Hi Slingers,

I would be interested to know if anyone is hunting with a sling (Regular, staffSling or even a Cestrosphendone).

Videos will be amazing too...

Thanks

Well, I'm not hunter and usually I dont aim to animals, but once I did it and decapitated a dove on the woods. It was around 15 to 18 meters throw and the dove was on a tree branch.
It was a shocking image to see the head fall to one side and the body to the other. After that I felt bad (coz never hunted before and I dindn't even thought I was going to hit it) but at the same time I felt powerfull and excited because was prove that sling is a perfectly usefull hunting tool.

I have the pictures somewhere in my computer, but maybe not need to post a beheded bird here.

     Very few of us ever attain the accuracy to hunt successfully with a sling.  I'm not saying it's impossible.  A few of us (Jaegoor and Lobohunter) have had success.  I am fairly accurate but if I had to feed myself using just a sling I'd probably starve.

@samuel I don't want to be in your shoes if it was your first time 😅

@ratman are these sharing their experience anywhere? The search option doesn't seem to work for me

jaegoor once killed a mouse (I believe, In a House) which is where he got the nickname Jaegoor from (means 'hunter')
True story :-)

Plenty of videos of jaegoor slinging at 'things' - the 'things' pretty much always lose !
He is scary accurate.
If he didn't get nerves during competition, he would probably have put up a perfect score by now.   

Lobo, god knows ,that man could hunt dinosaurs with a sling ! 

I just watched some videos for jaegoor! He really is scary accurate. What a skill

Ich habe schon ein paar mal was zu diesem Thema gesagt. Meine Meinung dazu war schon immer sehr zwiespältig. Grundsätzlich lehne ich das jagen nicht ab. Wenn es der Nahrung dient. Ich habe einige Male mit der Schleuder gejagt. Sie würde mich ernähren. Jedoch muß ich nicht mit der Schleuder jagen. Ich muß auch nicht ausprobieren wie tödlich die Schleuder ist. Das weiß ich auch. Genauigkeit ist nur ein Ding. Mir fällt es viel schwerer eine Diane zu treffen als einen Tennisball. Ich weiß bis heute nicht warum das so ist. Ich schieße nicht sehr oft auf eine Diane. Und irgendwie mag ich das Ziel auch nicht. Kommen noch viele Menschen dazu, wird das Treffen für mich immer schwieriger. Zuviel Ablenkung. Zu wenig Selektion. Für einen perfekten Schuß, braucht es immer eine perfekte Situation.
Sie müssen bestimmte Tiere nicht unbedingt treffen. Kaninchen würde sie mit einem Stein schreddern. Es reicht, wenn sie kurz vor dem Kaninchen in denn Boden schießen. Oft erschrecken sie sich derart, daß sie sie überschlagen und benommen liegen bleiben. Oder sie sterben sofort am schockt. Das konnte ich mehrfach beobachten.
Es hat auch einen Grund warum historische Slings an seen gefunden werden. Vögel lassen sich hervorragend jagen. Schießen sie einfach in einen Schwarm. Sie treffen immer. Dazu kommt. Vögel erkennen in einer Schleuder keine Waffe. Bei einem Bogen 🏹 bleiben sie irgendwann auf Abstand. Es wird sehr schwer auf Schuß Distanz zu kommen.
Bei einer Sling ist das nicht so. Auch intelligente Vögel wie Raben oder Krähen können sie mit einer Sling besser jagen.
Viele historische Bilder belegen genau das.

Birds are strange I think they sometimes take a detour to check what is coming towards them or they see the stones too late.
@ 3:14
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHxj3Op8GYg 


Jaegoor wrote on Jan 9^th, 2020 at 3:47am:

Mir fällt es viel schwerer eine Diane zu treffen als einen Tennisball. Ich weiß bis heute nicht warum das so ist. Ich schieße nicht sehr oft auf eine Diane. Und irgendwie mag ich das Ziel auch nicht. Kommen noch viele Menschen dazu, wird das Treffen für mich immer schwieriger. Zuviel Ablenkung. Zu wenig Selektion. Für einen perfekten Schuß, braucht es immer eine perfekte Situation.

google translate:
Quote:

I find it much harder to hit a Diane than a tennis ball. I still don't know why. I don't shoot Diane very often. And somehow I don't like the goal either. If there are many more people, the meeting will become increasingly difficult for me. Too much distraction. Too little selection. For a perfect shot, you always need a perfect situation.

Could this be an "aim small, miss small" situation?
I'm confused, I always thought that you train mainly with a balearic target. how can you not like it? Maybe I should not like my targets either so that I hit them more often :P

Ich habe tatsächlich eine stationäre Diane auf einem eingezäunten Gelände. Ich finde es als sportliches Ziel hervorragend. Aber ich streife viel lieber durch die Wälder und jage Baumstümpfe. Oder Baum Krokodile. 😁 Einmal erlegte ich ein 🎈 Luftballon. Er hing in einem Baum fest. Wie sich herausstellte kam er aus Schweden.
Auch indoor habe ich die Möglichkeit auf eine Diane zu schießen. Aber irgendwie ist es nicht mein bevorzugtes Ziel.
Viel interessanter finde ich zb. Sling Jitsu. 😁 😂 😇
Ich habe einmal einen Ritter sein Schwert mit einem Tennisball aus der Hand geschossen. Danach sprang ich gegen seinen Schild und erlegte ihn mit meinem Sax. Das ist viel geiler als eine schnöde Diane. 😁 😂 😇

ok now I get it , I'd prefer that too :P

https://youtu.be/yE4_7NHYSLo

😁 😂

Das war wirklich witzig.

I think an easier option would be to use the sling to steal a larger kill from a pack of predators. I can see a group of slingers easily driving of lions, hyena or wolves away from a deer type animal. Undoubtedly this was the case thousands of years ago. I have a theory that the sound of the sling is ingrained in the genetic memory of such animals and would like to test it one day in Africa. Yes I would have a security team with rifles in case the lions had a foggy memory!!
Very interesting to think about! Perhaps has been discussed on a previous thread, ask C_A!

    I have never done either of these things but if I was in a survival situation I would sling at flocks of sitting waterfowl or at squirrel's nests. 
    I would sling Underarm at the waterfowl because in doing so even if I missed low the bottom spin of an Underarm shot would cause my projectile to skip off the water in a low trajectory increasing my chances of stunning or killing a bird.
    Even if it took you multiple shots to hit a squirrel's nest it wouldn't matter.  The squirrels wouldn't run off.  They would hide in the nest until you hit it.  You would probably stun them so you'd have to be ready to dispatch them as they fell. 
    Hopefully I'll never have to do either of these things.  I'm not morally opposed to hunting but it lost it's appeal to me a long time ago. 

found this interesting so i'm sharing.
just watched this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXfB59HenMA
watch from 8:00

I didn't hear joerg mention the mass of the bolt. The crossbow is Excalibur Micro 335. specs :
http://smartarchery.com/excalibur-micro-355-review-top-rated-recurve-crossbow/
http://www.bestcrossbowsource.com/excalibur-micro-335-review-in-field-recurve-crossbow/

kinetic energy is 87-98fpe= 117-132J 
@ 10:10 you can see it created a massive wound
The bolt has very similar diameter (blunt tip), Energy and momentum to a slingstone it differs only in velocity and mass.

