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Ammo falling out of pouch (Read 2576 times)
onionz
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Ammo falling out of pouch
Mar 27th, 2021 at 8:26pm
 
I am having problems with my new (first) sling.
I can get 1 maybe 2 spins before the ammo goes
flying off at a random direction when I speed it up.
My sling is hemp. Do I need to boil it to soften it up?


...
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Hirtius
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Re: Ammo falling out of pouch
Reply #1 - Mar 27th, 2021 at 9:06pm
 
I don't often use natural materials (I prefer paracord), so I'll leave the advice on fibers to those that know better. However, I have a couple of other suggestions. These are all pretty suggestive and might be situational, they're just my thoughts.

For me at least, I prefer to use a sling for a little while, and it will naturally get dirt, get frayed, etc., which might help it grip onto a stone. If you know the stone will fall out a lot, you might want to not put much energy into the throws so you don't hurt yourself while you get used to it.

You also don't want to make the pouch too stiff, as in have no flexibility. You can actually successfully use a sling with a stiff pouch (my favorite sling is actually like that), but I've found that with natural materials it doesn't always work as well (in my experience) and it probably isn't as beginner friendly.

Another suggestion is to make sure your pouch is lined up well. In the past, I would often make the release cord too long or too short, and that messed up my shot and made stones fall out. There is also the issue of making the pouch as balanced as possible. Sometimes I have pouches that lean one way or another, so I have position the stone to where it stays balanced.

Last but not least, check your stones. Some rocks are of a weird shape and need to be placed a certain way in the pouch. Try to find a size you're comfortable with.


It could also be that you're inexperienced. That was a huge problem for me when I was starting out. You've really done your homework, my impression is that you're starting off with a good sling (my first slings were monstrosities, and my slings now still are). Make sure everything is nice and balanced, and it might be a matter of practice. Stick with it! The sling has a brutal learning curve, but it possible to get past it.
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Jaegoor
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Re: Ammo falling out of pouch
Reply #2 - Mar 27th, 2021 at 9:26pm
 
A common cause is a restless hand.  You twist the sling too much off your wrist.  Something that can help is bow string wax.  It increases liability.
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NooneOfConsequence
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Re: Ammo falling out of pouch
Reply #3 - Mar 28th, 2021 at 12:24am
 
What is your ammunition?  Can you post a picture of it in/next-to the sling?
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Re: Ammo falling out of pouch
Reply #4 - Mar 28th, 2021 at 12:38am
 
The best way we can help you is if you post a picture of how your projectile sits in your pouch. A video of the projectile being seated would be even better but is not necessary.
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Re: Ammo falling out of pouch
Reply #5 - Mar 28th, 2021 at 1:48am
 
onionz wrote on Mar 27th, 2021 at 8:26pm:
I can get 1 maybe 2 spins before the ammo goes
flying off at a random direction when I speed it up.

When you speed it up, is this when you're actually going into your throwing motion?  Or are you just speeding up the rotation of the sling?

When you go into the throw, does the plane of rotation change?  As an example, sometimes I rotate the sling in a vertical circle at my side, but when I go into my throw it changes to a horizontal rotation because I use a sidearm release.

As others have mentioned, a picture of your projectile in the sling would be helpful.  Or if you can post a video of your throw, that would help much more.

Also, nice sling!  And welcome to the forum!
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Re: Ammo falling out of pouch
Reply #6 - Mar 28th, 2021 at 5:00am
 
The reason everyone is asking to see the ammo is that the likely cause is the ammo is too small (or the pouch is too big depending on your perspective), the ammo is too slippy or the ammo is an uneven shape when sitting in the pouch. Split pouch slings can take some finesse to balance ammo right.
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Re: Ammo falling out of pouch
Reply #7 - Mar 28th, 2021 at 7:07am
 
