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What is a sling? (Read 17149 times)
Vicente
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What is a sling?
Jul 20th, 2004 at 1:02pm
 
Hello, 
 
I have seen in the home of this web page a paragraph that says textually:

The sling is perhaps the earliest projectile weapon used by mankind, except perhaps a rock thrown by hand. It generally consist of two cords and pouch. The cords are held in your hand and a projectile is placed in the pouch. The length of the cords gives the slinger a greater mechanical advantage then just throwing a rock by hand. Projectiles can travel distances over 1500 feet (450m) at speeds exceeding 250 miles per hour (400 kph).
 
I would like to say on it:
 
To throw a stone with a cord sling at a distance of 1500 feet (450 meters) it is practically impossible, likewise the force of a person throwing with a cord sling, cannot reach speeds of 250 miles (400 kph)
 
Here in Balearic, we organize shot competitions with sling at long distance with judges and referees and properly supported for the documents that are emitted, in which the slingers can use all type of slings except those made with synthetic materials and with a maximum longitude bent for half of 3,28 feet (1 meter)
 
Under these conditions the reached maximum distance has been of about 600 feet (183 meters), throwing relatively small stones and adding the distance traveled by the stone after impacting the earth, and to a maximum speed of the projectile of around 125 miles (200 kph).
 
I even question that rushing with an elastic rubber sling distances can be reached of more than 820 feet (250 meters) and much less believable to reach speeds of 250 miles (400 kph)
   
Excuses for my English poor person, I trust they can understand my opinion, based on real facts.

Greetings,
Vicente
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Greetings,&&Vicente
 
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Re: What is a sling?
Reply #1 - Jul 20th, 2004 at 1:32pm
 
Greetings Vicente,


You are quite right in some of your assertions.  However the facts as you know them rely upon the whole of your experiential knowledge.   My twelve year old son can sling a rock over 500 feet......(No demeaning implication is meant here).   Given that the preponderance of my personal experience with the sling goes contrary to your results.....I would certainly disagree with your statements regarding the 'impossibiliy' of reaching 1500 feet with the sling and the statement regarding the impossiblity of reaching 250mph pocket velocity.    At this point,  your incredulity begs inquiry.  Just what slinging style, sling materials and ammo type/weight are you using to achieve such underwhelming results?  I mean, 125mph?   Our fastest baseball pitcher, Nolan Ryan,  can throw a 5oz. baseball almost as fast.   Certainly you are not intimating that your greatest slingers can barely manage to outdistance old Nolan......are you?   If you are slinging only 25mph faster than a baseball pitcher......then imagine what Nolan could do with a sling!    

P.S.   What kind of renumeration can one expect for winning your slinging competitions?  I might have to hop a flight.......because hey, I can fart one out to 600 feet! (Ok that was an embellishment, maybe on a windy day)
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knight
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Re: What is a sling?
Reply #2 - Jul 20th, 2004 at 2:07pm
 
yea vincente is wrong because my first sling was just one big peice of cloth and i launched a golfball size rock 400 ft i even measured its not really impossable ill put it in yards 1500 ft = 125 yards exactly and 1 25 yards is nothing if u have been golfing u dont have to use any strength at all  and the speed.... it can just go that bast because i shot one and it cracked the rock and the concrete
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Re: What is a sling?
Reply #3 - Jul 20th, 2004 at 2:16pm
 
Who let Techstuf reply first to someone who is worried about his english? Half of us have trouble understanding him at the best of times, and it looks like he might be warming up for something special  Grin

What Tech meant to say Vincente is "Welcome to the group!" (Ok he did say that) and that we say that the range of the sling is at least 450m because a number of us can get out to those ranges. Switching to lead projectiles can as much as double the range over stone ammo, although some previous record holders have used fieldstones.

Most of us can get out to 150-200m on a good day, and use slings that are similar in length to the balearic style. If you look through the "articles" section, you'll see quite a few slings of similar construction - my own design that you commented on is an obvious derivative.

The current world record is 467m (someone confirm?) and that looks set to fall soon!

Glad to see that you've joined up!

Matthias
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Vicente
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Re: What is a sling?
Reply #4 - Jul 20th, 2004 at 2:47pm
 
Hello TechStuf,

Your 12 year-old son able to throw a stone to 500 feet of distance (152 meters)??

How much does it measure of stature?
How much does it weigh?
 
A boy of this age (12 years old) of a half height 1,40 meters for that age, and a half weight of 40/50 kilos, rushing with a sling under the conditions that I mention previously, it doesn't reach 500 feet of distance. 
 
As for the materials of the slings that use the Balearic slingers, I have already indicated previously, and the stones oscillate among 3oz and 9oz. 
 
