Slings for Bullpups: Revisiting the Tavor

It’s been more than a year since my last post on slings for the Tavor, and I feel a good deal smarter now than I did then.

As part of the CTAR-21 build I decided to change to a simpler, more flexible sling system.

Essentially, it is a quiet, easily adjustable 2 point sling that still allows for off-shoulder firing.

I chose the Vickers sling from Blue Force Gear because of its simplicity and quick adjustment feature. Lots of smart guys I trust have been recommending this sling for years, so I’ll keep it brief.

The quality materials and the ability to compress or extend the sling at a moment’s notice were major factors in my decision. I like the unpadded version, as this gives me the longest workable length of material and means that I can create the tightest total loop.

For the Tavor, I use a mash hook with a “silencer” cover and buckle on the front-left mount, and a paracord loop tied into the rear right mount. The mash hook fits tightly around the Israeli front mount, while the standard buckle serves as a breakaway for quick removal. My mash-hook and buckle assembly come from Urban ERT, but there are several quality manufacturers for this sort of hardware.

Directly behind that is the Vickers trademark pull that allows adjustment of sling length. This means that while walking, the rifle can be carried tight and close, but quickly and easily loosened off for shooting. Being able to fine tune the length of the sling is also handy when your body size changes between environments, like when wearing a t-shirt to the range compared to a heavy coat into the mountains or armour-plates and kit overseas.

The rear knot is a standard figure-eight for climbing, but any solid knot of reasonable size will do as a stop. Putting the sling on the right side means that you can transition shoulders without strangling yourself. I felt that the 550 paracord from Agilite Tactical was uniquely suited to this task, being made in Israel.

I have seen other Tavor owners use a full loop through the rear of the rifle, so that the sling can slide freely to either side. I am not a fan of this, as it invites unintentional activation of the bolt release.

My Israeli TAR-21 does not have any QD points, but a similar system could easily be adapted for an American SAR-21.

After years of trying many other slings, and a full 12 months with this setup: this is the best way for me to carry and shoot the Tavor.