Club Obi Wan

Farnham54,

They are still in Tapco's online catalog, and listed with HK/Cetme parts section. Price around 5.00 USD.
I bought a couple of them about 6 months ago.
This link should take you to the slings.
Good luck

http://www.tapco.com/product_informatio ... 01&last=75

Yep, they still sell the straps. I just picked up another one and they come naturally distressed. Quite lovely, really.

Farnham54 wrote:"You gotta ask yourself, do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, Tink?"

hehehe...thanks for the laugh, Craig!

The one hassle here might be that Tapco always said no shipping outside the US - their main products are guns and parts, so there is little that they CAN ship outside the US easily, so they just don't. If you run into this as well, and the price of these is low enough to make it a worthwhile venture, perhaps one of us Yanks can pick up a bunch...

J

Yes, that's my problem. Tapco have a policy of not supplying anything outside the US.

Rick is getting me a strap and Jerry is trying to get me a spare clip - I want a clip at each end of the strap for a project I'm working on.

Thanks guys.

It's the least we can do for someone who's been generous enough to offer help on the MKVII front to folks. Thank you sir!

(Rick who? Oh, BINK??? Careful, you're going to ruin his scoundrelly reputation... )

Okay, now that Alan outed me (hehehe - no worries, sir!)...Farn, I got one more in beater shape. It's yours if you PM me an address. Might as well be a productive trip to the post office.

Indiana Jerry wrote:I(Rick who? Oh, BINK??? Careful, you're going to ruin his scoundrelly reputation... )

OH! My secret identity!!!! Well, I guess I can take off the Mexican wrestling mask now...

binkmeisterRick wrote:OH! My secret identity!!!! Well, I guess I can take off the Mexican wrestling mask now...

'El Guapo' is RICK???

Dusty! You just shot the Invisible Horseman!

Thanks a lot for the info guys!

And Jer, thanks a million, you've got a PM!!

Cheers
Craig

Well, the straps are definitely still available. Mine, ordered on Tuesday, arrived today. I'm quite pleased with it. Looks much better than the less than desirable WPG strap (bottom in second photo).
Brian

Wow, squid! Yours looks almost unissued! Not only is it much more burgundy in color, but there is little loss of the front finish - and the most telling sign is that the back still looks natural, not darkened from years of grime and moisture soaking into it...I kind of like that color, but I've gotten a dozen from them and that's the ONLY one I've seen in that nice of a condition. Boy, if I order more, I'll have to make sure they send OLD ones.

Here's a comparison (from page 1) of the color of the more beatup ones against my MKVII:

Indiana Jerry wrote:And for color comparison's sake (under full flash):

They look fantastic!

and, if you allow me to say, even quite accurate to my eyes
I would love to get one... do you suggest me to lool up on ebay or is there any cheap retailer?

I don't know if I mentioned this in the old thread, but I figured out a long time ago what the actual strap was, and it's not a rifle sling. It's one of those cross-torso gunbelt suspender things you see on Canadian police and state troopers. It's the exact same set up, and it's the right length. A gun belt rides just below your waistline, and that's exactly where Indy's bag sat. The top of the bag was even with his waistband. I've tried to find these things for years, but I've never found them. I have no idea what the correct term is for them, and even cops I've asked don't know what I'm talking about. I really wish the State boys would hang around gas stations like our cops do

Well this is a really interesting theory. I'm sure someone here know the name of those things but I bet they are sold always together with the belt too.
If these were picked up in England maybe they are of some UK law enforcement or military origins... or even the Royal Mail officers!


In Italy law enforcements have those things holding the belt but they are white and really not indy-looking at all

Nice to see someone's taking interest in those rifleslings again. I still got mine on my MKVII.


I also took interest in the strap from various Sam Brown duty belts but found those straps to be too short .
Regards
Ace

Indiana_Tone wrote:Gah! Here I am trying to save money but the pressure was too much! They're so inexpensive. Had to order five of these today.

::angry Kirk yell from planetside::

JERR!!!!....JERRR!!!!!!!

