The Reproduction:
Overall:
My first impressions were positive of the sling - as the first looks of the slings were better than I had expected from the photos from the At The Front website.
The website photo shows the sling having two very dark lines along the edge of the sling - almost looking dyed or painted on. The effect is much less pronounced in person, much to my relief.
The photos in this review are of the sling, as is, out of the box - no neatsfoot oil has been applied.
Lets look at the hardware first
I'm addressing hardware first as it is the #1 failing point of so many other reproduction M1907 slings. While this is the first US sling offering from At The Front, it appears that care was taken to learn from where others have failed.
1.) The hardware is the correct shape. Typically, most other reproductions hooks are cut in such a way that the are not offset to hook in and hold the sling properly. The overall shape and bend of the At The Front hooks is "right on" to the originals.
2.) The hardware is the correct thickness. This is the most common flaw with other reproductions. ATF's hardware is quite thick, exactly like the originals. The hooks are not easily bent - and are NOT thin sheet metal.
3.) The hardware is securely and appropriately attached. Everything is tight and feels solid. The rivet heads are a little inconsistent, but are secure.
4.) The ring is the correct size and well made.
5.) The "finish" on the hardware is somewhat thin, and I'm having a hard time identifying if it is phosphated, or really lightly coated, or has no finish at all. Honestly, I have no clue what is going on here with these steel hooks other than theyre gray. Usually I can ID a finish at a glance - this one has me a bit puzzled.
Next thing - the leather
The leather is really nice. I'm quite happy with the feel, stiffness, details and tooling. Its real leather, without a dye or oil finish - to be finished off however you want.
1.) The leather is quite thick and feels to be of good quality. There is no lateral stretch to the leather. It is real leather and not some other mystery product.
2.) The holes for the hooks are OVAL shape and not circular. The holes are evenly spaced and appear to be gang die cut, rather than halfassed individually cut. The holes appear to be spaced too close together in width... I'm not sure about this.
3.) The leather is appropriately tooled along the edges as well as on the keepers. On the At The Front website - the tooled edge looks seriously deep and dark - where its nicely executed on the example I received. Not all original keepers were tooled as these examples are, but its a nice touch that was exhibited on some originals.
4.) The keepers are the correct size and function as intended. Additionally, they are hand stitched with tapered overlaps as evidenced on GI production slings . Many poor quality reproductions are stapled rather than sewn.
5.) There is no finish on the leather. No oil, no wax, no dye, no bullshit. This is fantastic. I like not having to try and cover up the nonsense a maker thought was a good idea. I'm oldschool - I just want a plan leather sling that I can oil and allow to age naturally. So many other slings have a dye finish from the factory - so to rectify the situation, it has to be stripped and redyed to cover up what was screwed up at the factory...
Markings-
There are no markings I was able to find on the sling. No markings = No FARBY markings. A poorly done marking can screw up a perfectly good sling. I have yet to see many repro slings that were marked in a convincing "period styled" way. LESS IS MORE.
Assessment:
The good:
Leather is good quality
Finish is minimal which is awesome
Construction is solid
Hardware is good
Markings = less is more
The So-So (I cant really even call this "bad"):
Hardware finish is thin and questionable as to wtf it is
Spacing between holes (side to side) seems weird
Photos of the sling once oiled:
 
|
