Question re: Enfield Rifle Slings

[Devious6]

We're all Enfield rifle slings issued for WWI leather? At what point was the switch made to the web slings? Post-war, I assume. Someone showed me a cotton sling marked S.S.H. Ltd. 1918 and alarmbeels went off in my mind.

[mark holden]

Hi MARK,

Webbing slings for the SMLE introduced prior to WW1. One of the experts will have the exact date of introduction.

regards

Mark

We're all Enfield rifle slings issued for WWI leather? At what point was the switch made to the web slings? Post-war, I assume. Someone showed me a cotton sling marked S.S.H. Ltd. 1918 and alarmbeels went off in my mind.

[Devious6]

Thanks for the quick responses!! We're any on the slings ink staped during WWI or were they all stamped on the end fittings?

[auchonvillerssomme]

Heres one I picked up in a wood in the Somme region and another attached to a black dyed sling.

[TonyE]

...and here are two of mine, again one of them on a black sling.

Regards

Tonye

[Devious6]

Thanks again, Gents! The sling I saw that was portrayed as a WWI vintage sling was ink stamped like the later WWII slings - with a faded year of 191(?). It was passed off as original.

[Torrey McLean]

Thanks again, Gents! The sling I saw that was portrayed as a WWI vintage sling was ink stamped like the later WWII slings - with a faded year of 191(?). It was passed off as original.

Hello, Devious - I have two webb slings in my collection that I believe are unquestionably genuine (they were picked out of a box of surplus slings for $1 each) that are ink-stamped "1918," and I have never personally seen a sling with an earlier ink-stamped date. Moreover, I have never seen a sling with "1918" date-stamped into the brass piece, but I have seen many that have earlier WWI dates stamped into the metal. ["1917" seems to be the most common date.] Consequently, I concluded long ago that the practice of stamping dates into the metal ended approximately at the end of 1917, and 1918 and later webb slings had ink-stamped markings. Your sling well may be a 1918 or 1919 original sling; also, if it is a faked marking the date probably would be more definite. If I am wrong,I trust that someone will correct me. Regards, Torrey

[Devious6]

Here are a few pictures of the sling. The last number might be an 8 or a 9 - just too light to tell. Thoughts?

[Andrew Upton]

Here are a few pictures of the sling. The last number might be an 8 or a 9 - just too light to tell. Thoughts?

Top tip for reading light stamps on webbing is to get a damp cloth or sponge and just lightly dampen the area of the marking. It really can make some very faded markings clear enough to easily read for a short while (until it dries back out of course).

[Devious6]

Top tip for reading light stamps on webbing is to get a damp cloth or sponge and just lightly dampen the area of the marking. It really can make some very faded markings clear enough to easily read for a short while (until it dries back out of course).

What a great tip!! Thanks!! I tried it - there is so little ink left that it doesn't do much for the last number. But, Based on the outline I'd say it's 1918.

[auchonvillerssomme]

Before you posted the pic I was going to say be very very aware of stamps, there is a common fake that has been highlighted on this forum several times, but I haven't seen one like yours before.

[wainfleet]

All the wartime slings I've ever seen have been stamped on the brass like those in posts 6 and 7. They certainly carried on with this practice in 1918. I've seen several and have a Wrights 1918 example. I've also seen a few with fake ink stampings, usually ME Co, one of which was a genuine WW1 example stamped on the brass which someone had "helped"... This one however has a genuine look. I wondered if the third digit might actually be a 4, but it does look like a 1. My guess is that this individual manufacturer chose to stamp the web and not the brass, for whatever reason.