Slinging as a means of protection and hunting.

[Kevin the grey]

I don't know if this has been mentioned here. At least it hasn't been of late.
How about a simple sling for defending yourself? How far away could you hit a bucket sized target?

How about hunting? Could you become good enough to hit a rabbit or squirrel?
Is it feasible to practice a minimum of time in a non survival situation and be good enough when the S:H:T:F?

What is the easiest way to make a simple sling? Lets look at minimal material outlay. Things you would commonly have with you. I have heard of guys who carried their sling as a belt.

 

[mewolf1]

is this like a French arrow?

 

[EasEWryder]

I don't know if this has been mentioned here. At least it hasn't been of late.
How about a simple sling for defending yourself? How far away could you hit a bucket sized target?

How about hunting? Could you become good enough to hit a rabbit or squirrel?
Is it feasible to practice a minimum of time in a non survival situation and be good enough when the S:H:T:F?

What is the easiest way to make a simple sling? Lets look at minimal material outlay. Things you would commonly have with you. I have heard of guys who carried their sling as a belt.

Many ancient peoples have utilzed slings to put food on the table and as a weapon of war. Accuracy and effectiveness can be attained through practice, and it has been reported that there have been many quite adept with the use of the sling. I fashiond one out of two strips of leather and an approx. 2"x4" piece of leather, all three pieces were pretty supple.

I practiced for a bit when I was about 15, but never went any where with it. if I had the time and local, I would definitely fashion a better one utilizing paracord this time, and practice, but I can barely get out to work on my shooting and archery skills as it is. AWESOME survival tool, as it is simple, lightweight, and the parts can be used for other applications, or made/ replaced quite easily.

Don't know how well it would perform as a self-defense tool, unless you got quick at presentation and loading, but it's really fun to practice, and I betcha a diligent practioner could easily, albeit with some skill, take small game with it, and definitely two-legged animals. Great piece of kit, and ueful skill, IMO.

Mike

 

[mtnfolk mike]

i discovered slings a few years back, and just like shooting traditional/primitive archery, i was hooked.... they are very easy to make and take a bit of practice(patience) in order to get the hang of it....

check out www.slinging.org that is a great site, with a wealth of information.....

mike

 

[pict]

Back in the day I used to throw alot of rocks with a sling. They can be hard on your shoulder because slinging rocks at dead trees about 80 meters out and down the hill is addictive. You can get quite accurate but I never developed to the point I could hunt. The problem with hunting is that they require alot of motion on your part to get off a shot. If you are going after game that spooks it won't work well.

That said, I would NOT want to be the guy running up hill at a few people armed with slings and rocks. The force that can be generated is truly amazing. You can hit a man sized target after a few days of practice. With four or five people slinging at once at the same target it would be a near death experience for anyone on the receiving end.

Ancient battles must have been quite a thing to watch. Mac

 

[DOC-CANADA]

Slings are excellent. I was practising for awhile, last summer and I was definitely improving, but got side tracked. Will definitely have to get back to it.

A sling I made from jute:

And Mike is right, slinging.org is an excellent site.

Doc

 

[MSCantrell]

As far as I know, soldiers (not just, and probably not even mostly, American soldiers) are quite often injured or killed by preadolescents with slings. Powerful, no doubt about it.

At the same time, it's not an easy skill. I've spent a little time slinging, and while it's tremendous fun (if you're not in a war zone, of course), it's not something you learn without real practice. I spent a couple hours a day, couple days a month, for a couple months last year slinging. If I had to guess, I'd say I could throw golf-ball sized rocks with triple the force and one-third the accuracy of throwing them by hand.

So, good enough weapon for SHTF? Yes. Minimal practice will be enough? I don't really think so.

For great information, though, www.slinging.org!

Mike

 

[2dogs]

I tried it many years ago and the thing I remember is you need a big practice area with no one around. I didn't hit much but it was fun.

 

[Kevin the grey]

Don't know how well it would perform as a self-defense tool, unless you got quick at presentation and loading, but it's really fun to practice, and I betcha a diligent practioner could easily, albeit with some skill, take small game with it, and definitely two-legged animals. Great piece of kit, and useful skill, IMO.
QuoteMike

Mike I should have been more clear. As we had a few posts on dealing with predators I was looking at the sling as a means of dealing with them while they are farther away.

"Triple the force,one third the accuracy" I wonder if that is linear? If you doubled your force instead of tripling is there only a slight increase in accuracy? I would wager a slight lessening of effort may improve accuracy quite a bit. As this is subjective rambling it must be taken with a grain of salt.



I am not referring to smacking an unsuspecting predator. I think that could just escalate hostilities. If you suspected old fang face wanted to come to dinner I think a well placed rock may curb their appetite.

Doc I just made a jute combination bowstring for a light bow. It is an endless loop on one end with a bowyers knot on the other. I served the endless loop,nocking area and the area of the bowyers knot that went under the bow nock.

I utilised a double flemish twist. I took a roll of flemish twist jute and twisted two lengths together I then took the twisted lengths to form the semi-endless loop. I served the loop before I twisted it shut.

This is on a twenty pound fibreglass bow. I will let the kids down at the range have fun with it.
If the jute can hold up to that it will take a mere survival situation in fine form.

I am not entirely pleased with the jute I have. It is strong enough. It is also a macramé quality.
Too many strands sticking out for my liking. This may be common with jute. I payed one dollar at a church sale for 5oo feet. If it works out well there are quite a few more spools there. If not it was only a couple of hours twisting.

