Paracord Rifle Sling: Step-By-Step Tutorial for Making Your Own

Today we’re going to cover a step-by-step tutorial on how to make a paracord rifle sling. I’m suggesting a paracord one instead of a store-brought sling because paracord has lots of uses in case of an emergency.

Second of all, paracord is great when it comes to grip and it doesn’t break that easy. And, third of all, it can be quite fun to learn how to make your own rifle sling.

And today, we’ll have two different patterns for you to choose from: the Cobra stitch pattern or Solomon’s dragon. They all sound impressive – and they are! – so you’ll be really happy to learn how to do this.

woman with rifle

Don’t forget – there are many ways to incorporate the always useful paracord – like making your own paracord bracelet or even a paracord keychain.

If you don’t know it yet, high-quality paracord, or parachute cord is also called 550 cord (which stands for the number of kgs it can hold). Make sure you always choose this one as opposed to other numbers which won’t be as useful.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s get into the crafting of our paracord rifle sling!

How to Make A Rifle Sling Out of Paracord

There are various patterns that you can choose from – some are more advanced, while others are more beginner-friendly.

The pattern you choose will only influence the design of your sling and nothing else. So go for the easiest if you’re not experienced with DIY projects or choose the second recommendation if you want a bit of a challenge.

But let’s start by making sure that we have all the materials and tools required for creating the sling!

Materials and items needed for the sling

Below I’m listing the tools you have to prepare for the whole project, so take a look and check your inventory.

Paracord is the top of the list. You can get it from basically any supply store around or find it on Amazon (affiliate link).

Two things are extremely important when choosing your Paracord:

1. Make sure it’s 550 paracord

2. Make sure you get enough of it for your sling (calculate 2 feet of paracord for every 3″ of sling and add 2 feet extra just to be on the safe side)

Tip: if you already have clips attached to the sling you just have to run the Paracord through one end to another. Next, sling the paracord on your back to see how much you’re going to need. Next, you just have to do the math according to the proportions mentioned before.

paracord 550

Other things that should be on your working desk:

  • Adjustable sling that you should also try on while only wearing a light T-shirt. The sling should feel comfortable on your casual setting.
  • Needle nose pliers (but forceps work too)
  • One wood board and some flat washers
  • Stiff wire
  • A tough knife to cut with
  • Some screws
  • Do not forget the swivels off your gun to check your work

Check out our review of the best EDC knife to help you in your project.

The Cobra stitch paracord rifle sling pattern

As mentioned, we’ll start off with a design that’s easy to implement. I will have a video below to help you with the project, but first let’s run through the text instructions since these are easier to follow and come back to if needed.

You can make it in a few hours if you follow the steps below – it’s not a quick project, but it gives you the satisfaction of doing quality work yourself.

Step 1

First of all, you will want to place the adjustable sling on a solid surface, preferably on the wood piece you’ve got.

Make it look pretty by adding a little bit of leather at the end of the sling and trimming the corners of the pieces.

Now use your nail and place the leather in the middle of your sling. Create two holes making sure they pass through both the leather and the nylon surface. These are the holes where the screws come later on.

TIP: Use a lighter to melt the loose strands around the screws; it will make it look clean and professional.

Step 2

Secure the leather with the ring you prepared. It should be placed between the two screws.

Make sure the gun sling is placed onto a hard, flat surface. Finishing this step, you have to tether the sling to something heavy to keep the tension on for the following process.

Step 3

This is where you prove your skills: the knots. To start off, you need to grab both ends of the paracord and pull them apart so you can find the center. Once you do that, you will form a loop in the middle and slide it trough one end of the clip.

Now you are holding the middle with one hand and the rest with the other. What you need to do is pass the hand holding the rest of the string through the loop a little bit and then pull the string until you reach the end. Now you just have to pull it tight.

Step 4

Now that you’ve got the first knot on the first clip, you will just start off with one side of the string. Take the right one, for example, and you pull it over making another loop. Next, take the left side and slide it across the one you’ve already pulled over.

Go below it through the new circle you made and pull it all the way trough, being careful with the amount of string so you don’t mess it up.

Once you finished this knot, secure it by pulling it really tight. It looks like a little pretzel, right? Now that you have done this part, it’s going to be really easy because you just have to repeat this step until the end.

Step 5

The next stitches are going to start locking your paracord. Have in mind that you will always start with the side of the string that is pointing downwards.

It’s the same step with the one above, just a different side. Continue weaving this step all the way until the end

As you reach the end, cut the extra cord and tighten it under a weave of your pattern. At this stage, weaves will be slightly loose and likely more manageable, so you can do so without much effort. Now, it’s time to burn the cord’s ends to make sure it won’t unravel without your will.

You can either seal them on top of the sling, or try to pull them below the weave and thus hiding the finishing touch below the pattern. It’s all up to what you want.

