I’ve got a bit of an idea for a thread, apologies if it’s been done before…

So basically said, it would consist of before and after pictures of our slings. Main reason being, it’s cool!

These things we love, use, train with, create, maintain and also break; they all tell a story. I think it would be really neat seeing the useage of our favourite slings.

A helpful benefit of doing this, is people can see firsthand how certain materials hold up, what to expect with use and so forth. I’ve noticed that quite a few people still are unsure on material properties (including myself). It could be a place for people to reference a certain type of sling construction they are interested in.

You could share how often you use the sling, how you made it, what ammo you use with it etc…

It would be great to see, and quite informative at the same time. I know some of you long time slingers must have put a good amount of wear on your slings in the past!

Only thing i feel is kinda wrong with it, is that it’s similar to the already established “pics of slings and slinging” 500 pages of epicness that’s already there! Just an idea folks. Lemme know what you think  :)

I like this idea, we can compare how different slings wear over time. Could be useful!

Sounds great! Maybe in just over a decade or so this will be 500 pages of epicness, too...

Kevlar seatbelt.
Over 100,000 shots
Including fire balls

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Mersa! Yes! That’s fantastic, that sling looks like a trooper- what discoloured it? Soot? Dirt? Both?  ;D ;D
Kevlar must be so damn tough, is it easy to work?

Exactly what I had in mind. Thanks 

Yeah just wax, dirt , dog slobber, salt water, fire , the list goes on and on

Mersa wrote on Aug 1^st, 2023 at 6:01pm:

Yeah just wax, dirt , dog slobber, salt water, fire , the list goes on and on

Awesome. Nuff said

I have one to put in for this.  I'll have to try to find a 'before' picture though.  I know I had one at one point.  Not sure if I still do.

This is one of those ideas thats so good Im surprised no ones thought of it before. I have one somewhere around here. Finding it may present a problem. Ill see what I can do.

I need to put some more shots on my Jute sling, I know it looks far different now already ahha  ;D

I’m excited to see what people post !

I think I’m goingto retire my favorite tennis ball sling after 3 1/2 years and ~30,000 shots fired. The leather is getting too stiff and it doesn’t release cleanly like it used to.  I’ve replaced the cords and finger loop, and the eyelet on the retention side. The pouch has been soaked and dried over and over. It’s been left in pockets in the laundry, and even soaked in a swimming pool. It’s been a very good sling!

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Nooc, that’s awesome! Great story to go with it too. Interesting how much the leather stretches around the eyes. I thought it would have pretty much eliminated it, especially if it’s just a T ball chucker!

Those are some well-used slings, Mersa and Nooc!

blargslap wrote on Aug 2^nd, 2023 at 5:44pm:

Nooc, that’s awesome! Great story to go with it too. Interesting how much the leather stretches around the eyes. I thought it would have pretty much eliminated it, especially if it’s just a T ball chucker!

Wet tennis balls can easily weigh 80g, and leather does all sorts of things when it gets wet. My sling gets soaked regularly:
https://instagram.com/p/Cve6vJfORQH/

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Aug 3^rd, 2023 at 10:05am:

blargslap wrote on Aug 2nd, 2023 at 5:44pm: Nooc, that’s awesome! Great story to go with it too. Interesting how much the leather stretches around the eyes. I thought it would have pretty much eliminated it, especially if it’s just a T ball chucker! Wet tennis balls can easily weigh 80g, and leather does all sorts of things when it gets wet. My sling gets soaked regularly: https://instagram.com/p/Cve6vJfORQH/

Admittedly I did not realise they got so heavy when they are wet. I’ll have to try lobbing some one day! Very true about leather doing weird stuff when it’s wet. All in all though looks like it’s served you well haha  ;D

This is my sisal Balearic style sling, with a kangaroo leather pouch covering.

This is probably after about 1000 shots, mostly consisting of stones with a smooth texture and round edges. Probably 300 T-ball shots too and a handful of jagged stones.

This leather seems to be very tough, it’s just shy of 1mm thick and seems to be holding up decent so far!

The cracker is Dyneema, and is showing no signs of wear other than boofing up a wee bit  ;D

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That leather has taken 1000 throws pretty well :)

Here's my sling after a dozen or more years. Replaced the release cord once and the tape twice.

