Most shotgun sling problems are shotgun sling length problems wearing a different hat. A gun that swings, slips off your shoulder, fights you on the mount or pulls the stock out of your shoulder pocket is usually set wrong rather than built wrong.
The complication is that there is no single correct length. The setting you want walking is not the setting you want shooting, which is the entire reason adjustable slings exist.
Shotgun sling length is two settings, not one
Carry length holds the gun against your body while you walk, with no hand on it. Shooting length lets you mount the gun and reach a full cheek weld without the sling pulling against you. Those are different, and on a shotgun the gap between them is larger than on a carbine because the gun is longer.
Set to carry length and you cannot mount the gun properly. Set to shooting length and the gun hangs loose and swings while you walk. People who run a fixed strap end up compromising at a length that does neither job well, then conclude slings are uncomfortable.
Setting carry length
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Unload the gun first
Clear the chamber and magazine and confirm by sight and feel. You are about to let go of the gun repeatedly.
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Wear what you actually carry in
Armor, a hunting jacket, or waders all add real bulk. A length set in a t shirt will be short in the field.
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Shorten until the gun stops moving
Sling it and walk. Tighten until the shotgun sits against your body and stays there when you change direction or lean over. It should not swing into your leg.
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Check the muzzle stays put
Take your hands off entirely and bend forward. The muzzle should stay in the direction you chose rather than rolling toward horizontal.
Setting shooting length
From carry, release to shooting length and mount the gun. Two things to check. You should reach a full, natural cheek weld with your head upright rather than craned down. And the sling should not be pulling the stock down or out of your shoulder pocket.
If either is wrong, let out more. A sling that is fractionally too long on the mount costs you nothing. One that is too short costs you the shot.
If the problem turns out to be hardware rather than length, see shotgun sling swivels, or tactical shotgun sling setup for duty configuration.
Changing length one handed, with gloves on
The two setting idea only pays off if you can actually move between them. In the field you are usually doing it with one hand, because the other one is holding the gun, and often through a glove in cold that has taken the feeling out of your fingers. A sling you can only adjust with two bare hands is a fixed strap with extra steps.
This is a skill worth ten minutes on the living room floor. Learn it warm and dry and it survives being wet and cold.
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Unload the gun and verify before you start
Chamber empty, magazine empty, checked by sight and by feel. You will be pulling on the sling with the gun swinging on you, and your eyes will be on the adjuster.
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Learn which way the tail runs
Every adjuster shortens in one direction and releases in the other. Find both with your eyes closed until you can do it without looking. In the dark, on a walk in, looking is not an option.
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Adjust with your strong hand and hold the gun with the other
The support hand keeps the gun where it is. Let go of the shotgun to work the sling and it drops into the webbing, going tight at exactly the moment you wanted it loose.
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Put the gun where you want it, then pull
Most adjusters take up slack easily and fight you when loaded. Bring the gun to your shoulder first, hold it there, then pull the tail. Trying to shorten against the full hanging weight of a loaded shotgun is the usual reason it feels stuck.
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Practice it with the gloves you hunt or work in
Neoprene, wool and heavy leather all remove the fine control you were unconsciously using. If it takes you two attempts with gloves on, it takes four with cold hands.
If your adjuster is a small buckle you have to thread, none of the above will ever be quick. That is a hardware problem, not a technique problem.
What armor and heavy layers change
Everything you wear across your chest and shoulder sits between the webbing and you. That thickness is part of the length, whether you counted it or not. This is why so many people set a sling perfectly in the garage and find it wrong in the field.
| What you are wearing | What it does to the setting | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Shirt, in the garage | The shortest your setting will ever need to be | Treat it as a starting point, never as the final answer |
| Hunting coat and vest | Adds real bulk that compresses under the webbing | Set it in the coat, then walk before you trust it |
| Waders and a heavy parka | The bulkiest most people carry in, and it does not compress evenly | Set it fully dressed, including the hood down your back |
| Plate carrier | Adds rigid thickness and gives the webbing nothing to grip | Take up more, then confirm it kneeling as well as standing |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Armor is the case that catches people out, because a plate does not behave like a jacket. Layers compress and let the gun settle in. A plate is rigid and flat, so the gun rides on the surface and slides outboard as you move. The answer is more take up, not a grippier sling.