132J= 0.5 * 0.1056kg * (50m/s)^2
a slingstone of 105grams and 50m/s has the same energy
sling stone momentum is : P=5.28kg*m/s
crossbow momentum for 350grain and 335fps (guessing since i dont know the bolt's mass): P= 102.108m/s* 0.02267kg= 2.314kg*m/s

Conclusion, the slingstone would have the same or bigger penetration.

the only argument against it is that higher velocities usually demonstrate better armor piercing but this is empirical not proved.

I think the general conclusion is that hunting is possible, but ethical hunting is not possible for the casual slinger who is lucky to hit an animal at all.  You need a reliable shot placement that results in a fast, clean kill. That deer in the video above, for example, suffered a lot and ran a long distance before it died. That’s not acceptable when there are better options that result in less suffering.

never hunted... I wouldn't judge the way or the tool . A supersonic bullet is not giving a chance for the animal to react, isn't it unethical?  He shot the animal for fun not for survival his purpose is unethical not the tool he used or the way he did it.

Sarosh wrote on Jan 13^th, 2020 at 10:30am:

A supersonic bullet is not giving a chance for the animal to react, isn't it unethical?

This is a very interesting question. I've seen some hunting videos where people set up a hide right next to a watering hole then wait for a wild pig to come up to drink and shoot it near point blank with a bow. This wasn't for food but for trophy hunting and... I don't get it. Obviously there is some skill required even in those "ideal" conditions but it's not quite the same as stalking through brush for half a day and having to take the shot whilst cramped into a clump of plants. I don't think I would feel very accomplished if I killed an animal like that especially if it was just so I could say I've done it. At least with a bow I guess there is that extra layer of skill required.

I know for myself, I do not have the skills to hunt with a sling (let alone any other weapons) and I doubt I would ever have the motivation to hunt with a sling. As has been talked about before, a sling is one of the last weapons I would think to make in a survival situation (in most conditions, plentiful water fowl is one situation that a sling could be useful in for food). It's definitely going to come up as a subject again, but for me, hunting cardboard and wooden and metal targets is more my speed.

I have never killed an animal for food or sport either, but I am not opposed to the idea if it’s done right. There are definitely non-food reasons to kill pigs. They breed fast, and can wreak havoc on a local ecosystem for example. The ethics I am referring to are this: if you have a good reason to kill the animal, you should do it in a way that minimizes the animal’s suffering. I am not trying to debate whether the animal should be killed or not. That’s a separate question. By definition...if you are hunting, you already plan to kill an animal.

Then I would say anything can be used . Something dead doesn't care how it died it's dead.

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Jan 13^th, 2020 at 11:59am:

I have never killed an animal for food or sport either, but I am not opposed to the idea if it’s done right. There are definitely non-food reasons to kill pigs. They breed fast, and can wreak havoc on a local ecosystem for example. The ethics I am referring to are this: if you have a good reason to kill the animal, you should do it in a way that minimizes the animal’s suffering. I am not trying to debate whether the animal should be killed or not. That’s a separate question. By definition...if you are hunting, you already plan to kill an animal.

That's a good point. I had only considered food and trophy hunting. If it's population control then yeah most effective is best. Whether animals should be hunted at all is a separate question for sure.

There are a few different things that's make the sling an effective tool and an ineffective tool.

1. The sling is a tool , the glande is the weapon, you can throw a tennis ball and you will likely never kill anything or you could throw a lead glande and potentially kill a lot of things. Just like a bow the arrow is the weapon and a sharp broadhead will always outperform a field point.

2. Accuracy , we all agree that being accurate is a long hard feat when comparing a sling to a gun but and inaccurate shooter on a gun could also make poor shots, just because it is difficult to master does not mean it's not possible, people have hunted with many things throughout history that require a level of skill to be accurate.

3. Distance, I think this part gets overlooked when comparing the sling as a hunting weapon, a sling is very captive of conserving energy over distance I would argue it's even more so than some bow/arrow combinations so the hunting part may be easier with a sling if your able to make shots at a longer distance, stalking up close to an animal is part of hunting and it's possible that you never get within an accurate range.

4. Animal hunted, now I'm not saying that the sling can't kill large game but it is defiantly more suited to smaller animals and birds. I think given the potential stopping power it could kill a large number of game on the planet however as the animals get larger the target becomes more and more focused on a brain injury.

5. Noise, now the sling can vary in sound but a smoot projectile is almost silent, at a certain distance it would be very hard for some animals to know where the danger comes from, this may allow for multiple shots.

6. Cost, now this is more based on a survival situation than sport hunting but there is a large benifit in ammo being almost free if using rocks, no need to spend time searching for lost ammo or building new stuff, it's literally just on the ground and a large variety of stones can be used.

As I see it, the sling would be more of an opportunistic hunting weapon used by lower classes throughout history. I don’t mean that it was never used as a main hunting weapon, but at least since Neolithic, I think that (aside from war) has been mostly used as a tool/weapon in contexts that hunting was not the main source of food. A shepherd carrying a sling would have endless hours in the wild and plenty of chances to throw stones to birds and small animals. As the sling and ammo are virtually free, time is not a problem and the main economic activity is herding, even if less than 1/100 of your stones land on a target it would be worthy. I would say that this is also a reason for the sling to be so common in herder societies (along with its use as a tool for guiding animals and defence).
Same for kids guarding fields or the like. Actually, I’ve seen children in developing countries using slingshots for hunting birds for food while doing other activities. Thus, I see sling hunting as the same “opportunistic” activity.
In modern western societies we tend to focus in one activity; if you go hunting, you go hunting. But in other times and places if you were/are, let say, going to find your lost goat in the woods and had/have the chance to get even a small bird or so you don’t miss the opportunity.

Even if you can’t get a clean kill... as a tool for hunting, a sling can still be useful to flush out an animal and keep it moving in the direction you want it to go.

Clean kills are a modern ideal. I think if you went back a few hundred years clean kills are a rarity.
I hunt and fish and the reality is that the ideal situation and shot rarely happen . Even with fishing you capture wrong species, although some people have a idea in there head of a clean kill it can be a perfect shot and the animal is just tough and doesn't die as quick or as graceful as you expect , modern hunting tools make clean kills easier but still there are messy ones, I think it's more the responsibility after before and after a bad shot that make it more humane. Some outdoorsmen and hunters on here will have the same experiences.