It is not my intention to enter in polemic discussions, I only expose my cumulative knowledge during 25 years dedicated to the shot with sling.

Greetings,
Vicente
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Re: What is a sling?
Reply #5 - Jul 20th, 2004 at 5:01pm
 
welcome Vicente
i have never measured the distance i reach slinging with a stone, but being conservative i think it's in the range of 150 to 200 m,  being optimist let's say 250 m  i've  been slinging since i was 10-11 years old and now i'm  48  and i can tell you i've shot thousands of stones so i've got some experience, i'm not superman but i'm not a weak man  (i'm 1.86 m height and 100 kgs weight) i find 300 m excesive and 450m utopic, just my opinion based on my experience... as i said before i've never measured distances, most of my shots have been in the mountains and over the water of lakes and the sea  so it's hard to tell what horizontal distance is achieved.
Is it there a world record properly measured ?  who? when? where? what kind of sling and projectile? what wind speed and direction?
Just for the sake of curiosity i'll measure my distances if i can find a nice place to do so, and i'll post the results.  May be i'm wrong and i can reach 400-450 m Smiley
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Re: What is a sling?
Reply #6 - Jul 20th, 2004 at 7:00pm
 
Welcome Vicente!

Nice to see you over here as a one of representatives of that great Balearian tradition. Your presense is a pleasure and honour for us. I have no doubts that Balearic slingers possess great skills and experiences. Obtaining great ranges isn't only and the most important determinat of slinger skills though, it is rather a personal priority and aim.

I (as one of "these mythomaniacs" here Wink) am not going to convince the sceptics. I'm uderstanding your doubts, but only want to say that the mentioned ranges are quite real. Just my quiet opinion from my experience. I don't want to say that I'm a super slinger, I would like to learn from some guys here. Range slinging is like a speed skating, requires a special sling, projectiles, technique. But a speed skater may not be a good hockey player or figure skater. I'm sure you know what I mean.

I personally don't see any reasons to question the Larry Bray's, David Engvall's or others' records. One can read Larry's posts on this forum, see the picture of his sling and stone, can read the David Engvall's GWR documentation and can read the large topics about the "range" slings and projectiles. If one has reached lets say 400 m with stone, it doesn't mean that he can do it every time with a can of beer in the other hand. That shot may happen as one of tens or hundreds or even once in the life. There is a lot factors which must harmonize in the one unimaginable short moment, which is outside of our conscious perception. It is rather something like a hit in a lottery.

Well... to believe or not... just my two cents Smiley

Jurek
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« Last Edit: Jul 21st, 2004 at 6:00am by Yurek »  

In the shape, structure and position of each stone, there is recorded a small piece of history. So, slinging them, we add a bit of our history to them.
 
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Re: What is a sling?
Reply #7 - Jul 20th, 2004 at 7:52pm
 
With a sling that size I can see where the ranges would be hindered but the accurracy from such a cast would go up quite nicely.

'Here in Balearic, we organize shot competitions with sling at long distance with judges and referees and properly supported for the documents that are emitted, in which the slingers can use all type of slings except those made with synthetic materials and with a maximum longitude bent for half of 3,28 feet (1 meter)'

Myself i use a sling about half again thaat long and am lucky to hit one of several 40 gallon barrels 20 yards out.
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Re: What is a sling?
Reply #8 - Jul 20th, 2004 at 7:57pm
 
Welcome Vicente!

Speaking for most of us at Slinging.org, I would like you to know that we look up to the Baleric slingers and the history of that place! It is a place I would love to see and have the honor of meeting people who have such deep roots in slinging

We have several people on the forum who keep an "eye open" for untrue claims and are quite capable of scientifically proving or disproving claims.

Yurek mentioned Larry Bray. He is an American who set a distance record using a field stone shaped like an American football that weighed about 2.5 ounces. He used a leather sling which was about 50 inches folded in half. His record of over 1400 feet was entered into the well known Guiness Book of records and you may find it in the forum. Larry Bray has written in the forum and has pictures of his sling and stone.

I wish I could sling that far! Grin

We would love to find someone over in your part of the world who could send us some videos of your competitions. I would love to see the styles used by the "Masters".

Welcome,

David
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Re: What is a sling?
Reply #9 - Jul 20th, 2004 at 9:02pm
 
Matthias was right.  I apologize if I seemed a bit obtuse.  I just had a vasectomy the other day and caught a stitch just before my reply.  I must have been feeling a bit cantankerous.  That was certainly a sub par greeting.


Let me take this moment to say welcome to you and your comments.