A setting dialed in November over a parka is long in early September over a shirt. That extra length is the difference between a gun held against you and a gun that swings into your leg on a hillside. Reset it the first time you go out in different clothing rather than assuming last year’s setting is still yours.
Diagnosing by symptom
| Symptom | Usual cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sling slides off your shoulder | Set too long, so the gun hangs low and the webbing works outward | Shorten carry length until the gun sits against your body |
| Gun swings into your leg | Too long, or front mount too far rearward | Shorten first. If that does not fix it, move the front point forward |
| Cannot get a cheek weld | Shooting length too short | Let out until your head sits naturally on the stock |
| Webbing twists across your chest | A swivel that is not rotating, or points on opposite sides of the gun | Free the swivel; keep both points on the same side or centerline |
| Stock gets pulled off your shoulder | Sling under tension at the mount | Release to shooting length before mounting, or let out more |
| Gun rides too high to shoulder quickly | Carry length too short for the way you use it | Let out slightly, or accept it and use the adjuster |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
You will see slings advertised with an adjustment range in inches. We are not publishing one for the McLean sling until we have verified measurements to stand behind, because an unsourced number is worse than no number. Set yours by the process above, on your body, in your clothing, with your gun.
Moving one sling between two guns
Quick detach hardware makes moving a sling between guns a ten second job, and people reasonably assume the setting comes with it. It does not. What transfers is the sling. What does not transfer is any of the things that decided the number.
Three things change when the sling goes onto a different gun. The overall length of the gun changes, so the span between the two points changes. The mount positions change, and a front point further forward or further back moves where the gun sits on you. And the weight changes, which changes how hard the gun pulls on the setting once you take your hands off.
Treat every gun as its own setup. Sling it, walk with it, and go through carry and shooting length from scratch. It takes two minutes, and it is the difference between a sling that works on both guns and one that works on the gun you set it up on.
Two other things to check on the second gun. First, whether both attachment points end up on the same side of the gun or on the centerline, because points on opposite sides put a half twist in the webbing that no amount of length adjustment will fix. Second, whether the front point puts the webbing anywhere near the ejection port. Cycle the action with the sling fitted and slack before you shoot it.
If you move a sling back and forth every week, a second sling is usually the better answer. Re-setting the length twice a week is how people end up leaving both guns at a compromise that suits neither.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a shotgun sling be?
Long enough to mount the gun with a full cheek weld, short enough that it does not swing when you walk. Those are two settings rather than one, which is why a quick adjuster matters more than any specific number.
Should I set length with or without a jacket?
With whatever you actually wear when carrying. Set it in a shirt and it will be short over a hunting coat, a plate carrier, or waders.
Why does my sling keep slipping off my shoulder?
Almost always too long. A gun hanging low lets the webbing migrate toward the outside of your shoulder as you move. Shorten it before you assume you need a grippier sling.
Does sling length change how the gun hangs?
Yes, but front mount position changes it more. Length controls how tightly the gun is held against you; the front mount position controls the angle it hangs at and how far the muzzle travels.
Can I just set one length and leave it?
You can, and plenty of hunters do. You are accepting a compromise that is slightly wrong for both carrying and shooting. If you mostly carry and rarely shoot, bias toward carry length.
Getting it dialed
Set carry first with the gun unloaded and the clothing you use, then release to shooting length and check your cheek weld. Diagnose problems as length problems before you replace anything. For mounting, see how to put a sling on a shotgun; for how mount position interacts with all of this, see two point vs single point on a shotgun.
