Waaaayyyyy back in May of 2023, the United States Army announced that its Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) approved the Blue Force Gear Vickers Sling with push buttons as an authorized item for the M4A1. You read that right, a little known fact is that the Army motor pool owns and authorizes weapons accessories.

When put together with B5 System’s Bravo Stock buttstock and the Daniel Defense Rail Mounted Push Button Socket, which were also authorized at that time, the kit greatly improves the usability of the standard issue M4A1.

The “Modern Combat Sling System” (our term for this collection of components) provides 4 points of improved performance over the legacy “parade strap” sling.

Oftentimes the term “greatly improves” is enough to satisfy the casual observer, but at Blue Force Gear the term “casual” is a four-letter word. Nothing is better than actual data, especially when that data proves measurable capability increases for lethality. To collect that data we went straight to the source.

Nobody appreciates measurable increases in marksmanship data like Ft. Moore’s Infantry Training Brigades. So, we went there to support testing of the MCS Kits during iterations of the Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM) phase of training for what will become the Army’s newest Infantry Soldiers. Of the 4 points of performance the sling system provides, number 2 (enhanced stability from firing positions) lends itself to direct measurement and objective results when used.

Our overall study can be boiled down to this simple question: When the M4 Modern Combat Sling Kit was employed, did it create better shooters more efficiently with less training time?

The results were about what we expected, recruits utilizing the M4 Modern Combat Sling Kit shot tighter groups, hit more targets at all distances, and received higher qualification standards across the board than the non MCS Kit users during both iterations of the event. It was no surprise that incorporating a stability aid and recoil management tool into the shot process makes for better shooting… sounds like something we’ve talked about before.

“We are looking forward to working more with US Army stakeholders on enhancing soldier marksmanship and overall lethality with what the numbers tell us is by far the most economical and effective way to get near immediate results.” – said Chris Sizelove, data collection manager during the event.  

Authorized personnel wishing to review the data or discuss the results with Mr. Sizelove can reach him at chris@jointtrainingfacility.com

About the M4 Modern Combat Sling Kit

Each component of the M4 Modern Combat Sling Kit has been assigned an NSN. These components are authorized additional items that can be employed into the field to increase lethality and combat readiness. As a kit, they enhance stability, precision, and versatility, ensuring superior performance no matter the user or the mission. The kit comes in a custom case, is easy to install, and is now available for purchase on the Blue Force Gear website.