The Loose Association of Wargamers

I've looked. And looked.
What colour is a WW2 British paratrooper's rifle sling? Preferably, give me a vallejo paint colour.

Additional comment: what colours do you paint them? Check 8 online experts & you get 8 different sets of colours.
I've decided on (camo smock) Vallejo's Middlestone, Dark Russian Green & Flat brown (with a bit of burnt red mixed in).
I haven't got to berets yet & don't want to buy a bottle just to paint them. Trying to mix maroon from what I have should be a challenge.


donald

Lots of colour photos here, you pay's your money and take's your chances Donald.
I think karki, buff, green mix or a combination of all three?
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1CAY ... 4&dpr=1.25




Willz.

I'm pretty sure they were traditionally the same colour as the beret. Something to do with the Boer War.

Iain

I would paint them the same colour as their webbing myself.

What Fredd says, mate. The weapon slings were made of the same material as the webbing and were issued "raw". The troops then used the appropriate blanco on the sling, both to colour it and seal it.

As has been said, rifle slings for the vast majority were exactly the same as the webbing; yellow-ochre with Blanco slapped on to taste.

However, snipers used red leather 'American slings' to aid steadying and aiming the rifle. Humbrol 62 is bang on the money.

US troops are exactly the same; the rank-and-file had webbing slings for their Garands etc, while the dedicated marksmen had red leather marksmen's slings for their bolt-action Springfields.

So it wasn't anything like a Gin Sling then?

by RMD » 22 Jun 2023 22:10
However, snipers used red leather 'American slings' to aid steadying and aiming the rifle.

I didn't know that. We just used the standard SLR slings (same as the SMLE) on the Parker-Hales, possibly because leather stretches and webbing doesn't (or the bean-counters saved a few cents by only having the one type). Snipers can be strange, though, and the leather sling may have been more about swank than any advantage it would give.

by BaronVonWreckedoften » 23 Jun 2023 03:58
So it wasn't anything like a Gin Sling then?

Not particularly, no. If you spilled your beer (two per day, per man, perhaps- and usually not) and tried to suck it off the sling then it tasted terrible. You can't wring a sling out, either.

Or so I've been told.

Ahhh but as an Aussie, by then you had the experience of Nam where you discovered the American designation of sniper, meant, passed basic rifle training, to you. So the yank swank carried less weight.

I'm sure it had something to do with the Boer War.