Again for the sling , if we assume that a shot is accurate we know the sling is capible of hunting, it's really only the doubt of accuracy that makes it seem less effective.
People hunt with hand thrown sticks and stones and the sling can throw a similar weight alot faster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-YS8FEcbH4
watch frame by frame to see the rock , it's not very clear.

I’m assuming this is a hand thrown rock??
But still it shows that a headshot is a knockout hit if not lethal.

My friend asked me just yesterday if a sling is actually dangerous. I told him about the Roman tongs for removing glandes and showed him a picture of my busted up frying pan target. Showing him this video and saying "Imagine that rock was going at least twice as fast" would have been just as good.

Sarosh wrote on Jan 29^th, 2020 at 5:00pm:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-YS8FEcbH4 watch frame by frame to see the rock , it's not very clear.

That’s about right. Those pigs are everywhere in Texas, and they’re dangerous! That guy was really lucky.  Sling or no sling, I would prefer a shotgun or a .357 in that situation.

Yeah pigs are underestimated!
Most people don’t even understand how abundant they are in the Australian bush.
I personally think their the scariest critter on land in Australia.

A lot of people are surprised to hear England has wild boar. Around the Midlands where I grew up, some escaped and have been roaming around for years now. There are warnings every now and then when sows are spotted with piglets. They can kill if you get on the wrong side of them.

In another thread from a few years back, somebody was referencing accounts of how South American slingers had specialized slings for waterfowl hunting and like Ratman mentioned, they made the stones skip over the water to hit more birds.
As for that mythical one shot kill on a large animal? Yes! I'm sure if it was a tricky shot a lot of us would fail. That being said, easy shots do come along all the time and I like to think a solid portion of the members here would have a solid chance at an easy shot.
8-10 years ago, I was walking back home on the tracks and was casually slinging. It was dusk, and suddenly I was face to face with a young male white tailed deer. He was less than twenty feet away and I had a rock IN MY SLING!!! Of course I never took the shot and we peaceably went around each other after a moment but it can be that easy. Imagine a smart hunter with passable slinging skills.....

We must also not forget the great legends of RS who read in an ancient book somewhere about a forgotten culture who had a special technique for stunning fish with a sling and a flat rock. Word is that the technique was passed down from Jesus the noodler himself, and that may even be how he miraculously fed the 5000!

Sadly, RS took his trolling too far and has been forever banished from our lives. At least we still have the turkey style...

... but if I remember correctly, the duck hunting story was not RS, and was actually legitimate ;D

i feel like one big issue sling hunting would have is the motion of it. while there is still movement in the draw of a bow, you can be in a crouched or relatively out of view position and any animal you're hunting can't be alerted. with slinging on the other hand you have to a) be in an open enough area to perform your full technique which can give away your location in the first place and b) wave your arm around your head, the last thing you want to be doing during a stalk next to yelling at the animal. i understand that the action is quick but with a jittery animal as most game is, that split second is enough for them to move their head or take a step and then the whole game changes

I have found the motion of a sling not to be a problem. though I don't hunt I use my sling to scare off squirrels who don't usually move in til my projectile (a acorn ) hits.
As for a bow, I have little experience with them,but I think that the lack of movement in the bow would be off set by the larger more visible arrow. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Gj

I've more often had the problem of water birds swimming INTO the line of fire than going in the other direction. Even with big long Tibetan slings using helicopter. I've also walked past hares that have frozen in place and slung towards them but with an empty sling. They've only ever moved if the sling cracks or makes a whipping noise. Granted, I have been mostly slinging in populated areas and most of the birds and animals are quite comfortable around humans but still I think even I could go hunting and eventually hit something.

It’s partly what animal and the environmental conditions it gre up in and part the distance that the shot is taken.
At longer distances with no cracker and a smooth projectile the sling is much more silent and stealthy than a bow, arrows make quite a lot of noise and are big enough to easily see.
At closer distances the sling requires a lot of movement and it is hard to combat this with cover because you make the actual shot harder.

   One way to minimize alerting game when hunting with a sling is to use Apache Style.  With no windup your prey would have less time to react.  There is a tradeoff though.  Apache doesn't give you quite as much power and range as the other styles. At least that's been my experience.

Totally agree rat man. Apache is not as powerful as most the other styles, but if you put in a large stone it’s pretty decent in comparison to a hand throw. Guess if your close enough it could be a good trade off.

I’m going to get back to practicing the turkey throw. This really was RS gift to the forum. I think it has a lot of potential in hunting. Pity none of us are really proficient with this style.

I find one style that doesn't get enough mention is Greek (at least I believe it's Greek, other people might have a different name for it). Holding the stone out towards the target, throwing it over your shoulder and basically doing a half spin helicopter throw. Basically no wind up and I've found it quite accurate. Again, not as much power but not totally weak. I might go out and get some practice with Greek style today.

I did manage to get some practice in and I do think Greek is a viable hunting throw but basic helicopter is probably my go to. I can get a lot more power without losing too much accuracy. Always good to have options though.

   When I first started slinging I used nothing but Apache for the first few months.  Don't ask me why now.  I could get about 80 yards maximum with it eventually.  I would have to practice a good bit because I haven't used it for years but for close up sling hunting Apache would be a viable option for me. 

I always forget about Apache. I'll try that too next time I'm out. I'll throw in Turkey Throw as well :D

Another question that always makes me wonder is are you better off using a smaller denser object or a larger less dense object.

Let’s say 100grams @ 40mps.
And for a easier animal to compare let’s use a rabbit.

Is a better option a larger blunt stone or a sharp point lead biconical???

What do you all think and why?

I think If I was hunting rabbit, I'd prefer a nice round stone or clay ball.

At the distances you will be hunting at, aerodynamic performance won't be of a great importance. But It would be far superior compared to say, an angular pebble or terrible piece of limestone.

Round projectiles are also very unlikely to create a noise. Lead glandes and to a lesser extent Biconnical clay slingstones will often make some form of noise.

for a rabbit I'd say a stone is enough
see reply #14

Man muß ein Kaninchen nicht treffen.
Man schießt vor das Kaninchen in den Boden. Sie erschrecken so sehr das sie in einen Schock fallen. Oft ist dieser Schock schon tödlich.
Mein erstes Kaninchen traf ich am Kopf. Mit einem etwa 200g schweren Stein. Der Stein trennte denn Kopf ab. Das war für mich  ein Schock und unerwartet.
Der zweite Treffer war ein Körper Treffer. Ebenfalls mit einem Stein.
Beim zubereiten fanden sich im Fleisch feine Knochen splitter. Das Fleisch war unbrauchbar, da auch Organe verletzt wurden.
Also, einfach vor das Kaninchen schießen. 😁
In Kasachstan war das sehr einfach.

