I like Anime I’ve been slinging for a few weeks I’ve been able to hit 80 feet with accuracy My ammo is NOT smooth or round It’s just whatever is weighty enough Pointed enough Or blocky
having grown up playing with seal skin slings since 5, I'm surprised none of what you said ever been mentioned or practiced in my Inuit culture. I only got serious about it in my teens when my grandfather showed me the proper way to swing. While round medium sized rocks are the most ideal choice to sling with, there are trick shots with flat disc like rocks and long stick like rocks. While it is true that shorter slings provide more accuracy, you gain muscle memory on what you consistently use. I like my slings to be no less than two feet long and I was starting to get more accuracy on much MUCH further targets over a block (sometimes much further with flat rocks) away and even lost sight of the rocks that went really far. I noticed that you were spinning it around over your head numerous times before releasing it, that does not give you more power (it actually makes you more prone to have clumsy shots) than making a single swing which is how we shoot them. Just make sure there's nothing or nobody on the opposite side of what you're swinging with. You made it sound like you need to go through intensive meditative marine HARDCORE training. For more effective improvement, don't take it as a training... Just do it because you enjoy it... It'll come naturally to you. Just remember that it is a weapon, mind your environment.
Have you thought about educating people about your culture? I would enjoy learning more. Do you have stories that your grandfather told growing up that you could share? History is lost when one is quiet.
Thanks for watching and sharing your perspective! I agree that the spin doesn't add much to the power, most of it comes from the actual cast. When I first began slinging, I just wanted to see how much I had to train to become marginally effective with this weapon. However, as I kept practicing, it started becoming very enjoyable to the point where if I didn't get in a shooting session I would get the cravings for it.
Thanks for watching! I do believe that the sling is the most efficient of all primitive weapons when it comes to transferring muscle power into kinetic energy and momentum. I'm now at the point where my casts would sometimes throw sparks when it hits the steel target. The same shots would sometimes bust holes in a wooden log that serves as a backstop behind the target. In short there is enough energy behind that stone that it behaves almost like a bullet from a firearm.
Wannabe Bushcrafter it’s more powerful then a 22. 9mm and just barely more powerful then a 45. Or was it a 357. I can’t remember A good slinger is more dangerous and versatile then a good archer . You can sling any where . In snow in rain in wind Archers can’t do any of that Slings are also easier to make and care for While it requires more skill to use then a archer
Wannabe Bushcrafter and that depends Hunting boomerangs are easily more dangerous then any other hunting weapon For the shear fact Your trying to disable the prey Not outright kill it
Lol, the shepherds sling is a surprisingly good weapon. centripetal force is nothing to sniff at. The world record for longest distance launching a metal dart with a shepherds sling is just under 500 meters..that's just over fifteen hundred feet and about as far as a .22 caliber bullet goes.
@musikSkool Your idea is excellent. A "Shepherd's sling competition" Could be done on existing competition fields. And would fit right in to the spirit of the Olympics. Love your idea! How can we start a petition?
That was remarkably thorough! Greetings from a Greek slinger. For larger stones you may also try the so-called "Byzantine" style. If I learned anything from my shepherd father (who slung for a living when he was a child) it's that the size of the pouch (and the size of the ammo contained within) needs to be proportional to the length of the cords. The shorter the sling the smaller the stone they're meant to cast and the closer the range they're meant to be shot at.
Because I’ve tried this, seeing him hit a bottle is like watching someone fly a little, or start a fire with their mind. It’s a freakin superpower. I’m amazed that people can get good enough at this to make it useful. David hitting Goliath intentionally was sufficient for miracle status, in my book. Killing him was just extra.
Lol. I agree. I have been doing it for a few years. I have no where near his accurate. Maybe I'm putting too much in it. But I can put a hole through 1/2 plywood at 75 yards.
Judges 20:16 (KJV) Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.
I’d wager a hefty sum that even as an adult and King who had upgraded to using the sword, David still kept a sling and some stones on his belt wherever he went.
Of course, he did, why trade a weapon you were proficient with and that served you well for many years? My dude was probably like "yeah, I'll take the sword but when shit gets real Ima sling some fools."
@@somedude9309 makes sense. He killed a giant with a sling. The man was a giant slayer and he just used some cord and a stone. Anybody who stepped up to David seeking heat would’ve been stoned to death. Ba dum tsh.
When I was a kid I made a sling and used it all the time. I didn't imagine anyone would take it as seriously as you have, but I became proficient in its use. Kinda neat seeing someone take it to the next level.
The way you aim is very close to what I’ve heard about instinctive archery aiming. It takes years to master but is highly accurate at various distances.
Instinctive aiming comes from knowing from experience where your shot will hit. From thousands of shots fired and learning how your weapon will respond. Baseball pitchers or cricket bowlers know from experience where to put the ball and how to put it there, same with Instinctive aiming
I first used a sling such as this as a child in Mexico. I would say it was about 32 inches long. I was taught to whirl the sling a few times first above my head before releasing. It was accurate at 40 to 50 yards many times.
One great source of consistant ammunition is clay. When you live in an area that doesn't have rivers or rocks suitable for slinging, clay slingstones are the best thing. You form them into balls or biconnical shapes and leave them to dry out in the sun over a day or so. It's the perfect target ammunition, so long as you don't get them wet. If you bake them in a kiln, you don't have to worry about them getting wet, but I don't have a kiln. A campfire might be able to bake them. There's a big reason why virtually most cultures which used slings also used clay slingstones, particularly in Middle eastern regions during the Bronze and Iron age where sometimes stockpiles of as much as 10,000 clay slingstones have been found, in differing weights, with 30g slingstones being among the lightest. There are also Celtic fortifications with a similar number of slingstones found.
A normal campfire just doesn't get hot enough to truly fire clay. You could use it to get out extra moisture in exchange for a risk of cracking, I guess, but that's about it. For that you're looking to get up to 600-1000°C minimum (1100-1200° for stronger stuff, which are better for durability and energy transfer) for an extended period of time (and you're going to have trouble avoiding cracking with a thick solid mass) as you need to actually start to at least soften and fuse some of the particles in the clay. To be clear, though, it is possible to get up to the low end of those numbers for some more fragile ceramics using some pit firing techniques, so you can make ceramics (even if just earthenware, instead of stoneware) without a kiln. For target practice, you may find making disposable clay ammunition more practical for you, but if you're looking to make fired clay shot, hopefully that rough overview is a useful springboard for further research.
There is a way to fire clay in the bush jst takes some time and effort if u dig a u shaped tunnel underground about 7-9 inches is enough you can make one whopping hot fire and I have fired clay with jst this but to get it perfect u need to build a small dome of clay over one of your two holes then when you build a fire in the "kiln" and a fire in your uncover hole fan the flames into it and u would be amazed by the heat it generates thanx for the tip tho never thought of using clay projectiles
Clay is a great source of ammunition because it desolves in water and it won't break any windows (if its not baked) and when throwing they break on impact
@@robdonna1000 You mean archaic, dubious and badly translated. For the feeble of mind, a bandaid on a festering wound, thinking it helps, while it does nothing at all.
@@sdeschuiteneer ....piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 KJV
@marian roberto Actually the shepherds sling (the weapon in the video) in the hands of an expert can reach the power of a small firearm. There is a more powerful version called a staff sling, but those are much slower and harder to use while running as David was. From a physics standpoint (I'm an engineering senior) killing Goliath with a shot to the head is totally possible with a shepherds sling, though admittedly if he had practiced using it while running, the staff sling would have made it easier.
I started with a sling my Grandpa made for me out of leather boot laces. I preferred my single shot .22Long Rifle but I usually burned up my weekly supply of ammo in one day. I grew up on a farm/ranch and there were always plenty of ball bearings available from old worn out equipment. I got to be really accurate with the sling by the time I was seven or eight. I got lucky once and killed a full grown coyote and thousands of birds, rabbits and other small critters. I was on a pheasant hunt with several adult hunters when I was about ten and since I was out of ammo for my twenty two and 16 gauge shotgun I used the sling. I got the first bird of the day LOL. One of the Men was an Army vet that was caught in the Phillipines when the Japanese over ran the Island.. He said the Fillipnos used snares and slingshots to put meat on the menu. During my learning to master the sling I think I broke every glass window on the farm. It is a miracle I survived the wrath of my Dad!
