The question was: What kind of sling goes with my Commonwealth rifle? 

 

Well, the short answer is just about any good 1-1/4 inch military sling will work.  The U.S. M1 web sling with its locking sling keeper is ideal.  However, for those looking for more authenticity, you've got several options.

 

Australia, Britain, and Canada all made tons of web slings with the double hooks during World War 2.  These slings were patterned after that introduced by the UK.  The slings are usually marked with the supplier and date of manufacture.  The sling material is cotton webbing, 1-1/4 inches wide, and with stitching along both sides that runs the length of the sling.  The hooks and ends differ in material and method of  attachment to the webbing.  WW2 coloration was usually khaki with some variations.  This surplus equipment continued in use by the ABC countries throughout the Korean War and postwar era.

 

Australia continued to issue the standard sling with the double end hooks with the adoption of the L1A1 (and L2/L2A1 auto rifle in Australia).  Early rifles continued to use the WW2 kit, but the khaki gave way to various shades of green in Australia and the UK as WW2 supplies were used up.  The sling itself remained pretty much the same as the WW2 version, except for color and cosmetic differences in hooks and attachment.  Marking and dating may or may not be present.  Some late issue slings changed from cotton to nylon.

 

Canada decided to go a different route.  Its slings for the C1/C1A1/C2/C2A1 were a length of 1-1/4 cotton webbing with tabbed ends (or cutoff and sealed ends to prevent fraying) and two buckles.  I haven't seen an early model Canadian sling, but I'm told the ends and buckles were metal.  (Kevin Adams: Can you confirm/add to this/do you have any photos?)  The sling on my replica C1A1 is a later version that has plastic buckles and the ends of the sling are cutoff, rounded, and dipped in some kind of sealant to prevent fraying.  The cotton webbing is dyed green to match the Canadian web gear.

 

Indian 1A1 rifles followed the Commonwealth pattern when it came to slings.  India made slings of the WW2 UK pattern during the war and these continued to be issued in the postwar period.  They continued to be issued with the adoption of the 1A rifle in 1963.  Indian 1A/1A1 rifles may be found with Indian-made WW2 slings or Commonwealth slings.  At some time in production, the width of the Indian sling was increased over that of its Commonwealth partners.  Current Indian 1A1 rifle slings resemble those of the Commonwealth except they are slightly wider at 1-3/8 inches.  Slings seen in photos of these rifles appear to be cotton webbing and it remains unknown whether the material has been changed to nylon or a similar material.  Hooks and attachments to the sling are similar to the Commonwealth pattern, but have cosmetic differences in construction.  Colors other than khaki have been observed, but information is very difficult to find about when these color changes were made or whether the sling may have been re-dyed for some unknown purpose.