So there is all these threads on sling shots...

[hi]

Just out of curiosity, how many people here have used a sling? I'm not talking about a sling shot that has a rubber band, but one that is made of leather straps and thin rope.

I use them and they are super powerful. Its takes lots of skill and even more practice to use one, but you can easily throw a rock the size of a golf ball 200 yards.

I made one out of shoe laces and some nylon straps from a back pack. I suggest making one, they are loads of fun and super powerful, but be careful, you really can break something easily. they are also many times more powerful than a rubber band slingshot. people have thrown rocks over 1/4 mile with a sling.

to use a sling, you don't swing it around in circles, that is both dangerous and ineffective. this is the right way to throw it. You hold the rock/pouch in front of you, then make the strings tight, with the rock above and in front of your head, and your other hand down around your wast. then drop the rock, and swing it down towards the ground, then behind your back. from there its like throwing a baseball. You want to keep tension on it the whole time its moving, you don't want the string to come loose and have the rock fall out. then at the time of your choosing, release the string. too late and it will either hit the ground or if your really really late, it will hit you. If your too early, it will either go behind you, or strait up. If it goes strait up, cover your head and don't get hit, due to obvious reasons. be careful, it is possible to have the rock hit you on the head if you don't do it right.

This is not me in the video

[youtube][/youtube]

[THUNDERLORD]

It would be cool to learn and become accurate with IMO.
Probably like riding a bicycle after that.

I tryed it before, got a couple good shots with one, by releasing one string held in fingers...but it was sort of luck, and there were too many better ways to launch projectiles (can only think of one thing more fun in life ) that are almost as simple.

Been wondering about something very similar that came from a book I might like better than the bible (D*MN, blasphemy!!! but...),

It's called a "sinker Basher" , A lead sinker or otherwise dense weight attached to a cable or string, supposedly, in the right hands it could be flicked, bash out...[against rules to discuss further] (a T*mple).
(a lighter weight, faster, longer "black jack" sort of).

It doesn't actually leave the hand, just gets flicked, spun and smacked into [something] ...been wondering about them...practice is the key I imagine.

I got a lock of synthetic hair on one keychain, helps pull keys out of pocket faster, but when I spin them they really get going and remind me of a similar "sinker basher".

Any thoughts on those???
Personally I thought it was exageration at first, but practice and technique would be key I guess. 8)

[mark.f]

I made a sling a while back by round and flat braiding nylon string after reading a few tutorials on slinging.org. I learned how to use it, then it sort of just hung on my rearview mirror for a while, then I lost it. Probably should make another one...

FYI, there are numerous 'correct' ways to use a sling. The figure-8 Native American style the guy in the video is using is the one I like, but you can also do the helicopter thing, a simple overhand or underhand sling (where the sling is simply an extension of your arm), and more.

[JoergS]

I tried using one, but I can't really hit with it. Very powerful, though.

[rna_duelers]

Thats what I did before I spudded both the elastic kind and a plain sling.Golfballs and small water balloons,awesome ammo

[maverik94]

Hey, cool some other people are interested. I built one of these a while back (I mentioned it on one of the slingshot threads). Its rope with a leather pouch. I can pulverize small pieces of mortar againt walls . So far I have only managed so shoot mine about 100 yards . I would love to try and use lead ammo like the ancient romans did Also, you said

people have thrown rocks over 1/4 mile with a sling.

well, acually the world record is 1565 ft 4 in, which is well over a quarter of a mile, HOWEVER, the record using a stone is only 1434 ft 2 in, which is just over a quarter of a mile, which is 1320 ft, so while it is possibe to hurl a rock 1/4 mile, it is VERY difficult. Anyway, I use a different method of hurling rocks. What I do is make about 2 swings like I'm about to pitch a softball (underhand), then on the 3rd swing I whip the sling upwards, releasing the projectile only a few inches off the ground, lobbing the projectile in a very curved (but accurate) path. the underhand method was the most common method of slinging back when these were popular because most of the time the slings were not used for one-on-one combat, instead they were used with a large group of people lobbing them at the enemy.

[THUNDERLORD]

One time in a museum I saw where in ancient South American warfare plenty of slings and other hurling methods were used, some of the stones were interesing too, some sort of sprocket shaped even.

Another thing similar is the "Bolo" (forgot to mention earlier) where two objects like pool balls...(IDK for sure) are swung around and released around legs, etc.

Bolo's are cool too, nothing beats the primitive sling though in terms of projectile history IMO. 8)

BTW, when you look at a hand saw, looks very different from the power tool equivelent, but related still... it's great grandfather(???) 8)

[dudeman508]

I am totally ignoranton the subject so im sorry if this is a stupid question, but is that what you see at the end for some catapults?

[THUNDERLORD]

I am totally ignorant on the subject so im sorry if this is a stupid question, but is that what you see at the end for some catapults?

Basically, yes.
same concept, on the catapult ends one side releases while the other remains attached similar to the throwing technique for these.

Same concept as the morning star ( 8) ) or nunchuk or Bolo etc.
It's just the lever/ gear principal.
Sort of like a saw blade with 12" blade will cut faster than a 5" blade in same saw.

If your hand is moving say about 180 RPM's in a 1" inch diameter circle, (reasonable???) you extend say a 3' foot radius moving the same 180 RPM's ...

Hmmm...18.84 feet x 180/60=... ...

...My stupid brain is getting 56.52 Feet per second...I think I messed up somewhere's ...'Effin Mathematics, some one can help (?)...

BTW, can you still write "'effin" on this "13 year old site" for 13 year olds???

[dewey-1]

I am totally ignorant on the subject so im sorry if this is a stupid question, but is that what you see at the end for some catapults?

Basically, yes.
same concept, on the catapult ends one side releases while the other remains attached similar to the throwing technique for these.

Same concept as the morning star ( 8) ) or nunchuk or Bolo etc.
It's just the lever/ gear principal.
Sort of like a saw blade with 12" blade will cut faster than a 5" blade in same saw.

If your hand is moving say about 180 RPM's in a 1" inch diameter circle, (reasonable???) you extend say a 3' foot radius moving the same 180 RPM's ...

Hmmm...18.84 feet x 180/60=... ...

...My stupid brain is getting 56.52 Feet per second...I think I messed up somewhere's ...'Effin Mathematics, some one can help (?)...

BTW, can you still write "'effin" on this "13 year old site" for 13 year olds???

Your math will never work properly when you do not use a consistent unit of measurement.

In one case you say 1 inch diameter and the other a radius of 3 feet.

If you use 1 inch diameter compared to 72 inch diameter it may make more sense!

[THUNDERLORD]

Your math will never work properly when you do not use a consistent unit of measurement.

In one case you say 1 inch diameter and the other a radius of 3 feet.

If you use 1 inch diameter compared to 72 inch diameter it may make more sense!

I was refering to the 1" inch around central point the hand/fingers holding sling end move, (which could be larger in real life except the sling 6' diameter might strike ground(?)),
compared to a 3' foot sling (which equals 3' foot radius, not too unreasonable length).

The 1" inch diameter of hand/finger movement should only effect the formula by giving it 3' foot 1" inch actual radius...
so not much different...
I am more interested in approximate velocity in FPS of the stone...

which it seems I've made an error since a pitcher can throw a baseball at over 150 fps...
plus I'd rather not care to admit but I'm off work today and had a beer buzz at that moment, making mathematics even less desirable than usually!

Maybe it'll be a fun puzzle for someone(?)...anyone(?) Thanks! 8)