Very impressive. I've always been in awe of the weaponry used by our predecessors and the ways in which they took what we see in nature around us to make accurate, reliable, and lethal tools. Awesome video!
I rabbit and squirrel hunt with mine. I eat good. After you sling several thousand stones, the feeling becomes natural. You will not only be able to hit your target, but have perfect form even while on the hunt. All you have to do is have patience and keep slinging. Also, dont forget to step it up a notch, practice on moving targets, or your speed to hit multiple targets. Some people may have a harder time learning it than others, as i started getting the hang of it after only a few thousand, but it all really matters how you are training. One last thing. Dont train alone! Even if you dont know an expert, you should have a fellow study to train with. You watch eachothers form and techniques, learn from eachother, and most of all, get competitive! Thats what drives people to be truely skilled. For me it was growing up hunting with me family, who owned guns, but preferred to teach us youngers how to hunt with method and skill before we ever used a gun... ofcorse im an old man and this was a different time... but it was the competition between my cousin and i, that is the reason both of us are considered expert slingers to this day.
old Goblin thanks for sharing! I’m getting there in the accuracy department now I’m still practicing but working on increasing the power of my casts without it affecting accuracy. I have made more than 40k cases so far.
Wannabe Bushcrafter good! Im glad to see a fellow slinger! Just remember, your power delivery on target, doesnt come from the strength of your arm. Power is usually mastered after accuracy and form. Once you perfect your form, and you can perform your cast at a high speed, that is when you will start to have rock shattering impact. No brute force. All finesse and speed.
I saw at the point it was behind his head sometimes the path was level and his release would be sideways and other times directly in back his swing was low and it would become a downward sling motion. I have never tried this but I dig anything caveman and this fits right in with that
Buy a bag of ball bearings hang a old sheet between 2 trees .go for consistent release the power will come . Mentally point at target when u release .ps collect the BB's with a magnet on a stick hope this helps .
Very good information. I taught myself proper foosball this way...playing myself and going for accuracy over power. The power naturally came over time.
Great video. I learned to accurately shoot the rifle at an early age, never had a problem shooting the bow either. But, when you said "Practice until you are able to consciously purge all thoughts from your mind at a moments notice" you reminded me of the summer (1974?) when I learned to shoot trap. The only way I could break 25 clays in a row, was to think of 'nothing' and let my body run on auto-pilot. I called it being in the Zone. I could easily break 50 clays in a row. Other competitors found they could break my hit string, by just saying my name. Any loud voice would distract me. So, I decided to stick to rifle competitions. Where most of the shooters are gentlemen & ladies.
Thanks for watching and sharing your story. Yes, there is a kind of magic in thinking of "nothing". The human subconsciousness is a truly a marvelous thing considering how many calculations it must do to be able to execute an accurate shot, and then do it shot after shot.
@@WannabeBushcrafter The math! I had always wondered how people did those trick shots, back in the old days. Like shooting thousands of small wooden blocks, tossed into the air and only missing 1 out of 16,000. It tells us that instinctive shooting is about 98% mental.
The 1.3k who disliked this obviously didn’t appreciate the break down you gave or didn’t stick around long enough on your vid to appreciate the metrics for developing this long lost skill. Basically this was shooting a gun back in those times. We’re still in the Stone Age and just figured out how to launch our rocks/bullets a bit faster. Now imagine David v Goliath and the account of him having nailed that giant of a troll right between the eyes. How many rocks went through his sling before that moment. You hear the story as though God endowed David with Devine luck and he was a hero because of it. As an adult who can extrapolate information, realize that it was a journey of sharping the axe that is a Shepard’s sling. Great vid mate 👍🏼
Thanks for watching! And yes with a decade or more of regular practice, I think the sling can deliver performance and accuracy that's comparable to a single shot pistol.
With enough practice you can hit every time with deadly force I was taught to chuck it first then when I got good enough whip it the rock will make a hum sound can hunt with them too birds and such my grandfather told me to be careful with them you can seriously injure or kill someone with them
Practice + Biblical Purpose + Faith = Good Luck Vince...if it helps..imagine your target is the Covid Virus...and you & your slingshot is the only hope of humanity...
Thanks for the upload! I've always been a fan of learning about primitive things. Survival building in environments, flintknapping, hunting, you get the idea. Until I saw this video, I always just passed the sling by, focusing on bow or atlatl. I never knew what sort of capabilities it had. 150 feet for a tiny target (perspectively tiny) is amazing.
I have just made a sling and was able to hit a small water bottle at 6 meters on my third try. Thank you for this information as i used it to make my sling.
I googled 'Rock Throwing Sling' due to intrigue from reading The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time) and it brought me here. I can't overstate enough how much respect I have for someone to put so many months and years into mastering a weapon like this. The patience you must have learned from all those failed attempts must be incredible. This is so awesome man, it was highly enjoyable. Kudos
Fun Fact; Greek and Roman troops would often carve or cast patterns or quotes on their lead sling ammo that they'd make. Zeus' bolt, "Catch!" And "Duck!" were common adornments. It's also said that a skilled slinger could launch a projectile with near-equal power of a .44 Magnum round, too.
This video is inspiring. I've picked up slinging a couple of months ago because it was a very common tool where i come from: It's so rocky over here that shepherds historycally used it in order to herd their goats and i want to keep the tradition alive. With that being said tho I'm still struggling to hit a human sized target at about 30 ft. (10 meters for us). Oh, Well! i guess i just need more practice and your video made me want to go outside and sling some pebbles. thx sir. Please make more videos about this topic!
@Leon from what i know the sling was primarely used to drive the goats, over here you are always going either uphill or downhill, we also had dogs btw but as you might know goats are not affected by gravity 😂 so you might find them in non easily accessible places (slinging a rock in front of the animal will make It come back) I'm sure It was also used to protect the herd though , there still are wolves and some bears around here today. (Grandma told me that 50 years ago they were still pretty common). So yes, Indeed It was used in both roles. P.S. not entirely sure if bears like to eat goats but ok
Thanks for watching! I principally use the greek no spin technique for my short sling and the balearic technique for my long sling. With the short sling, there is very little if any velocity differences between spin and no-spin techniques. Imho the great benefit of a spin technique is that it allows each shot to be more accurate because your subconscious mind gets several opportunities to execute the release. But this comes at a cost of tiring your arm out faster in each practice session for a fewer number of shots. Also in a survival hunting situation, the rotations will alert the prey to your position. So for the short sling my preference is to use no-spin techniques.
I imagine the wind up with the long sling is more suited for a warfare scenario, with rows of slingers, just like archers would have been used in rows in order to send repeated vollies of arrows. However, hunting in a forest/woodland during windy conditions between late spring and up to mid to late Autumn, the foliage rustle would give audible cover for the winding sling, and also being downwind would be advantageous no just for scent, but also for the reason that sound travels further on the wind! I would consider also elevation would be a big advantage.