If you need a more detailed tutorial, you can watch a video on making the sling here:

Now, if you are already an expert in weaving paracord, there are more complex models you can try. Below you’ll find a pattern that also uses the Cobra stitch knots, but it also has its own interesting design.

For more information on the different types of outdoor ropes, see our article on this topic.

The Solomon’s Dragon Paracord sling

This is a very interesting design that will catch all the eyes. You can experiment with different color combinations, but you should pay attention that the pattern looks a little bit like a chain of little eyes so you can play with that and make it look similar to actual dragon’s eyes. Sounds pretty cool, right?

Step 1

You need to start with measurements, exactly like with the model before. This time you will need 3 strings, all being of the same length. Whatever is left unused, you can just cut off and re-use them for other projects.

Step 2

For this one, you need to pick a base color that is attached to the clip like in the first pattern. The only difference here is that this string has to be exactly the length of the riffle sling.

Once you measured it, you have to fix both ends on the two clips that are steady and tight, to ease the following process.

Step 3

This step is pretty much the same as the one described with the model above. You will form a loop in the middle of the main string and slide it trough one end of the clip. Next, pass the hand holding the string through the loop and pool. Make sure everything is tight.

Step 4

We’re going to start up top and put the middle point of your second string right behind the core. Start off with a single Cobra knot.

To make it, start with the right side over the core, left over that, and do the same with the other side. Push it up and pull it tight.

After the first Cobra knot, you have to incorporate a different string. This should be the accent color, to stand out on your model.

Try to go with one end trough the middle and over the left coat strand and put the rest of it out of the way.

Afterwards you’re just going to tie your next Cobra knot, similar to the way German pretzels are made.

After the second knot you have to push everything up a little more in order to have a pretty start. For the rest of the sling you will just have to copy these two knots.

Step 5

Now, from here just keep track of which side the accent cord went over. Let’s say that first we went over the left side; now you’re going to pass the cord trough the middle side again to cover the right cord string. Once you’ve put it there, leave the rest out of the way and keep on with the Cobra knots.

You can pair this advanced-pattern with an amazing bowie knife to complete your outdoors set. Check out my previous article about the best bowie knives when you’re done with this one.

Step 6

Continue weaving and finish this up until the end. When you reached the finish, don’t cut off the excess yet. Now it’s time to do the stitching part.

For this, you’ll need a micro cord stitch and some micro cord. Starting with this step, you are going to do two passes, going from the bottom of the sling all the way through.

Step 7

Start off at the bottom with a side stitch of the main color. Follow along at the next knot at the bottom and go through to the other side.

Make sure to pull this all the way. You want this line to sit at the bottom of the accent string, looking like a contour.

Next, draw a line between the next knots, covering the following “eye of the dragon” and pull everything through.

After you’ve finished a side, you have to go back the other way doing everything you did before, in reverse. Just go to the side knots and make contours for the accent colored string.

Step 8

If you want extra safety you can tuck the starting point under the last knot. You are now almost at the end of your stitching so you have to pull everything a little bit, in order to have a nice, firm sling. Tuck the ends under the edge knot and burn the extras.

Step 9

Attach the sling to the clips and there you have it, you are finished! You officially have a stitched Solomon’s dragon sling rifle which is a really cool design.

You can also check out the video below for instructions on how to make this pattern:

Conclusion

I really hope you enjoyed these tutorials and I’m waiting for your comments and question on the matter. Also, if you use other knots and techniques with your rifle slings, we’re eager to know what they are.

See our article on how to choose the best paracord knots to help you with other options.

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5 thoughts on “Paracord Rifle Sling: Step-By-Step Tutorial for Making Your Own”

  1. I’ve watched the tutorial and it looks easy. You can mix with colors too. I don’t own a rifle, but I will show this to my friend who owns one and may be interested. The braiding is nice. It looks durable too, but I think you still should carry a backup cord sling in case of emergency.

    Reply
  2. Thanks for dropping by John and for watching the tutorial. You can adapt the technique and put it to good use in your gears. One of my friends made one for his knife so he can easily grasp the handle and won’t slip. The possibilities are really endless withe the paracord.

    Reply
  3. Cool, I’m going to do the same! I’d try some themed versions of the Solomon’s Dragon’s weave or some combinations of black for the body then some blue and neon green. The video tutorial seems easy to follow. I’ll have to search for a jig first. Thanks for another great tutorial!

    Reply
  4. Thanks for dropping by Patrick! Be sure to catch more in the following weeks so you’ll have a lot of new designs and tips to watch out for. The paracord is really everyone’s best friend and I don’t leave home without it when I go for my camping trips. These DIY tutorials will help you customize your own paracords – to keep or give away to your buddies or family members.

    Reply
  5. If you don’t have a rifle sling, then you need to make one. The plain fact is that a sling isn’t just for hanging your rifle on your shoulder, but also for stabilizing your rifle for crucial and precise shots. Not to mention that you can use the Paracord for emergencies.

    Reply

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