I guess my question is more so
“are we searching for penetration or blunt force trauma”
And given a larger projectile will have a slightly better chance of hitting its mark, is it better to use a less dense material??

Given the KE and momentum are the same, what is a better transfer of energy to lethality??

Mersa wrote on Feb 10^th, 2020 at 5:14am:

Given the KE and momentum are the same, what is a better transfer of energy to lethality??

blunt is a better transfer of energy. something sharp would penetrate through the rabbit and keep going.

Ok so given that a rabbit is a small game animal, at what point would you think that converting to a penetrating projectile would be evident and beneficial.

Rabbit
Fox
Deer
Pig
Buffalo

I think anywhere up to and over Pig-sized is when you'll probably want to use lead.

But even in this situation, I think a bow or a firearm is a much better weapon. Excepting a hit to the brain or lungs... I don't think a lead glande is gonna kill most animals humanely or quickly.

Then again, hit placement will be important for both bows/crossbows and firearms. However, it is much easier to get proper hit-placement with these weapons than a sling. Unless you are like Jaegoor!

Buffalo

Other weapons are better because of their accuracy and consistency. Watch videos on pig hunting with ARs/shotguns/compound bows/trad bows they don't drop dead.

P.S.
I think there is even a harpoon cannon video and the pig runs away before it dies. Don't expect from anything to kill a pig instantly it will take time ,I'd expect the same from slings.

Another spin on the same kinda subject, let’s go back to the rabbit, let’s keep the speed of projectile at 40mps.

Given we almost all agree that 100g stone is sufficient at that speed , at what weight would you convert to lead???


75g
50g
25g
12.5g

I'd say ~20-25 grams.

I'm not sure if a slingstone at that weight could reliably kill a rabbit. That'd roughly be 20J at 25 grams at 40 m/s, but that may go lower depending on distance to target and air-drag etcetera etcetera.

Lead's performance likely won't degrade very much below the initial energy, especially within hunting distances.

Slinging stones or clay at weights lower than 25 I'd say would not be that reliable at killing a rabbit. The amount of energy at that point would be paltry. You'd expect figures Below 15J

I think I agree with jackinati
Things would get small though .If you could spiral throw a very elongated 20gram Stone then you would get the same result as a lead bb of same mass. I go that low in mass for Max speed or long range throws.

I find it all very interesting. I would love to hunt rabbits with the sling but most of the time I find myself hunting with a bow.

It seems that if I was able to hit my mark as often as I can with a bow that the sling would be very much the superior choice.

55# traditional recurve : 30-32gram arrow @ 50-55mps
Sling: 20-200gram projectile @ 20-40mps

As a general rule it also seems likely that throwing the heaviest projectile possible is better than speed except for potentially alerting the game animal, but given the shot hits heavy and slow is likely better than light and fast.

I'm interested in hunting but I also know that I am not someone that should be hunting. I don't the relevant knowledge, my accuracy isn't good enough for me to trust and I don't have any use for the end result. There is also the fact that I'm pretty much certain it would be illegal to hunt with a sling in Finland. Hunting is taken seriously here and is well regulated.

The way I shot my bow this morning I think I’m more accurate with the sling ha ha

Mersa wrote on Feb 10^th, 2020 at 5:14am:

I guess my question is more so “are we searching for penetration or blunt force trauma” And given a larger projectile will have a slightly better chance of hitting its mark, is it better to use a less dense material?? Given the KE and momentum are the same, what is a better transfer of energy to lethality??

The military has a hybrid category for shrapnel and such that’s in between blunt force and laceration. The technical term is “chunky penetration”.  That’s probably the best category for most sling bullets.

By the way... DO NOT search the Internet for “chunky penetration”! If you do... only use Google scholar.

Here’s a safe example reference:

https://apps.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA063525

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Feb 12^th, 2020 at 10:57pm:

By the way... DO NOT search the Internet for “chunky penetration”! If you do... only use Google scholar.

Yeah, that seems like a search that would lead you... er... places. :P

Ha ha , I know exactly what you’re saying, ha ha

I have been slinging on a weekly basis now for almost 3 months now, and I admit that it is not easy but it is really rewarding and relaxing (just what I wanted from it)

What I noticed so far and since I was wondering if I can get to a point where I can sling hunt! is that it requires a lot of skill and a lot of consistency with the sling and the ammo.

The slings I made so far are quite basic (cotton cord and leather pouches mostly) and I am focusing on the helicopter-style which I found powerful and accurate at the same time.

So my plan next is to make an Egyptian-knot sling and maybe cast some lead glands and see how this will affect my development and accuracy.

If you can help with some tutorials (video or pdf I will be happy to look into them before I start.

By the way, this community rocks ;)

Lebslinger- standardized ammo is how to get good. As for what ammo to choose, lead might be a bit hard to practice with. What's your practice area like? Are you shooting a target in a field? A random fence post? A spot on a wall?

Just a plug for our moderator
Curious aardvark sells clay glands moulds.
A great cheap way to make consistent ammo
And plenty lethal enough for small game!!

Hi @Tomas,

Well there is a big desert/dirt area next to my place, i am just practicing on hitting an old paint bucket.

The thing is the rocks I am working with are of decent weight/density but pointing and inconsistent.

I don't have access to river pebbles and sometimes I hit and a lot of times I don't.

I will dig for a photo or a video and share it shortly

This was a while back, but You can clearly see the ammo I am using! It’s as bad as my slinging skills. But I got better 😉

https://youtu.be/Zt5Q-ciE0yE

Yes, Leb, your ammo is terrible.  Take Mersa's advice and buy one of c_a's molds. Or do something else but get better ammo. The ammo you're using is fine to practice your form with but you can never be accurate with it.  I've mentioned this before... I'm blessed to live in an area that's alluvial.  When the glaciers from the last Ice Age retreated they left an endless supply of nice, smooth, oval shaped river stones all over South Jersey for me to sling.  They aren't perfect but they're close enough for me to get by with. 

Lebslinger, what exactly are you wanting to hunt???

I like to practice at something a little raised off the ground. If you can find a low cliff or sharp hill or even a big bush to use as a backdrop, you'll be able to judge your misses better and perhaps even recover most of your ammo.
The better your set up, the better your experience and eventually you'll get skills too.
I really like slinging against a wall. Maybe a schoolyard after the kids leave?

Du solltest besser büchsen oder Eimer jagen. 😁 Du hast Grundkenntnisse. Aber es fehlt dir die Routine.  Und verkürze deine Distanz. Du bist zu unruhig im gesamten Körper. Versuche ein Pendel zu treffen.
Das ist einfach gemacht.
Arbeite an deinem Stil. Er ist nicht konstant.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hA8jCanAkTw&t=136s

@ratman, you are lucky indeed, in Lebanon ammo is much better.