While I clearly prefer a bow, I can see a lot of advantages of becoming proficient with a sling: Less materials to make. Less time to make. Weighs less. Can fit in a pocket. Ammo is far easier to acquire, and making good arrows is incredibly difficult in comparison to finding adequate stones. The sling being easily constructed also means it's easier to part with it should you need to use the materials for something else. The cons compared to a bow are quite significant: Takes far more time and energy to master. Lacks penetration, restricting it to small game. Velocity of the projectile is gonna likely be much lower, and lose speed sooner. Max effective range will be significantly less than a bow due to both velocity and accuracy. Even still, it seems like an excellent backup ranged weapon. I would also recommend you try the bolas. I've found a bolas with 6 anchors is unbelievably easy to master, and the great advantage of the bolas is its ability to ensnare and stun small game and large birds (like geese), even as they are taking off. Another interesting projectile weapon is the "tin can shotgun," or "spring gun." To make one, find a very flexible piece of greenwood about half an inch thick or more. Fasten an empty soup can (smaller is better) to one end so the open side is facing away, and the stick is running parallel with the side of the can. If you were to do a cut-away, it would form an upside down lowercase "h" at the end. Kinda hard to explain without a picture. You want the end of the stick to be flush with the open rim, and running down the length of the can. Can you picture that? So once you have the can secured, tie a short length of string to the end with the can, just enough to act as a tab to grip. Now, load the can with about an ounce (or a pile that fits in the center of your palm) of small pebbles. Your spring gun is now loaded. To "fire" the weapon, hold the end of the stick without the can in your leading/aiming hand. Pinch the string tab on the can side with your other hand, and "cock" the weapon by pulling the tab back while your lead/aiming hand/arm is outstretched, causing the branch to bend and form spring tension. Release the tab, and the can will snap forward in an arc, launching the stone shot (or even metal BBs if you have 'em) with centripetal force. If constructed properly, and with practice, this device can be used to hunt birds and other small game with surprising effectiveness out to about 20-30 yards, and requires less effort to master than a sling due to its shotgun-like spread. The downside is 30 yards is really pushing its max range, and it's much more practical within 15 yards or so. Of course, the ultimate indispensable way to hunt and get a steady supply of meat is via trapping, and trapping has a real advantage over the other methods in that you set up a network of traps, 12 or more, and you can do other things like build shelter, tend to fires, fabricate clothing, weapons, cordage, etc. while the traps passively "hunt" on your behalf, saving you time and energy. You could even take a nap if you so desired. Traps also offer you two options, live capture, which prevents the meat from spoiling, but can be dangerous as you'll need to kill a very angry and frightened animal - as well as gives the animal time to figure out an escape. The other option is to make a kill trap, which will be made to either strangle, mangle, or dangle the animal. Traps are very versatile, and can catch you anything from mice to bears, depending on the trap. You can buy steel traps, which will last a very, very long time, or you can make traps on the fly with natural resources.
I made one of these many years ago. I used leather shoe laces for the strings and sewed together two layers of denim for the pouch. Just a crude stitch around the edge. I too became.rather proficient with it in time. Two things were different with me however. The book which i used for the project also described a two revolution throw. The first revolution was a horizontal circle over my head followed by a second vertical circle for the throw. The two revolutions really wound up some serious velocity with a more relaxed and consistent throw motion. The other thing different is I dont recall any audible snap from breaking the sound barrier. Ive also seen two vertical circles for throwing. Ive never tried that one. I always had a .22 rifle available growing up and i had fun with that, the sling, and a slingshot, all of which i became very proficient with. Never had a bb gun, though i did have some good quality pellet guns in adulthood. A few seriously accurate firearms as well.
Thx for watching and sharing your story. I liked shooting rifles growing up, but I only discovered the sling 2 years ago. It's mad fun to practice with.
When I was a boy, I ticked off a kid from Mexico who came up out of a manhole in El Paso, Texas. Seeing me as a threat, he quickly removed his T-Shirt, folded it into a sling, and sent a rock whistling towards me. Luckily, I hugged the ground and didn't get hit. His skills were so amazing that I just sat there in awe and admiration.
I started using a sling when I was in 7'th grade. I'm over 65 and I still enjoy throwing rocks with it. Your right about a shorter length sling being more accurate but less powerful. But if you go that route, why not just throw a rock by hand. I bet most anyone could throw several rocks by hand faster than you or I could throw 2 with a sling because it takes so much time to re-load. Mostly I enjoy throwing for distance with a sling almost 5 ft long.
Thx for watching! The short sling is still a bit more powerful than throwing by hand. Also the nature of the release makes it more accurate after lots of practice.
My cousin used to practice throwing rocks ...he got really good at it and I would test him by choosing random targets for him to hit while on walks....one advantage I noticed was you did not have to be too choosy about the size and shape of rocks, once you are proficient you can pick up rocks of various size and shapes and you will have the reflexes and muscle memory to auotmatically adust and compensate for the differences.
Hi Posen, your right any size rock within reason will work, but there's nothing like finding a smooth egg size rock for distance throwing. I'm lucky that I live in a place adjacent to a large empty lot which is a good place to throw. Watch out for the jagged rocks that can hang up in your sling and come out behind you. I was wondering what country you live in. I'm in Arizona USA.
@@douglasbeland8914 I am from India over in the state of Nagaland which is over to the north east...interesting place, used to be quite troubled by insurgencies but its gotten a whole lot better these days.
We made these slings when we were kids. Never got good with them but my father grew up with them and could hit a poster on a pole a 100 yards away every time. He was unbelievable with one.
I made and used a sling when I was 10 yrs old. 1971 By the time I was 11, I could hit a mouse at 10 yards and a person at over 50 yards. Love ya bro! lol
Split pocket cool I will have to try that. I was amazed by how acurret a handfull of me and my friends got in a short time. I never did but a lot of windows paid for it practice it away from Windows lol
The optimum length differs from person to person. It should be adjusted to accommodate the distance between the users hand, and the ground (standing at rest). I'm 70, and have years of throwing experience.
I've never even seen a sling. I want to learn how to use one. It's very interesting. The one thing I can't understand is when this guy talks about the release fingers. How do you release the stone?
@@desertodavid thx for watching! I put the loop on my index finger and release the knot end of the sling. There is no way I can consciously time the release, I just trust my subconscious to know when to do it .
@@WannabeBushcrafter Thanks. That's actually a good answer, which explains why you say your mind has to be clear of all extraneous thoughts. I found this to be true when playing golf and other sports. Just go out and have a good time, relax and visualize your shot. Best advice I ever got was from a U.S. Marine Marksmanship instructor who said, "Make each hit count. The score will take care of itself."
"Distracting thoughts absolutely destroys accuracy" Yes !!! Ive always thought an empty and calm mind will improve your skill and accuracy in anything like in pitching . Thank you for that !! You're a cool dude
oh ok thanks for the info. I read somewhere that slinging was punished by hanging in Inida (maybe in some states at some specific time in it s history). Is it much practiced nowadays ? do you have links of video of sling in this region ?
Still used for scaring away birds and monkeys to protect crops. I know it is common in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka states. I do not know whether it is common elsewhere in India.
Been working on a novel in which a sling is used to help the 3 kids escape. They have to make it out of a tapestry that hangs in the room where they are held captive. I've worked it out and have been satisfied. Just found your post and learned a couple of new things. Will go back and modify. Should make the sling using chapters stronger, Thank you very much.
Check the Majorcan slingers who worked as mercenaries for the roman troops back on the days. They could kill and go through armours from really far away. Since they were kids they had to use the sling to catch the food deposited on the top of trees...amazing.
Bernat Ferragut yes I read that they were some of the best slingers in the world at the time, capable of hitting man sized targets consistent at 100 yards
Ya they where skilled at their craft though the Roman legion put their skills to some uses I don't agree with I'm surprised to find someone else who has heard of them
@@axlsmith8062 Here in Majorca it's a common topic to talk about when we are proud of ourselves -which, as a members of Spain, happens not so quite often hahahahaha-. I can sure you that every majorquin is more proud of being majorquin than spanish. Cheers my friend
thanks for watching! I found the best way is to just look into the target and let your subconscious figure out everything else. It's hard to explain but if you actually tried to consciously aim the stone (e.g adjust the power or timing of the release) the accuracy becomes terrible.
Well at least with a bow you want to look at what you are aiming at till you hear the arrow hit. Otherwise you actually accidentally move your bow a little without realizing it. That affects the arrow and it will make you less accurate. Dont know if that is true about slings though.
Bantham Nobilis either you didnt quite understand or you are stupid. Looking exactly where you want to hit until the projectile hits the target increases accuracy over taking your eyes off of the target and glancing at something else. At no point did anyone other than you mention having your eyes closed.
Excellent summary of the process. As good as any that I have heard. I like that you emphasise the work involved. A lot of beginners make the mistake of thinking that no work is involved in developing a useful level of skill in an "instinctive" method.
Thanks, I'm glad you like it. Yes most primitive weapons require massive amounts of practice to gain proficiency. The sling has the steepest learning curve of all the primitive weapons that I have tried so far. On the flip side, the massive amount of practice effectively gave the ancient slinger the equivalent of a single shot firearm...
