This has probably been posted before somewhere, but I can't find it and I guarantee that no one is interested in an old thread. However, a good canidate for sling tag ammo is duct tape and latex glove wrapped lead &/or pennies. they should be cylindrical.

1. Take used and deformed lead air rifle shot or shotgun birdshot, or pennies- about 8 of them per "tag glande".

2. take latex gloves and pour the weight in there.

3. take that glove and put in another (to take up space so soften impact). tie the open end of the glove. poke a hole in a finger to prevent air from getting trapped and letting all the shot loose.

4. wrap the gloves in duct tape. it should look like a piece of sushi- the one with the rice under the shrimp or fish- the seaweed wrap symbolizes the duct tape

5. take a patch of duct tape and cover the exposed ends.

6. wrap the almost finished "tag glande" like in step 4 to cover up all loose tape ends.

7. make as many as you need

this is just preliminary but they fit in almost anysling becasue of their shape. they wont break any bones or kill but you will definatley know if you're hit.  ;D

If wanted, i will post pictures when i get home.

I personally think that lead shot... like 3-4mm shot..
would be superiour.
It would spread more on impact, not act like a solid glans....
Zinc dust, if it wasn't so violently reactive with some substances... would probably be superiour from a toxicity standpoint...

I'm pretty sure I could kill someone with 10 pennies wrapped in tape coming out of a sling. I wouldn't want to sling anything with a solid component to it.

For any kind of sling tag or dodge sling, you have to assume that there will be full force slinging. It is just instinct.

The solution to not killing your friends is to find an ammo that doesn't but flies well. Personally I'd go simple. I think 20-24" slings and tennis balls should be a reasonable amount of impact while maintaining a good trajectory. If you can find some kind of softer ammo that is just as easily available, then you could use full length slings.

Take a look at archery tag if you want an idea of what sling tag would look like, then just make it a little more ghetto/rugged.  ;)

If a running shoe with a 1" thick sole of state-of-the-art high-density foam isn't enough to reduce damage from a heel-first footstrike, then no way is 2 thin layers of latex gonna safely disperse the impact of lead ;D

If you need to put something into potential ammo (which will be easy to go overboard with, btw), then just use sand. You're not going to be able to tell the difference in density between sand and some marginally-denser metal by the time you put padding over it anyways.  ;)

The pennies one are just experimental, i just went with one of the least dense coins I could find, and its not just to layers of latex surrounding it it two whole gloves with some air pockets in there. It squishes quite easily to the touch. And i would agree that used lead shot would be ideal for even half an ounce of #3-4 shot would be plenty of mass, and nothing is ever solid in these "tag glans" because i was afraid of fatalities.  ;D

actually, you know those real dense but not hard foam sheets that a super-friggin elastic?
I dunno what type... but it is often found in electronics packaging(computers) and it is the same foam in gun and bow cases.
If you cut a tennis-ball size gland-like shape... and put a 1/4 oz chunk of rebar in the middle(just cut a hole) and put some duct tape on it... it functions well without killing or even bruising(through a jacket) your best friends.

Don't use metal or even sand for the weight.  Slings kill by blunt force trauma, there is way too much chance of injury with those objects in the center of your projectile.

Like Dan said, go shorter sling and tennis balls or if you don't want to go with tennis balls then go with something with a soft core.  Also, you are going to have to go fairly large, at least tennis ball sized.   And get closer, but use a minimum distance.  Say, 15 large steps?  Anybody tried dried peas in the center of about 1/4 a t shirt wrapped in duct tape?   How about a hacky sack? 

I think hack sacks would be perfect! I can't believe I didn't think of it. What sort of range will it stretch out to though?

Put a man sized target up and sling the hacky sack at it until you hit it. Then take a step back and repeat until the prospect of hitting the target seems highly unlikely. Then you have reached your maximum distance. Probably around 30 yards but it'll depend on the slinger.

If you are using racquetballs, you wouldn't need a minimum engagement distance and you could just play on a smaller field. Eye protection might be a good idea though. Paintball or airsoft masks would be even better.

thebasketcase wrote on Feb 26^th, 2014 at 9:21am:

I think hack sacks would be perfect! I can't believe I didn't think of it. What sort of range will it stretch out to though?

