Originally Posted by
w squared
Ching, Rhodesian, or CW - loop size is 100% personal preference. It is dependent both on your body and the geometry that works well for you when shooting.
Remember that you need to choose a loop size that will work for you in all of the positions that you use that loop in. Prone, sitting, kneeling, and (this one is open to debate) standing. A loop size that is perfect for kneeling will be too tight for prone. A loop size that is perfect for prone is too loose for kneeling. The answer is to choose a loop size that works for prone when close to the elbow, and also works for kneeling when close to the shoulder.
Short of getting hands-on instruction, the best method for gaining a good grounding in effective use of the sling is to grab you copy of Colonel Cooper's "The Art Of The Rifle", set up a target on the far side of the room, and do some quality dry practice. If you set up a high-contrast "target" that is half an inch wide and one inch tall, and then aim from a range of ten feet, it will approximate a silhouette at 100 yards.
Practice slinging up, building a solid position, breaking the shot, and your bolt flick. Do that for all four basic positions, and be honest with yourself about how you felt about the break of each "shot". When you do it right (especially when slung prone and sitting) you will know that you stayed on target throughout the process of breaking the shot.
Many will argue that because your support side elbow is not anchored, slinging up is useless when standing. I disagree - slinging up removes any unsteadiness introduced by the muscles between your elbow and your hand on the support side. No, it in no way is as big of an aid to quality hits as slinging up in the kneeling or sitting position....but when forced to shoot standing, I'll take what I can get.
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