How to Install a Sling Swivel Stud

How to Install a Sling Swivel Stud

A friend of mine who teaches law enforcement tells his students that "a rifle without a sling is like a pistol without a holster.sling swivel stud " Adding a sling swivel stud to your gun makes it easy to carry and can make the difference between being able to keep the rifle pointed at your target or letting it go out of alignment when you are shooting. Rifles rarely leave the factory with sling swivel

studs, but a sling swivel can easily be installed on your longarm in just a few minutes. The quick-detach (QD) swivels that are now popular with shooters also allow the same sling to be transferred from one rifle to another in seconds.

While QD sling studs have only recently become popular, traditional sling swivels, sometimes called paraclip swivels, have been in use for much longer. They are a bit more awkward to mount than a QD sling stud, but are still very functional and look great.

You can get sling swivels at nearly any gun shop, and they are fairly inexpensive as well. The most important thing is to use a good quality set, such as the Uncle Mike's Quick Detachable Super Swivels (Brownells number 1001-2). The kit includes the rear wood screw sling stud and nut, a front machine screw swivel base and stud, and two locking QD swivels. These swivels are sized to accommodate one inch or one and a quarter inch slings, so they can be used on all bolt action rifles.

When you are ready to install the swivel studs, first be sure your rifle is unloaded and then clamp it in a padded vise or in a sling cradle so it doesn't move. A few drops of epoxy or Loctite will help the swivels stay in place and hold the sling securely, but they should not be tightened until after the sling has been attached.

The sling swivel installation jig comes with the correct-size drill bits and facing and clearance cutters. The swivel stud needs to be drilled at the exact spot measured by the jig, and then the hole can be enlarged with the number 10 drill and counter bore to provide room for the sling screw nut. Before screwing in the swivel stud, the hole should be cleaned with a rag soaked in Hoppe's linseed oil to seal it and prevent corrosion.

After the swivel stud is in, be careful not to over-tighten it, as it will be very difficult to remove later. Once the sling is mounted, you can do a function check and be confident your sling will work properly and won't block any controls on your rifle.

Some people choose to mount the sling stud closer to the stock for better weight dispersal, but this can be dangerous in some situations and may not be comfortable for many users. Others like to put it on the grip cap, which keeps the sling off of the barrel and out of the way when firing.