Browning Automatic Rifle used a third hook, and was called the "Model of 1907, Modified", albeit in service usually called simply the "B.A.R. sling" or the "1918", neither of which is CORRECT, but which are more descriptive for ordinary folks. Some versions of the B.A.R. sling were longer in gross length, and the extant theory is that these were intended for the original "walking fire" concept, albeit no hard documentation exists to absolutely verify that.
Price: 25.79 USD
Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin
End Time: 2024-11-16T11:00:17.000Z
Shipping Cost: 7.15 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Type: Beautiful repro of early 1943 brass fitted unit
Conflict: WW II (1939-45)
Original/Reproduction: Reproduction
Theme: Militaria
Country/Region of Manufacture: Unknown
Region of Origin: United States
Modified Item: No
California Prop 65 Warning: See CA info for leather and brass and conditions.