SplitSling
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Indiana
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Recently I was pondering the advantages of the staff sling over the standard style sling (I don't know what else to call it, but i'm referring to a sling without a pole and which is used in one hand) and realized that the staff sling has a much greater potential in total projectile energy, due to the very heavy projectiles that can be launched from them, and the two handedness allowing more energy to be transferred from the body than is possible with a "standard" sling. Similarly, I thought, a very long staff with long "strings" could launch lighter projectiles at very great speeds (i would imagine. I have yet to make a staff sling, so any input on this point is highly appreciated). This lead me to start to believe that the staff sling could outperform a "standard" sling in both energy and range.
But then I had a very interesting thought that that brings these two types of slings into perspective...
The "standard" one hand sling spins its projectiles with the axis of rotation in the direction it travels (if done right), which is something the staff sling cannot do. The staff sling can only provide backspin to the projectile. This may seem like a small advantage to the "standard" sling, but with heavy, metal, projectiles (like glandes), I believe this is a huge advantage in warfare, particularly at long range. For the staff sling, the only practically shaped projectile is a sphere. No other shape when given backspin will fly well (except perhaps a disc, but the pouch would need some serious modification for that to work). A pointed football shaped projectile launched from a "standard" sling is much better aerodynamically than a sphere, but more importantly, it's pointed. Can you imagine an elongated football shaped projectile made of lead and with sharp steel or iron points? I realize that there is no evidence that lead glandes ever had harder metals in the points, but I think this is simply do to the added difficulty of production, and was simply not worth doing. But imagine if it were done, how deadly effective at long range such a projectile would be.
This post is not attempting to say that one style of sling is better than another, but to share my insights on the strengths of each kind. Staff slings having an energy advantage, and "standard" slings using the right ammo having a deadliness at long rang advantage. I'd love to hear any input from the rest of you.
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