Almost all glandes and other special sling ammo pictured or described are roughly football or double cone shaped.    Why not spherical?

One theory is that air resistance causes the "football" to orient itself point-first in the flight path.    Bad football punts dont straighten out in flight, so I have doubts about this theory.    Any ideas???     Thanks!        mgreenfield

I have similar concerns as well.  It's really hard to say how a football-shaped projectile is actually flying without seeing it clearly in flight.  When I tested spherical and football shaped glandes, I found they were similar in range, but that the spherical ones were more consistent.  I don't doubt the football like ones are more accurate or deadly, otherwise the romans wouldn't have used them.

Chris

Interesting.  Anyone have any ideas why such a shape (with an ovular cross-section) would be beneficial, other than making it less likely to roll out of the pouch.  Any aerodynamic reasons?

Seems to me that everything exiting from a sling pocket has a spin imparted to it by the unfolding action of the sling. This appears to be the reason for the hum observed when throwing flat shaped stones. Because the glandes would be placed cross ways in the pocket and  perpendicular to the sling, the spin would imparted around the long axis of the glandes, (this would not be the case with a punted football). This spin would have a stabilizing effect on this type of projectile, If indeed they end up flying point first, it would not take place until the apparent wind had time to take effect and slowly turn the glande into a position of least resistance. In short, It ain't no short range thang. The further the glandes goes the more likely it is to be flying point first.  But perfectly matched cone shaped ends would receive the same effect from the apparent wind making it difficult for a glande exiting a sling to "choose" which end points first, that is to say no "weather vain" effect. So my guess is that if one end were bigger, left with a casting seam, flater, or what ever, may help to cause the glande to smooth out to point on flight.  Having said all that, I could be wrong, but that's the view from here.

WalkingBird

Me thinks I like this place.

It would be interesting to know if anybody has actually experimented with hunting (or simulated hunting) using an sling and glandes of ancient form. i.e. a sling with a flat diamond shaped cradle and almond shaped lead bullets.

In which case, is the shape of the glandes convenient for holding in the cradle without falling out? Or is this simply not how it is done?

So far, with clay glandes, I've noticed they tend to hit my target on the sides, not the points.  This is close range, but shows approx how release is.  

They spin on the axis.  My glandes are watermelon, not almond.  I think that the almond shape could be because they are easier to load and fire.  However, round shouldn't be a lot harder, so who knows.  It could be that ancient casting techniques made almonds easier to make than footballs.  Who knows?  I'm not sure how aware the Romans were of aerodynamics.  But if they were, there are other considerations.

A backspin on an appropriately shaped gland, would produce a lift.  I'm sure every slinger here has observed that effect in their slinging.  Depending on your stone, and your style, and your release, you've had sling stones curve up, down, right.  Probably not often to the left.  But maybe left too.  Well if you're left handed......  

In airsoft guns, they produce a backspin on the bb's called "hop-up" to keep them flying level over a great distance.  And it works.  My 250fps, airsoft pistol shoots a flatter tragectory over 30 yards, than my 400fps pellet pistol.  Backspin on smooth bb's.

If a gland was made right, and the slinger released right, the backspin would effectively increase range.  The glandes would be literally "flying."  Normal projectiles don't fly, they fall.

I don't know if anyone on our forum uses the underhanded "baleric" slinging technique, but I've found it puts a bottomspin on the stones, and they curve into the ground.  Overarm should do the opposite with shorter slings.  Longer slings need a horizontal throw.  

So we need to consider what types of slings we are talking about and so on.  In a hoard of other slingers, and other various battle conditions, long slings may not be too practical.  But short, over the top slings, could be.  And almond glandes in over the top throws, could be really nice.

Having said all that, the explanation is probably just manufacture, or speed of loading and some other utilitarian thing.  

This forum is pretty cool.  It's amazing how much of a resource it's become, so quickly!  And new members every week!  Who would have ever known slinging was so popular!  You've started a revolution Chris!  That's a pun btw 

                                         Ben    

I have observed two extreme kinds of a fly of the flat stones:

The first one, when the stone is rotating like a throwed up coin. Then it flies making a loud hum, and the trajectory is crooked due to the strong Mangus' effect and a lift of a flat profile. Such shots are short and inaccurate, of course.

The second one, when the stone is rotating like a disc or a boomerang.  Very probably it slips itself off from the pouch flat, and get the flat rotation by cathing the pouch edge. This kind of a fly can be very far and stable, sometimes. The rotation stabilises the stone which gets a lift just like a disc or a wing. It happends rather seldom.

How the flat stone will start depend on how it is situated in the pouch and what is an angle of the pouch relative to the trajectory durring the release.

Such effects sure aren't so very apparent for the flat shaped lead glandes, but they could appear however. Then maybe the ancient warriors would like to get the loud hum which had the psyhological working durring a mass volley. Or maybe just the "disc" fly of the glandes? Well, it only my free reflections. I dont't know how flat is the cross section of the Roman glandes.  

Maybe it is worth the consideration.

Jurek

Barak,

Great illustration!  I think the release points are a bit late in the circuit, but otherwise seem accurate.

I can't get anything but distance from the underhanded sling style.  So I use a one-circuit (wind-up) style.

It starts with the stone hanging.  I sling the stone up and around my head and let go in an elevated side release.  Stand and point your right hand at the ground.  Then raise your arm until it is about 30 degrees above horizontal.  This is the change in angle of the stone, but it occurs in a full rotation.

This is probably not a very good style, but I have no one to teach me better.  I find multiple rotations to be very difficult to master, though sometimes more accurate if I limit it to two.

jeff <><