From Blue Force Gear…
Miss the OD Green slings? So do we. Despite a mass shortage of Olive Drab webbing, we managed to source enough material to make a few Vickers Slings for all you hardcore OD fans. OD Slings are currently available in padded and unpadded options from Blue Force Gear.
I picked up 4 of these OD Green padded VCAS the last time they were available. I suspect this run won’t last long.
There are distinct advantages to both single and 2 point slings. Thankfully, devices like the Blue Force gear Burnsed Socket let you choose which is best for your specific set of circumstances on the fly.
Blue Force Gear (BFG) designed the Burnsed Socket in 2005 to be part of the SOC-C sling system. The SOC-C is an expansive sling system that can be configured as a 1, 2, or 3 point sling. Now the Burnsed Socket is available as a stand-alone item.
The Burnsed Socket is made from hard anodized aluminum and weighs only 13 grams. It has a QD sling swivel socket (not rotation limited) and a channel that allows it to be placed on either 1” or 1.25” slings. It available in either black or coyote brown hard anodized finishes.
To use the Burnsed Socket, the user simply threads it onto their sling near the rear attachment point. The front sling attachment point must utilize a QD sling swivel like the previously reviewed Blue Force Gear RED. It rides at the rear, basically unnoticed, until the user needs to convert their sling into a single point. When the user needs to convert the sling, they simply release the QD sling swivel at their front attachment point and then reconnect the swivel to the Burnsed Socket. It is quick and easy.
The Burnsed Socket can slide freely when installed on the sling. I like to install it between the 2 tri-glides that most slings provide at the rear attachment point to limit its movement.
After some trial and error, I found that it is easy to use if you install it with the socket facing in rather than out on your sling. This places the socket at an angle that is very easy to work with when you need to convert the sling.
Nearly every one of my slings is set up with a Burnsed Socket or something that offers similar functionality now. I store them in 2 point configuration and carry them in 2 point configuration but will usually switch to single point configuration when I am shooting. I have come to appreciate the way single point slings stay completely out of the way of the magwell, the easy transitions from shoulder to shoulder, the way they need less adjustment to account for different shooting positions, and how they work better with armor.
There is no downside to the socket being non-rotation limited for the way that I use the Burnsed Socket. The sling is always in 2 point configuration when I don and doff the carbine. Once I transition to single point configuration, the sling can’t really twist because it is being worn.
The Burnsed Socket successfully allows you to convert your sling from a 2 point to a single point sling on the fly. It is lightweight and it stays out of your way when you aren’t using it. It offers functionality that I use and appreciate. Check it out the Burnsed Socket at BlueForceGear.com.
Disclosure: Blue Force Gear advertises on this site and they provided the Burnsed Socket for review, free of charge.
Push button sling swivels have become ubiquitous in this industry for good reason. They are robust, easy to use, offer a degree of flexibility that fixed mounts just can’t offer. However, in spite of their name, QD swivels, aren’t really as easy to detach as they could be and for certain applications and users that can be an issue. Enter the Blue Force Gear RED (Rapid Emergency Detachment).
BFG RED Swivel shown on LaRue Tactical 9.0 Rail
The RED offers similar functionality as the QD sling swivels that we are all familiar with but with a major exception. The RED features a relatively large knob on a steel cable that is pulled to detach the swivel rather than a relatively small button that is pushed to detach the swivel. Blue Force Gear hopes that the combination of the more intuitive motion (pull to separate) and the larger input device (knob on a cable versus button) make the RED suitable to serve as an emergency release in addition to its duty as a sling swivel.
I had two major questions regarding the RED going into this review. First and foremost, would the large knob snag at inopportune times causing the sling to release unintentionally? Second, do the limited angles at which the RED is designed to work limit its use as an emergency release? Essentially, I wondered if the very features designed to make the RED difficult to release accidentally would also make it difficult to release on purpose and if the features designed to make the RED easy to release on purpose would also make it easy to release accidentally.
