This is the M1850 gun sling for rifles and muskets in very nice condition and marked with company letter and regimental or soldier’s rack number. Usually made of russet leather, these slings consist of a single long strap with fixed loop on one end to feed the strap back through on the upper swivel, and a fixed hook on the other to feed though the lower swivel and adjust for length by using small punched holes, with a narrow sliding loop to tighten the overlapping portions of the strap.

This was used, but is complete, full-length, and has a nice finish with just some usual crackling and wrinkles. The hook is firmly in place with its rivets and stitching. The standing loop, often broken off, is there and firmly attached. The sliding loop is present.

Near the fixed loop is stamped a large “C,” certainly a company letter. Near the hook is stamped a “37” in slightly small figures with separate dies. This could be a regimental designation, but is more likely the number assigned to a soldier within the company, usually referred to by modern collectors as a “rack number,” a convenient way to keep track of army-issue gear without a soldier writing his name in it. It is thus personalized after a fashion and a nice indicator of actual army issue.

This would look good displayed on rifle again, but the marking is also a nice example of a practice specified in regulations and likely widely done, but not often commented upon by soldiers or veterans.  [sr]  [ph:m/L]

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