Just saying real hackey-sacks hurt a LOT. Tested...
Even if you sling lightly.
A airsoft mask works good, although a helm looks cooler and works better.
Make sure to guard the throat. a hand-thrown tennis ball can easily crush someone's trachea.

No, Squirrel, it can't.  It's possible but not probable.  Otherwise, tennis players would be wearing body armor.

Speaking of which, how about while wearing a heavy coat?  Or improvised body armor such as a piece of old carpet with a hole for your head and tied around your waist?  It will leave your arms, legs and head unprotected, possibly a paintball helmet with mask?

ok... but if someone gets killed by a slung tennis ball...
lol
It doesn't take a lot of force to crush someone's trachea.
roughly 11 pounds. To kill.
A tennis ball moving at about 100 MPH has almost 50 FP of energy...
and it can easily kill you IF it hits your neck.
However, as usually your chin is pointed down... not up...
I'll stick with a thick jacket, maybe some supplemental aluminum plate(1/8th inch) armour in some places.

Just something to be aware of.

I think the original idea w/ a quarter ounce of fine grit sand would maybe do. I have to do some testing with my uncle's accelerometer.

I think molded balls of modeling clay could work, as long as they were not purpoely made to hurt people, i.e. squished very densely.


An easier and cheaper alternative could be densely packed ball of computer/copy paper wrapped in duct tape, but I'll have to try this out some as I only just thought of it. Heavy duct tape would provide the necessary mass for a good throw, but since all it is on the inside is paper, it should be perfectly safe, even when people get the adrenaline rush and start slinging hard as if they were in battle (just watch any paintball game or play one yourself to know what I mean about war-time adrenaline)


Or hey....what about paintballs wrapped in tape for a larger size? A little too expensive though, and at that point why not just use paintball guns

Bill Skinner wrote on Feb 27^th, 2014 at 12:42pm:

No, Squirrel, it can't.  It's possible but not probable.  Otherwise, tennis players would be wearing body armor. Speaking of which, how about while wearing a heavy coat?  Or improvised body armor such as a piece of old carpet with a hole for your head and tied around your waist?  It will leave your arms, legs and head unprotected, possibly a paintball helmet with mask?

When I sling tennis balls using balearic style I get my tennis balls going 120mph or above, I don't care how tough you think you are, if you get hit in the head your going to get knocked out, and if you do get hit in the trachea it will almost certainly crush it, the reason I think these things is because I had the option to sling a tennis ball at Someone who wanted to catch it ( yes he caught it) and when he caught it, it gave him a nasty welt on his hand, and he used to be a Catcher in baseball, and also the range we were slinging at him was about 45-50m so my tennis ball was slowing Down a bit by the time it reached him.

So basically don't use tennis balls.  :)

Blowgunman123 wrote on Mar 11^th, 2015 at 1:31am:

Bill Skinner wrote on Feb 27th, 2014 at 12:42pm: No, Squirrel, it can't.  It's possible but not probable.  Otherwise, tennis players would be wearing body armor. Speaking of which, how about while wearing a heavy coat?  Or improvised body armor such as a piece of old carpet with a hole for your head and tied around your waist?  It will leave your arms, legs and head unprotected, possibly a paintball helmet with mask? When I sling tennis balls using balearic style I get my tennis balls going 120mph or above, I don't care how tough you think you are, if you get hit in the head your going to get knocked out, and if you do get hit in the trachea it will almost certainly crush it, the reason I think these things is because I had the option to sling a tennis ball at Someone who wanted to catch it ( yes he caught it) and when he caught it, it gave him a nasty welt on his hand, and he used to be a Catcher in baseball, and also the range we were slinging at him was about 45-50m so my tennis ball was slowing Down a bit by the time it reached him.

Professional tennis players regularly serve at or above 120 mph.  The world record stands at 163 mph.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqmy9oxEJig ; Players and judges often get hit.  No one has died.  If you were to look up and open your neck up to a surprise shot, you could theoretically crush their windpipe.  But that's not what happens.  When you see the ball coming, you automatically tuck your chin and limbs inward to protect your vital organs.

