Sergeant Major (RET) John “Shrek” McPhee (better known as the “Sheriff of Baghdad, hence SOB) spent more than 20 years serving our country in the US Army’s Special Operations community. Having retired back in 2011, he now spends his days teaching tactical courses. The list of available classes is so long it would constitute its own article if I reprinted it here. Aside from imparting his hard-earned knowledge to the up-and-coming door kickers of the world, he is also testing and developing tactical gear that appears on his online store, SOB Tactical. I was sent the B-Sling for review, here’s what I think.
The B-Sling’s construction is designed to be as simple and fool-proof as possible, while providing more functions than… slinging your rifle. The extra utility is that the sling can be easily pulled tight with one hand, keeping the rifle snug against the shooter’s chest. When it’s time to sling lead, the shooter reaches down to the “lanyard equipped buckle”, and with a quick tug the rifle loosens to precisely the pre-adjusted length. The buckle and lanyard don’t move, meaning with a tiny investment in muscle-memory building the shooter will find himself snapping the sling loose to shooting length with eyes on the target.
The front of the B-sling has either an HK hook (mine), or a MASH hook. Snap it on the front sight (or front sling mount) and lace the back-end of the sling through the buttstock, securing it with the buckles. I equipped the sling on a “M4gery” and hit the range.
While it took a couple of minutes to get used to loosening the sling eyes-free, it was a couple of minutes well spent. Having the rifle snugged tight across my chest is a big advantage when you’re moving quickly, over obstacles or using both hands for something other than keeping your rifle from flopping around. Think about that last one for a second… if you’re providing first-aid, securing an enemy “Jihad Joe” or just digging into an MRE for some Charms, having your rifle swingin’ all over can range from annoyance to liability. I usually prefer a single-point sling when shooting, having accepted the bruises as a price of admission. Now I’m rethinking that.
While on the range, I started with a slack sling and using my non-firing hand, tightened up the sling in about 3 seconds. I ran up to the target and enjoyed the lack of a buttstock hitting my chin or a barrel ramming into my crotch. At the end of my 50 yard dash I’d yank on the skull-topped lanyard and present weapon to fire with really no loss of efficiency. Tightening the sling takes seconds, giving you improved comfort and freeing up your hands for other tasks. Letting slip the guns of war didn’t slow me down using the lanyard equipped buckle on the B-sling. I’d also forgotten how stable a properly adjusted two-point sling can make my standing shooting stance.
With a war that’s gone on for an unprecedented length of time in American history, there have been plenty of Veterans returning home to brand some products with their name. Few have the kind of pedigree the “Sheriff of Baghdad” do. Even fewer still have backed it up by continuing to be involved in the game by training so many others who still put their skin in the fight. He stakes his reputation on the products he is willing to put his name on. With the B-Sling, he’s taken a simple product with a simple mission and has made it simply better. The B-Sling is available in 7 colors/camo patterns and runs $35 for the HK hook equipped version and $25.95 for the MASH hook version.
Check it out!
SOB B-sling SOB B-sling SOB B-sling SOB B-sling