@@WannabeBushcrafter The importance of what our subconscious mind believes was underlined for me when after an absence from competition I just happened to go out and scored 83% of the available points in a Primitive bow class where my norm had been as much as 15% to 20% lower. I had in the interim stopped thinking in terms of what I might normally expect to score and instead just had a carefree round making most of my shots with a focus that gave me a real insight into the saying about just shooting one good arrow at a time. Talking about it is no substitute for understanding it, but understanding it is nothing without finding the ability to do it as naturally as breathing. For this we have to put in the work and then take that first essential step beyond mere accomplished technique. The default attitude should be to believe that everything will go exactly where we are looking. And have we not noticed how well we often group our bad shots when we look at the outline of the target? Realise this and then think about what you were really looking at as you let go.
I make mortar concrete balls and spray paint them neon orange. It makes it look like your shooting out lasers lol. You can do it with rocks too (obviously)
Wannabe Bushcrafter yah man the neon looks like a tracer round, expecially right around dusk. Also just a fyi the motor concrete balls are fantastic for accuracy. Just like u said for consistency of weight. HOWEVER... they almost always explode into dust lol witch is still pretty cool. Also the cure time for a batch is a week if you want to do it right. Love your videos and I love seeing other stingers out there. Oh yah I also go to the golf driving range and sling out golf balls lmao true story
Linda Oster I've been using a sling for over 50 years. I just like the idea of the distance that a longer than average sling is capable of throwing a stone. I always spin the sling several times around at about a 45 degree angle before releasing. It's the final spin and throwing movement of your arm that gives the stone the power. I use a thinner rope on the release line, and hang on to a slightly heavier rope on the end that I hold onto.
"Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss" Book of Judges 20:16
When I was a young I used to through rocks so hard that the rocks could rise and make rumbling rotor sounds as the rocks would rise and disappear in to the distance. The rocks can stick in tree trunks. Very dangerous weapon in the right hands. Rocks can travel hundreds of yards. I used one for about 5 years.
Building on this, I made one when I was 16 or 17 years old. While screwing around and seeing how big of a rock I could throw I managed to get a brick moving at Major League fastball speed, there is no doubt in my mind that it would have killed or severely injured anything it had hit. These weapons are no joke.
You sir takes 1st place for the biggest lie ever told. You have never stuck a rock in a tree trunk by throwing with your hand unless it was totally rotten just like yourself.
So... Consistency in bullets is the key for your ammunition. Consistency in practice is key for your accuracy. Dude. Brilliant. I recently got obsessed with the bronze age and The Bible in general, so now I'm getting into metal casting. Time to make some projectiles for my sling.
I've definitely gotten more accurate over the last year. I would say still not 2 out of 3 shots at 45 feet. But I have been focusing on putting more power into each shot without affecting accuracy.
As a kid in Kentucky there was an old leather smith who made our heavy duty pouches, he inserted bronze grommets for the holes, this prevented tearing. We used a medium duty cotton rope (from hardware stores; used in antique windows for the weight system). We had the standard size for individual use. We developed a super sling which required two people to use (load and help get it started). The super sling was about 7 ft long with a pouch 3x in size. We were able to launch 2 lb rocks around 120 yards into the Ohio River. We normally used smooth river rocks which had been dredged up into piles. We ended up launching at the river as it had become to dangerous to use them in town with walnuts. Our final version was the buckshot sling. It was only about3-4 ft long but had a oversized pouch made of denim. We used small pea gravel in it, we used it to clear birds from trees during harvest season when 100s of black birds invaded the area.
I made on as a kid one summer and got pretty handy with it. I used a pf flyer sneaker tongue for a patch and the shoe laces for cordage. I could stand on one shore of lake lorain in spfld mass and launch it to the other several hundred yards a way. It was totally instinctive shooting. If you found a flat stone and flung it the stone would make a cool noise like a ricochet from a firearm. I went from sling to slingshot to bow then firearm and I think it made me a good shot with rifle. I'm 64 now and I bet I could still sail one over the lake if I tried. The 60's was the last great time to be a kid. Today "you'll shoot your eye out kid".😊
It's a lethal weapon, and was used effectively by highly professional militaries in warfare. It really irks me when people describe slinging as "throwing stones", as if it's just tossing a pebble at someone's back to be a nuisance. _Dennis the Menace_ type stuff, rather than the reality that it remains a highly dangerous and effective weapon in skilled hands and people are occasionally killed by it to this day.
Absolutely, this weapon is highly underrated. The more I practice with it, the more I'm realizing that there might have been 2 types of slingers in antiquity. 1. Small numbers of highly skilled slingers who trained from childhood. these guys essentially had the accuracy and energy equivalent of repeating firearms and were capable of picking off individuals at 50-100 yards and long range casts of 200-300 yards. 2. Much larger numbers of people with little training but can manage to chuck a stone in the general direction of an an enemy formation at 100 yards.
Wannabe Bushcrafter Surely so, as that divergence of skill levels and corresponding ability is seen with most other personal weapons. This is an important factor in the dedication of resources to maintaining professional warriors, rather than only conscripts trained as needed. Just like most skills, it takes years to dedication to martial arts to achieve high levels of skill. With ranged human-powered weapons like slings and bows it is particularly obvious how skill and physical conditioning increases capability, because it can be objectively measured. Accuracy, distance, damage delivered to target by the projectile. But of course those of high ability in contact weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and firearms also have a tremendous advantage over those who have only a basic competency. The difference of ability between the master and the competent in slinging may be high, but there's a similar great chasm with weapons in general. And it's not just speed, accuracy, power, technique, and equipment. In a military context mastery also grants wisdom of how best to utilize the weapon, and how a team of men can best work together to maximize the effectiveness of the weapon upon the enemy. A unit of men of elite ability, if deployed to exploit their advantages, can defeat a much larger but less able force. The enemy often knows this, and surely will once they begin taking losses, so intimidation, as always, is another power of the most able. When it comes to ranged weapons, it discourages an attack because a greater effective range means losses will be inflicted on a known approaching force before they can fire back. Warfare is more about destroying enemy morale than the bodies of the enemy. The range, rapidity, and lethality of master slingers was surely intimidating and a reason they were prized even among civilizations like the Roman Empire that had access to every other kind of weapon in the world. I almost said "more sophisticated weapons", but actually the sling is probably one of the most sophisticated weapons invented. As with many simple things, there is an extreme amount of nuance to the details. I'm intimidated just imagining the depth of knowledge that existed about how to best to create and maintain slings and ammunition. An effective knife pretty much anyone can make with basic metallurgical knowledge, and it will perform pretty much just as well in a knife fight. Effective slinging equipment, and the mastery of it, is much more particular. It will not be figured out by one man, it is an art built by the efforts and lives of countless men. Because it is so complicated, it makes those who master it even more elite. To devote such resources to slinging in a world full of other weapons proves that slinging was a weapon that earned respect. I suspect it's unfamiliarity is because it requires more training and skill than other weapons. Especially in a military context, training time is always in short suppy except for the most elite (and expensive to maintain) warriors who do nothing else but prepare for battle. Archery was limited in it's use because of the amount of skill required. Slinging requires even more hours of training to be effective, limiting widespread adoption. Up until modern times, the soear was the predominant weapon worldwide not because of it's relative efficacy, but in spite of it because it was so cheap to produce (arrowhead on a pole) and effective even in unskilled hands. Bows are generally more effective, as are swords in many contexts, but who given the expense of equipment and training, only the warrior caste, upper classes, and professionals can afford to master advanced weapons. Everyone else has too much other work to do just to stay alive.
Thx for watching! I like shooting the AR as well. But there is something magical about the shepherd's sling. Crafting it, finding the right ammunition for it in nature, the art of the cast. I find slinging to be extremely enjoyable.
@KASPAR Exactly, one even made cheaply will last you a long time with a lot of ammunition available to an unlimited amount of ammunition essentially and the ability to make your own ammunition just like many armies across the world did in ancient warfare. Also can be made with a lot of different materials and many different ways and regardless of the materials used slings are typically extremely durable and relay on simple technology but are lethal in the hands of an expert.
