AncientCraftwork
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One of the problems I see with round braided cords is that they can hide twist in the cords. especially the more strands is used in the round braid.
This twist is usually introduced after a cast due to the way the sling flops about after a cast.
If the sling is quickly grabbed and reloaded (speed shooting) you may discover you have reloaded your sling with a twist in the round braided cord and thus if you do continue to sling without taking it out, the shot may end up slightly more erratic.
This twist, depending on how severe it is, can affect your sling release, as its effect is magnified when the cords put under tension when slinging.
Many of us use braided slings because these have an advantage over simple 2-ply and higher twisted cords. The braided strands, when tensioned, cancel each other out and is stays straight, unlike a twisted cord, that when put under tension, twists. Having twists in our round braid thus conflicts with us using braided cords in the first place.
Taking these twist out after each shot with a paracord-thin sling is a chore, and would be extremely annoying in a situation under stress, and drastically reduces reload speed.
But, I agree that round braided cords twirl easier in all directions. You can sling with less wrist movement. It also feels like they cut through the air better.
And much worse than a somewhat twisted round braid is an innately warped, badly done flat braid.
In the end it is a personal matter what to choose.
I now have multiple slings with round cords achieved differently, hemp round cords with complete whipping. Similarily I have to straighten the cords out after each shot and this takes longer than with a flat cord. But when straightened out properly it's a dream to use with good ammo. Similar to efficient round cords that are straightened out properly.
But for the sake of practicality, ease of manufacture, and if I balance it all against each other, for a workhorse sling, I am currently inclined towards flat cords. Although I have alot of sympathy for round cords.
I don't mind the extra wrist movement that comes with flat cords all that much. An experiment may be to combine both round and flat. Make the fingerloop a round braid. and then after the fingerloop is done transition to a flat cord. This way you have a more efficient swivel point. But then again, this may go against the reasons for opting for flat cords in the first place.
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