@mersa well the hunting question was to see how much skill level you can get to with a sling as a reliable weapon.

@tomas, yes I am considering making a target, the space is available.

@jaegoor, don't make fun of me man! I am a big fan of you yours  ;D

well the skill will come with practice and then potentially you could hunt with a sling. its an ongoing process

Ich würde mich nie darüber lustig machen. Slingen ist ein ernster Sport für mich.
Versuche einen slinger run.
Slinger run ist ein einfaches Spiel.
Wähle dein Ziel.
Messe eine Distanz. 20.
Alle 5 m mache eine Markierung.
Beginne bei 5m.
Triffst du dein Ziel, gehe eine Markierung weiter.
Verfehlst du dein Ziel, gehe zurück auf die vorherige Markierung.
Sehr schnell wirst du so deine sichere Distanz finden. Jetzt trainiere auf dieser Distanz deinen Stil. Du wirst dich verbessern. Glaube mir.  8-) ::

Good training idea, I’ll do this Jaegoor.
I should make a rabbit target.

Fange  mit einem großen ziel an. Dein Stil wird feiner werden. Dann kannst du dein Ziel verkleinern. Auch deine Distanz wird größer. Notiere dir deine Ergebnisse. Man vergisst schnell. Ich schaffte es, mein Ziel auf eine 2 Euro Münze zu reduzieren. Am Anfang ist es frustrierend. Man steht sehr oft direkt vor dem Ziel.
Sie werden auch bemerken, daß es nicht viele Stile für verschiedene Distanzen gibt.
Verwenden Sie Hubschrauber. Achten Sie auf die Stellung des Rotor. Damit regulieren Sie sehr gut die Distanz.
Ich habe das schon einmal ausführlich erklärt.
Alles zusammen wird ein in sich geschlossenes System.
Sie reduzieren damit Fehler.

I’ve done something similar with changing my target size .
But I rarely work with consistent ammo so this is a problem

Nein. Das Problem ist geringer als man denkt. Natürlich ist eine gleiche Munition von Vorteil. Aber es funktioniert mit jeder Art Munition.

i will defiantly give your techniques a try next time i practice.
i work on many aspects of my slinging and feel i have improved a lot since i started.
Eventually i aim to harvest a rabbit with my sling but for now , Practice practice.

You are probably the best slinger of the forum Jaegoor, especially in regards to accuracy and "trick shots" so i take a lot of your advice seriously.

@jaegoor seems like a nice exercise. I will work on it!

I recently enhanced my training field and will show you some pictures or possibly make a new video.

I know you are taking slinging seriously 😊 and honestly this is an inspiration for me. I really relieved when I sling.

See you around soon.

Es gibt noch ein gutes spiel. Für zwei slinger oder mehr. Mein sling Kids mögen es sehr.
Stehen sie etwa 15m auseinander. Benutzen sie Tennisbälle. Schießen sie so, daß der andere denn ball fangen kann. Es ist eine sehr gute Übung für Genauigkeit. Und sie wird nicht langweilig.
Sling Ball ist unser lieblings Spiel.
Sie spielen zu zweit. Sie benutzen Tennisbälle. Suchen Sie einen Platz für Basketball.
Sie haben fünf Bälle. Schießen Sie gegen das Brett. Ihr Gegner muß versuchen denn ball zu fangen. Mit nur einer Hand.
Treffen Sie, ein Punkt. Fängt der Gegner, auch ein Punkt.
Treffen Sie zweimal hintereinander nicht, verlieren Sie Ihre restlichen Bälle. Ihr Gegner spielt damit weiter.
Das ist hier mittlerweile sehr beliebt. Kinder spielen es auch ohne sling.

How many sling disciples do you have??

Also seeing as this is the hunting thread could you perhaps explain in detail all your successful hunting with a sling??

Ich gründete die erste offizielle Balearic Gruppe innerhalb eines sportverein in Deutschland. Wir sind 8 Kids und vier Erwachsene, wir trainieren 1x die Woche.
Meine jagdlichen Erfolge sind überschaubar. Ich habe eine Reh erlegt und viele karnickel. Das ist lange her. Ich war damals für zwei Monate in Kasachstan. Die Zeit dort war fantastisch. Reiten und jagen. Es gab sehr viel Fleisch und Brot. Es gibt dort fast kein Gemüse. Nach meinem Erfolg mit dem Reh durfte ich alleine Kaninchen jagen. Zu Fuß. In der steppe. Das war für viele dort ungewöhnlich. Man geht nicht zu Fuß in die steppe dort. Am Ende schaffte ich etwa vier Kaninchen am Tag zu erlegen. Das machte mich zu einen angesehenen Jäger dort.
Ansonsten jage ich heute keine Tiere mehr. Es fühlt sich für mich nicht mehr richtig an. Aber ich bin ein großer survial Fan. Ich bin viel im Wald u d trainiere mit dem Bogen, dem Speer und der sling. Es reicht mir heute das Wissen, das ich so überleben kann.

Für die jagt auf Kaninchen empfehle ich ein bestimmtes Spiel zu trainieren. Es ist mit der sling sehr schwierig.
Üben sie wikinger Schach. Kub. Wenn sie das mit einer Sling schaffen, sind sie bereit für die Jagd.  ;)

That looks like a fun game with or without a sling , I’m going to make one for camping with friends  ;D

What is your hunting success with a bow??

just looked into kubb seems very fun!

In my 5 or so years of slinging, i've managed to take down 1 hare and 1 rabid golden jackal (pretty much self defense, will explain later). Used a jute rockman for the hare and a paracord with a big leather pouch sling for the jackal.
The method i used for the hare was....pretty easy...sneaked up on him, got within about 6 or 7 meters of him, i then suddenly standed up, and as soon as the thing started running, he got bonked in the head by an egg sized stone. Used the apache style (no wind up basically), and it was a clean kill, though i did bleed him with my trusty opinel as soon as i got to him, just to make sure. On closer inspection, his skull was shattered and his brain was pretty much turned to mush, so it was quick and painless,but i will say throwing sticks are better for rabbits and hares,if you aren't extremly experienced with the sling.
The rabid jackal was also easy. Was trekking through the forest, thing came running at me, and i let a fist sized rock loose right in his face, again, with the apache style. Dropped after one little yelp, and that was pretty much it. I did apply a few hits with my walking stick/cudgel i always carry with me while in the woods for self defense,as i don't like to see animals suffer. I wouldn't have done it, but he was rabid, he was coming right at me,and they are also an invasive species here in Romania and they do quite a lot of damage.
Anyways,if i would be forced to rely on one primitive weapon to put a meal on the table, i would choose a throwing stick. In my opinion, unless, as stated before, you are extremly experienced, slings should only be used for fun and self defense. I took down the hare as to test my abilities with a sling (wasn't half bad on the grill either) and the jackal for self defense. Also had a few encounters with herds of wild boars where i used a sling to scare them away.
Really,i see just a few scenarios (in a survival situation) where the sling may be reliable for getting some meat, and these would be:
-get as close as possible to a hare or rabbit, then use the apache style to bonk it, just as i did, though there are more chances of failing than suceeding.
-get as close as possible to a flock of water fowl, then shoot towards them. If the flock is a big one, there are a few chances of you stunning or even killing one.
-stalk a coot on a pond, and as it gets closer to the bank (though still swimming), try to get it,again,with no winding up of the sling. Of all wild fowl, coots seem particulary stupid. They sometimes get really close to humans without really being scared. Their flying abilities aren't great and neither is their running, due to their huge webbed feet.
-if you are sneaky enough and have a big enough sling, deer aren't really much of a stretch (remember, slings were used to kill people. Deers really wouldn't be too hard to kill if, as said before, you are sneaky enough). A headshot would at least incapacitate one, and so would a shot to the front leg. A shot to the chest could maybe break a rib, and that broken rib may puncture a lung. Not a quick death, but it's better than you starving.
Regardless, i wouldn't do most of these, unless, as said before, in a survival situation. Cheers.