Take it from experience ! NEVER swing that sling more then 1 turn before you release it, And never thrust yourself with it as I seen you do, Draw your hand directly over your head and learn to release it at the correct time for accuracy, When you release it over head ever time you should be in line with your target, Then releasing is the essence of hitting your target Using a sling with a proper leather pouch that just covers the stone is the best for control and straps of leather are the best, for gripping and accuracy as long as they don't get wet, Your can if your any good, drive a 3 or 4 inch rock through a piece of 3/4 plywood at less then 50 feet. And once you have acquired accuracy, you could drop a grizzly within your range, Or you might make him think twice about attacking you, And smaller stones will have just about the same effect and you can if good enough bring down deer etc, And every time you release that sling it should sound like definite gun, Size yes makes a difference, but the bigger they (don't discard them learn how to use them) they hit harder at close range, Just like a heavy slug from a gun, has more impact at close range,
recently picked up the hobby. i practiced in an empty park. my target was the playground. i was happy when a rock would go in that general direction. this viddy has helped. time to look for the right rocks! and start zooming in my focus! thanks!
I like the very humble brag... "After a year of constant training with the sling, I am at the skill level of a small child"
Lol thx for watching!
To be fair, slingers trained at a young age. Being able to accurately hit something at ten yards, I think, is already an incredible achievment.
I like Anime I’ve been slinging for a few weeks
I’ve been able to hit 80 feet with accuracy
My ammo is NOT smooth or round
It’s just whatever is weighty enough
Pointed enough
Or blocky
@@baronprocrastination1722 thx!
Triedit back to halfbricks manually
having grown up playing with seal skin slings since 5, I'm surprised none of what you said ever been mentioned or practiced in my Inuit culture. I only got serious about it in my teens when my grandfather showed me the proper way to swing. While round medium sized rocks are the most ideal choice to sling with, there are trick shots with flat disc like rocks and long stick like rocks. While it is true that shorter slings provide more accuracy, you gain muscle memory on what you consistently use. I like my slings to be no less than two feet long and I was starting to get more accuracy on much MUCH further targets over a block (sometimes much further with flat rocks) away and even lost sight of the rocks that went really far.
I noticed that you were spinning it around over your head numerous times before releasing it, that does not give you more power (it actually makes you more prone to have clumsy shots) than making a single swing which is how we shoot them. Just make sure there's nothing or nobody on the opposite side of what you're swinging with.
You made it sound like you need to go through intensive meditative marine HARDCORE training. For more effective improvement, don't take it as a training... Just do it because you enjoy it... It'll come naturally to you. Just remember that it is a weapon, mind your environment.
Have you thought about educating people about your culture? I would enjoy learning more. Do you have stories that your grandfather told growing up that you could share? History is lost when one is quiet.
Add my yes! to that request
Thanks for watching and sharing your perspective! I agree that the spin doesn't add much to the power, most of it comes from the actual cast. When I first began slinging, I just wanted to see how much I had to train to become marginally effective with this weapon. However, as I kept practicing, it started becoming very enjoyable to the point where if I didn't get in a shooting session I would get the cravings for it.
Really? Cause I seem to be way more accurate and have more power when I wind it over my head. Or winding it in general.
I have better accuracy with my shot gun . Sometimes I can hit two rabbits in one try.
...for a primitive weapon, it is interesting that "breaking the sound barrier" is a serious concern for its use.
Thanks for watching! I do believe that the sling is the most efficient of all primitive weapons when it comes to transferring muscle power into kinetic energy and momentum. I'm now at the point where my casts would sometimes throw sparks when it hits the steel target. The same shots would sometimes bust holes in a wooden log that serves as a backstop behind the target. In short there is enough energy behind that stone that it behaves almost like a bullet from a firearm.
Its just the rope not the projectile, the slings line acts as a whip as he releases it.
Wannabe Bushcrafter it’s more powerful then a 22. 9mm and just barely more powerful then a 45. Or was it a 357. I can’t remember
A good slinger is more dangerous and versatile then a good archer . You can sling any where . In snow in rain in wind
Archers can’t do any of that
Slings are also easier to make and care for
While it requires more skill to use then a archer
Wannabe Bushcrafter and that depends
Hunting boomerangs are easily more dangerous then any other hunting weapon
For the shear fact
Your trying to disable the prey
Not outright kill it
@@WannabeBushcrafter our bodies are fearfully ans wonderfully made
"I had to nerf my caveman weapon because it kept breaking the sound barrier"
Lol, the shepherds sling is a surprisingly good weapon. centripetal force is nothing to sniff at. The world record for longest distance launching a metal dart with a shepherds sling is just under 500 meters..that's just over fifteen hundred feet and about as far as a .22 caliber bullet goes.
Thx for watching!
@@stephanginther9051 yes the sling is a very deadly weapon.
@@stephanginther9051 500m is not around 1000ft. Its 1640ft
@@mikaelnuutila6370 I was using the roughly double estimate for simplicity, but fair point.
Should it be in the olympics? Yes.
Thx for watching!
If we got curling in the Olympics then this should definitely be as well!
Yes
Agreed. Good call.
@musikSkool
Your idea is excellent.
A "Shepherd's sling competition"
Could be done on existing competition fields.
And would fit right in to the spirit of the Olympics.
Love your idea!
How can we start a petition?
That was remarkably thorough!
Greetings from a Greek slinger. For larger stones you may also try the so-called "Byzantine" style. If I learned anything from my shepherd father (who slung for a living when he was a child) it's that the size of the pouch (and the size of the ammo contained within) needs to be proportional to the length of the cords. The shorter the sling the smaller the stone they're meant to cast and the closer the range they're meant to be shot at.
Thanks for sharing this tip!
Because I’ve tried this, seeing him hit a bottle is like watching someone fly a little, or start a fire with their mind. It’s a freakin superpower. I’m amazed that people can get good enough at this to make it useful. David hitting Goliath intentionally was sufficient for miracle status, in my book. Killing him was just extra.
Thanks!
Lol. I agree. I have been doing it for a few years. I have no where near his accurate.
Maybe I'm putting too much in it. But I can put a hole through 1/2 plywood at 75 yards.
Judges 20:16 (KJV) Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.
And they asked David if he was afraid of Goliath and he said there's no way I can miss that big of a target !
Lol thx for watching!
I’d wager a hefty sum that even as an adult and King who had upgraded to using the sword, David still kept a sling and some stones on his belt wherever he went.
Of course, he did, why trade a weapon you were proficient with and that served you well for many years? My dude was probably like "yeah, I'll take the sword but when shit gets real Ima sling some fools."
@@somedude9309 makes sense. He killed a giant with a sling. The man was a giant slayer and he just used some cord and a stone. Anybody who stepped up to David seeking heat would’ve been stoned to death. Ba dum tsh.
Thanks for watching! The sling is a deadly weapon in skilled hands, perhaps it could be considered the best primitive missile weapon.
When I was a kid I made a sling and used it all the time.
I didn't imagine anyone would take it as seriously as you have, but I became proficient in its use.
Kinda neat seeing someone take it to the next level.
Thanks a bunch! It really did take a lot of work to become accurate with the rock sling. But it was a very enjoyable type of effort :)
The way you aim is very close to what I’ve heard about instinctive archery aiming. It takes years to master but is highly accurate at various distances.
Thanks for watching! Yes slinging is very instinctive, I find it much more so than archery.
Instinctive aiming comes from knowing from experience where your shot will hit. From thousands of shots fired and learning how your weapon will respond. Baseball pitchers or cricket bowlers know from experience where to put the ball and how to put it there, same with Instinctive aiming
I first used a sling such as this as a child in Mexico. I would say it was about 32 inches long. I was taught to whirl the sling a few times first above my head before releasing. It was accurate at 40 to 50 yards many times.
Thanks for sharing your story.
One great source of consistant ammunition is clay. When you live in an area that doesn't have rivers or rocks suitable for slinging, clay slingstones are the best thing.
You form them into balls or biconnical shapes and leave them to dry out in the sun over a day or so. It's the perfect target ammunition, so long as you don't get them wet. If you bake them in a kiln, you don't have to worry about them getting wet, but I don't have a kiln. A campfire might be able to bake them.
