i learned on the wide grip long before i knew the difference between that and the narrow grip.

i don't really pay attention to the spin, as my stones are either aimed for right in front of me or way out across the forest.

Hey Tint,

In theory, accuracy comes by being able to repeat the same throw and hit the same spot, this is then adjusted to different ranges.

What happens to the projectile has some input in your accuracy but not as much as your sling casters and ability to reproduce the throw.

Note: This doesn't take into account the physics behind the ammunition itself. (Roughness, smoothness, aerodynamic)

That said, after reading allot of stuff on slinging.org and then on the theory behind it. I would say something along these lines:

Spin creates the magnus effect and is always at work no matter which direction the object is spinning.

Really you just want a consistent spin in one direction with no spin/tumble in any other direction.

The spin left or right will push the projectile off target to the left or right, top spin will make it fall short and back spin make it go further.

So in the end, you the caster make the decision on which one you want to be consistent with then adjust your casting style to compensate. My suggestion would be to give it a hell of a back spin and then go from there.

Excuse my being naive, but what is "wide-grip"?

Here is a pic of one of my prototype distance rigs.  The steering vane is attached to the pocket, enabling one to produce consistent spiral releases nearly every cast.  I say nearly, because natural ammo will sometimes have destabilization issues caused by shape/mass imbalance.  Obviously, the more symmetrical one's ammo choice, the better one can expect in the way of performance.  I'm a bit discriminating when it comes to rock choice, so I can get spiral releases at every cast.





TS

Siguy,
The attachment ring is in the back end of the glande?  So at release, it would be oriented perpendicular to the direction of flight, and the fletching would cause it to rotate and stabilize in a nose-first orientation.

There is another way to do it, used by David Engvall when he set the Guinness world record for slinging (though I still think his rig is more like a kestrosphendone than a sling).  David Engvall used darts with a hole in the side, to which a specialized release mechanism was attached.  There is a link to a picture, in the gallery, and here is a link to a

larger-scale photo

that shows more details.  The picture is 1.2 megabytes, so I hope you have a fast connection...

I guess I use wide grip then!
I put the loop around my middle finger and hold the release between my first finger and thumb

TechStuf,

Can I verify a couple of details of your design?

It looks like the washer has holes drilled in it at (from the top, where the release cord attaches) 12 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 8 o'clock (that being where the retained cord attaches), and the release cut runs at about a 30 degree angle from vertical ("vertical" being the angle from the release cord, through the washer to the fixed pouch attachment).  Am I close?