Slings, anyone ever make or use them?

ilbruche

ilbruche

Joined
Jun 19, 2007
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I used to try to use a sling when I was a kid. There was no internet for information so who knows what I came up with back then. I never had much success and usually just ended up hurtling rocks into the air.

Browsing the survival and primitive skills websites I found some good tutorials on building various types of slings and technique.
http://slinging.org/index.php?page=guides-and-articles

I decided to make one out of leather and paracord. I"m currently trying to get my sister who has great skill with weaving, knitting, caning and tatting to make me a couple variations of the braided and woven slings.

Anyone else ever use or make a sling?

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that's cool B...:thumbup:

slings are a lot of fun...:D i have been been using them since i was a kid...

i bought a box upholstery leather scraps at a thrift store a while back.. i ended making a bunch if slings out of that stuff... i handed a bunch them out to kids at bowshoots....
 
Nice, man! You're a leather voodoo master.

I used to make/use slings like crazy when I was a kit, got pretty good with those darn things! I was actually talking to my gf about making another one soon. I don't know how easily I could actually get some food with one, but fun to play with.
 
check out the "klippe wilderness wiki" thats where i learned to make a woven paracord sling its great but i cant sling for beans

i think the link to the wiki is: http://wiki.funditor.org/ just search woven sling
 
i have been a member of the slinging.org forums for a couple of years and playing with slings since i joined...

they are alot of fun but tricky to master...

that is a fine example you have made there, much finer than any of mine. i mostly just do a quick utilitarian design, and mostly use an Aussiepouch nowadays. if you get onto the slinging.org forums you can get one from a very generous member there from australia that makes great pouches from slender conveyor belt material.

at any rate, much fun and if you had the time (years) a sling could become a viable survival weapon...
 
Well I had plenty of scrap leather and some paracord so I figured why not. Ammo is free so that makes it even better.

I think it took me all of 15 minutes to make.
 
I make and use slings. As far as accuracy,though, I have a long ways to go. :D

Mostly I make netted pocket slings such as:
Coyossling2.jpg

although I have made solid pocket and split pocket ones.

A couple of older ones:
Slinggroup-edited.jpg


As was pointed out, ammo is free and it's one hell of a lot of fun.

Doc
 
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I haven't used one, but they look like fun! Look like fun to make too! I'll have to try some at work when it gets slow. Thanks for bringing it up! -Matt-
 
Well, I got nostalgic and bored before dinner, and ilbruche's work is always inspring! So I made up a quick & dirty sling:

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I goofed around with it in the apartment a bit, just to see what I could break. It could really whiz some dog treats!

Anyway, it's a fun little 10 minute project and makes a neat addition to the pack. Free, fun, lightweight. Good thread, amigo!
 
WOW !!! that brings back some memories !! I haven't done that since I was a kid, and now that I have even better supplies, I am gonna make a couple this week!! Honestly, I had forgot all about playing with slings.... THANKS !!
 
Man, super cool thread. Those look fantastic. Those woven ones could compress into a very small space! PSK sized even!

Doc, do you sell those?
 
I wanted to design for myself a sling that met certain ideals I had in mind: As short of a length of cord as necessary, with minimum weight and bulk; still usable as a piece of cord; adjustable for different sized projectiles... I forget what the rest were.

I came up with a simple design making a two string "pouch" out of two double overhand knots, tied together. Not elaborate of fancy, but seems to meet my needs, seems to work well so far, and has an elegant simplicity that gives me satisfaction.

I'm not currently in the same location as my sling, but I will try to get pics of the sling posted, eventually.
 
Went out today for a little slinging. I wanted to see what technique worked best for me. I find a 360 degree overhand swing works best for me.

The views.

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OK, this is my preferred grip. I put the loop over my index finger and pinch the knot between my thumb and index finger.

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I put my thumb on the rock and aim for my target (or general area).

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With my left hand fully extended my right arm is bent about 90 degrees and my hand is close to my body.

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I was getting the hang of it and slung for a while. I made notes of a couple tweaks to make on the sling.

Obligatory knife shot.

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Some flowers.

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So when I got home I got rid of the knots near the pouch and sewed the cord together. I wrapped the excess string around the cord and covered it with superglue.

I also sewed the finger loop and wrapped some goatskin lace around it. I put a piece of osage on to replace the knots for the release.

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Well I wear briefs and I think I'll stay with those. Slings and Thongs? no way.
 
great pics B...:eek: man i love CO...:o it's been waaaaay too long since i've been there..

i put the loop over my middle finger and pinch the string between my thumb and index finger...
 
I've never been able to achieve a level of accuracy with a sling that could be considered anything more than harassing-fire at best.
 
At the Wilderness Learning Center, we don't teach the standard sling method as a preferred hunting tool. It works but the staff sling allows the user to throw larger objects farther, faster and in my opinion with greater ease.
 
kevin, i would not necessarily agree with you on farther, but i do agree for hitting something, a staff sling is much easier to use, and it is capable of larger ammo generally...

but i have rigged a standard pattern sling to throw basketballs before...:rolleyes:
 
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