There's a big reason why virtually most cultures which used slings also used clay slingstones, particularly in Middle eastern regions during the Bronze and Iron age where sometimes stockpiles of as much as 10,000 clay slingstones have been found, in differing weights, with 30g slingstones being among the lightest. There are also Celtic fortifications with a similar number of slingstones found.
The Jackinati275 thanks for watching and the tips!
A normal campfire just doesn't get hot enough to truly fire clay.
You could use it to get out extra moisture in exchange for a risk of cracking, I guess, but that's about it.
For that you're looking to get up to 600-1000°C minimum (1100-1200° for stronger stuff, which are better for durability and energy transfer) for an extended period of time (and you're going to have trouble avoiding cracking with a thick solid mass) as you need to actually start to at least soften and fuse some of the particles in the clay.
To be clear, though, it is possible to get up to the low end of those numbers for some more fragile ceramics using some pit firing techniques, so you can make ceramics (even if just earthenware, instead of stoneware) without a kiln.
For target practice, you may find making disposable clay ammunition more practical for you, but if you're looking to make fired clay shot, hopefully that rough overview is a useful springboard for further research.
There is a way to fire clay in the bush jst takes some time and effort if u dig a u shaped tunnel underground about 7-9 inches is enough you can make one whopping hot fire and I have fired clay with jst this but to get it perfect u need to build a small dome of clay over one of your two holes then when you build a fire in the "kiln" and a fire in your uncover hole fan the flames into it and u would be amazed by the heat it generates thanx for the tip tho never thought of using clay projectiles
Clay is a great source of ammunition because it desolves in water and it won't break any windows (if its not baked) and when throwing they break on impact
Yes! The mezo americans also used clay ball for ammunition
IM A MASTER!!! Without casting a Single Stone... My mind is completely empty, all the time.
Lol thanks for watching!
"Among all this people there were 700 chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss." Judges 20:16.
Thanks for watching!
Fuck off with the bible quotes, so annoying
@@VirideSoryuLangley The Word of God is quick and powerful and sharp. Cuts deep.
@@robdonna1000 You mean archaic, dubious and badly translated. For the feeble of mind, a bandaid on a festering wound, thinking it helps, while it does nothing at all.
@@sdeschuiteneer ....piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 KJV
Nice. Now i just need to find a giant to fight.
Lol
G.B. Medallo Will Rosie O'Donnel do? 😏
@@UlfhedinnNorsk i don't know man, i think i need more levels
@marian roberto Actually the shepherds sling (the weapon in the video) in the hands of an expert can reach the power of a small firearm. There is a more powerful version called a staff sling, but those are much slower and harder to use while running as David was. From a physics standpoint (I'm an engineering senior) killing Goliath with a shot to the head is totally possible with a shepherds sling, though admittedly if he had practiced using it while running, the staff sling would have made it easier.
No. First you must practice practice practice....
I started with a sling my Grandpa made for me out of leather boot laces. I preferred my single shot .22Long Rifle but I usually burned up my weekly supply of ammo in one day.
I grew up on a farm/ranch and there were always plenty of ball bearings available from old worn out equipment. I got to be really accurate with the sling by the time I was seven or eight. I got lucky once and killed a full grown coyote and thousands of birds, rabbits and other small critters. I was on a pheasant hunt with several adult hunters when I was about ten and since I was out of ammo for my twenty two and 16 gauge shotgun I used the sling. I got the first bird of the day LOL. One of the Men was an Army vet that was caught in the Phillipines when the Japanese over ran the Island.. He said the Fillipnos used snares and slingshots to put meat on the menu. During my learning to master the sling I think I broke every glass window on the farm. It is a miracle I survived the wrath of my Dad!
Thanks for watching and sharing your story! 😁
Thank you for this story 🙏
Very impressive. I've always been in awe of the weaponry used by our predecessors and the ways in which they took what we see in nature around us to make accurate, reliable, and lethal tools.
Awesome video!
Glad you enjoyed it
I rabbit and squirrel hunt with mine. I eat good. After you sling several thousand stones, the feeling becomes natural. You will not only be able to hit your target, but have perfect form even while on the hunt. All you have to do is have patience and keep slinging.
Also, dont forget to step it up a notch, practice on moving targets, or your speed to hit multiple targets. Some people may have a harder time learning it than others, as i started getting the hang of it after only a few thousand, but it all really matters how you are training. One last thing. Dont train alone! Even if you dont know an expert, you should have a fellow study to train with. You watch eachothers form and techniques, learn from eachother, and most of all, get competitive! Thats what drives people to be truely skilled. For me it was growing up hunting with me family, who owned guns, but preferred to teach us youngers how to hunt with method and skill before we ever used a gun... ofcorse im an old man and this was a different time... but it was the competition between my cousin and i, that is the reason both of us are considered expert slingers to this day.
old Goblin thanks for sharing! I’m getting there in the accuracy department now I’m still practicing but working on increasing the power of my casts without it affecting accuracy. I have made more than 40k cases so far.
Wannabe Bushcrafter good! Im glad to see a fellow slinger! Just remember, your power delivery on target, doesnt come from the strength of your arm. Power is usually mastered after accuracy and form. Once you perfect your form, and you can perform your cast at a high speed, that is when you will start to have rock shattering impact. No brute force. All finesse and speed.
I saw at the point it was behind his head sometimes the path was level and his release would be sideways and other times directly in back his swing was low and it would become a downward sling motion. I have never tried this but I dig anything caveman and this fits right in with that
Buy a bag of ball bearings hang a old sheet between 2 trees .go for consistent release the power will come . Mentally point at target when u release .ps collect the BB's with a magnet on a stick hope this helps .
Frank Hatton thanks for the tip I’ll look into it!
Very good information. I taught myself proper foosball this way...playing myself and going for accuracy over power. The power naturally came over time.
How big, what weight or size should the bearings be?
Thanks
@@IrishEagIe 1/2 inch or approximately 13 mm in diameter will be enough for slinging
Wow! I've never seen the split pouch design before! That's a great idea and looks very functional. Overall this was very informative! Thank you!
You are so welcome!
You're currently in RUclips algorithms Goldilocks zone make good use of it
Yeah I was wondering why I'm getting so many comments on this video 😁
Yea, I absolutely have no interest in slingshots, yet here I am.
Recommended for me too, i was thinking about the slings just the other day though, weird
@@spaceninjasteve3356 well thx for watching in any case 😀
@@spaceninjasteve3356 Part of the new Google Telepathy algorithm reading your thoughts.
Great video. I learned to accurately shoot the rifle at an early age, never had a problem shooting the bow either.
But, when you said "Practice until you are able to consciously purge all thoughts from your mind at a moments notice" you reminded me of the summer (1974?) when I learned to shoot trap. The only way I could break 25 clays in a row, was to think of 'nothing' and let my body run on auto-pilot. I called it being in the Zone. I could easily break 50 clays in a row. Other competitors found they could break my hit string, by just saying my name. Any loud voice would distract me. So, I decided to stick to rifle competitions. Where most of the shooters are gentlemen & ladies.
Thanks for watching and sharing your story. Yes, there is a kind of magic in thinking of "nothing". The human subconsciousness is a truly a marvelous thing considering how many calculations it must do to be able to execute an accurate shot, and then do it shot after shot.
@@WannabeBushcrafter The math! I had always wondered how people did those trick shots, back in the old days. Like shooting thousands of small wooden blocks, tossed into the air and only missing 1 out of 16,000. It tells us that instinctive shooting is about 98% mental.
So true.
The 1.3k who disliked this obviously didn’t appreciate the break down you gave or didn’t stick around long enough on your vid to appreciate the metrics for developing this long lost skill. Basically this was shooting a gun back in those times. We’re still in the Stone Age and just figured out how to launch our rocks/bullets a bit faster.
Now imagine David v Goliath and the account of him having nailed that giant of a troll right between the eyes. How many rocks went through his sling before that moment. You hear the story as though God endowed David with Devine luck and he was a hero because of it. As an adult who can extrapolate information, realize that it was a journey of sharping the axe that is a Shepard’s sling.