I was having the same sort of issue with the first sling like this I made. I ended up remedying it by wrapping one of the pouch sides with leather... Why one? Frankly one half of my pouch was just a touch longer than the other, so it would make even balanced ammo slide out. Another trick is to carefully line up your pouch so it perfectly cradles your ammo then poke a pin in each side to "tack" it in place then pop a couple stitches through the pouch to secure it in a more proper position. A combination of both of those helped me out a lot with that issue. I was out test spinning one of my foam golf balls, and decided to try seeing if it could handle being ramped up for a throw. I planned to do a few full speed rotations. My ball launched... Straight up my friend, and my girlfriend were standing there with me when it flew out we all just paused our convos  and waited.... waited.... waited... then thought it must have hit soft ground somewhere. Then we heard it bounce off of the gravel and into the fence, then it dissapeared off the face of the earth. It was like 12 am when it happened lol. Best of luck on your issue. I will be posting up the outcome of my experiment to solve that issue. The sling is jute and hemp.
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Re: Ammo falling out of pouch
Reply #8 - Mar 28th, 2021 at 9:14am
 
What duck said about one side of the pouch being bigger than the other is a very common mistake for newer sling makers. Probably one of the most common. I would check that as well.
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Re: Ammo falling out of pouch
Reply #9 - Mar 28th, 2021 at 8:47pm
 
SerKraus wrote on Mar 28th, 2021 at 12:38am:
The best way we can help you is if you post a picture of how your projectile sits in your pouch. A video of the projectile being seated would be even better but is not necessary.


+1 We would need to see a picture of ammo in the pouch to say for sure. Until then it's speculation. Slings rarely can handle all different weights and types of ammo completely perfectly and some are more selective than others.
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On your next sling maybe try a formed pouch?
Reply #10 - Mar 28th, 2021 at 8:56pm
 
This one for instance, has never prematurely launched, no matter the ammo, or speed used, for me. You tie it almost the same as that one, but rather than weaving the pouch you split your 8 string, 4 strand braid into two four strand braids. I did a half assed tutorial for how to do the pouch, and finger loop on this sling. Here it is if interested.

https://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1615862923
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Re: Ammo falling out of pouch
Reply #11 - Mar 30th, 2021 at 3:20am
 
Jaegoor wrote on Mar 27th, 2021 at 9:26pm:
A common cause is a restless hand.  You twist the sling too much off your wrist.  Something that can help is bow string wax.  It increases liability.


Good advice.

I want to add, how wide apart do you grip your sling cords, Onion? The wider I grip the sling cords, the less secure the projectile is seated. That's because the sling is already partially opened during the rotation as a result of a wider grip.
But the closer I grip to cords together, the more secure  the projectile is seated. When I grip both cords together so that I push the release cord with my thumb against the the retention cord that rests on my index and in the inside of my hand, the projectile is seated most securely, because then there is no gap in the hand between the cords. Find what works for you. No gap, little gap, big gap.
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Re: Ammo falling out of pouch
Reply #12 - Mar 30th, 2021 at 3:16pm
 
onionz wrote on Mar 27th, 2021 at 8:26pm:
I am having problems with my new (first) sling.
I can get 1 maybe 2 spins before the ammo goes
flying off at a random direction when I speed it up.
My sling is hemp. Do I need to boil it to soften it up?


...

Sorry it took so long. This is my sling that was having that issue, before I leather wrapped the longer side with leather. There was at most one warp worth of difference in the pouch lengths, but it was enough to wreak havoc on my ammo staying put. Since doing this I haven't had an issue. Oh also moisture makes most natural cordage weaker, so I wouldn't recomend boiling. Beeswax also adds a bit of traction to the pouch, and moisture protection to your sling
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Re: Ammo falling out of pouch
Reply #13 - Mar 30th, 2021 at 3:20pm
 
The side of the pouch with the leather on top is toward the release cords too. Helps with a few things. Spin, ammo security, and protection of the sling.
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Re: Ammo falling out of pouch
Reply #14 - Mar 30th, 2021 at 3:57pm
 
   If none of the very good advice given above helps you perhaps your first sling should be one that is easier to use like a Rockman or some sort of cupped pouched sling.  We have instructions for making such slings in the tutorials section  above.  Here's my way of making a pj, or Five Strand Sheep Shank Sling:
https://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1338672380/0
Somehow the first three pictures got replaced with others that have nothing to do with the sling, but you should be able to pick it up from the fourth picture.
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