You are wise person to realize the need for something like a barrel band. Even without a sling the 2 trigger guard screws are too close together and many stocks have been broken by the action wanting to come out of the stock when it is fired.
In years gone by there was a commercial fix almost as good as a pillar. Butler's Rangers has posted a photo of the old ad. Getting an original barrel band and using wood working tools to fit it to your new location may be the best. Fitting a forward pillar would require metal working skills as well as wood working skills. I am not aware of any commercial pillars today.
There are swivels that attach to the barrel but that does not help with the weakness of just using just the 2 trigger guard screws to hold the receiver down.