Sincerely,

TechStuf
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Re: What is a sling?
Reply #10 - Jul 20th, 2004 at 10:51pm
 
Welcome Vicente!!

While I am an admitted skeptic, I don't have any problem believing a well trained slinger could achieve more than 1,000 feet with a sling.  I am a poor slinger in my own estimation and have slung stones in the 2 and 3 ounce weights to well over 400 feet, some probably over 600 feet.

Admittedly it is difficult do guage distance, but some have measured their throws quite accurately.

I suggest that it may be the Balearic style that makes distances of more than 500 feet difficult.  I do not know the style you use, but that may be the case.

At any rate,  consider yourself welcomed and we hope to see you often.

jeff <><
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So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone. (1 Samuel 17:50)
 
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Re: What is a sling?
Reply #11 - Jul 21st, 2004 at 6:33am
 
Hello Zorro, 
 
As you know here in Spain the federations of each sport that it controls the operation of each one of the sports exist that here are practiced. 

The Balearic Federation of Shot with Sling, is the one that regulates and it controls this sport, and I am a judge and referee of that federation, likewise this federation takes a registration of the records obtained by the slingers.
 
In accordance with the norms of this federation, in the competitions, rushes for categories, Men, Women and Children / girls, the children/girls when turning 14 years passes to the superior category

It is thrown to make aim on a square that has a reveille in the center and it is punctuated according to himself inpacte in the square or in the reveille.
 
Likewise we organize competitions that we call of "long distance", in this competition type there is not reveille where to make aim, we only measure the distance that there are between the slinger and the point where it is detained the stone.
 
Said all this, I respond your questions:   
 
I it there to world record properly measured? 
Yes we have a registration of all the distances reached by the slingers, and the current record is established in 600 feet (183 mts)
 
who? 
Of course the Federation Belear of Shot with sling 
 
when?
In each one of the competitions that take place 
 
where?
In the corresponding books of record 
 
what kind of sling and projectile? 
I have already mentioned previously it, they can be all less those made with synthetic materials (rubber, plastics or derivates) or materials of mineral or metallic origin, and the projectiles are stones to pleasure of slinger that usually weigh between the 100 and 250 grs. 
 
what wind speed and direction?
The wind is usually in calm, and if there is, we don't measure it 
 
After explaining all the above-mentioned, I can guarantee and to affirm that throwing with the conditions that I have commented and with arrangement to our regulation, to reach same distances or superiors to 200/250 meters is unthinkable 

Greetings,
Vicente

 
P.D.: Zorro, since you are Spanish, it visits our web page http://www.tirdefona.com and for sure you found information that will be you of utility.
 
If you know there is somebody that this willing one to translate our regulation Spanish to English I can send it, it is translated, saved to a file PDF and we can distribute it to who wants it.
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Re: What is a sling?
Reply #12 - Jul 21st, 2004 at 6:47am
 
Hello  knight,

If you threw a stone of the size from a golf ball to 400 feet of distance, it is totally normal, what is not normal is to throw this same stone to 1500 feet of distance, I maintain that it is practically impossible.

Greetings,
Vicente
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Re: What is a sling?
Reply #13 - Jul 21st, 2004 at 7:01am
 
welcome vicente

sry i didnt do that earler but i am fairly new also.
yea throwing a golfball size stone 400 ft for an adult is easy with a regular sling but as i said before i use just 1 whole peice of cloth and plus im only 13 so its not normal for me so when i get alot older maybe i can throw longer. but im going to go and look up the longest shot ever recorded  with a sling to settle this.

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Re: What is a sling?
Reply #14 - Jul 21st, 2004 at 7:12am
 
well i really dont know now i found a website
here is what it says and ill give u the link


(I came across an article which dealt with lead sling bullets, being tested by "expert" modern-day Balearic slingers. Some of these competed in the Barcelona Olympics. The tests used two lengths of string, which the article simply calls “long” and “short”. The long string achieved a better range: 15 metres more, or 20 more with an expert slinger. Stones did not go nearly as far as lead bullets. They have much greater surface area and much greater drag, for the same weight. 80 to 90 metres seems to be the furthest anyone can get a stone. With lead bullets slung at a concrete wall 120 metres away, the sling is said to make an impressive “impression” and make a lot of noise. The average ranges achieved for lead bullets were 112m for bullets between 20 and 40g weight, 121.8m for those 40-60g, 132m 60-80g, and 142.6m for those 80-90g. This is an increase of 10m in reach for every additional 20g. The most commonly used weights were from 60g to 80g. There was a limit of around 100g depending on the strength and arm length of the slinger. I do not find these figures very impressive)

here is the link
http://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/nikolas.lloyd/weapons/sling2.html

......KNIGHT......
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