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Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger (Read 1473 times)
DEXAI
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Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger
Sep 1st, 2020 at 9:50pm
 
Good evening new friends,

I grew up around a lot of gun enthusiasts and never understood it or got into guns (I shot some rented/borrowed pistols and found it boring because I couldn't hit anything I wanted).. That is, until I joined the military at 24; Shot expert in boot camp while being able to joke around with the marksmanship instructors.

Range might have been my favorite part because marksmanship came naturally to me.. -or maybe it's the fact that the drills laid off of us those two weeks while at range. Got my own rifles to practice long distance marksmanship when I would have time. It's an awesome yet practical hobby, though ammunition is harder to justify plinking with nowadays (40 cents a round of .308 would be cheap at the store).

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I was looking at making a "frameless" slingshot but instead, I came across this video that kept popping up in my search results then I gave it a shot.

Wove my first paracord sling (one strand, macrame,) started practicing, four days later I was able to hit a basketball backboard within 15 feet reliably with approximately similar (eyeballed) ammo for consistency that was "good enough". That was a special moment, I knew I was hooked and kept at practicing every day. This was such a refreshing change from guns. It wasn't about consumerism, but rather self-sufficience and crafting and reengineering your own equipment. And in the end, it all comes down to technique of the slinger rather than what sling they'd have.

I'm also amused that the Baleares were a literal society of shooting enthusiasts raising shooting enthusiasts.

PS: I found that this was a great way to practice marksmanship for reasons of:
-quiet, won't alarm anyone
-if you always stay in control and practice with little to no chance of a "negligent discharge" that was at alarming speeds, people will leave you alone or ask you neutral or positive about it.
-you can take it, or make a new one anywhere around the world and still be able to practice marksmanship when you are bored and want to practice shooting
-the dynamic motions that you need to keep identical between shots is far more difficult than just "holding still and steady breath out" for a firearm. I can say when I practice with live rounds in a rifle next, it will probably feel a lot easier to get back in the groove than it's ever been.
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« Last Edit: Sep 1st, 2020 at 10:54pm by DEXAI »  

Mk2: 23" arresting cinch thumb-loop, melted stopper 550 sling, full cupped pouch

Mk3.5: 38" arresting cinch wrist-loop w/ thumbhole, whipped full grip stopper 550 sling, quasai-Achaean pouch
 
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Kick
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Re: Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger
Reply #1 - Sep 1st, 2020 at 11:04pm
 
Welcome from Finland! A lot of those benefits you mentioned are a lot of of the reasons I love slinging Cheesy
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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
 
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Mersa
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Re: Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger
Reply #2 - Sep 2nd, 2020 at 12:34am
 
Welcome, greetings from down under.
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Razor glandes, Aim for the eyes!!!
 
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vetryan15
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Re: Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger
Reply #3 - Sep 2nd, 2020 at 3:05am
 
Welcome from northern maine.  From one vet to another
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Re: Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger
Reply #4 - Sep 2nd, 2020 at 8:16am
 
Welcome from Pennsylvania!
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Greenjay
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Re: Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger
Reply #5 - Sep 2nd, 2020 at 12:10pm
 
Howdy from North texas.
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Rat Man
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Re: Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger
Reply #6 - Sep 2nd, 2020 at 2:18pm
 
Welcome from New Jersey.  It seems like you found some degree of accuracy rather quickly.  It took me longer.
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IronGoober
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...and now, No. 1, the
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Re: Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger
Reply #7 - Sep 2nd, 2020 at 4:13pm
 
Yes sir! You hit the nail on the head. Same I also enjoy slinging for the difficulty of perfecting/duplicating the movement, but it sure is rewarding when you get it right!

Welcome from California (SF Bay area)!
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John R.
 
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NooneOfConsequence
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Re: Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger
Reply #8 - Sep 2nd, 2020 at 9:04pm
 
Howdy from South Texas... and thank you for your service!
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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES!  Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“  -Jesus the Noodler
 
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Re: Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger
Reply #9 - Sep 2nd, 2020 at 11:47pm
 
Greetings from Canada!
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Regards,
Lewis
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DEXAI
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Re: Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger
Reply #10 - Sep 3rd, 2020 at 6:30am
 
Holy cow, there are folks from all places it looks like (I'm seeing North America, Europe, and the Pacific just in this thread). Thank you guys for the warm welcome.

@Rat man, thanks for boosting my ego with the confirmation Grin though I gotta say, it seems like a lot of marksmanship fundamentals from firearms and golfing applies to slinging too:
-find a consistent "zero"
-adjust aim by rotating your body's orientation to the target.
-keep practicing till you can put the rounds in the same spot every time.

I immediately knew I had issues with keeping my feet on the ground and it was losing me power/consistency, but I was developing an involuntary "flinch" from anticipating the whippage of the light stopper knot.

After I filmed this as a "before footage" (to compare and analyze my learning progress), I ended up whipping the release cord with a piece of boot lace which added some inertia and dampened the stopper's v final and soon felt more confident keeping both feet planted and eyes open on release.

@vetryan15, @NooneOfConsequence; Semper Fi 🤘
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Mk2: 23" arresting cinch thumb-loop, melted stopper 550 sling, full cupped pouch

Mk3.5: 38" arresting cinch wrist-loop w/ thumbhole, whipped full grip stopper 550 sling, quasai-Achaean pouch
 
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Kick
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Re: Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger
Reply #11 - Sep 3rd, 2020 at 2:27pm
 
We're a pretty diverse bunch. The one universal problem with us slingers is that we're all around the world and rarely close enough to meet up Cheesy
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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
 
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Bill Skinner
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Re: Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger
Reply #12 - Sep 3rd, 2020 at 6:26pm
 
Hello from Alabama. 

Not only did you get accurate quickly, when I first started, I could throw further by hand than with a sling.  Grin  It took a while for me to get the knack of throwing.
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Rat Man
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Re: Long time weapons enthusiast, first time slinger
Reply #13 - Sep 4th, 2020 at 4:33pm
 
DEXAI wrote on Sep 3rd, 2020 at 6:30am:
I immediately knew I had issues with keeping my feet on the ground and it was losing me power/consistency, but I was developing an involuntary "flinch" from anticipating the whippage of the light stopper knot.

    There has been a good bit of debate here about whether it's better to keep both feet planted or to step through with your right foot (if you're right handed of course) as part of your follow though.  Personally I like to keep my right foot planted and generate power with my hips.  When I step through with my right foot it costs me some accuracy.  Everyone is different. 

🤘

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