Very Early M-1907 Sling, 1908 Dated

[J.Q.M.D.]

Greetings all,

 

I recently came across a bunch of M1907 slings, and there were a small number of very early 1908 dated ones in the mix.  Most of the long and short sections have been separated, so I'm attempting to marry them back together, which is proving to be difficult.  Anyway, do these early dated slings command a higher premium over WWI dated ones?  What kind of value are they bringing? And finally, what kind of value would just the short sections bring?  They all seem to be very serviceable.  I appreciate any info! 

[GWS]

Generally speaking, yes, the earlier dated slings bring a premium over later ones. Attrition of the earlier M-1907 slings was high, given WW1 so there are just not as many of the earlier ones left.  Condition is a big factor with any sling, and the manufacturer's id usually secondary unless it was a very hard to find(read small number) manufacturer. I don't have any values as I haven't sold or bought an M-1907 for a while. The price "bubble" for 1917-18 dated slings has pretty well burst, unless you have a M-1903 of that era.  You might try to match-up the upper and lower sections by condition and leather color if you can. I would not recommend using any sling from that era for it's intended purpose, they are best used as a static display only on a rifle.  Good luck and thanks for posting.

 

 

Steve

[J.Q.M.D.]

On 1/31/2025 at 6:48 PM, GWS said:

Generally speaking, yes, the earlier dated slings bring a premium over later ones. Attrition of the earlier M-1907 slings was high, given WW1 so there are just not as many of the earlier ones left.  Condition is a big factor with any sling, and the manufacturer's id usually secondary unless it was a very hard to find(read small number) manufacturer. I don't have any values as I haven't sold or bought an M-1907 for a while. The price "bubble" for 1917-18 dated slings has pretty well burst, unless you have a M-1903 of that era.  You might try to match-up the upper and lower sections by condition and leather color if you can. I would not recommend using any sling from that era for it's intended purpose, they are best used as a static display only on a rifle.  Good luck and thanks for posting.

 

 

Steve

 

Thank you!  I've been trying to match them up by leather appearance and most are very close.  So far I've found four dated 1908, one dated 1914 and quite a few dated 1917/1918.  I think all the early ones I have are Rock Island marked. 

 

J

[johnsonlmg41]

My personal opinion would be the 17/18 dated ones would hold the most value since guys can match them up with guns that are more common from those date ranges.

[dskjl]

I’m looking for a 1914 if and when you are ready to sell.

thx

[GWS]

My further guess is the one dated 1914 is harder to find than the 1908 and the more often found 1917-18 dates. In many years of looking for a 1913 RIA sling, I never found one!  The logic for my "guess" is that a lot were made in the 1907-1910 period and a whole lot more in the 1917-18 period. The years in between probably saw much smaller numbers made.  I say this purely from personal experience and not to influence the value you might place on  any of your slings. Your mileage may vary !

 

 

Steve

[J.Q.M.D.]

Thank you everyone for the information!  I'll probably bring a few of them to the SoS and maybe get a good trade!

 

J