How to Make a Tactical Gun Sling

OK, I promised to do some "How To" posts. As I thought of what to do first, I said to myself "Self, you should do a 'How to make your own tactical gun sling' article." And Self replied "Good idea, Dave" Not that I am a self-proclaimed expert on guns and gun slings. But after helping numerous customers from several websites, I have a pretty good feel for it.
Before I start, I should state that there are many good tactical gun slings on the market. One I am quite fond of can be found at Gear Sector it is a sturdy, comfortable, and well designed sling. Much better then making one from scratch. But if you must, here is one popular design that was found on the AR15.com forum. The pictures are posted there, and I will post some minor changes that have proven useful.

here we goStep 1:
gather all parts needed for the build they are:
7.5 feet of 1.5" wide nylon web
5 inch piece of 1.5" wide nylon web <-------I'm getting feedback that this piece works much better 7 inches long. To each his own, assembly is easier with the longer piece.
Two 15 inch pieces of 1" wide nylon web
Two 1.5" wide double adjust side release buckles
Two 1.5" wide slides
One 1.5” wide rounded metal slide powder coated flat blackTwo 1" wide slides
Tape measure, scissors to make the 5" piece and the two 15 inchers, & a lighter to seal the ends of the nylon web
Step 2:Slide a female buckle end onto the 1.5" web and then put a slide on the tail of the web itself.
Step 3:Loop the web back and through the slide installed in the 2nd step, make your loop 27 inches long.
Step 4:Slide the 1.5" rounded metal slide on to the web, note that you will leave an open end of the new slide pointing out, this will now be the "outside" of the sling.
Step 5:Assemble this piece using the 5" long piece of 1.5" wide web and one female and one male end of 1.5" side release buckles.
Step 6:Slide the assembly you made in step 5 onto the sling.
Step 7:Assemble this mess on the open end of the sling using the last male buckle and a slide. Note: that the tail of the web is on the outside of the sling, as described in step 4
Step 8:Tighten step 7 down so the slide is holding the webbing tight, only leave 1/4-1/2 inch of web past the slide.
Step 9:Using the two 15" pieces of 1" wide web and the two 1" wide slide pass them through. This is where you will use the open end of the 1.5" lock left over from step 4. The 1" web passes through the outside of the male buckle installed in step 7 and 8
Step 10:Tighten everything down good, snap all the buckles and your done!

I would like to express my gratitude to ggllggll from the AR15 forum for the design. And for all the rifle, airsoft, and paintball ethusiasts for their interest in this topic.

Next week: Airport friendly belts and another barbecue recipie
-David