Is this sling period ww2?

[CanadianAR]

Hello,

I'm new to MGs, but not German firearms, I will post an intro thread when time permits.Ive got a TNW Mg34, and lots of k98ks, a k43, and p38s. But This post is for a friend wanting to buy the sling shown below. Is it ww2 production? I know the pics are limited. I think asking is $70 CAD. He states the metAL MAY or may not be painted a dark colour....

Thanks fellas.

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

The sling is of the correct type for an MG-34 or MG-42 but MAY be of postwar manufacture. You have to check the metal clip that attaches to the pistol grip and look for a Waffenamt marking, which is an eagle with a three digit number code underneath. The code corresponds to whatever factory made the part. It is difficult to determine if the sling is made for an MG-34 or MG-42. The same clip comes in two sizes, narrow for the MG-34 and wider for the MG-42. Ask the seller to show you the Waffenamt marking on the attachment clip and tell you the inside width of the clip and compare that to the width of the attachment area on the pistol grip on your MG-34.

Just so you know, I had an MG-42 sling that was Yugoslavian postwar made that looked EXACTLY like the one you are asking about. The price of $70 seems too cheap to me for a genuine WWII German sling. If you plan to use the sling in the field, I would use a postwar sling. If you are trying to obtain an original German sling for collecting, this may or may not be the correct one.

Other guys on this website will have more knowledge and weigh in on on this sling.

Guys ?

[CanadianAR]

All MG slings will have a waffenamt? I mainly collect k98k and the opposite is true, be weary of a waffenamt marked sling. I'll see if he will check. It's for my friends deactivated me, and I'd never carry my love one by a sling regardless haha.

[42rocker]

Check this website. You will enjoy it.

http://www.bergflak.com/

Later 42rocker

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

All MG slings will have a waffenamt? I mainly collect k98k and the opposite is true, be weary of a waffenamt marked sling. I'll see if he will check. It's for my friends deactivated me, and I'd never carry my love one by a sling regardless haha.

The hardware should have a waffenamt. See BergFlak's site for variations of markings and details. Observe the design of the front karabiner. The $70 sling does not seem to have the correct hardware on that end, however $70 doesn't seem to be that outrageous a price to pay for a good condition postwar sling.

[Tommygunn]

Canadian,
To me this looks like a good, honest been there and done that WW2 sling. It shares all the characteristics of my MG42(34) sling, specifically, focusing on the forward snap hook (2nd pattern). I would say that this sling will have a Waffenamt, or nothing at all, on the rear pistol grip fitting, just like mine. The leather will probably be marked in a similar fashion to mine i.e. large Waffenamt, maker code and year.

All wear and tear, i.e. rounded off corners, dirtying of leather etc etc all seem perfectly authentic and in keeping with use. In particular the leather at the pistol grip always gets battered as it sits in the dirt.
One half decent way to ascertain if it is a genuine, used sling is to enquire whether one strap is longer than the other. Reason being, is that when the weapon is being shouldered the outer strap has to stretch to accomodate the extra distance it has to traverse over your shoulder. See my photo below.

The finish of the metal work appears to be the same as mine i.e. black enamel paint.

The only significant difference to mine is that the front, snap hook D-ring is slightly wider than the one on mine, giving a bit more left and right rattle for the leather.

Anyway, I've tried to replicate the original photos so you can compare my sling to that being offered.

PLEASE 'RIGHT CLICK' AND OPEN IN A NEW TAB/WINDOW TO SEE THE FULL FRAME OF THE PHOTOS.












Also, here is a link to some measurements I did for another forum member so you could use that for your enquiries. Again, right click and open in a new tab/window for the full photos.
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=12965&p=92995&hilit=sling#p92995

If it was me, and I was in the market for a sling, I would jump on this, looks honest and cheap.

Cheers,
Tom.