Tennis balls will hurt.  But very unlikely to kill.  I would gladly play sling tag with someone using them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXBOsnF7YRk  Female player hit in the face.  It hurt.  She was not knocked out.

i sayed it'll knock you out, and that was a little dramatic but either way who would to get hit by a tennis ball going that fast, anyways it might be better to use some carpet foam cut into any shape.  :)

Blowgunman123 wrote on Mar 11^th, 2015 at 11:35pm:

i sayed it'll knock you out, and that was a little dramatic but either way who would to get hit by a tennis ball going that fast, anyways it might be better to use some carpet foam cut into any shape.  :)

Depends on how far you can sling that foam.  The problem with slinging anything at humans is that high density objects that can be slung far and fast, hurt and kill when they hit.  Low density objects like foam and tennis balls hurt less but lose velocity very quickly.

you could put airsoft pellets in a small balloon for weight, then cover it with foam to soften the impact a bit. Plust airsoft pellets are dirt cheap- 5,000 for $10.

at sports clips they used to give out these little foam soccer balls and they are pretty good for slinging, but the problem is is that they curve like crazy, that's why i was thinking something that's bi-pointed would work better because it wouldn't curve.

something like those nerf american footballs? they seem to fit the description quite well

check out the bottom of this page http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1364212606/60
this type of ammo would be pretty inexpensive and they wouldn't hurt to much.  :)

sorry to bring up an old thread, but could paintball grenades work as a one-time use ammo?

Possibly mabye even paintballs might work, and after watching that video of the guy hiting the tennis ball and having it go 163 mph I actualy think that my tennis balls are going faster than that...

I have a new style that gets the tennis balls going very very fast.

Blowgunman123 wrote on Mar 30^th, 2015 at 1:50pm:

Possibly mabye even paintballs might work, and after watching that video of the guy hiting the tennis ball and having it go 163 mph I actualy think that my tennis balls are going faster than that...

I can tell you from experience that paintballs don't work very well with slings.  They are quite light and I was not able to accelerate them to a decent speed.

A paintball marker (gun) fires paintballs at 300 feet per second (204 mph).  My throws were noticeably slower to the naked eye and I was unable to throw accurately enough to go through the chronograph.

Yeah the problem is that again the paintballs are to light and they just don't go anywhere.

but how about those large paintball grenades? hard to judge the size in the photo, but about 5 inches long and 3 inches wide at the widest point.

---

ummmm OW?
also a little big for some slings.

U ever see whathhappens  when one of the paintball  gernades  explodes? And aall tthat paint comes out . A person will tturn  different  colors.  Just a thought.but actually  it wouldn't  work cuz those types. Are designed  u pull a pin and throw and when u throw iit,  it squirts  out.
Ryan
19 years pplaying  paintball 
1 yearas a paintball  referee

So legos896 yesterday, found a foam football, it's a pretty good size for slinging, and if you wrap it in a little of duct tape it flies very fast and doesn't hurt very bad at all. The plus is that I beleive that you can buy it at the dollar store, so it's cheap, works well, and it's bipointed so it flies straight, and it doesn't cause too much pain. I'll post a pic when I go to the dollar store and get one or two, depending on if they are there.

Blowgunman123 wrote on Apr 20^th, 2015 at 1:14pm:

So legos896 yesterday, found a foam football, it's a pretty good size for slinging, and if you wrap it in a little of duct tape it flies very fast and doesn't hurt very bad at all. The plus is that I beleive that you can buy it at the dollar store, so it's cheap, works well, and it's bipointed so it flies straight, and it doesn't cause too much pain. I'll post a pic when I go to the dollar store and get one or two, depending on if they are there.

Have you gotten one of these foam balls yet? I'm very interested in picking up 10-20 of them and wrapping them in duct tape! Do they fly anywhere near as far as tennis balls when properly wrapped? Pictures please :)

I wasn't able to find them at the dollar store, but you can find them on amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Dozen-Foam-Football-Stress-Balls/dp/B0087QM8CW/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1441898879&sr=8-6&keywords=foam+football i don't think that you need to put tape on them if your going for  30m targets but longer range you'll probably need it. :) And i didn't buy any, otherwise i would post pics, just take short strips of duct tape and tape around the ball until its covered.

use sock balls - fly further than tennis balls, can't hurt anyone and are perfect for a field full of idiots with slings trying to kill each other.

So far up I've had 3 fairly large groups using sock balls and not one siungle casualty :-)

Curious Aardvark wrote on Sep 10^th, 2015 at 11:56am:

use sock balls - fly further than tennis balls, can't hurt anyone and are perfect for a field full of idiots with slings trying to kill each other. So far up I've had 3 fairly large groups using sock balls and not one siungle casualty :-)

I tried making a few and they always come apart after a throw or two. Maybe I'm making them wrong.. FURTHER THAN A TENNIS BALL?!?! You seem to be recommending that I buy my slinging ammo in the shoe/clothing department rather than the sporting goods section... Any video on these masterfully made sock balls?