The fit and finish are what I have come to expect from Blue Force Gear who are no strangers to QD sling swivels. The components are machined nicely and finished nicely with a flat grayish black phosphate finish (not the semi-glossy finish often found on cheaper swivels). The swivel moves in and out of sockets smoothly and mounts without excess wobble. The loop portion of the swivel that you actually thread the sling through is just as burly as any other heavy-duty QD sling swivel. Really, if it wasn’t for the big knob and cable sticking out of the back, it would feel no different than any of the other quality QD sling swivels on the market and that is a good thing.
To test the durability of the cable, I grabbed the swivel in one hand and the knob in the other. I am not the Incredible Hulk, but I couldn’t pull the cable out of the swivel. This is hardly a scientific test but I lack the equipment to do a true break strength test so I will leave it at that.
The RED Swivel will not detach when pulled off axis.
The RED is designed to only release when the knob is pulled straight out. It will not release if it is pulled off axis by more than about 13-14 degrees on my sample. I should also note that, while it will release at angles less than 13-14 degrees, it actually starts to resist being released at as little as 8-9 degrees off axis. Basically, if you pull it straight out, it will release with very little resistance. If you pull it in any direction other than straight out, there will be some resistance which is a good thing.
I set about trying to make the RED release unintentionally and I was unsuccessful. I tried 5 different chest rigs with various magazine combinations and it never once came close to catching on them. I tried 4 different plate carriers with various magazine configurations and it never came close to snagging there. I tried to intentionally tuck it between or behind magazines to create a snag and it just pulled out without releasing. I tried catching it on doorways or other tight spaces as I moved through with no issues. Basically, I found that the tapered shape of the knob and the limited angles at which the cable can be pulled prevent accidental release in every situation that I put the RED in. This doesn’t mean that Murphy and his law will never make an appearance, but in my estimation you are taking that risk with a regular QD swivel as well. I have seen regular QD sling swivels release unintentionally for various reasons. I am completely satisfied that the RED will stay put when I want it to.
Which would you rather use in an emergency?
I also wanted to test that I could release the RED from a variety of positions. I basically just tried to recreate awkward positions (which I am sure looked ridiculous) to see if I could release the RED. In situations where I could see the RED, releasing it was intuitive and easy. In situations where I couldn’t see the RED in order to determine if I was pulling straight out I could either roll my wrist around while pulling until it released or use the sense of touch to orient my hand to the mount and then pull straight out. I found that if I could get my hands on it, I could release it.
Apart from the emergency release testing, I also wanted to see if the RED Swivel was any good as a replacement for the seemingly omnipresent QD sling swivels. I actually found the RED to be very easy to use and at least as easy to use as the normal swivel. I actually find the RED Swivel easier to insert into certain sockets than a standard swivel. Standard swivels work great if you are inserting them into something rigid that you can push against. If the socket is not mounted on something rigid, like on a sling in the case of an IWC 2 to 1 Point Triglide or the Blue Force Gear Burnsed Socket, then it can be a little bit difficult to fully compress the button and press the standard QD swivel swivel into place. The RED allows you to grab the knob portion with your palm and press the swivel away from the knob with your fingers which allows you to easily insert the RED into a socket without the aid of something rigid to push against. Best of all, this maneuver was something that I just started doing intuitively. The RED Swivel just works.
The unique properties of the RED Swivel make it ideally suited to use with convertible sling devices like the BFG Burnsed Socket shown.
The RED Swivel may be a vital safety device for those who may find themselves in a situation in which they need to rapidly remove their slings from their body. In my testing, it seems to do a good job of both resisting release at the wrong time and aiding release when necessary. Both of these items are necessary if the RED Swivel is to be successful.
Though it is not advertised as such, I found that the RED swivel excels when used in conjunction with QD swivel based 2 to 1 point convertible sling devices like the IWC 2 to 1 Point Triglide or the Blue Force Gear Burnsed Socket. I would take the RED Swivel over a standard QD swivel for these applications.
I am a big fan of the Blue Force Gear UWL (Universal Wire Loop). It is just so useful to mounting slings to platforms that are generally difficult to mount slings on. I keep one in my parts box so that I always have one on hand.