From heck's last breath I spit at thee! (Here, have a strap!)

I am Gald this post poped up again. I have benn looking for a bagstrap. I just logged on to their site and bought a couple.They are closeing them out at $1.99 each just to give Y'all a heads up Not many left.

Do they all come distressed and in brown? I just ordered three. I hope I don't get any black ones.

They vary widely, but they all seem to have started out medium brown, and are darkened to greater or lesser extents based on how used they are. I've picked up about a dozen so far in different batches, and I've never seen on BRAND NEW. That's why squid's pic up above surprised me!

But I haven't seen any BLACK, either. The darkest ones I've shown are just dark brown, not black. Remember MN Jones' ACTUAL TOD holster, how dark, dark, DARK brown it is it certainly just looked (in person at the QM) a shade lighter than black? They aren't anywhere near that dark, they just look it in some of the pics.

(Anybody ever get a black one?)

The were closing out a year ago at $2 each, and then they had them again a month later for $5 again. So they will likely be back again, but thanks for the heads-up on the price drop - time to stock up again.

J

Indiana_Tone wrote:Gah! Here I am trying to save money but the pressure was too much! They're so inexpensive. Had to order five of these today.

::angry Kirk yell from planetside::

JERR!!!!....JERRR!!!!!!!

I hear ya. I did the same thing (5) a week or two ago also. I got about the same looking variety you did Tone. (none with all the finish warn off though) I picked out one a put it on my new Original MKVII from Endicots for the heck of it. I'll post pictures in a bit. (I didn't take a group shot of mine though)

Ok, here you go. Tag Left, this H&K Strap Right

It's even got grooves!

Wow, that one does look in better shape than pretty much ALL the ones I have received. Where are they getting these relatively lightly used ones from? I actually prefer the darker ones, but I guess there's always a bit of distressing...still, it was nice to know they'd honestly been USED to that extreme! Hmm...maybe the $2 ones they have now will be more beatup, hence the price drop...why is everything I like so cheap? (Er, nevermind!)

Yeah, I'll have to take a group shot of my 5 to show what colors and conditions I got. Some are more burgandy and some more beat up. The one in my picture above is more warn around the "ball and slot" attachment end.

Here's my assortment. The one above is at the top in these pics. The one on the bottom is about the same colro and very soft and pliable. Feels great and not real beat up looking either. Some of the others are kind of stiff. All are more warn/broken in down at the non-clasp end.



Unfortunatly, they need to be another 12" more or less to get the bag to hang at the right hight.

And just be be annoying, I'd like to point out that there are very few places you can see the grooves in these pictures even though all of the straps have groves.

IndyDoc wrote:And just be be annoying, I'd like to point out that there are very few places you can see the grooves in these pictures even though all of the straps have groves.

hahaha...I have also noticed that more broken-in they are, the less pronounced the grooves are - the the point where they are completely missing on my most beaten ones. That might be part of the problem seeing them on-screen. Now you see them, now you don't.

I still like the most beaten-in ones - they really look like they've been around the block. If you look at my pics back on page one, the second one from the top in the two buckle comparison pics is the darkest one - that's the one I kept. You can even see how dark the back of the strap has gotten in that second buckle pic - it is WELL USED. The lighter/less used ones just don't look right to me for some reason, but I'm well aware that this is likely just a personal preference.

Well, out of the three I ordered, one fit right, so I'm happy. The other two were a little too small for me. The one that does fit is nicely distressed, but the one I was really hoping would fit is more distressed the way I like. Oh well, one out of three that fits just great ain't bad!

That's strange mine didn't really vary in length I don't think. (except how they were adjusted of course)

Managed to grab a snap of the one that fit me. It definetely rocks; I'm just glad I got one that fit. They are originally designed as a rifle sling, so they usually aren't supposed to go farther down than just under your armpit. So, to find this one that fits all the way down to my hip is wonderful. Thanks, Jerry! Sure beats my WPG strap. And all for 1.99!

Who remembers that Denny's ad? "1.99 are ya outta your mind?!"



