I have been thinking about this some myself, of late.

Obviously, this smaller the cord and pouch, the faster we can sling.  What is the limit, though?  Is the size of pouch limited in smallness by the type of projectile?  Can we get by with a small pouch for general slinging where we can't know the size of stone until we pick it up?  Can we get a very thin cord to NOT tangle up after the throw or when being carried?

Who knows?

jeff <>< who is curious

HEEEE HAAAAAAAA!  I've been hoping someone would try this sort of thing out.  My idea was using very thin steel cable with a larger section of larger material at the end for comfort on the fingers.  The smallest pouch would probably be split.  With these sort of sling upgrades, someone on here, probably Jurek, could beat the world record on distance.  I believe it.  1/4 to 1/3 extension in range is a big extension!  Whipmaking has taught me how important air friction is.  A lead gland in a sling like that, will go forever!   

                      Ben

The mgreenfield's tests absolutely prove Ben's idea about the considerable effect of reduce a sling drag. For my first tests with the glandes I have made (just inspired by Ben's and Hondero's posts) the more slender sling. It is rather the temporary design described here:

http://www.slinging.org/forum2/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=1;action=display;num=10607402...

Durring the first throw of the glande I had a false feeling that this sling didn't give a pretty enough power, it was too quiet. No snap and only the gentle swish of the cords. I also tried this sling wih stones and I found they go markedly further than ones throwed by my previous slings designed for various stones.

The 3.5 mm diameter of the used cords seems to be similar to mgreenfield's bootlaces. I wonder what a distance improvment I will get if I maximally reduce my sling. The 1/4 or 1/3 improvment would be fantastic! I have fired about 4 kg of lead until now. All these shots was observed by hidden persons, and now I'm sure that I can exceed 500m distance constantly.

I know such numbers could cause scepticism or even distrust of some people, although I have decided to publish them here because just you guys caused the rebirth of my slingin passion and gave me a lot useful information.

Jurek

Cord material I used is a single strand of 40lb test braided dacron icefishing line.   It's very limp & flexible.   The earlier-used leather bootlaces were also pretty flexible.   How does a sling perform when you use stiffer materials for cords?   Seems like it could be a problem.

Slinging for distance would probably put the slingster:

1/ On the edge of a raised platform....

2/ Spinning a very long sling, .....each cord 6-7ft or more.

3/ Each cord of fine stainless wire maybe.   Here's where the concern with cord stiffness comes in.

4/ Loaded with a football shaped lead glande, experimentally weighted to maximize the interaction between weight, sling and slingster....

5/ In a smooth pocket just barely large enough to control the glande.

Anybody going to give it a try???

mgreenfield

Jurek,

Wow, I've been reading your posts about your range achievements!  I knew you could do it!!  AWESOME!!  I'm so excited. 

Don't worry about what Jeff said, it was just American humor.  I think you are the next world record holder with the sling!  We're all excited and displaying our pleasure.  Heeeeeee Haaaaaaa!  Man, you're making 500!  You'll beat it easy when you fine tune things.   

As for making a highly aerodynamic sling.  I was thinking about it today.  I've never heard of spider wire, but the very thin, maybe 1/32"- about 1,5mm steel cable, is very strong and flexible.  Infact if it was too flexible the cords would tangle.  Which is what I fear could happen with fishing line.  I haven't experimented, but I think a well made sling with the steel cable wouldn't be dangerous and would work really well.

I've been reading about other topics too, but I'll reply here.  I don't think that slight dimples on the surface of the glandes will affect the distance that much, but when every inch counts, I'd make those things as smooth as possible.  Watch out for lead poisoning though.  That stuff isn't good for you. 

Consider, just consider, that the last world record was made with a 2.5oz "dart."  Does that mean that the guy put fins on it and a point?  To me that seems like it would be a bad idea, but if anyone wants to give it a try, it's an idea.  I believe just plain roundish glands will be best, but I don't want to discount anything.

Jurek, I'm interested in what your new sling for glands looks like.  If you have time, take some pictures and post them.  And the glands too!

So when you sling for distance, you always use a 47" sling?

I don't want you to just beat the world record.  Wouldn't it be awesome to demolish it?! 

The pouch or cradle aerodynamics is another big factor.  It is traveling the fastest of any part of the sling and thus is very important.  Any excess little area of leather or whatever, that isn't necessary, should be removed.

I'm sure there are lots of ways to fine tune it, but if we really want to get radical, we could maybe drop it altogether.  In otherwords, make it out of two pieces of steel cable that overlap.  (in appearance like the Balearic slings but much smaller) But how would this grip the glandes?  Cut grooves into the glandes at two places, like the stripes on a football.  The cable could catch on the two grooves.  Now that's getting efficient!  Obviously such glandes would be a little more time consuming to manufacture, but only a few would have to be made and it would be pretty simple to get a small round file and carve the grooves into such soft metal as lead.  This isn't regular slinging, this is the world record, and anything helps. 

Can you imagine what you could do with such a sling!  That's prime efficiency! Space age slinging!   

                                           Ben      

Ben,

Great thanks! I like your post. I haven't time to write too much in this year. So I put quickly only a few pictures.

There are my new sling (which is far to the optimal one) and the patterns for last my mold. I have the CIS scaner which is not good for 3-D stuff, so the pictures of the patterns are poor quality and a bit deformed.

In the last tests I set up the sling at 50".

See you guys in the New Year. Happy New Year!

Jurek

Great idea, I'm interested in, of course! Only still cables, no pouch. It seems there is impossible to find out somethig much more aerodynamic regarding to a sling. I imagine how it will be whisking! I must give it a try. The grooves are no problem because of they could be made on the patterns (models for molds).

Ben, it would be good to use stainless steel wire 7x19. This kind of it is pretty and flexible. The smallest diameter which I know is 2 mm, maybe it is possible to find a thiner one, but 2 mm still seems ok. In your newest sling the endings are very nice, I think it is your plaiting.

On "dart", from the last record attempt, here is the quote from Lloyd's website (http://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/nikolas.lloyd/weapons/sling2.html):

"Recently, another sling enthusiast on the net quoted the following: "World record 2.25oz lead weight 477 meters!! (US), 8oz stone, 375 yards (British)". This is more like the ranges quoted for ancient warriors. The American record for the lead bullet used a bullet of typical ancient weight, but the British stone record used a remarkably heavy stone which surprises me. I do not know any of the details regarding these records."

I suppose he speak about the same record which Ben mentioned, the distance is compatible but the weight is a bit different. If Lloyd had a reliable information, it looks like the lead glandes were used then.

Jurek