AncientCraftwork wrote on Oct 11^th, 2021 at 6:06am:


whats the advantage if its just like a normal sling ?

I think you want to solve a problem that doesnt exist.

To me there's something very appealing of a hammer style grip with the cords seperating from more or less ~ 1 point in the hand. It makes rotating the sling a very fluid movement without any chance of projectile slippage. A narrow grip like this can be done without a toggle but I was looking for a way to do it with a toggle. Conventional toggles or sling handles all seem to be orientated towards a wide grip with cord seperation in the hand. 
Joe is right that this is not a finished product and it is in an experimental stage. Thanks for your understanding Joe and for your other explanations.

I was inspired by Techstuffs design I saw a long time ago, for a triggered grip sling. His design would work better and has an actual button-trigger, but this would require more complicated manufacture. I am simply experimenting to see if there's a way something sort of similar can be achieved in a simple way.

I believe a consistent and relaxed release trigger such as Techstuff proposed here would help a lot in accuracy. Because a conventional sling release knot, tab or cord can drag in the hand as it is released. And this drag is variable depending on how hard we grip and so on.

A mechanical release would be sort of like cheating, as the user no longer has to gauge the right release pressure. All this pressure is now on the trigger system. All they'd have to do is tab a button or touch a trigger to make the stone release. I am trying to approximate this in a simple way.
I am not saying that my simple stick release is exactly like a real mechanical release. Definitely not. Like I said, a compromise, an approximation. A real mechanical release such as techstuff proposed would be far better. The overall advantage of this system I made here might be none at all. It can very well be that what I am seeking after at can only be achieved with an actual mechanical trigger system, such as that of a bow release or crossbow release. Such a system would have advantages. Modern archers use them for a reason.

I explained these things in the opening post, and now I did it again.

Anything that makes a sling easier to be accurate with is allowed in my book. I don't care for preserving sling tradition through not innovating. The simple design isn't threathened. There are more important traditions to preserve than rules on how to twirl around a cord.

Well just like all things have pros and cons I think the downside of this type of system will again be pouch angle control . I know a y sling is not as fussy as a regular sling but the system you are chasing will have less control of pouch angle due to you needing to have your hand in a certain position to use the toggle.

I’ve chased accuracy down to a literal point. I’ve knocked bottle caps off bottles and hit nails into wood. I don’t think any change in equipment would have given any noticeable advantages in comparison to the practice. The main part of accuracy is always the user. Especially with a sling. There’s only so much you can modify a sling before it becomes something else . If you’re just trying to move a projectile then the best sling is a gun . But if your staying true to what I would consider a sling then I think the problem can’t be solved with equipment alone. Accuracy will still be in the hands of the user not the equipment.

I think the archery release that I showed could easily work with your design, I don’t think it would come off if your gripping it right but this is just speculation. An actual archery release would not work because they fire when you push a trigger not when you release one . Well the ones I’ve used anyway. I think pulling a trigger is counterproductive with a sling , because you want the trigger sensitivity to be high. So how do you get your finger on the trigger at the exact right time. A release trigger is what’s needed (I say needed lightly) .

I think a conventional sling with noocs triggering bar and pouch is right up your alley . It solves mostly all the issues you have with a conventional sling and with very little downsides .

I appreciate all your experimentation and innovation with sling designs but you do boggle my mind sometimes J. I would love to have a session slinging with you and just talk slinging theories.

Again it depoends on how you use a sling.

If you go wit the balearic style - a long tail gripped within your fist - then this would be an impriovement.

If you use a simple knot that is release when you lift your thumb.
There is zero benefit and potentially slower release, as the mechanism works.

It's kind of fixing a problem that doesn't actually exist.

If you were slinging really heavy rocks witha wrist loop, then a mechanical release might be an idea. Bit for normal slinging purposes, just use a knot.

The idea has potential for someone who lacks a thumb or has an otherwise disability that causes a weak thumb or just poor grip.

But for ordinary use by non-disabled people - it's solving a non-existent problem. 

On the diagram, how are you locking the release 'key' in the sling handle ?
Given that it needs to hold against a fair bit of pressure, you'd either need a locking trigger mechanism, or some sort of thumb trigger which would involve using a lot of pressue with the thumb.

You might want to look up joerg spraves sling design from a few years ago - pretty sure he used a trigger mechanism of some kind.
It was a big complicated thing - but it did work and you might be able to use his trigger design in a simpler device. 

a bow is an aimed weapon that uses a captive and stored energy delayed release.

A sling is none of those things.


I like the idea, I'm all for different sling designs.

But it needs to work
And it's not going t be any quicker than a tailless release knot. But it could be useful for heavy slings or people who can't grip a knot with a thumb.

And you know, for my favourite reason - just for the sake of making something new

I can understand why you do this  a toggle can be helpful to reduce the force on the fingers.  for long range shooting i have been using it for many years.  my compound bow also has a relay.  it resembles yours.  but with a bow a relay is used to prevent negative movements from being transmitted to the string and arrow.  with a sling it makes very little sense.  I tried.  it didn't improve my shooting.  Toggle yes, relay no.

Jaegoor wrote on Oct 14^th, 2021 at 4:51pm:


Habe ich schon erwartet.
Was mich wundert ist, dass du auch noch compound schießt (habe selbst vor 3 wochen mit recurve angefangen).
Gibt es eine Art von Waffen die du nicht beherrscht ?

I have used a couple of jaegoor's long range slings.
One with toggle and one without.
And while I'm not keen on toggles, it was a lot safer than the one that was just tail.
You really had to grip that one and hope it didn't slip