It also gives the bag that much more flavor. Now it's a gas mask bag with a rifle strap.

I just ordered 7 of these at a $1.99 a piece. Can't wait to get them.

Peterfett wrote:I just ordered 7 of these at a $1.99 a piece. Can't wait to get them.

Well, let's hope at least one of 'em fits ya!

Jer, Doc, Tone - how many of yours fit right?

I adjusted the buckles to the same lenght and found I have one "short" one, one that is 3" longer than that one, two that are 1" longer than that and another that is another 1" longer than that one. So I've got a 5" variance bettween the shortest one and the longest. The one I had tried on my bag eariler (using the fastener that's on them) was one of the 4" longer ones. I just checked the longest one and it's just about right, though will loose an inch or two if you take the clasp off and the buckle could be a bit higer on my chest but is pretty good, but could be a few inches longer to be great.

The 5" is the longest one and kind of "authentic" brown, though dark...Kind of ToD strap color and the 4" is more redish. Kind of burgandy but still pretty dark. As you can see the 1" difference made about 1" of verticle difference also

Sorry to keep falling behind, I won't be on very often for a while...

All except one of mine were exactly the same length. Exactly. All of mine did seem much older than the ones you are seeing now, though. I only had one that was longer, I believe about 4-6", so I sent that to a taller gent online and he said that suited him fine.

Agreed, Tone, they ride where I want them w/ the clip on them and the buckle at about my sternum. Without the clip, they get too high or I have to drop that buckle down to the belly button...and that just looks wrong.

J

I took the longest strap apart and layed it out next to my TAG strap and the HK strap about a foot shorter.

I sprayed it with some bleach to get rid of the musty smell, then rinsed that and then coated it with pecards so it wouldn't get dry out and get hard. It's now installed (w/o clasp) on my other bag and hangs a little too short, but I love that leather. The color could be much lighter too. (that was a dark "authentic" colored one)

Alan Eardley wrote:Does anyone have a spare clip from a H&K/CETME rifle sling that they'd sell me?

Alan

We have them at Strapworks.com. I even have a few that are nickle plated instead of flat black so if you want them powder coated brown or olive drab then it's no problem.

Indiana Jerry,

Thanks so much for the scoop! I haven't posted here in AGES! But I have not left my love for indy gear! As a matter of fact, in a recent move I lost my original bag and strap that served me so faithfully, but I had my "extras" safely put away! Well, not the straps....until now. I just ordered three of these straps and I know they will work beautifully. Thanks again!

It sure is great to see how this sight has grown. Even greater is the ability to come here years later, at least in my case, and be able to find "updated" help in finding indy gear!

I guess they are out. I've got about 4 extra if you are intersted. See my pictures above.

Tapco seems to be long out of these straps. Does anyone know where they got them? were these some sort of regulation military strap or just some huge stock of old rifle straps?

Straps were replaced anytime a rifle was sent in for armory reconditioning, and subsequently sold in bundles to anyone who wanted to bid on military surplus material. Every strap I received from them showed a lot of field use.

Regards! Michaelson

..somebody ever tried this one?

Link Removed by Admin

posting ebay auctions that are not your own is a no no in these parts. but for what its worth, i have bought one of these straps from this gent. excellent quality leather and good buckle. could stand to be about 4" longer though.

Looked like a roller buckle. Strap looked nice and thick, but still kind of plastic looking. I may be the finish or something. My TAG strap looks the same way but is much thinner. (which is bad IMO)

BTW, no posting live ebay links.

> posting ebay auctions that are not your own is a no no in these parts

Oops, soooorry!!! Won't do it again... Thought it's ok for posting because it's "buy now" article.

It's all in the Forum Rules section:

viewtopic.php?t=9524

dwardeden wrote:Tapco seems to be long out of these straps. Does anyone know where they got them? were these some sort of regulation military strap or just some huge stock of old rifle straps?

DARN... that IS bad news. I was meaning to get around to buying another 5 or 10...I'm all out of spares right now. Heck, I think I just have my one WORKING strap left now...argh.