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Advice needed, paracord sling (Read 3017 times)

Vukomir

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Advice needed, paracord sling
Aug 27^th, 2025 at 5:33am

Hi guys, I’m new to slinging.
I built a simple, cheap sling to throw tennis balls—and got completely hooked.

My first sling was super basic: just some rope and webbing. Even though it looked rough, it helped me figure out the slinging motion. After maybe 100–200 throws, I could already aim a bit, and the balls were flying way faster than I could ever manage by hand.

Then I decided to upgrade and made a paracord sling. I followed a YouTube tutorial, and while it turned out looking decent (despite my total lack of braiding/weaving experience), it feels stiff and hard to control compared to my basic starter sling.

So now I’m wondering: is the problem with me, or with the sling I made?

Here are some details about the paracord sling:

6 strands (3 cords folded in half)

Flat braid, basically a 3-strand braid but doubled (3 × double strand)

I improvised the knots at both ends of the pouch—maybe that’s an issue?

The release cord doesn’t end in a knot; I finished it with a plastic tie instead of a knot

Have I made any cardinal sin in the sling making process?

Any advice or suggestions on what might be wrong—or how I can test and improve it—would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks!

« Last Edit: Aug 28^th, 2025 at 2:34pm by Rat Man »

one_004.jpg (185 KB | 108 )

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Vukomir Novicius Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 5	Re: Advice needed, paracord sling Reply #1 - Aug 27^th, 2025 at 5:34am Pouch
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Vukomir Novicius Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 5	Re: Advice needed, paracord sling Reply #2 - Aug 27^th, 2025 at 5:34am Both ends
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RhonanTennenbrook

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Re: Advice needed, paracord sling
Reply #3 - Aug 27^th, 2025 at 6:46am

Hello Vukomir

Welcome to the hobby.
The sling looks great. No significant issues that I can see.
I would suggest maybe making the release cord thinner and lighter. Reduce it down to a simple three strand braid with single paracord strands. A heavy and soft release cord can cause issues in the release due to its inertia (I have done the same in the past).

Where are you from, Vukomire?

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Vukomir Novicius Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 5	Re: Advice needed, paracord sling Reply #4 - Aug 27^th, 2025 at 8:00am Thanks fo the reply Rhonan, I will try to make the release cord thinner by removing 3 strands. I'll share the results after testing I'm from Serbia What about you?
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RhonanTennenbrook Descens Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 162	Re: Advice needed, paracord sling Reply #5 - Aug 27^th, 2025 at 8:22am I'm from Croatia, my man! Nice to meet you!
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erricrice

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Re: Advice needed, paracord sling
Reply #6 - Aug 27^th, 2025 at 10:45am

Hey looks great, very nice job for a first try!

Agreed with Rhonan's evaluation that making the release cord thinner will probably help.

But also, what kind of cord/webbing was your original test sling made out of? It could just be that this new sling has a lot more material in it and is thus much heavier. Regardless of sling design, weight makes a huge difference in feel and throwing style.

If you like this one though, just keep practicing with it! You'll get used to the extra weight eventually and your technique will naturally adjust.

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Pocket rock.et

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Re: Advice needed, paracord sling
Reply #7 - Aug 28^th, 2025 at 12:59am

Vukomir wrote on Aug 27^th, 2025 at 5:33am:

The release cord doesn’t end in a knot; I finished it with a plastic tie instead of a knot

Hi! Overall it looks pretty good, especially for one of the first slings! The guys have already noted the thickness of the release cord, and I'll add about the plastic ties - I think it's better to use a thin rope, thread, strips of leather or knots, because it's softer. The release cord will constantly be torn out of your hand at high speed, and the tip of a rough tie can seriously scratch your hand and fingers.

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Vukomir

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Re: Advice needed, paracord sling
Reply #8 - Aug 28^th, 2025 at 4:01am

Thanks everyone for the comments!

@Rhonan - ohhh Croatia, awesome, zdravo dragi susedu, ima slingera i na Balkanu

@erricrice- the first sling has much less material, and it's much lighter. "You'll get used to the extra weight eventually and your technique will naturally adjust. " - good point!

@Pocket - yes, the plastic tie doesn't feel good in the hand, plus I'm sure it would break after x throws.

Ideally, I would have one well-made paracord sling as a reference. Right now, I’m trying to replicate a design I’ve only seen online, without ever holding a proper one in my hands. Maybe the sling I made isn’t that bad—maybe the issue is with me. But then again, if I can sling reasonably well with a lighter sling, why do I struggle so much with the heavier paracord one?

Below you can see the first sling I made, a simple and light one

aa_001.png (1288 KB | 127 )

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erricrice

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Re: Advice needed, paracord sling
Reply #9 - Aug 28^th, 2025 at 10:16am

Oh yeah, weight is probably your main issue here - and that just takes time to adjust. Do you have a scale that measures to gram precision?

I would guess your first sling is in the 20-30g range, and assuming your braided one is made of 550 paracord it's probably in the 60-80g range.

Basically, you've hit the two ends of the spectrum of "normal" of sling weight.

In my experience, jumping between slings any more than 10g lighter or heavier takes a bit of adjustment(maybe 100 throws). 20-30g takes a lot of adjustment(200 throws to really get it dialed in). And you're doing 30-50g, so that's going to feel very different and require a lot of change in technique.

Not to mention the change in sling style - braided slings are much more stiff(even at the same weight) than single-strand slings. There are many people that prefer both styles, so it really just comes down to what you like.

Anyways, it does not appear you've done anything wrong other than maybe discover the addiction of sling-making and tweaking! Welcome! We have support group meetings weekly Grin

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Rat Man Slinging.org Administrator Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 14278 New Jersey, USA Gender:	Re: Advice needed, paracord sling Reply #10 - Aug 28^th, 2025 at 12:12pm Some people gut paracord to make a more pliable sling. Try using just the sheathing.
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