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Thats a great looking pouch on that sling! Is this a go-to sling of yours? Its lasted a long time for sure  :)

Blargslap- yeah, it's my best performing sling. The pouch I can scan a copy and share if you like it.

Yea man, thatd be great! How long are the cords on it? Cheers

@blargslap - Kangaroo leather is supposed to be one of the toughest.  That's why it's the best leather (or so I've heard) for whip making.  It should hold up really well unless you start slinging some really rough stuff with it.

This sling was made by a boy aged 8. He has been shooting them several times a week for four years. He is an avid slinger.

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aw man I love that sling. I love really long pouches like that, reminds me of how slings are depicted in ancient artwork, like a really wide long strip of cloth. That kid did a good job, he's gonna be a gun of a slinger when he grows up

also that kangaroo leather sling is awesome, Blarg.

My oldest sling . She is almost fourteen years old. Balearic styles. She is made of linen. The braid is double.

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Another linen sling. She is six years old. This sling is made entirely of macrame. It was tens of thousands of knots

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Interesting in macrame. The letter has two differently structured pages. I love it. But it is expensive to produce.

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Jaegoor- those are fantastic additions to this!

That boy you mentioned must be very talented, both in slinging and the construction of them. I presume you have taught him?  :)

Your old Balearic sling is lovely! have you had to repair it?

Thank you

I've been shooting the Balearic Sling almost every day for fourteen years. About an hour before or after work every day. I shoot longer when I'm on vacation. The boy belongs to a group of children. I've been training them for many years. All children learn from the beginning how to make a sling. This results in really beautiful slings. One girl in the group is very fond of shooting with two slings. Right and left . She is incredibly talented. Once our gym was broken into. Twelve slings of the group were stolen. The children asked friends and acquaintances and teachers. They searched in playgrounds and meeting places in the city. After only two weeks, 11 slings were recovered. It was amazing. I am very proud of this small group. And so are the children. A blind man trained in the group for two years Boy. He was already a marksman with an air rifle. He shoots by ear.After an acoustic signal. I learned to shoot blind from him. Unfortunately he moved to Berlin. But we've been practicing shooting by ear on a regular basis ever since. :)

Oh yes. There are no repairs to my slings. only the end The sound tongue must be changed. But that only takes minutes.

Jaegoor wrote on Sep 3^rd, 2023 at 11:27pm:

Once our gym was broken into. Twelve slings of the group were stolen. The children asked friends and acquaintances and teachers. They searched in playgrounds and meeting places in the city. After only two weeks, 11 slings were recovered. It was amazing.

I remember you telling us about the theft.  I don't remember hearing that 11 slings were recovered.  That is amazing!  Great job by those children! :)

It wasn't just the kids. Parents and teachers were also involved. Many friends. The perpetrators were teenagers. A sling remained missing. That was really exciting. Most kids Have their own slings. Sometimes there are guests. I don't know long time. But I'm starting to feel the age. And COVID has clearly left its mark. But whatever. I'll sling as long as I can.

Jaegoor- thats incredible! great story there, I'm glad they were able to recover the slings for the most part. Blind slinging is very impressive!

14 years with no repairs other than the cracker is very impressive! May I ask what the material its constructed in? :)

Incredible story, Jaegoor! It's good to hear that most of the slings were recovered.

Who would break into a gym to steal slings?  :o

This is one of my earlier slings. I made it when I had a (luckily) mild case of COVID last December. I spent a lot of time outside tossing tennis balls at a target.

It has had well over 1,000 throws and is still one of my primary slings for tennis balls. It's roughly 20" folded, which makes it nice and snappy. The only wear is the frayed end of the tassel and a mud stain on the pouch from wet tennis balls.

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What a great thread, I've enjoyed this a lot. I'll round up a few of mine. If I can find them.  I have one I made for a friend in High School (I am 45 now).  He was the one who taught me to throw with one so I made him a sling to thank him.  He still has it and sends me a picture every time he is in another part of the world.  He uses it to throw rocks in the water everywhere he goes. I am pretty proud of that sling. It was made with deer leather if I recall.

Roughly 5 months of good use. I’d guess about 30 shots a day on average, half of those being T-Balls and the other half being stones. Seems to be going well! One of my fave slings, it’s my EDC and is a faithful companion!

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blargslap wrote on Nov 24^th, 2023 at 1:42am:

Roughly 5 months of good use.

Looks to be holding up well, blargslap! :)