I will check out the slinging site. I do not have enough time right now to braid a sling. I am afraid it will be a very simple affair. I am working on learning to scrape mahogany arrows.

 

[pict]

"you need a big practice area with no one around"

+1 TO THAT!

You can really put he hurtin' on a car or house much farther away and off on a tangent to where you intend to throw.

We used a big open hilltop that bordered a swamp. Here in Brazil I have used similar areas littered with quartz rocks.

The last thing you want is to bean a neighbor's car. Mac

 

[SilverFoxKnows]

but the learning curve is steep. I've braided a few of 'em, now. I could hit a formation of pikes out to 100 yards but not a rabbit at 100 feet. At backyard distances I could hit a guy, or at least get close enough to make him duck. I used jute twine, the spool cost a few bucks at Sav-On. It wouldn't be my first choice for hunting but a small group of slingers could make any manner of beast think twice. Give it a whirl.

Frank

 

[Kevin the grey]

O:K so lets just say you are a mediocre shot. You can hit a bucket 6 times out of ten at 40 feet.

What about multiple small projectiles in one pouch. Let us say for arguments sake and an extreme case , 9mm ball bearings. 3 or 4 in the pouch. Would they have a shotgun pattern effect of hitting that bucket 8 times out of ten and thereby increase your game taking potential?

What about if it were three fairly round rocks slightly bigger than 9mm. Would one of them have enough ooomph(technical term) to take down a rabbit?

 

[runningboar]

I have made some dang good slings and have tried to get decent with them but never could get accurate to the point I think I could kill game. I think as an area weapon they are very good, a few dozen slingers throwing a hail of fist sized stones would be very effective, but until I see someone that can hit a coffee can at about 20 yards consistantly I have my reservations about hunting with one. My ethics may be questionable but one thing I do strive for is fast humane kills which requires pin point accuracy. As has already been mentioned I am not sure what animal would stand around and let you swing it around a couple of times to build momentum without heading for the hills. Chris

 

[SkunkWerX]

Kevin, I have a question?
Using multiple projectiles per sling, is that ethical?

Seriously, for a moment....
Would multiple give you a better chance on a shot by shot basis?
I don't know?

It appears that it might, (more projectiles=higher probability for a hit)?
sounds reasonable.

OR, would multiple projectiles contribute to a wider spread, more innacuracy due to greater difficulty, and perhaps negating any gain in probable hits?

It's just a question, and I don't really have a clue.
Appears that it would call for a test, or some info from master-slingers who have already been down this path.

?????

Did anyone find anything on the slinging.com site? I didn't go look.

 

[Kevin the grey]

but the learning curve is steep. I've braided a few of 'em, now. I could hit a formation of pikes out to 100 yards but not a rabbit at 100 feet. At backyard distances I could hit a guy, or at least get close enough to make him duck. I used jute twine, the spool cost a few bucks at Sav-On. It wouldn't be my first choice for hunting but a small group of slingers could make any manner of beast think twice. Give it a whirl.

Frank

By a "formation of pikes" do you mean a "murder of crows"?
I only ask this cause they can be little pikers.

Would you mayhaps and perchance mean a military formation of Pikers?
I only ask due to an unfamiliarity with the term.

 

[SilverFoxKnows]

By a "formation of pikes" do you mean a "murder of crows"?
I only ask this cause they can be little pikers.

Would you mayhaps and perchance mean a military formation of Pikers?
I only ask due to an unfamiliarity with the term.

Yeah, a military formation of sprear men. Hey, you never know.

Frank

 

[bulgron]

How would the force and accuracy of a sling compare to a powerful slingshot (wrist-rocket)? I've tried wrist-rockets, and even almost hit a rabbit once, but never tried a slingshot.

 

[siguy]

speaking as a regular slinger for nearly a year now, you will never be able to gain any kind of decent accuracy in any kind of reasonable time.

for survival, you would be better off getting a slingshot or a wristrocket. easier to shoot with and more accurate.

if you want to read some articles on making and using the sling, you should check out this site:
www.slinging.org

slings can be very easy to make. two of my favorites are made from para cord and duct tape and para cord and the palm of a work glove. people have used everything, from complex braids that take hours, to some knots that take under 60 seconds to tie.

for survival and etc, definately stick to the slingshot.

that said, the sling is alot of fun to use and play with, and it really wows people with the power and distance that is pretty easy to acheive.

by the way, i carry a sling in my belt pouch. it packs small and slim. in the woods, i sometimes keep one tied around my head as a headband, or tied into a belt loop. i even made an ultra slim profile sling that disapeers into my wallet.

the nice thing about a sling is that i can ship them internationally labeled as headbands, as many people are ignorant to the actual purpose of the item.

 

[SkunkWerX]

Didn't I just read 80mph? ...from a sling.
Not bad, but, I coached baseball and I knew 15 year old kids that could throw 65 mph, and had the accuracy to hit the catchers mit.
I guess it's all relative.
So, the question is this:
Wristrocket slingshot: What speed? What accuracy?


"you will never be able to gain any kind of decent accuracy in any kind of reasonable time." Uh Oh? doesn't sound very promising.

 

[Kevin the grey]

I think it would be easier to build a sling than a slingshot in a survival situation.
Less materials to bring with you. Materials that could be used for more than one purpose. All you need for a sling is some cordage.