The air hangs heavy with the smell of damp wool, gun oil, and morning coffee brewed over a small fire. You can feel the familiar, comforting weight of your rifle in your hands. Every piece of your kit, from your puttees to your Brodie helmet, tells a story. But there’s one piece of gear, often overlooked, that truly connects you to your weapon: the sling. And if you’re carrying the workhorse of the American Expeditionary Forces, the M1917 Enfield, that story is woven from canvas.
More Than Just a Strap: The Unsung Hero of the M1917 - The Kerr 'No-Buckl' Sling
I remember my first immersive WWI event, mud seeping into my boots in a hastily dug trench. I had to shift my M1917 quickly as the "whistle blew" for a push. Without a thought, I yanked the tab on my sling, cinching it tight for the charge. No fumbling with keepers, no wrestling with a buckle. It just... worked. In that small, frantic moment, the simple genius of the Kerr 'No-Buckl' Web Sling for M1917 Enfield (45) hit me like a ton of bricks. This wasn't just a strap; it was a piece of purpose-built, battle-ready engineering.
The Problem with P-17s and a Canvas Solution
Let's get one thing straight, and it’s a point of pride for us M1917 guys: more Doughboys carried the M1917 "American Enfield" into battle than the iconic M1903 Springfield. It's true. When America entered the war, we needed rifles, and we needed them fast. The M1917, based on the British Pattern 1914 rifle, was ready for mass production.
But it had a quirk. Its sling swivels were set much farther apart than those on the Springfield. A standard-issue M1907 leather sling was just too short. It simply wouldn’t fit. Can you imagine the logistical headache? Thousands upon thousands of rifles, and no way to properly carry them. The Army needed a solution, and it needed it yesterday.
Enter the 'No-Buckl': A Marvel of Wartime Ingenuity
The Kerr Adjustable Strap Company, which had been making clever strap systems for everything from musical instruments to mailbags, had the answer. Their patented design was a clever bit of battlefield origami in canvas and metal, and it was perfect for the new rifle.
What's in a Name?
The magic of the Kerr 'No-Buckl' sling is right there in the name. Instead of a traditional buckle that required threading and unthreading, the Kerr used a simple, brilliant friction-locking metal slider. A quick pull on the free end of the strap, and the sling was tight. A flick of the thumb on the slider, and it was loose. This meant a soldier could adjust his sling in seconds, on the move, without taking his eyes off the field. He could quickly transition from a comfortable carry-length to a taut shooting aid, wrapping it around his arm to steady his aim. It was fast, it was efficient, and—critically—it had no large, shiny buckle to catch the light and give away a position.
Canvas Over Leather: The Realities of a World at War
Why canvas, though? The classic M1907 sling was a beautiful piece of thick, oiled leather. But the Great War was a different kind of beast. It was a war of industry, of mass production on a scale never before seen. Leather was a strategic material, needed for boots, harnesses, and countless other pieces of equipment. It was also slow to process and expensive. Woven cotton canvas, on the other hand, could be churned out by the mile. It was cheap, strong, and it didn't care about rain or mud as much as leather did. The shift to the Kerr web sling wasn't just a design choice; it was a reflection of the industrial reality of total war.
From the Argonne to Your Shoulder: Getting the Details Right
For a reenactor, authenticity is everything. It's the connective tissue of our hobby. You can have the perfect tunic, the correct helmet, but if you have a leather M1907 sling on your M1917, the whole impression feels... off. It’s a small detail, but it’s a telling one.
Using a proper reproduction of the longer Kerr 'No-Buckl' sling specifically made for the M1917 changes everything. It's not just about looking right; it’s about feeling right. The rough texture of the webbing under your thumb. The slight, metallic clink of the sliders as you march. The way it correctly distributes the hefty ten-pound weight of that magnificent rifle across your shoulder. These are the sensory details that transport you. This isn't just historical haberdashery; it’s a functional tool that completes the man-and-rifle system, just as it did for a Doughboy over a century ago.
A Legacy in Webbing
The Kerr 'No-Buckl' sling was more than just a stop-gap solution. It was a ghost of the future. Its simplicity, its use of webbing, and its quick-adjustment system were concepts that would directly influence the design of American military slings for decades to come, right through World War II and beyond.
It stands as a testament to American wartime ingenuity—a simple, rugged, and effective piece of gear born from necessity. It's the unsung workhorse that carried the primary battle rifle of the AEF through the mud of the Meuse-Argonne and the Argonne Forest. It’s a small, woven piece of history that tells a massive story. And for those of us dedicated to keeping that story alive, it’s an absolutely essential piece of kit.
Experience a piece of history for yourself! Check out our authentic reproduction of Kerr 'No-Buckl' Web Sling for M1917 Enfield (45) here: Get Your Kerr 'No-Buckl' Web Sling for M1917 Enfield (45)
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