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Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy. (Read 17798 times)
Sargon of Akkad
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Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Aug 4th, 2010 at 10:46am
 
Greetings again all.

I've been making various kinds of slings (to be honest, making them is half the fun...) to improve my accuracy.  I've been braiding them because I'm cheap, and using a denim for the pouch.  Yes, from my old jeans.

For accuracy, how do you do things?  Long sling, short sling?  A pouch with the widest point in the centre, or towards/away from the throwing hand? Any other tips?
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LukeWebb
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Re: Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Reply #1 - Aug 4th, 2010 at 11:20am
 
  Thin, short cords.  Thick braids tend to give me more distance and power, and can throw larger rocks.  The thing to remember is the weight of the rock has to match the thickness of the cords.  If you throw a little rock with a thick braid the sling will not stretch out properly, (my theory,) and the stone will not go where you want it.  But if you use a heavier rock it will shoot perfect.  For most slings I use between a shooter marble to a chicken egg.  You will find that with all of your slings there is a certain weight of projectile that is more accurate from it.  I find if you go too heavy it will sometimes "stick" in the pouch and you will feel a bit of a tug after you have released and the rock will go off course.  A small one will release late usually.  That's not to say that small and big ones can't be thrown from the same sling, I would just not suggest doing that if you are hunting or going for accuracy.
  I also recommend a smaller pouch, and a smooth release cord finish.  Not whipping or anything, just a knot or a bead, and be sure that it is smooth, not with rough glue all over it or you will get late releases.  And keep your tassels coming out of the release cord short, I make mine between 2-4in. max, there are others here that go shorter.
  If you really want to improve your accuracy make up some clay ammunition of different weights, then try them all so you can see roughly what weight is best for the particular sling.  Then make a bunch of ammunition that size.
  Hope this helps.
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Bill Skinner
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Re: Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Reply #2 - Aug 4th, 2010 at 12:35pm
 
I haven't been doing this long, but from my limited experiance, everything Luke said is correct.  From my limited experiance, a shorter sling is easier to hit with than a longer one.  Bill
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Dan
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Re: Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Reply #3 - Aug 4th, 2010 at 1:25pm
 
Bill Skinner wrote on Aug 4th, 2010 at 12:35pm:
I haven't been doing this long, but from my limited experiance, everything Luke said is correct.  From my limited experiance, a shorter sling is easier to hit with than a longer one.  Bill


I agree with Luke and Bill short sling for accuracy .
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I was pretty good at slinging like 10 years ago.
 
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Rat Man
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Re: Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Reply #4 - Aug 4th, 2010 at 2:21pm
 
I don't get very good accuracy with slings that are too short or too long.  I like slings to be around half my height, folded length, so a 39" sling is good for me.  I get the best accuracy with fast, smooth slings.  These slings generally have thin cords, as Luke said, and thin pouches also.  My most accurate sings are either TS3, Apache, seatbelt, and pj slings.
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Morphy
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Re: Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Reply #5 - Aug 4th, 2010 at 5:23pm
 
I can't agree with the short sling for accuracy statement either. But it may be true for you so by all means give it a try. This is a very personal sport. Very few aspects in it are capable of total agreement from everyone.  Wink After a lot of different slings and styles you will settle on one that works for you the best. It doesn't matter if it fits anyone else, so long as it works for you.

33-35 inches seems best for me.
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pfchilders
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Re: Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Reply #6 - Aug 4th, 2010 at 6:26pm
 
Definitely a personal endeavor.

I use a split pouch and find that I can throw large rocks (between egg and a little over baseball size) without them releasing late -I can release just liking throwing with the hand -big plus!  I can't use very little rocks because the pouch is about six inches long, but all of my purposes prefer a larger stone anyway.

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Re: Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Reply #7 - Aug 5th, 2010 at 2:32am
 
Rat Man wrote on Aug 4th, 2010 at 2:21pm:
I don't get very good accuracy with slings that are too short or too long.  I like slings to be around half my height, folded length, so a 39" sling is good for me.  I get the best accuracy with fast, smooth slings.  These slings generally have thin cords, as Luke said, and thin pouches also.  My most accurate sings are either TS3, Apache, seatbelt, and pj slings.  


