| German slings |
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| All K98k"s, G43"s and MP44"s used
the same "Karabiner" sling made of leather with a diamond pattern
embossed. It had a retainer (Frosch) in the butt stock end and three holes
for adjustment. The retainer had a steel stud (pre 1937 slings may have a
brass stud). Length about 120 cm =
47" The MP38/40 used a shorter (108 cm = 42½") leather sling with only two holes and no "Frosch" - see picture below. A sling with no cross-hatching may be postwar Norwegian. These slings used old German hardware and had lines at each side. A longer sling (142 cm - 55") may be postwar Austrian if it has a steel stud on the retainer or Yugo if it has a brass stud on the retainer. Be suspicious about a WaA marked sling (but they exist - see below) or a Kar. marked sling (but they exist too with an ink stamp - see below). The same concerns a late war sling with a production code. The Germans had at that time other things to do than stamping slings. Many of the early slings had a company code on the buckle, eg. S&L or L&F. |
| See Bergflaks excellent site on K98k
slings |
| "Karabiner" sling |
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  The two slings above are coded and WaAmpted but this isn't normal |
| Two special slings |
| The rare code "ros 1944" and the much sought after: Otto Koberstein, Landsberg a.W. |
| Early retainer |
| A very early retainer with a number on the brass stud. A number stamped on the buckle indicates a sling used by Israeli forces. |
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| Late pin |
| This late pin pressed in place |
| Kar. marked sling |
| The "Kar." is placed at the middle of this this sling here but the mark is normally placed near the eyes at the buttstock end. |
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| What I presume are modern repros |
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| Webbing slings |
| Original webbing slings for the MP38/40
have been seen in some cases. There are also rumors about blue
canvas slings for the MP44 with rubberized ends, maker marked and
MP44 marked. Does an original webbing sling for the K98k / K43 really exist ? One can never say never, and there is a possiblity of the existence of a pile of original, new webbing slings in a remote ware-house. Here where I live (Denmark) we had perhaps 100.000 rifles when the Wehrmacht capitulated in May, 5.th. 1945. None of the serious collectors I have been talking to has ever seen a webbing sling. There exist no original pictures with webbing slings so my conclusion is that the webbing sling never was approved and only used in very few cases. I have been talking to a German who has a large collection and he says he has only seen a webbing sling on a VG and a MP44 so that confirms my opinion - see more below. |
| A picture from the book: Das System Adalbert - Der k98k |
| The publication of the book alleged the existence of the webbing sling, but does the author really know something ?? He says very little about the webbing slings: "The webbing slings were a usable solution. They were intended for use at K98k, K43, StG44, VG and VK, but there is no proof for an approval of the slings. They are rare and are mostly seen on VG1 and VK1. It isn't possible they were made in great quantities." |
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| More pictures of web slings |
| The codes are: "bcb", "clg" and "oxm" The gun type was also indicated: K98, K43 or MP44 - this wasn"t normally the case for leather slings. |
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| This double-picture has been copied from an auction. "oxm" is for example a French factory at Loire which must have stopped production for the Wehrmacht in the middle of 1944. |
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| clg 43 K43 |
| Was this produced in 1943 ? The designation K43 didn't exist in 1943. All these are fakes. |
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| A MP44 webbing sling - possibly original |
| It's marked: MP44u. VlkG45 and RBNr 0 / 0865 / 0012 |
| The owner bought it with ammo and magazines about 1995. The button is made of iron and the sling doesn't respond to black light. Perhaps original as mentioned above. |
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| MP44 marked webbing sling |
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| StG44 sling |
| Marked (faint) clg 45 |
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| Leather sling of the same construction as the webbing slings |
| The sling has no retainer but it has a keeper. It's old and original. Came from a K43. Length 122 cm = 48" Smooth finish with a line on each side. |
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| Another variation of this type of sling. Length 126 cm = 49½". A "sling specialist" says that this type most certain is an ex DDR MP44 sling. |
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| Two more slings without the retainer: 1) The tan one is 123 cm = 48½" long and has a pebbled finish. This came from a K43 qve45. 2) The dark one is 122 cm = 48" long and has a smooth finish with a line at each side. There is no keeper. Both have 5 holes. |
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| Special MP44 slings ? |
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The MP44 used the K98k sling. This says
for instance the small book "Zum einlegen in das Gerät", but
was this the intention right from the beginning ? |
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| MP38/40 sling |
| The MP38/40 sling is special as said at the top of this page. |
 A MP40 sling from Otto Koberstein This sling doesn't have the cross-hatching (is it genuine ?)  |
| MG34/42 sling |
| It"s made of webbing with reenforcements of pigskin. |
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