Magpul RLS Review — The $25 Do-Everything Sling?

By Ian Kenney

Posted in
#Gear

In a crowded field of single-point, two-point, and three-point slings designed for combat, it’s not easy to find a simple yet functional rifle sling. That search has gotten easier with the Magpul Rifleman Loop Sling (RLS), which has design elements that harken back to the Rhodesian sling and venerable leather M1907 sling. Check out the video above for a full rundown on the features and usage of the RLS.

Simplicity Is Key

Upon handling the sling, I immediately appreciated that it is devoid of any quick-release buckles, fast-adjust slides, or any of the other trappings that come with most modern carbine slings. It’s stupid simple; a single piece of 1¼” tubular nylon webbing that gets routed through a keeper, an adjustment buckle, and finally a lone tri-glide. Attachment hardware isn’t provided to keep the costs down, and it allows the shooter to use whatever best fits their needs or comes with their rifle.

The RLS sling from Magpul gives you a ton of sling for a really low price of less than $25. It is built from a single piece of 1.25-inch tubular nylon with a simple design.

Once the sling is on the rifle it’s pretty much divided into two parts, a large loop at the front and a tail section at the rear — the latter of which can be adjusted for carrying length. At this point the sling is basically in what I call the Rhodesian mode. When you need to put the rifle into action, push your arm through the big loop — getting it as high up on the arm as possible — wrap your hand around the sling, grasp the stock, and take your shot.

Next Level

This mode is great for quick snap shots out to 200 yards where hits on a chest-sized plate were quite easy, but things got a little trickier at 300. That big loop is tough to keep up on the arm where it works better for adding stability, so I transitioned the sling into more of a loop sling.

Photo showing one end of the Magpul RLS with a QD attachment instead of being threaded through a traditional sling swivel on a rifle. The webbing is flexible and easy to fit through standard mounts. No quick-detach clips or extra hardware is visible here. This step shows how versatile the sling is across different rifles. Good illustration for those installing the RLS for a Magpul RLS review. — Attaching the RLS is straightforward even without instructions. The author used a QD attachment for the Magpul RLS sling on his SAINT carbine.

Using the polymer keeper on the upper part of the sling, it cinches the loop around your arm in much the same fashion as the old M1907 sling. In this mode I was easily keeping my shots on a chest-sized plate at 300 yards from the kneeling position.

Close-up image of the larger loop created at the front of the Magpul RLS sling. The loop is wide enough for an arm to pass through. The design allows shooters to rapidly use it for added stability, reminiscent of the old Rhodesian and M1907 slings. Detail shows the polymer keeper used for adjustment. Clarifies the functional design feature for Magpul RLS review readers. — The RLS works a lot like the classic M1907 sling for looping up for more stability.

All You Need

Not only is this sling simple, lightweight, and effective, it’s incredibly affordable at less than $25. There are just two color options at this time — black and coyote brown — but they’ll look great with any rifle, from my upgraded SAINT Victor to your M1A.

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