Well Jager, the French retractable slings were actually horrible; too slender, rotted in a flash when rolled up wet inside the stock, too hard to fasten/unfasten...Geo
Geo,
You probably have more experience than I, but it is only from personal experience that I speak..
I have two French guns with that horrible sling, one from 1925 and the other from 1937. The one approaching a hundred years old is in pristine condition, and the one made when the skies over Europe were darkening is also in excellent condition. Yes, it is narrow, and the first time I used it I was a little nervous that it would support the gun. It was not uncomfortable. Yes, fastening it to the barrels takes some twists and turns, but it is easily learned. As it is leather, it does take some care, much like corrosive primers required due diligence, and like rotted slings, we see pitted bores that reflect a dearth of said diligence.
Mostly, I think of the sling much like the more specialized tools that I have acquired over the decades. One in particular that comes to mind is the Portaband. Having gotten by cutting metal with a Sawzall or abrasive wheel for many years, the first time I used the new Portaband I thought, "How did I ever get along without this?" I have the same thoughts now at the end of a long upland hike, having arms full of stuff headed to my dove station, or even having shot my first Sandhill crane with my 16 Ideal- the birds are big, and, like a Tom, often carried over the shoulder with two hands on the neck. That horrible retracting sling was beautiful to me, a godsend.
Mike