Blue Force Gear (BFG) recently introduced a new version of the UWL, the UWL with Push Button Socket, which has a socket for use with push-button QD sing swivels in addition to the sling loop. They have also introduced the UWL in a good looking new Flat Dark Earth color.
The new UWL consists of two main components: a coated steel cable and a machined aluminum sling loop/push button socket. The steel cable is attached in such a way that it forms a loop. This allows you to turn any attachment point on a longarm into a full size sling attachment point or even attach a sling completely independent of a dedicated attachment point.
There are numerous inventive ways that the UWL can be used. If you are a lefty and an AK shooter, the UWL can be attached to the front sling loop on the AK handguard and passed in between the barrel and gas tube to create a lefty friendly sling mounting point. I have used them to quickly add a sling to AR-15s but wrapping them around the delta ring or the buffer tube. They are one of the best rear sling mounting options for the FN SCAR. The possibilities are nearly endless.
The addition of the push button socket accomplishes a couple of things. First, it adds to the versatility of the UWL by allowing it to accept an additional type of sling connection. Second, it adds the new functionality of allowing to transition from a 2 point sling to a single point sling when the UWL is used as your rear sling attachment point.
I tried the UWL with Push Button Socket on two rifles during testing: a fairly standard AKM and a borrowed FN SCAR 17. The UWL was well suited to both.
The AK was equipped with both the V2 and V3 sling plates from Echo Nine Three. The use of the Echo93 Sling Plates, allowed the UWL to be used as either a front or rear attachment point. The combination of the Echo Nine Three Sling Plates with the UWL as a rear attachment point worked very well. It positions the sling mounting point right where I like it (the rear of the receiver) and eliminates the need for a snap hook. If your AK happens to have a front rail with a push button QD sling mount on it, the UWL in conjunction with an Echo93 sling plate would also provide the ability to turn your 2 point sling into a single point sling.
The UWL seems like it was made for the FN SCAR rifles. The original UWL is a very common sight as the rear sling attachment point for SCAR shooters. It works extremely well with small loop that FN provided to attaching slings. If the original UWL was a good solution for SCAR shooters, the new UWL with Push Button Socket is a great solution due to the additional convertible single point sling functionality.
Like my original UWLs, this new version has a very robust finish that really hasn’t shown any use at all. The coating on the cable is extremely durable and keeps finish wear on your firearm to a minimum. The aluminum part of the UWL is well machined with rounded edges that are easy on the sling.
The push button socket is not rotation limited. I know many people have strong preferences for rotation limited sockets but I generally don’t. For this application, a rotation limited socket really wouldn’t make much of a difference since the UWL itself can tend to twist a bit.
The UWL with Push Button Socket looks great in its new color (FDE), has additional functionality versus the already great original UWL, and is still just as useful for solving sling mounting problems. Some users may balk at the lack of rotation limiters in the push button socket but they really wouldn’t make much of a difference in this application as they do in others. This gear deserves a space in your tool box.
Blue Force Gear just added two new products to their line: the RED Swivel and the Burnsed Socket.
RED Swivel
The RED Swivel is a new take on the QD sling swivel. While most have a small push button, the RED has a larger “Pull Button” which is a knob on a steel cable. To quickly remove the RED (Rapid Emergency Detachment), the user simply pulls the cable. The RED’s Pull Button is not only a larger target, it is also a more intuitive action. It can be pulled by grasping it, by catching it between your fingers, by pulling with your teeth, or whatever else it takes to free yourself from your rifle in an emergency.
BFG was also careful to reduce the possibility that the RED could be released unintentionally. They shaped the knob to be less likely to prone and designed the mechanism so that if it is pulled more than 10 to 15 degrees off axis, the RED will not release.
Burnsed Socket
The Burnsed Socket is a product designed to allow you to configure your sling as either a 1 point or 2 point sling on the fly. It threads onto slings like the Blue Force Gear VCAS just behind where the sling is mounted to the rifle. It is a simple device that works with QD sling swivels like the new RED Swivel.
Check out the new RED Swivel and Burnsed Socket on BlueForceGear.com.