Nice stuff, always good to hear actual insights of hunting and seems most the time a hit is a kill especially for smaller game.

what shape glande would be most damaging?
what degrees point or would a blunt edge be better??
could a projectlie pass through a small game animal???
Lets keep this thread going !!!!

Mersa wrote on Mar 5^th, 2020 at 6:42am:

Lets keep this thread going !!!

It doesn't feel right giving an opinion without having any experience...
but for the sake of discussion :


Mersa wrote on Mar 5^th, 2020 at 6:42am:

could a projectlie pass through a small game animal???

elongated lead blunt or pointy would probably pass through small game if it didn't hit bone.


Mersa wrote on Mar 5^th, 2020 at 6:42am:

what shape glande would be most damaging?

elongated pointy may find an easier way through the ribcage but could have similar results as blunt on soft tissue. The skull is difficult to penetrate in any way, I would choose blunt or wadcutter nose lead because lead is soft and a pointy projectile will crumble easily losing energy to that and may bounce off more easily. Don't go for the head unless it's a zombie...

I agree that a pass through would be possible but this is only based of what I know from bow hunting rabbits, I feel the loss in speed is made up by the much higher momentum (due to mass of projectile).
I often imagine a sling projectile that could be similar to an arrow with modular parts and interchangeable points and weights , however I feel achieving ideal projectile flight tends to move away from ideal damaging profiles.

You know, I believe that the Romans once attempted putting sharpened iron dowels through some of their Glandes in Spain, so that the points of iron formed the points of the glandes. A lot of them bearing the name of Pompey.

Now, that sounds like something that is just downright mean...

I have a feeling if you aren't wearing anything substantial... on a point-on impact... I think those would have the habit of  going right through you!

Given we have advanced metallurgy I think a tungsten based alloy is likely the best material for a super devastating glande.

Yep, Tungsten glandes would be awesome. Or Depleted Uranium ones... but then the Military would probably give you the evil eyes.

Oh, What I would do for Iridium or Osmium glandes. The Densest elements around, but also very rare on Earth. :'(

Quick, we need to get to space so that we can mine the asteroids for that stuff!

Yeah I think tungsten is about as far as we need to go before it becomes hazardous to the slinger, it is hypothetically hunting  so I’m assuming we want to keep the meat

  Of course the obvious concern with tungsten is that it's more expensive than lead and lead isn't cheap.  But it would probably be your most effective ammo within reason.

Also much more difficult and expensive to shape

Definitely harder to shape and more expensive but given that it will likely retain its shape when hitting things it could be more economical in th long run, well as long as you didn’t lose them.

I actually have a small amount of tungsten bar that I have used for slinging

Would be easier to mold lead around tungsten rod and put pointy tungsten fishing weights at both ends of the rod for max penetration and to get a nice shape for the pouch and even better aerodynamics. ;)

I can't exactly sling lead as consistently as stone and I lose it easily. I would be devastated if I lost such an expensive and difficult to make projectile.

P.S.: can we get a picture of the tungsten bar?

Here is some pics

As you can hopefully see it is very small for the weight

The 75g piece of tungsten gives a good perspective on how small a glande shape would be , likely this much material shaped correctly into a sharp point on either end would be a little larger in diameter but relatively similar in other dimensions. This would (I suspect) be a very good penetrating glande.

The tungsten May be tungsten carbide. And if so an even smaller glande would be possible.

I have thrown some and they really hold their momentum, I can only imagine how a better aerodynamically shaped glande would perform.

As for tungsten fishing weights
These 2oz miller punching weights look like they were made for us

---

From what I could find, I think the best shape to use for such a glande would be a teardrop shape with ~3:1 length-width ratio, a parabolic nose and a conical tail. This is supposedly the most aerodynamic shape at subsonic speeds, as it helps maintain laminar flow of the air over the object better than any other (If I understand the physics correctly). - That's also why subsonic aircraft have blunt noses.
For supersonic speeds it would probably be the sears-hack body, but you would need the strength of Zeus to throw that fast!

I would agree for a glande that is not intended for hunting.
But for hunting I suspect that a sharp point would be an advantage on a penetrating projectile. perhaps a teardrop shape is the best if blunt trauma is the goal.
This would reopen the “blunt vs penetrating” discussion.
And many factors would have to be considered.
Accuracy, game animal, projectile speeds, projectile weight, just to name a few.
I think if blunt force is the goal using a material such as tungsten would be a disadvantage.

tear drop shape is the best option for external ballistics but not for internal and terminal. Spiral throw gets even more difficult if the projectile is asymmetrical unless it self stabilises during flight.

those miller punching weights look like the next record holder ammo . A suitable sling design is probably necessary for slinging it though. also they are probably lost once they are hurled... we need either a tiny gps withstanding impacts and being detectable below ground or an extremely accurate slinger at 600+m. :P

At around $15USD each you are literally throwing money away ha ha  ;D

Speaking of records what are the official numbers??

Mersa wrote on Mar 9^th, 2020 at 7:36am:

Speaking of records what are the official numbers??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF6M82Qi81c
@ 1:35

and all the records : https://web.archive.org/web/20120920043403/http://slinging.org/index.php?page=sling-ranges
last official is 477.1m
last unofficial is 505m

Sarosh- tear drop shape self stabilizes I believe.

As for best ammo, why not something with an exploding on impact?
That would really ruin the catch but as an ammo concept its neat.

Perhaps “hot shot” glandes could be used to take out large game, given accuracy was on point, the added explosion could make a non lethal “speed and weight” glande finish the job.

