I agree completely.   The only place a staff sling wouldn't be a good hunting weapon is in the forest, on the skinny trails.  In an open field a staff sling could be every bit as good a hunting weapon as a hand sling, IMO.  In that a staff sling fires off heavier projectiles with ease, you could use one to shoot a big pile of gravel at a flock of birds, like quail, for a shot gun effect.

it wouldn't have predated the hand sling - but yep definitely a useful hunting weapon.

Particularly as you can hurl large rocks in a very straight line very easily with a staff sling.
Far more useful for huntig larger game than a hand sling - unless you're using lead glandes, which give penetration wounds.

Any ideas as to the "normal" load and velocity of a staff sling projectile?  I was watching some youtube vids of a guy that looked like he was heaving a rock that weighed maybe 2 or 3 pounds.  It was about 6 inches across and it went at least 100 yards.  I'm guessing 2 lbs, maybe 90-100 mph.

What about a smaller 1 hand sling staff were the staff is say 3ft our less with an 18in or so sling on it this may make a better hunting weapon then a full size sling staff.

  Hmm true, but I doubt that you would find the same accuracy with a one handed staff sling as it would be hard to keep it stable so that it doesn't wobble a little when you throw...I have never made one of those though.

slingingrat wrote on Aug 21^st, 2010 at 12:36pm:

I would be worried about the power of such a sling.  Has anyone made mini-staff slings?  My first staff sling had a relatively short staff, maybe 5', but with a very long sling on it.  It didn't shoot all that far, maybe 90 yards at the most, but it could hurl huge projectiles that distance with almost no effort.

RussInCA wrote on Aug 21^st, 2010 at 12:04am:


Because staff slings don't impart the same kind of spin. So aren't generally used with glande shaped missiles.
The glande shape (pointy ovoid) has massive spin imparted to it by a hand sling and actually drills it's way into a target. The spin also uses the gyroscopic effect and self stabilises the glande in flight.

Staff slings are mainly used for throwing larger and more spherical ammo.  
A staff sling would be great for hurling grenades, for example.
Never understood why modern armies don't use them.
Silent, 100-200 plus yard range, quick and easy to make on the spot. Accurate.
Also cheap.