2 Rifle Slings

[Wolfsax]

So, a buddy of mine dropped by yesterday with and old sling and wants me to make a new one for his new gun. (Apologizing in advance for lack of pictures, I'll try to get some up later) The sling he brought with him is a single piece of leather with carving and it has defiantly seen better days. Well worn aptly describes it. The back is nice and soft, and I was hoping to just oil it a bit to spruce it up a bit, but there seems to be a few issues. First off, it's starting to crack quite a bit and two, he's got one spot where he grips it a lot and pulls/pushes the sling away from his body. Where this grip spot is the leather seems to be actually trying to flake off. Is there anything I can do to save it (he wants to keep it for the old gun) or should I try to convince him to get a new sling for that too?

As for the other new sling, what are some suggestions for reinforcing the area where he grips it. I'm kinda thinking about adding 'wings' to the pattern then rolling the wing edges to the back to make a rounded grip. Or should I see about doing a two piece sling (or even three?). I've never made a sling before and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I'll try to get picts up later today.