Has anyone ever tried or considered using tungsten as a material for ammo?  It is even heavier than lead.  I am looking for ways to get some for testing.

Tritium would also glow in the dark, and wouldn't endanger you so much.  You might have tritium in your watch.

I was reading about tungsten carbide ball bearings.. perhaps a few could be purchased from the "seconds" bin?

Apologies all around....

Tungsten carbide isn't actually that much heavier than lead,  what with the carbons diluting things. Much harder of course.

Radium doesn't glow. It emits beta particles as it decays, which excite the zinc sulphide paint in the watch dial.

Tritium (modern watches) is actually a gas and is thus no good for slinging! It is usually contained in tiny vials that are themselves coated with phosphors.

And the worst part is...

For someone with a 60m/s throw, firing a 100g 2:1 ellipsoidal glans at 45 degrees:

• vacuum              369 m
• concrete             285 m
• lead                    325 m
• tungsten             337 m
• platinum             338 m
• depleted uranium 337 m 

The range boost just isn't that great once you start hitting the higher densities... Knollslinger's Pt glans buys distance at a cost of $195US per meter

It gets even worse if you sling heavier ammo.



Matthias

None necessary, Matt.    Cost effectiveness issues aside....Tungsten yields it's benefit squarely where it is best found...... for those interested in extreme range exercises.   It is the size to weight ratio that provides the benefit.  A 3oz. projectile with such a low drag profile is very hard to beat......except by the most dedicated researcher.   

http://www.rembar.com/Tungsten.htm#HM

How about some milspec category 4?

My apologies, Matthias.....you gave me no leave to call you familiar.  Feel free to call me 'Tech' or whatever.....I'll answer to any monicker thrown my way....and have the obnoxious tendency to abbreviate anything and everything that suffices to shorten my various digital forays.  You are quite correct about the advantages in being able to machine Tungsten. (negligible they may be, in such an untoward hobby as ours)  8)  I believe you are the first to inquire about the possibility of seeing pictures of the Tungsten darts! 

    Although I am quite comfortable freely sharing alot of information regarding my experiences with the sling....there is also much I have chosen to save for the DVD and website.  It has been somewhat slow going as I have other, much more important things going at the moment. 

I don't currently have the time to get into the entire physical dynamics scenario with you regarding my observations of a 10-15% distance increase with tungsten over lead of the same weight....(lead darts weren't necessary to fabricate for the purposes of testing against Tungsten for various reasons).  Your suppositions are certainly on the right track and Tungsten's ability to maintain a precision surface geometry while presenting a smaller drag profile plays a role as well.


Peace,

TS out

To reduce drag, sling lead "footballs" point first, so the same mass presents much less frontal area for drag.  Somebody did the math here.   I cant remember who/where, but I remember it was possible to cut air drag to maybe 1/3 of that of a sphere.    mgreenfield