Welcome, Guest. Please Login
SLINGING.ORG
 
Home Help Search Login


Pages: 1 2 
Send Topic Print
Another slinging vid on YouTube (Read 6798 times)
Thearos
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline


Take that

Posts: 3409
Another slinging vid on YouTube
Aug 17th, 2017 at 1:35pm
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T7OTSIv4VY

Not sure about the man's technique-- a bit too much slack ?
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Morphy
Slinging.org Moderator
*****
Offline


Checkmate

Posts: 8102
Re: Another slinging vid on YouTube
Reply #1 - Aug 17th, 2017 at 4:26pm
 
This came up in my feed last night. Central question of the video "Is the sling a worthless weapon?"

His answer- "The sling takes years to master so its not good as a survival or hunting weapon."

Last I checked most survival skills take more than an afternoon to master. But guess hes technically right. For most the sling would be a worthless survival weapon.


Back to top
« Last Edit: Aug 18th, 2017 at 12:40pm by Morphy »  
 
IP Logged
 
Jaegoor
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 2794
Gender: male
Re: Another slinging vid on YouTube
Reply #2 - Aug 17th, 2017 at 4:54pm
 
Einfach furchtbar. Embarrassed Lips Sealed Cry
Back to top
 

Bono Mellius
 
IP Logged
 
yonderstone
Junior Member
**
Offline


The valiant never taste
of death but once.

Posts: 81
Oregon
Gender: male
Re: Another slinging vid on YouTube
Reply #3 - Aug 18th, 2017 at 2:19am
 
I disagree with the statement that the sling is a useless survival weapon. He says in the video that he had no experience using the sling. In my experience, most weapons take some degree of training and practice to be effective. This is particularly true of primitive weapons. I myself have trouble using the design of sling that he used in the video. I felt that the test was unfair and that the question was loaded.

Are martial arts a useless way to defend oneself? Is flintknapping a useless way to make a spearhead? Is a piano a useless instrument with which to play a masterpiece? No, but they all require a significant amount of time and dedication to utilize well.

Now what if the question were phrased differently? Would the sling be a useful survival weapon in the hands of a trained user?

I wouldn't want to be an animal (or attacker) that has Jaegoor taking aim at with a sling, and I'd hate to see what happens to the poor creature that gets nailed with Timpa's mighty hurl.

Wink
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Thearos
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline


Take that

Posts: 3409
Re: Another slinging vid on YouTube
Reply #4 - Aug 18th, 2017 at 3:44am
 
Yah, I have to go sling-- watching that weak throw was too depressing.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Curious Aardvark
Forum Moderation
*****
Offline


Taller than the average
Dwarf

Posts: 13965
Midlands England
Gender: male
Re: Another slinging vid on YouTube
Reply #5 - Aug 18th, 2017 at 6:50am
 
Quote:
So is the primitive sling a worthless weapon? Well, as an improvised survival hunting weapon for modern hikers and outdoorsman, I believe it is worthless. It would take years of regular practice to become accurate with the sling. And in an emergency, one would not have the time to master such a skill. However, there are other uses for the sling beyond hunting small game. With minimal practice, this weapon can be used to affect the movements of animals, corralling herds of ruminants and scaring off predators. I can see the sling as an economical and effective tool for pastoralist peoples. Furthermore, I can see the sling's simplicity, range, power, and cheap ammunition as being advantageous over the primitive bow when used in warfare. Individual Accuracy may simply not be that important when the sling is used in mass.


Can't argue with any of that.
Back to top
 

Do All things with Honour and Generosity: Regret Nothing, Envy None, Apologise Seldom and Bow your head to No One  - works for me Smiley
 
IP Logged
 
Apex-apoc
Descens
***
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 171
nahe Nürnberg (Germany)
Gender: male
Re: Another slinging vid on YouTube
Reply #6 - Aug 19th, 2017 at 6:20am
 
Morphy wrote on Aug 17th, 2017 at 4:26pm:
Last I checked most survival skills take more than an afternoon to master.


Thanks god that "to survive" also means to master the life all life long. I think that's time enough to master the sling too.

But how knows: Perhaps this japanese (chineese) wants to survive for only one afternoon (or sunday afternoon until sunday sunset).

He had forgotten: Who doesn't have any time (to do or to "master" something) doesn't survive at all. Mostly it are the "two left hands" of his own what are to survive.

And note (while looking his nice piece of paracord): "In the beginning was a neanderthal and his fire ... but for invent the "paracord" and / or "springer boots" it takes another couple of millenia."

And to invent people that get lost in the woods so easy it takes another millenium once more.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Morphy
Slinging.org Moderator
*****
Offline


Checkmate

Posts: 8102
Re: Another slinging vid on YouTube
Reply #7 - Aug 19th, 2017 at 9:49am
 
Plenty of of wannabe bushcrafters on youtube. I give him credit in that he chose WannabeBushcrafter as his channel name so he accepts his videos are from a newbie's point of view.

The question he was asking wasn't a good one in my opinion. There's no need to ask if it's worthless. History never lies. Any tool that is adopted almost universally is going to be very useful.

