I am trying to work on my accuracy.  It's not terrible, but I believe that my inconstant ammunition is a major problem.  I have access to railroad rocks which are usually very jagged.  Worse, my target area is over water so I can only retrieve about half of my stones.

Does anyone have any thoughts on how to obtain or make cheap consistent ammo ?

Thanks,

V.

Rusty balls, concrete balls and clay glands  :)

If it weren't for your target area being over water I would suggest tennis balls. I was a sling stone purist for a long time but now I do sling tennis balls a fair amount. It's not the same as rocks and they don't act the same in the air at all but they still make for good ammo. I still haven't tried out clay but thats because the soil around me (and through most of Finland) isn't really appropriate and I haven't wanted to stump up the cash for atual clay. Some day I'll do it. Same goes for concrete.

usually where there is water there are smooth stones and clay, try to find something.
next is to transfer stones to the place.
or buy clay and make clay projectiles .

I want to make clay projectiles with C_As rollers but can't find cheap clay supplier.
If you use ~10kg-20kg of ammo per session that is a problem.
That's why i stick to stones ,no buying, no making , no transfer.

another idea in the back of my mind for years is , to put angled stones(like railroad rocks) in a machine to smooth and round them
i found this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn0jYqrONPw
(If you know another method please share)
so if you have your own property but no smooth stones you could make a huge rock tumbler powered by water/air/electricity.

and another thing you could try is use a triangular pouch sling/Y sling so there is little friction on release and little spin rate(now that I think about it I should test Y-sling spin rates with tennis balls to compare to normal)

There's always Timpa's method but then again Timpa is crazy and it's a miracle he still has all of his fingers :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOxtdcgNDXI

Tennis balls... and a golden retriever ;D

How far away is your target?  How big is it? I would recommend using a target that pushes your skills but also gives you clear feedback on where the throw went.  Sometimes it also helps to use a tall or wide target that lets you focus on only horizontal or vertical precision.  Sarosh is right about the sling type too. Minimal spin and a fast release from the pouch will make your throws more consistent with inconsistent ammo.

Thanks fro your suggestions all.

My target is aprox. 40 meters away.  I live in Houston where we have many man made drainage ditches which are too wide (and disgusting) to cross.  I use on of the support columns on a nearby bridge as my target.  Unfortunatly, when I hit the target my stone falls into the water.  The net result is that my best ammunition can't be retrieved.  The poor shots fly across the water and can sometimes be found.
I have considered making concrete or clay balls, but it seems like a lot of effort to make 0ne use ammunition.

I am starting to think that I need a new target area.  One in which I can get back some or all of my best ammo.

Does any one have a link to instructions on cement or clay ball making ? 

Kick wrote on Nov 23^rd, 2018 at 4:39am:

There's always Timpa's method but then again Timpa is crazy and it's a miracle he still has all of his fingers :D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOxtdcgNDXI

;D

It's best to find a steep slope that stops the ammo.

   I've seen posts here where members use egg cartons as molds to make concrete glandes.

buy some rubber gloves, buy some quickmix all-in-one-concrete.
Use a cheap bucket - should be able to get one from the buckstore.

Mix it fairly stiff - use buckstore pva/elmers/white glue and dilute 50:50 with water - this will make the cement a bit more pliable, and roll it into golf ball sized missiles.
leave on cardboard or newspaper to dry for a couple of days - DO NOT DO THIS IN THE KITCHEN :-)

The gloves are not optional - the lime (sodium hydroxide) in cement will dissolve your skin, never touch wet cement with bare skin.

quick, cheap and reliable ammo.
You could go totally Aardvark (coining a new phrase here) and make one of these: http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1206889228

But hand rolling is probably quicker and gives just as consistent ammo. 

Curious Aardvark wrote on Nov 26^th, 2018 at 6:54am:

buy some rubber gloves, buy some quickmix all-in-one-concrete. Use a cheap bucket - should be able to get one from the buckstore. Mix it fairly stiff - use buckstore pva/elmers/white glue and dilute 50:50 with water - this will make the cement a bit more pliable, and roll it into golf ball sized missiles. leave on cardboard or newspaper to dry for a couple of days - DO NOT DO THIS IN THE KITCHEN :-) The gloves are not optional - the lime (sodium hydroxide) in cement will dissolve your skin, never touch wet cement with bare skin. quick, cheap and reliable ammo. You could go totally Aardvark (coining a new phrase here) and make one of these: http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1206889228 But hand rolling is probably quicker and gives just as consistent ammo.

Was that thread the start to your 3d printed clay rollers?

Quote:

(now that I think about it I should test Y-sling spin rates with tennis balls to compare to normal)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=___3fLsS7Bg

I'm bored to start a new topic so I'll ask here.

Clay vs Cement vs Concrete

I 've got very little experience with these materials.

Which one will survive the most throws?

yesterday i slung a clay ball (river clay density 1,9g/ml, not fired) against cliff side, first hit no problem , second hit pulverised.
then I slung a rooftop tile roughly shaped into a biconical, first hit all right, second hit broke in half.
how's cement or concrete perfoming? what kind of aggregate would work for concrete ellipsoids?

https://youtu.be/ExE_y1fro6A

@ Jaegoor

Nice! thanks
although it broke, it seems in better condition than my clay ball.

do you remember the mixture?

Es war einfacher beton.
Man kann das Ergebnis verbessern.
Mischen sie poly Fasern in denn beton. Er wird haltbarer.
Ich habe viele Versuche gemacht.
Mein Resultat.
Steine sind gut. Ansonsten empfehle Alexander.
Er hat gute Mittel für die Herstellung von Munition.

I'm Alexander :-)

😄 😂 Jupp