I was just out today doing experiments, with the nerf pocket vortex football's, with the tails. They flew wonderfully. Now if someone with good accuracy slung those, they would be perfect.
Ryan

I've found that these hollow plastic practice golf balls: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Club-Champ-K40321/19487474
work wonderful for target practice in a large yard setting. They are slightly heavier and more aerodynamic than ping pong balls, provide a little sting with a good hit, especially on the skin, but by no means is there enough mass behind one of these to cause any type of injury. The only con is that they are highly affected by wind. I was able to get on average 60ft range with no wind resistance, but if you have a good 15mph gust of wind behind you, these things will literally fly 200-250ft (tested, unfortunately.) You will need a heavier pouch to get these going far (woven paracord or seatbelt/duck tape pouch)

Another consideration are these foam practice golf balls (I am strongly considering spending 10$ for a pack of 50 from this amazon seller: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015GSLCWA/ref=s9_newrz_hd_bw_g200_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=04RZY6QPNA4SXA1BT79X&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=2223094922&pf_rd_i=3411201
They look to be a good deal heavier I would imagine, with way less effects by wind, but these might hurt a little, especially a head shot could cause a concussion I'm guessing? Better yet, soak them in water and we're talking serious ammo! Maybe these with a helmet of some sort and we're on track. I'm guessing you could send one of these 100-120ft dry, and 300-400ft if soaked well?

Both of the above types of golf practice ammo are durable, they're meant for being wacked at with metal wedges (golf sticks) so having these fall apart on you like a sock ball or something wont be an issue.

Those practice foam golf balls are good for beginners.  I got my 2 nephew's, 8 and 7 into slinging with these. Only issue is that they do a wicked hook. I don't really do measurements on distance but they do a decent distance with being light as they are. I have them using the yellow ones. Easier to find.
Ryan

I know this is a old thread and everyone has probably figured out a ammo that is perfect for them but i a have been working on a ammo that is friend friendly (all of mine were to much time fabricating to be practical) I do like the practice foam golf ball idea and i have a thought as for the "Only issue is that they do a wicked hook."  What if u just stitched a very short soft stabilizer tail on to one side of them..?

    O<   For example in text form lol...

Almost any ammo thrown at full power could hurt. One thing nobody has discussed yet is using a weighted sling to throttle back power. If your ammo is in the 60g (tennis ball-ish) range and the sling pouch has an extra 20-30 g Permanently attached, then it feels like you are throwing at full power, but the ammo has a lot less energy when it leaves the pouch.

You do have to be careful not to hit people with the heavy sling pouch though.

I think tennis balls could be safe enough at a distance with thick-ish jackets. They lose power so quickly they don't hit so hard after even a few metres. Closer ranges would need something softer. I still really want to have a snowball fight with slings just because it seems like a classic reimagined but I also REALLY don't want to get hit with a dense snowball in the face. That will still be stinging into summer...

I think the real challenge is finding another slinger within a 100 mile radius!

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Aug 26^th, 2020 at 9:25pm:

I think the real challenge is finding another slinger within a 100 mile radius!

Don't... it hurts...

Re: Sling tag/sling dodgeball ammo
Reply #43 - Aug 26th, 2020 at 9:25pm
I think the real challenge is finding another slinger within a 100 mile radius!

Great point it's not like u can just throw a rock and hit another person who enjoys slinging...   
Sorry but it had to be said...

KB wrote on Aug 30^th, 2020 at 5:33pm:

Great point it's not like u can just throw a rock and hit another person who enjoys slinging...

This definitely shouldn't be encouraged either. There are so few enthusiastic slingers we can't afford to lose any to sling tag with rocks :D

Tennis balls work really good. To keep it safe only allow slings at a certain length only slung at a certain distance.Such as a sling that is 48 inches total length will not hurt you from a distance of 50+ feet. But a longer sling will leave a nice mark on you lol.

Ha! I think you may underestimate some people’s ability to hurt themselves.