2 x 39 = 78 or 6' 6" .......... You must be a tall man!!

I also agree that the "short slings are accurate and long slings are fast" mantra is an oversimplification. Sling length must be matched not only to your size, (arm length is really more important than height although they usually go together of course) and your slinging style. Also what you get used to has a great bearing so major changes will likely feel wrong at least at first.
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Bill Skinner
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Re: Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Reply #8 - Aug 5th, 2010 at 11:57am
 
I went and measured my first slings.  They were all around 25 inches. (65cm)  I thought I had a pretty good balance between power and accuracy.  As I tried out different ways of throwing and different slings, they have gradually been increasing in length.  My power and my accuracy have both been improving.  Just before I wrote this I went out to try some of my first slings.  They feel too short, I can't hit the side of a barn, (really, my target is up against a metal sided barn) I couldn't get a clean release.  So for me, as I practice and improve, what I am looking for in a sling is changing.  Maybe, as my learning curve flatens, the length that I am comfortable with will stabilize.  Untill then it looks like I will have to build a new sling every week or so.  Bill
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Re: Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Reply #9 - Aug 5th, 2010 at 2:53pm
 
darn puberty, all my slings are getting short. oh well, they still work well Smiley

i keep them at 25 inches (maybe 20-30 slings of this length?), two at 26, and one (soon to be two) at 27
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Re: Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Reply #10 - Aug 6th, 2010 at 1:49am
 
i get the best accuracy pretty much like ratman said. although when i first started slinging i felt better with a shorter sling. once i became more comfortable with my timing i started to move to longer ones. for all purpose i have settled on a length that when holding the sling at my side with my arm straight down, the pouch is just barely clear of the ground. for accuracy i use a projectile about 2 to 3 oz. i get the best distance throws out of a heavier projectile (3.5 to5 oz) out of a long sling, 43 to 50 in. i'm still definately no champ though. it's all a matter of exprimentation. just keep tryin till you find what works for you.
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Re: Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Reply #11 - Aug 6th, 2010 at 2:44am
 
I always get the best accuracy with 25 inch THICK sling
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Paleoarts
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Re: Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Reply #12 - Aug 6th, 2010 at 11:04am
 
i'm most accurate with my simple hunting sling. 30'' thin three strand braid with a flat leather pouch. like Leadrocks, my sling just clears the ground when held at my side. i do think that your body type plays a role in what type and length of sling will work for you, but i think your slinging style has more to do with it. i use a simple single rotation sidearm so a longer sling is no problem, but for more complex styles like figure 8, a shorter sling might prove to be more accurate.

Chris
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Re: Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Reply #13 - Aug 6th, 2010 at 8:00pm
 
I've also found that as my slinging technique evolves my slings change.  I went the opposite way that Bill and leadrocks did.  I started with long slings... up to 64".  I thought that the longer the sling, the longer the range.  I can't speak about a pirouetting style like Jax or Mr. Boss uses, but for all of the more standard styles, it just isn't so.  There are trade offs and your best sling probably won't be the longest that you can handle.  I still am not comfortable with really short slings.  I like them no shorter than 24".
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Re: Sling manufacturing techniques for accuracy.
Reply #14 - Aug 6th, 2010 at 9:05pm
 
Just goes to show how individualistic this sport is Paleo. For me, If I'm trying the side arm throw you use in your video I like a sling about the size your using. Which would be on the shorter end for me. I like a longer one for figure-8. 

I have a pet theory that longer slings could be easier for accuracy then shorter ones within reason.  If you think about the split-second timing it requires to release a stone so that it actually hits a small target a twenty yards, and then consider that a longer sling is traveling a longer arc of circle then a shorter one, then if both are swinging at approximately the same speed the longer sling will take more time to travel through that short window of opportunity for a perfect shot then a really short one.

Anyone feel free to shoot holes in this theory as it's just a theory.   And I can't prove it one way or the other. I think about it like a small gear and a big gear. The small gear might do many revolutions in the same time that a large gear does one even if the base rpm is the same.

Anyone see where I'm going with this, or is this rubbish?  Cheesy
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