Great vid mate 👍🏼
Thanks for watching! And yes with a decade or more of regular practice, I think the sling can deliver performance and accuracy that's comparable to a single shot pistol.
I've seen almost a dozen videos on slinging now and this is by far the most educational and most concise; kudos and thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
"Practice every hour until you are 153 years old."
HectorPriamedes1 lol thx for watching
@@WannabeBushcrafter You bet man! I make fun, but your commitment is commendable :-)
Thanks!
@@rafterrafter5320 he does say "My Primitive Projectile Weapon" hence Primitive
In biblical times that’s adolescent
This guy is GREAT. Thorough, informative, honest. Good job, Bushcrafter.
I appreciate that!
0:07 "I have been able to achieve hunting level accuracy with this weapon."
The Bottle: *boop*
Thanks for watching!
Wait. So, you're saying that to master this weapon, I need to "PRACTICE"???😳
Lol yes practice makes perfect 😀
With enough practice you can hit every time with deadly force I was taught to chuck it first then when I got good enough whip it the rock will make a hum sound can hunt with them too birds and such my grandfather told me to be careful with them you can seriously injure or kill someone with them
A lot. You coul dbe proficient with a gun in a few days, weeks. It takes YEARS to bacome a really good slinger.
practice? we're talking about practice!
Practice + Biblical Purpose + Faith = Good Luck Vince...if it helps..imagine your target is the Covid Virus...and you & your slingshot is the only hope of humanity...
Excellent video. Informative, straight to the point, no bragging or stupid music. Great job.
Thanks a bunch! :D
Thanks for the upload! I've always been a fan of learning about primitive things. Survival building in environments, flintknapping, hunting, you get the idea. Until I saw this video, I always just passed the sling by, focusing on bow or atlatl. I never knew what sort of capabilities it had. 150 feet for a tiny target (perspectively tiny) is amazing.
Thanks for watching!
I have just made a sling and was able to hit a small water bottle at 6 meters on my third try. Thank you for this information as i used it to make my sling.
Nice! I'm glad this was helpful!
I googled 'Rock Throwing Sling' due to intrigue from reading The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time) and it brought me here. I can't overstate enough how much respect I have for someone to put so many months and years into mastering a weapon like this. The patience you must have learned from all those failed attempts must be incredible. This is so awesome man, it was highly enjoyable. Kudos
Thanks for your kind words! I really appreciate it!
This is how David knocked off Goliath and did it easily--he was an expert slinger.
John R thanks for watching!
Basically brought a gun to a sword fight
Thanks for watching!
The story kinda reminds me of how Paris' arrow was guided by Apollo to kill Achilles (though not all interpretations agree with this aspect).
Now I understand the reason David chose 5 stones from the stream ... thanks for the info learnt.
The target is like 20 meters away, if it's that close you might just throw the rock at this point, it's easier to learn and stronger
Thanks for watching!
It could hit hard, but not how he does it. It wasn't even strong enough to knock down the water bottle half the time
Fun Fact;
Greek and Roman troops would often carve or cast patterns or quotes on their lead sling ammo that they'd make.
Zeus' bolt, "Catch!" And "Duck!" were common adornments.
It's also said that a skilled slinger could launch a projectile with near-equal power of a .44 Magnum round, too.
Yes sling stones are very powerful. Thx for watching!
I never heard of you until today. This is really informative! Thanks
Thx for watching!
This was so great, I wish everyone made videos like this. 1 year condensed into 5 practical minutes, how can it get better than this? Nice work! 👍
Thanks a bunch!
This video is inspiring.
I've picked up slinging a couple of months ago because it was a very common tool where i come from:
It's so rocky over here that shepherds historycally used it in order to herd their goats and i want to keep the tradition alive.
With that being said tho I'm still struggling to hit a human sized target at about 30 ft. (10 meters for us).
Oh, Well! i guess i just need more practice and your video made me want to go outside and sling some pebbles.
thx sir.
Please make more videos about this topic!
Thanks for watching! I will try to make another video one of these days.
@Leon from what i know the sling was primarely used to drive the goats, over here you are always going either uphill or downhill, we also had dogs btw but as you might know goats are not affected by gravity 😂 so you might find them in non easily accessible places (slinging a rock in front of the animal will make It come back) I'm sure It was also used to protect the herd though , there still are wolves and some bears around here today. (Grandma told me that 50 years ago they were still pretty common). So yes, Indeed It was used in both roles.
P.S. not entirely sure if bears like to eat goats but ok
Interesting how he doesn't do a wind up before releasing. I'd like to hear his thoughts on it.
Thanks for watching! I principally use the greek no spin technique for my short sling and the balearic technique for my long sling. With the short sling, there is very little if any velocity differences between spin and no-spin techniques. Imho the great benefit of a spin technique is that it allows each shot to be more accurate because your subconscious mind gets several opportunities to execute the release. But this comes at a cost of tiring your arm out faster in each practice session for a fewer number of shots. Also in a survival hunting situation, the rotations will alert the prey to your position. So for the short sling my preference is to use no-spin techniques.
Wannabe Bushcrafter Wow! I know NOTHING about slings, but I can tell that this was a very WISE answer!
Wannabe Bushcrafter can you please do a follow up vid demonstrating these techniques in depth ? Thanks so much 👍👏👏
I imagine the wind up with the long sling is more suited for a warfare scenario, with rows of slingers, just like archers would have been used in rows in order to send repeated vollies of arrows. However, hunting in a forest/woodland during windy conditions between late spring and up to mid to late Autumn, the foliage rustle would give audible cover for the winding sling, and also being downwind would be advantageous no just for scent, but also for the reason that sound travels further on the wind! I would consider also elevation would be a big advantage.
That’s because his sling was a single shot Einstein!!
While I clearly prefer a bow, I can see a lot of advantages of becoming proficient with a sling:
Less materials to make.
Less time to make.
Weighs less.
Can fit in a pocket.
Ammo is far easier to acquire, and making good arrows is incredibly difficult in comparison to finding adequate stones.
The sling being easily constructed also means it's easier to part with it should you need to use the materials for something else.
The cons compared to a bow are quite significant:
Takes far more time and energy to master.
Lacks penetration, restricting it to small game.
Velocity of the projectile is gonna likely be much lower, and lose speed sooner.
Max effective range will be significantly less than a bow due to both velocity and accuracy.
Even still, it seems like an excellent backup ranged weapon.
I would also recommend you try the bolas. I've found a bolas with 6 anchors is unbelievably easy to master, and the great advantage of the bolas is its ability to ensnare and stun small game and large birds (like geese), even as they are taking off.
Another interesting projectile weapon is the "tin can shotgun," or "spring gun."
To make one, find a very flexible piece of greenwood about half an inch thick or more.
Fasten an empty soup can (smaller is better) to one end so the open side is facing away, and the stick is running parallel with the side of the can. If you were to do a cut-away, it would form an upside down lowercase "h" at the end. Kinda hard to explain without a picture. You want the end of the stick to be flush with the open rim, and running down the length of the can. Can you picture that?
So once you have the can secured, tie a short length of string to the end with the can, just enough to act as a tab to grip.
Now, load the can with about an ounce (or a pile that fits in the center of your palm) of small pebbles.
Your spring gun is now loaded. To "fire" the weapon, hold the end of the stick without the can in your leading/aiming hand. Pinch the string tab on the can side with your other hand, and "cock" the weapon by pulling the tab back while your lead/aiming hand/arm is outstretched, causing the branch to bend and form spring tension.
Release the tab, and the can will snap forward in an arc, launching the stone shot (or even metal BBs if you have 'em) with centripetal force.
If constructed properly, and with practice, this device can be used to hunt birds and other small game with surprising effectiveness out to about 20-30 yards, and requires less effort to master than a sling due to its shotgun-like spread. The downside is 30 yards is really pushing its max range, and it's much more practical within 15 yards or so.