Tennis balls are alright, but they have a lot of drag and I don't think they throw very well. Double yellow dot squash balls would work, but safety glasses would be necessary... and they hurt, but it would be part of the fun eh?
I think the ideal projectile would be of durable foam with a small metal core to add weight. I think something around 100g total weight would be suitable.

Sockball with a rubber ball inside maybe?

A couple of BB's inside a small ball of yarn stuffed into a balloon or something like that...      Maybe..?

Archaic Arms wrote on Sep 6^th, 2020 at 3:47pm:

... and they hurt, but it would be part of the fun eh?

As a teenager, I used to be proud of every paintball-shaped welt I had the day after a good battle.

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Sep 7^th, 2020 at 1:01am:

Archaic Arms wrote on Sep 6th, 2020 at 3:47pm: ... and they hurt, but it would be part of the fun eh? As a teenager, I used to be proud of every paintball-shaped welt I had the day after a good battle.

Same here, and only recently retired from playing the gamr a couple years back,

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/novak-djokovics-disqualification-stirs-debate-online

I do belive tennis balls would be the best ammo for any type of game that is relatively safe. Including  FUNDABALL just change the size of the course by 1/2. Tennis balls i think would be the best as they will still hurt like paintballs. The video shows how even an underpowered throw/hit can make a tennis ball hurt. Just wear padding or jerseys  that are just like paintball uniforms while playing speedball, which have padding in the jeresy or pants. If we were able to get FUNDABALL off to a start as an international sport.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQZmlD_DndY

For those who say tennis balls can't kill......

Here are a few examples of padded paintball jerseys. Prices are not too bad especially if it for teams, and starting up a league for FUNDABALL . Plus using tennisballs, with some sort of rugby mask everyone would be safe.there wouldnt be any casualties from a slinging game.

https://jerseysclinic.com/paintball/

I have 4 tennis balls with orange dots on them. When deflated they're pretty soft. You'd feel them, but they can't do much damage. The kids here sling them at each other with no worries.

I looked them up and they're low compression training balls. Unlike normal balls which even deflated are hard and will split, these are soft and they haven't split one yet.

The government shoots chalk bullets as apart of there training surely if the gunpowder propelled chalk wont kill then neither should a sling fires chalk round

Josephusflav wrote on Mar 6^th, 2021 at 12:48am:

The government shoots chalk bullets as apart of there training surely if the gunpowder propelled chalk wont kill then neither should a sling fires chalk round

Well, it's not solid chalk, if it even is chalk.  It's a colored dry powder--probably actually talcum (talc)--encased in plastic and propelled at a maximum speed of 450 fps.  That's less than a quarter of the speed of a real bullet.

So it's both a much lighter bullet.  (Maybe someone else can find the math, but I'd say at least 1/10th the mass.)  Flying at 1/4th the speed.



Conclusion?:
Please don't sling solid rocks made of chalk at people.  They can hurt and kill.

Oxnate wrote on Mar 6^th, 2021 at 11:41am:

[quote author=7B5E425441594442575D5047310 link=1393261470/58#58 date=1615009728] Please don't sling solid rocks made of chalk at people.  They can hurt and kill.

What if thats the point tho

Then you're not playing a game such as tag or dodgeball.

Reminds me of this: http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1392809712/8

Here are some related links:
https://nicolas-constans.net/2014-02-18-un-guet-apens-en-bord-de-seine-a-lage-du-bronze/

https://www.academia.edu/6125569/Un_guet_apens_en_bord_de_Seine_à_l_âge_du_bronze

The ancients already set a precedent on this. We probably shouldn't be throwing chalk at people.

What's the policy of including links to objects found on say... Amazon?

I came across a 36-pack of foam mini-footballs, only problem is, they're pretty light, at 2.2" long by 1.5" across and soft foam -they'd likely need a few layers of duct tape to give them a flingable mass

Gronk wrote on Feb 26^th, 2023 at 10:38am:

What's the policy of including links to objects found on say... Amazon?

Good question Gronk.  Post away.  If you come across something that other slingers might be able to make use of, feel free to share links.  I'll add something about this to the forum rules topic.

There's a lot of this sort of thing

Wellvo Kids Football Party Favors 36 Pack Mini Foam Sports Balls Goodie Bag Stuffers Sports Party Favors Bag Fillers Treasure Box Toys for Pinata Carnival Classroom Prizes Return Gift for Kids https://a.co/d/g6blvZF