Aussie
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Joined Nov. 1, 2006 Luke 14:14
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Melbourne, Australia
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For me personally no, as 200m is a bit beyond my max range using stones, although I could probably achieve it VERY OCCASSIONALLY with lead glandes. But for anyone to hit such a comparatively small target at that range is really largely a matter of luck.
Allow me to once again use the comparison with rifle shooting. All precision shooting (rifle or not) is a composite of two factors being the inherent accuracy of the weapon and the ability of the shooter to accurately aim and discharge the weapon. For example if a rifle is held in a vice so that it cannot move and is repeatedly loaded and fired at a distant target the bullets will not all strike exactly the same spot. If enough shots are fired we will be able to see a group or pattern. The size of this group is a measure of the inherent accuracy of that particular rifle, so if shooting at a target smaller than that group there is no way of guaranteeing that you will be able to hit it, ie. it's a matter of pure luck.
On top of the weapon's inherent accuracy is the question of the shooter's individual ability ie, how well can he replicate the exact conditions from shot to shot. Of course no one is perfect so this error must be added to the error inherent in the weapon so now the target must be bigger than the sum of these errors. In simple terms if the rifle is capable of 1" and the shooter is capable of 2", the target must be bigger than 3", otherwise hitting it is only a matter of luck on any given shot. (BTW in most cases the rifle is a good deal more accurate than the person using it.)
A sling follows exactly the same principles as the rifle. In other words, how inherently accurate is the equipment and how well can the slinger replicate the conditions fom shot to shot? If we were to build a slinging robot which could sling like a human but exactly the same each time, what sort of a dispersion would we get? Fascinating question. Anyone out there willing to fund the research? But of one thing we can be sure, the dispersion would be much greater than with out vice-held rifle, especially if slinging imperfect stones.
Even in comparatively recent times a rifle shooter who could keep all his shots down to 1 minute of angle was considered a very good shot. This means hitting a 1" square at 100 yds every time. Average shooters could expect perhaps 5 minutes of angle. To hit a 1m square at 200m would require an angle of dispersion of less than 20 minutes of angle, only four times the dispersion angle of a reasonble rife shooter. But now instead of using an accurately machined firearem with super quality, supersonic ammunition, precision sights and shooting off a rest, we are trying to do the feat with essentilly a piece of cord, stones of uncertain weight, size and ballistic coefficient, and no sights at all just feel and experience. A bit unrealistic I would think.
Assuming a quite high average speed over the ground of 50 m/s for even the very best slingers the flight time for the projectile will be 4 seconds. It will have to be launched at an angle of 35 degrees and by the time it reaches the target it will be falling with a far steeper angle of probably 45 degrees or more. In other words the slinger doesn't even throw at the target but has to aim well above it and estimate the exact trajectory the projectile will take to land on it. During the time it is in the air the projectile is subject to any swirling breezes moving it off course. It's also spinning violently so is subject to Magnus effect which will also vary the trajectory. The longer the distance the greater the uncertainty in the way the projectile will behave and 200m shots would definitely be long range shooting. So unless they are using superb quality ammunition and have the perfect sling I really can't see even the inherent accuracy of the system allowing even the very best of slingers being able to reliably hit so small a target at that distance.
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