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sling in battle :) (Read 2645 times)
rob
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sling in battle :)
Jun 6th, 2004 at 10:24pm
 
anyone else here in the SCA? we're a medieval historical group that does full contact armored combat w/ rattan swords. we do everything from 1 on 1 tournaments to full scale battles w/ 1000 to a side, archery and siege engines (trebuchets, catapults).

the reason i mention this is that we also allow the use of slings. we use them to throw tennis balls wrapped in duct tape. we puncture the tennis balls to keep the rebound to a minimum.

we've got a couple slingers that (in full armor) can hit a chest sized target every time at approx. 50'.

just thought i'd share.

take care.
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&&"...with slings of twisted wool from which they showered their missiles to break the ranks of the Trojans."
 
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David_T
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Re: sling in battle :)
Reply #1 - Jun 6th, 2004 at 10:49pm
 
Hey there Rob,

Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing that information! We love the sling here and we also have people who have other ancient weapons they play with.

Check out the section of this site for "Other Primative Weapons"

Tennis balls and duct tape huh. That would make a thump Grin Where are you and your "warriors" from?
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rob
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Re: sling in battle :)
Reply #2 - Jun 6th, 2004 at 11:12pm
 
all over the world. at our big event in August we get about 10-12,000 people, some from Europe and Australia.

i've been kicking around here for a while. just lost my info from before and re-registered.

i also play atlatl and primitive/instinctive archery when i'm not doing the medieval thing.
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&&"...with slings of twisted wool from which they showered their missiles to break the ranks of the Trojans."
 
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Chris
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Re: sling in battle :)
Reply #3 - Jun 6th, 2004 at 11:54pm
 
There are quite a few SCAdians here.  There was a thread not to long ago about updating the regs to allow slings to better compete against archers.  Tennis balls are pretty shoddy ammo compared to the modified arrows archers can use.  SCA Slingers should be able to out range bowmen (even longbowmen), like their historical counterparts, but this advantage is not present with such a handicap.  It would be nice to see the SCA recognize the significance of the sling, although it is a predominately pre-medieval weapon. 

Chris
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rob
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Re: sling in battle :)
Reply #4 - Jun 7th, 2004 at 12:11am
 
hmmmm.....wonder if one could control themselves enough to get a rattan staffsling passed....?

i'm betting 4' of skinless rattan with say an 18" sling could move even a tennis ball pretty quick, and be way more period.

and i suppose the next logical upgrade would be a raquetball. those suckers move and hurt(!),even on the rebound (stupid phys. ed. college requirement).

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&&"...with slings of twisted wool from which they showered their missiles to break the ranks of the Trojans."
 
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Alan
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Re: sling in battle :)
Reply #5 - Jun 7th, 2004 at 7:51pm
 
OUCH! I wouldn't like to get hit by a sling Smiley
What does SCA stand for?
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51!/\/93|2 4/\/|) _||_|9913|2
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mgreenfield
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Re: sling in battle :)
Reply #6 - Jun 7th, 2004 at 8:37pm
 
Rob, .....where are these big SCA battle-fests, etc to be found & when??   Maybe me & my sweetie go see!  mgreenfield
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rob
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Re: sling in battle :)
Reply #7 - Jun 7th, 2004 at 9:23pm
 
SCA: Society for Creative Anachronism (sca.org)

covers basically 600-1600. although earlier personas are accepted w/o to much grumbling. approx. 75,000 members worldwide.

the biggest battles are at Pennsic Wars in mid August each year just north of Pittsburgh, PA. (http://www.pennsic.net/)

thing with most events though is they're semiprivate. there's a fee to cover site costs and you have to be in period costume (reasonable attempt).

there are most likely local groups near you you've never heard about.

Alan: if you're a legitimate target for a sling, you're already wearing armor. we make it pretty safe.
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&&"...with slings of twisted wool from which they showered their missiles to break the ranks of the Trojans."
 
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Chris
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Re: sling in battle :)
Reply #8 - Jun 7th, 2004 at 10:15pm
 
Here are some Pennsic pics to wet your appetite.

...

...
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mgreenfield
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Re: sling in battle :)
Reply #9 - Jun 8th, 2004 at 5:01am
 
....omygosh!!   Right out of the stone age (almost), and I couldnt spot a pair of Nikes or Adidas in the whole crowd!   mgreenfield
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David_T
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Re: sling in battle :)
Reply #10 - Jun 8th, 2004 at 3:16pm
 
Cool Pic!

Hey, I didn't see any elephants thowing would be warriors through the air Grin Grin -- Or are elephants not in that period?
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David_T
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Re: sling in battle :)
Reply #11 - Jun 8th, 2004 at 4:12pm
 
Just found this:

DBA Resource Page
Rules Variants
Balearic Slingers
By Chris Pagano

In his book "Cannae 216 BC: Hannibal Smashes Rome's Army" (Opsrey Campaign Series # 36), Mark Healy has the following to say about Balearic slingers:

Hannibal's light troops were in a different class from those of the Romans. They were very highly trained and were capable of inflicting much damage on the enemy. Of particular importance were the Balearic slingers. These were organized into two corps, each a thousand strong. They were armed with three types of sling for employment at different ranges. Such was their accuracy and their volume of fire that they were deemed more useful than archers (pages 23-24).

It is very likely that Hannibal had posted many of his Balearic slingers directly opposite the Roman cavalry quite deliberately to disrupt both men and horses (page 80).

Aemilius Paullus (commanding the Roman cavalry) was severely wounded at the outset of the battle by one of the stones from the Balearic slingers; he either fell from his horse or chose to dismount. Whichever, it seems to have been taken by his men as a general signal for them to do likewise. When told of the Roman action, Hannibal observed that 'they may as well have delivered them up in chains.' The sentiment was well expressed, for by their own action the Romans brought about their own rapid collapse (page 80).

Thought that you all might find this interesting.

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David_T
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Re: sling in battle :)
Reply #12 - Jun 10th, 2004 at 6:09am
 
I also read something on this site, I blieve, about the sound of the slingstones scaring Hannibal's elephants?

Anyone remember where? Wouldn't that make for a hairy ride Shocked --- trying to hold on to a paniced elephant.
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