Hey guys,

I am pumped about finding this forum! I've been into slinging, slingshots, and throwing knives for a long time, since middle school at least. It was 9th grade when I contructed a sling out of some thick leather and parachute cord, and I still have it today! In fact I was out on the trail today testing my mettle against some trees.

Now that you know my story, I wanted to run an idea past you guys.
I love how the sling has a history in many cultures and even the Bible, but, being a fellow with an inqusitive mind, I wonder if our modern materials could make a more powerful or accurate sling, hopefully keeping it as simple and elegant as possible.

I was thinking, what if I took a leather pouch, attached two 6 or 8 inch pieces of 1/2 inch latex tubing, then on the ends of those sections attach cord like a regular sling? The elasticity of the tubing (basically slingshot tube) might very well add velocity if the sling is wielded correctly.

When I get home from vacation I plan on constructing one of these. I'll let you all know how it turns out!

I am digging around here in storage trying to find my compound sling.  It uses simple, solid physics principles to really spit out the ammo!  It is not as accurate (in present form) as the basic sling but is fassssst!  To give you an idea,  it uses a simple leverage principle to shorten the radius on the traversing arc at the moment of release to produce higher velocities.   Pros and cons:  PRO-very fast.  PRO-No arm jarring yank at release like some of my earlier designs.  PRO-works great and easy to make!   CON-uses one 2.5oz projectile to increase the velocity of a 1.25oz projectile.(Of course these numbers can be scaled to the user's satisfaction)  CON-totally alien sling dynamics including the necessity of releasing sooner than one's honed instincts keep telling one.  CON- One is sacrificing the heavier projectile whose trajectory is always flatter/lower than the main projectile for vastly increased speed. (With an underhand sling style).   One more PRO-It is very fun and challenging!  

Johnny,  have you tried the spectra/fastflight serving material or spiderwire/spectra fishing line?  It is excllent material for our application. 

I was lying awake last night trying to work out an approach to this. I think I need a few more hints to figure out what you were doing though...

My sling looks like it is tending toward using a captive "booster" weight, and the pro/con list seems similar - speed, smooth, simple / release point difference + sensitivity to timing, possibility of getting beaned in the noggin with a captive "booster" in a somewhat unpredicable (but thankfully energy depleted orbit)

I'm headed home for easter, so hopefully I'll get a chance to throw some trials in a non-urban environment. Highly recommended for experimental sling work! 

Matthias

Matthias,  I will try and get a pic posted soon.  Sooner if I find my original and don't have to make another one.  They are fairly easy to make though, so in either case,  I should be posting soon.

Actually Johnny, the traditional string material to which I was referring is the Dacron material.  The Fastflight/Dyneema material is made of spectra fiber which stretches so little that it is not recommended for most bows with wood risers.   It is vastly superior to B50 Dacron in the stretch department and also is much more abrasion resistant.

Yeah, I'm wondering, too!   What's a "compound sling"?   mgreenfield

I make my strings for my bows with hemp.  I make slings with either hemp, cotton (because it is cheap), wool, and once, nylon.  Crossbow strings I make with braided cotton, because it makes a string the perfect size to fit Chinese crossbow mechanisms (my favourite because they are very simple and effective).  I really, really want some yak hair for slings, because it is tough and easy to dye.  It is very expensive though, about five pounds for a roll big enough for about half a sling.  So being permanently short of funds, I haven't got any.  Maybe for a birthday or something.