With the sling both the cost and the benefit are extremes. So by definition it's of very little use to new practictioners. Sort of like asking is computer programming useful. Yes very much, just not when Im doing it.   Wink
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Teg
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline



Posts: 1113
Central Europe
Gender: male
Re: Another slinging vid on YouTube
Reply #8 - Aug 19th, 2017 at 5:26pm
 
the big point about the sling as a survival weapon is, that you can take a shot at everything that is flying or moving at (near to no) investment. you will miss 99% though, but the one time you hit...
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
cpman
Tiro
**
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 34
Austin, TX
Gender: male
Re: Another slinging vid on YouTube
Reply #9 - Aug 19th, 2017 at 6:48pm
 
Teg wrote on Aug 19th, 2017 at 5:26pm:
the big point about the sling as a survival weapon is, that you can take a shot at everything that is flying or moving at (near to no) investment. you will miss 99% though, but the one time you hit...


Yeah. It doesn't take too much practice to get to the point where you could, say, sling into a flock of birds and hit something. I can't hit the center of a baleric target consistently (maybe 10 - 15% of the time) from 15 meters, but I'm certainly good enough to put a stone through the middle of a flock of birds. Most of my throws are within a couple feet of my target disk.

It also takes very little time to make a sling, compared to a bow or an atlatl. While making cordage takes time, once you have some it takes a matter of seconds to make it into a sling. You'll probably need cordage in any survival situation, so the sling has the benefit that you don't need to spend much time doing something else. Even if you want to do a fancy braided one, it doesn't take much time. While the availability of ammo is pretty dependent on where you are, it's still easier to get ammo for a sling than either of the other ones.

I have a feeling that from a time perspective, a sling is pretty good. Yeah, it'll take you longer to hunt with it, but I'm not sure how much better I'd be with a bow or throwing stick or atlatl or spear than with a sling.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Thearos
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline


Take that

Posts: 3409
Re: Another slinging vid on YouTube
Reply #10 - Aug 19th, 2017 at 7:07pm
 
Having read Mr Aardvark, I agree: this American man, interested in bushcraft, found that, unless you're really well trained, the sling is useless. It is true that if you put a sling in the hands of someone who has no idea, the stone will go backwards, etc.

But is this the case of most "survival" tools ? What is there that an unexperienced person can take out of the box or quickly make-- and usefully depend on for survival ? A spear ? A knife ? A hat ?


Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
cpman
Tiro
**
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 34
Austin, TX
Gender: male
Re: Another slinging vid on YouTube
Reply #11 - Aug 19th, 2017 at 8:04pm
 
Thearos wrote on Aug 19th, 2017 at 7:07pm:
But is this the case of most "survival" tools ? What is there that an unexperienced person can take out of the box or quickly make-- and usefully depend on for survival ? A spear ? A knife ? A hat ?


I'd argue that this is the case for most survival tools. I wouldn't be surprised if most people could come up with one kind of a shelter or another -- nothing fancy, but at least you'd have somewhere to sleep. I certainly wouldn't trust myself to use a spear or most other stuff "usefully".

Personally, what I'd trust most in a survival situation is my knowledge of the local plants. While it doesn't work everywhere, and it would depend heavily on the season, I might potentially get a little bit to eat from it.

Honestly, I (and most people) probably wouldn't be able to survive all that long. Building a sling would be on my list, but it wouldn't be before building a shelter and (hopefully) getting a little bit to eat. I certainly wouldn't try to hunt with one until I'd found some other kind of food and built a fire (not that I'd trust my ability to make a fire).
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Morphy
Slinging.org Moderator
*****
Offline


Checkmate

Posts: 8102
Re: Another slinging vid on YouTube
Reply #12 - Aug 19th, 2017 at 10:12pm
 
Leaving aside the survival tv show mindset, there are "no" primitive weapons that fall into the "easy to make/easy to use/likely to secure game" catagory. They all have cost/benefit/niche. Bows are the most likely to produce game in a wide variety of scenarios but require considerable time and practice to make them effective.

Most guys can throw a stick fairly well. But rabbits in most areas can be extremely difficult to get within realistic range. Ive hunted in some areas where the rabbits will let you walk within 10 feet of them. But thats more a situational advantage not a weapon advantage. Realistically if you are in an area where the game is wary, unless you have significant experience, you are likely to go hungry.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Kick
Forum Moderation
*****
Offline



Posts: 4451
Finland
Re: Another slinging vid on YouTube
Reply #13 - Aug 20th, 2017 at 4:00am
 
Seeing as I live in Finland where nature is all around, I've thought about how long I would last if I did get lost in the woods and, even though I feel I have some survival skills, I really wouldn't last long. It's actually very difficult to find enough food consistently to not starve and even in the Summer, you have to find and eat a LOT of berries if you can't find anything more substantial. If I got lost in the woods in Winter... Well... I might as well spend my time fashioning a cross rather than wasting it trying to find food. Of course I would freeze to death way before I starved but if I did get a good enough shelter together, food would be almost impossible to find. The only reason people survived here in previous eras is that they had a lot of stored food from Summer and they would often migrate to warmer climes. Best advice: Don't get lost in the first place.
Back to top
 

You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923
 
IP Logged
 
Thearos
Interfector Viris Spurii
*****
Offline


Take that

Posts: 3409
Re: Another slinging vid on YouTube
Reply #14 - Aug 21st, 2017 at 10:24am
 
So if you trained with a sling, lightly but consistently, so that you could throw strongly but in a controlled fashion (i.e. straight ahead) at a distance of 20-50m, I'm sure you WOULD be pretty glad to have a sling in your survival pack or be able to get some cordage to make one. You could keep at predator at bay or take a potshot at birds from further-- i.e. like throwing a stone but with more force.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Pages: 1 2 
Send Topic Print
(Moderators: Chris, Rat Man, Morphy, joe_meadmaker, Kick, Curious Aardvark, vetryan15)