I have been thinking about explosive ammo that would be armed by centrifugal forces of it spinning around it's long axis and explode on impact or with a timer fuse. Of course that's very illegal so it is in the realm of thought ...

maybe one could modify 40mm for slinging.

Hypothetically speaking, the simplist way for a explosive glande to work would to have a nipple at the front for a percussion cap to sit on. As it flies point first, it would probably work every time. Definitely would be an interesting weapon for a character in a post-apocalyptic themed world.

The explosive glandes have made me think, what about retractable or expandable glandes?

A glande shape that on impact retracts into a slender long point??
Or an expandable gland that brings out some nasty blades or just increases surface area for a hard hitting blunt??

Shaped charge can work as an "expandable point".
Maybe if we can sling that extendable spring staff for tricks we could get funny flights.

Awe! My favorite slinging subject check out the photo page and you will see my big game hunting ammo.
Talk about chunking penetration. But back to hunting well I have killed more Nutria than I can count with my sling. They are a invasive species here in Oregon I was at one time using them as target practice. They are not bad in chilli lol and the pelts are often worth something.there has been a few other animals over the years.
    Now does anyone know how to find the post on the sling with two pouches

---

They look deadly!!!
How do they fly with the broadhead??
I remember seeing this photo a long time ago, as for the  double pouch, but no idea how to find it.

I know exactly which photo you mean. I'll have a look around.

Given the corona virus scares, sling hunting may just make  a resurgence.

I couldn't find that photo. It might well have been deleted by whoever originally posted it.

What kind of force would be required to crack open a bear skull?
Also, when hunting for or defending against large predators it was commonplace to use dogs and/or spears to keep the beast at a distance. Picture 3 men meeting a bear. Two of them are armed with spears and keeps it distracted while the slinger throws at its head from the short distance.


ThracianSlinger26 wrote on Feb 23^rd, 2020 at 2:00pm:

Was trekking through the forest, thing came running at me, and i let a fist sized rock loose right in his face, again, with the apache style. Dropped after one little yelp, and that was pretty much it. I did apply a few hits with my walking stick/cudgel i always carry with me while in the woods for self defense,as i don't like to see animals suffer. I wouldn't have done it, but he was rabid, he was coming right at me,and they are also an invasive species here in Romania and they do quite a lot of damage.

Ha ha. That is an awesome story right there.

You don’t crack the skull you aim for the eyes

The question that needs to be asked is not "will I be able to hunt with a sling?" but "is it possible to hunt with a sling at all?"

Yeah it definitely is possible for a hunter-gatherer to hunt with a sling. You just need to practice and practice right.
Found some threads from a decade and almost two decades ago discussing the same thing.

http://www.slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1270605033
[list bull-blackball]

it is common, even when using firearms, that a deer sized target wont die instantly and you have to finish it with a knife and maybe even track it down

jaeegor killed a small deer


http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1060288276/0#0
[list bull-blackball]

some guy regularly hunted birds with buckshots

also says the movement of the sling isn't alerting animals


http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1095082537/14#14
[list bull-blackball]

guy hunts rabbit

also, lobohunter is ancient to this forum, Curious Aadvark is close second

Today had the perfect oppertunity to hunt a pigeon. It was walking from me at 10 meters distance this morning in our garden. Just strolling around. I was slinging with a rusty ball.
Whipped my short sling out of my pocket to take a shot. I started rotating the sling Balaeric style. It got scared off and flew away.
That again showed me how important a swift shot is, should've opted for Greek overhand. Thisis not the first time this happened to me. In the past also with geese ~40 meters away. I thought they wouldn't fly away and I could use Balearic. They flew away before my first rotation was complete.
Keep the balearic style for steel plates. Not for hunting. No pigeon breakfast  >:(

It doesn't say you have the wrong technique.  It just says they're hunting the wrong way

Well then you are implying that the sling simply can't be used for such type of hunting, which I refuse to accept

LebSlinger wrote on Jan 8^th, 2020 at 4:23am:

hunting with a sling

I took two shots at a Jack Rabbit.  First rock missed, but close. Rabbit hopped a couple of times and froze.  Second rock hit.
When I got up to  it there was the head and the legs.  Two parts with nothing in between.  About 8 " or a foot between.
Never wanted to do it again.  I remember it was only 50 yards so I used a larger rock than normal and a low flat trajectory.  I used a full body spin (if you ever see a hammer throw it is similar).  Why spin my body?  I always do it so it is how I know.

I thought practical paracord had a video nailing a duck. I could be remembering wrong though

Duckhands wrote on Jul 28^th, 2021 at 11:49pm:

I thought practical paracord had a video nailing a duck. I could be remembering wrong though

I remember he tried it in a video or two, but the crack of his sling scared the ducks away before the stone got there. He also slung some stones at an alligator, crazy man :D

J you did nothing wrong but think about hitting the bird — MIND READING BIRDS!!!

As for a rabbit I have no doubt a stone has the potential to split a small rabbit.

AncientCraftwork wrote on Jul 28^th, 2021 at 8:19am:

Well then you are implying that the sling simply can't be used for such type of hunting, which I refuse to accept

I think Jaegoor was just saying you might be hunting the wrong way. I can’t know the entire context behind either situation, but it sounds like you weren’t being too subtle. If I was a pigeon seeing a human do some weird motion and eyeballing me really hard from 10 meters away, I’d get the hell out of there too. Animals can recognize when someone is looking right at them, and it naturally freaks them out. You might need to be a bit sneakier, maybe have your ammo spinning before you’re in view or as close. If you start up so close, they might get the impression you are going to do something aggressive. And to be fair, you are. I don’t know what was up with the geese.

.

Blindsquirrel wrote on Sep 11^th, 2022 at 6:38pm:

Hey everyone Im posted this video on my YouTube channel of my hunting practice session from the other day for squirrels and rabbits. Hopefully I’ll have a video with some harvested squirrels to make some squirrel poppie this week. Y’all enjoy subscribe and like I’ll have more to come. https://youtu.be/W_uQw1GnRno

Please continue hunting for squirrel. Would be cool to hear some advice from a real sling hunter.

Blindsquirrel wrote on Sep 11^th, 2022 at 6:38pm:

Hey everyone Im posted this video on my YouTube channel of my hunting practice session from the other day for squirrels and rabbits. Hopefully I’ll have a video with some harvested squirrels to make some squirrel poppie this week. Y’all enjoy subscribe and like I’ll have more to come. https://youtu.be/W_uQw1GnRno

That’s great. Good luck!

.

Wow it's fall  and squirrel  hunting  season
Hmm think a five ounce stone .
Would finish  a squirrel  pretty humanely
The issue  would be hitting one
So not the most efficient
Where  as the count of squirrels  that fallen to blow guns
Are countless
But challenge would be epic

.

Interesting ammo  what is it

.

SteinFliegendLehrer !
There's got to be a word that means: 'he who teaches rocks to fly'
That's creative. An excellent run at this topic.
Like socks are 'foot blankets' to those who do not wear them.

I barely have English! :)

Now I will have dreams. Thanks Curious Aa.

David

.

Those look great Blindsquirrel! :thumb:

Have you thrown one against a hard target yet to see how well they hold up?

.

I’m planning on revisiting hunting precision again . For I while I was more about the economy of free ammunition but there’s definitely an advantage with consistency of a shape.

.

Yes I have had success  hunting  with a sling
But honestly  mostly with slow swimming  nutria
Only about ten yards away
Hunting  well yeah its possible  but generally  there are better weapons  for that purpose  lol :D

Love this ammo good job
Yes I am making  some lol

I figured with the sling the squirrels and rabbits will stand a better chance of survival. But, u know a blindsquirrell finds an acorn every now and then. I just love getting out in the woods and going for a good stalk, harvesting a little game on the way is just the icing on the cake.

Nice BS I like that . Now if you could make a slightly heavier version perhaps 80g I would love to try it out!!!

I do, it in the pic above this last one. It’s egg shaped and weighs 85grams. The silicone egg mold is 2halves, and leaves a seam line around the equator of the projectile. That’s what got me thinking about shaping a rusty ball and casting it in silicone to make my own 1 piece mold. And I can make the rusty balls any size and vary the shape a bit (long skinny, short and stumpie, pointie or blunt ends) I’m with u I love 80-90gram ammo, but I think that might b overkill for hunting rabbits and squirrels, hence the the 27gram round balls. I’ve got a couple of quail egg size molds on the way so I’ll have a range of sizes to try. The Rockite holds up well to trees and lumber so far, didnt much doubt that. Still have to throw it at some hard block walls to c how it holds up to that.

I think 80 grams is perfect for rabbits. You want enough oomph that a headshot isn’t the only effective blow. And it should still be plenty fast .. squirrels I’m not sure about. I imagine they’re awfully tough for their size .

Ideal shot is obviously a rear skull but with enough contact I think fast body blows will be effective enough for dispatch.

It’s a hard one though . I’ve seen rabbits shot with gun wounds make it back to the burrows.

Sweet thanks for the advice, I’ll have to carry some of the larger ones with me and give them a sling.

I agree with Mersa
I wouldn't  think about hunting  with anything  under 80grams
But I am more of knock them down and then dispatch with a club school lol

Blindsquirrel wrote on Oct 25^th, 2022 at 8:50pm:

I do, it in the pic above this last one. It’s egg shaped and weighs 85grams. The silicone egg mold is 2halves, and leaves a seam line around the equator of the projectile. That’s what got me thinking about shaping a rusty ball and casting it in silicone to make my own 1 piece mold. And I can make the rusty balls any size and vary the shape a bit (long skinny, short and stumpie, pointie or blunt ends) I’m with u I love 80-90gram ammo, but I think that might b overkill for hunting rabbits and squirrels, hence the the 27gram round balls. I’ve got a couple of quail egg size molds on the way so I’ll have a range of sizes to try. The Rockite holds up well to trees and lumber so far, didnt much doubt that. Still have to throw it at some hard block walls to c how it holds up to that.

Hey blindsquirrel thanks for the on the rocktite
These are great at 92grams
https://youtu.be/ME_TYNLxDpY

Thanks again

U r very welcome, glad to c it work for u as well. Happy hunting.

Good find on the Rocktite BlindSquirrel. Ive been looking for something to replace concrete thats easier to use. I imagine theres a cost trade off here but the results suggest it might be worth it. Those are very nice glandes.

Ive killed one squirrel with a stone. It was hand thrown. Probably 5 ounces and killed it pretty much instantly. Went hunting them a few times in a serious manner but turns out squirrels are tough to hit with slings. Who wouldve guessed eh?  ;)

I agree with some of the other posts, for my slinging speed something in the range of 4.5 - 5 ounces (120-140 grams) was plenty for squirrel or rabbit. If I was a faster slinger a smaller glande wouldve sufficed Im sure.

.

Blindsquirrel wrote on Nov 2^nd, 2022 at 11:14am:

Sweet, glad its working out. I’m still looking for other thing that have similar properties, and r cheaper. But for custom ammo that is only limited by ur imagination and ability to make a mold it’s the best I’ve found so far. I’m going to mold in arrow inserts, so as to be able to screw in broadheads or field points to c what happens, like the razor glandes made from lead I saw on here somewhere.

Nice I like the idea of the arrow inserts
Not so much of the razor glances
With we all know  are among my favorites
But. Possibly for ju-ju points
With help keep arrows from
Being lost in the grass and sod
Definitely a future experiment

.

I have put so much time and thought into the “ammo” issue.
I think a serious issue is the losability.
Anything that takes too much time effort or money to produce and doesn’t have a good recovery rate or serious advantage over stones will likely be replaced by stones .
Stones are hard to beat for the most part because of the economic benefits.

I still think there’s a design that would be better but price seems to be the limiting factor

.

.

Interested to see how it flys

My prediction is it will tumble approximately 40% of the time .
And durability will also be interesting. But if you get a clean riffled release. Deadly!!!!!!!

Not sure if you are doing this, but after they initially cure, soak them in water for a week. They will gain much more strength. 1 month is best. Learned that from Sarosh.

https://theconstructor.org/concrete/concrete-compressive-strength-variation-with-time/5933/ 

See figure 3

Concrete gains strength by reacting with water, the chemical reaction that turns the cement into concrete requires water. If you take out the water, it can't happen and the concrete stops changing/improving.  So, really, the full strength concrete should end up being the weight of the powder + water.   

Fully cured concrete is stronger than most stones in my experience.

That is what I'm saying. You DON'T want them to lose the weight. Getting them to react with the water, with their final state, will mean that they weigh the same as the powder + water (if your ratio is correct for how much water is required to react).

Concrete doesn't "dry", it reacts. The water gets incorporated into the structure, some of the water chemically reacts and splits into H2 and O, and then attaches to other molecules, and some of it stays H2O and gets incorporated into the crystal structure. Eventually, you will lose some water mass, but much of it goes into the structure rather than evaporates.

Of course,  I like to share the information I learn, especially when it's something so useful and I, myself, am so surprised to learn.  Really, thank Sarosh/Acroballistics, I saw it on his channel and looked up why he was doing it.

IronGoober wrote on Nov 4^th, 2022 at 11:53am:

Not sure if you are doing this, but after they initially cure, soak them in water for a week. They will gain much more strength. 1 month is best. Learned that from Sarosh. https://theconstructor.org/concrete/concrete-compressive-strength-variation-with-time/5933/  See figure 3

Nice I will find this out in a couple days
I have just soaked twenty one of mine for over  a week
Will test them out in a day or two
But they definitely  seem harder