Of course, the ultimate indispensable way to hunt and get a steady supply of meat is via trapping, and trapping has a real advantage over the other methods in that you set up a network of traps, 12 or more, and you can do other things like build shelter, tend to fires, fabricate clothing, weapons, cordage, etc. while the traps passively "hunt" on your behalf, saving you time and energy. You could even take a nap if you so desired. Traps also offer you two options, live capture, which prevents the meat from spoiling, but can be dangerous as you'll need to kill a very angry and frightened animal - as well as gives the animal time to figure out an escape. The other option is to make a kill trap, which will be made to either strangle, mangle, or dangle the animal. Traps are very versatile, and can catch you anything from mice to bears, depending on the trap. You can buy steel traps, which will last a very, very long time, or you can make traps on the fly with natural resources.
Thanks for watching and sharing your tips!
Just make crossbow
Could you send a link about the “tin can shotgun” I can’t find anything about it online. I appreciate the info
I made one of these many years ago. I used leather shoe laces for the strings and sewed together two layers of denim for the pouch. Just a crude stitch around the edge.
I too became.rather proficient with it in time. Two things were different with me however. The book which i used for the project also described a two revolution throw. The first revolution was a horizontal circle over my head followed by a second vertical circle for the throw. The two revolutions really wound up some serious velocity with a more relaxed and consistent throw motion. The other thing different is I dont recall any audible snap from breaking the sound barrier. Ive also seen two vertical circles for throwing. Ive never tried that one.
I always had a .22 rifle available growing up and i had fun with that, the sling, and a slingshot, all of which i became very proficient with. Never had a bb gun, though i did have some good quality pellet guns in adulthood. A few seriously accurate firearms as well.
Thx for watching and sharing your story. I liked shooting rifles growing up, but I only discovered the sling 2 years ago. It's mad fun to practice with.
Surely this must Also be outlawed in New Jersey..
Assault slings must be banned!
LOL
His vid is in the algorithms. It’s about to banned in here in Cali too. Quick run to the river beds and collect as many pebbles as possibe
@@TheWorldsnotenough Carful California might put a heavy tax on string as well.
This video was awesome! I admire your dedication to perfecting the use of this primitive weapon as well as the results you have achieved.
Dave C thanks for watching! This weapon requires a lot of patience and dedication but the results are worth it
When I was a boy, I ticked off a kid from Mexico who came up out of a manhole in El Paso, Texas. Seeing me as a threat, he quickly removed his T-Shirt, folded it into a sling, and sent a rock whistling towards me. Luckily, I hugged the ground and didn't get hit. His skills were so amazing that I just sat there in awe and admiration.
Thanks for watching and sharing your story!
Next step: How about a moving target or sling whilst already in motion or on horseback
Thanks for watching! I'm actually thinking of beginning to do run and sling sessions at 60 feet or trying to get similar accuracy at 90 feet
Wannabe Bushcrafter it’s the next step in mastery. You got this !!
I love how you are still reading the comments 👌
Of course :)
I started using a sling when I was in 7'th grade. I'm over 65 and I still enjoy throwing rocks with it. Your right about a shorter length sling being more accurate but less powerful. But if you go that route, why not just throw a rock by hand. I bet most anyone could throw several rocks by hand faster than you or I could throw 2 with a sling because it takes so much time to re-load. Mostly I enjoy throwing for distance with a sling almost 5 ft long.
Thx for watching! The short sling is still a bit more powerful than throwing by hand. Also the nature of the release makes it more accurate after lots of practice.
My cousin used to practice throwing rocks ...he got really good at it and I would test him by choosing random targets for him to hit while on walks....one advantage I noticed was you did not have to be too choosy about the size and shape of rocks, once you are proficient you can pick up rocks of various size and shapes and you will have the reflexes and muscle memory to auotmatically adust and compensate for the differences.
@@Ponen77 thx for watching and sharing your story
Hi Posen, your right any size rock within reason will work, but there's nothing like finding a smooth egg size rock for distance throwing. I'm lucky that I live in a place adjacent to a large empty lot which is a good place to throw. Watch out for the jagged rocks that can hang up in your sling and come out behind you. I was wondering what country you live in. I'm in Arizona USA.
@@douglasbeland8914 I am from India over in the state of Nagaland which is over to the north east...interesting place, used to be quite troubled by insurgencies but its gotten a whole lot better these days.
This reminds me of David and Goliath.
Thanks!
Practice until you can telekenetically beat someone to death with a rock.
Lol thx for watching!
We made these slings when we were kids. Never got good with them but my father grew up with them and could hit a poster on a pole a 100 yards away every time. He was unbelievable with one.
Thanks for sharing your story!
Awsome video 👍 man! 400 Goliaths disliked this video
Thanks for watching!
Hornady will sell ‘ballistic ‘ rocks in a plastic box and charge $60 for 10 of them.
Lol
I like marbles
I reload my own rocks!!
Steved D wtth a hornady stone polisher no doubt
Buy now before the coming shortages
I made and used a sling when I was 10 yrs old. 1971 By the time I was 11, I could hit a mouse at 10 yards and a person at over 50 yards. Love ya bro! lol
Thanks for sharing your story!
If I listen very carefully, I get the impression that practicing might help increase my accuracy.
Lol thanks for watching!
And always remember we could be living in a simulated universe...
Lol thx for watching!
After spending many hours watching various Shepherd Sling videos I have to say your technique is the most novel
Thanks!
Split pocket cool I will have to try that. I was amazed by how acurret a handfull of me and my friends got in a short time. I never did but a lot of windows paid for it practice it away from Windows lol
Thx for watching and sharing your story!
The optimum length differs from person to person. It should be adjusted to accommodate the distance between the users hand, and the ground (standing at rest).
I'm 70, and have years of throwing experience.
Thanks for watching and sharing your tips.
I've never even seen a sling. I want to learn how to use one. It's very interesting. The one thing I can't understand is when this guy talks about the release fingers. How do you release the stone?
@@desertodavid thx for watching! I put the loop on my index finger and release the knot end of the sling. There is no way I can consciously time the release, I just trust my subconscious to know when to do it .
@@WannabeBushcrafter
Thanks. That's actually a good answer, which explains why you say your mind has to be clear of all extraneous thoughts. I found this to be true when playing golf and other sports.
Just go out and have a good time, relax and visualize your shot.
Best advice I ever got was from a U.S. Marine Marksmanship instructor who said, "Make each hit count. The score will take care of itself."
"Distracting thoughts absolutely destroys accuracy" Yes !!! Ive always thought an empty and calm mind will improve your skill and accuracy in anything like in pitching . Thank you for that !! You're a cool dude
Thanks for watching!
Way to stick with it! You are an inspiration. Maybe start doing trick shots, or cool targets, on video. Take care!
Bushcraft North of 60 thanks for watching!
this is also a ancient of ancient weapon of my area in Gujarat-india... we call it "Gofann" in our language....
Chetan Gondalia nice!
is it true that it is illegal to use it in india now ?
@@uncleho313 AFAIK, it is not. But hunting is illegal.
oh ok thanks for the info. I read somewhere that slinging was punished by hanging in Inida (maybe in some states at some specific time in it s history). Is it much practiced nowadays ? do you have links of video of sling in this region ?
Still used for scaring away birds and monkeys to protect crops. I know it is common in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka states. I do not know whether it is common elsewhere in India.
Been working on a novel in which a sling is used to help the 3 kids escape. They have to make it out of a tapestry that hangs in the room where they are held captive. I've worked it out and have been satisfied. Just found your post and learned a couple of new things. Will go back and modify. Should make the sling using chapters stronger, Thank you very much.
Thanks for watching! Glad you found the video helpful for your book!
Check the Majorcan slingers who worked as mercenaries for the roman troops back on the days. They could kill and go through armours from really far away. Since they were kids they had to use the sling to catch the food deposited on the top of trees...amazing.
Bernat Ferragut yes I read that they were some of the best slingers in the world at the time, capable of hitting man sized targets consistent at 100 yards
Ya they where skilled at their craft though the Roman legion put their skills to some uses I don't agree with I'm surprised to find someone else who has heard of them
@@axlsmith8062 Here in Majorca it's a common topic to talk about when we are proud of ourselves -which, as a members of Spain, happens not so quite often hahahahaha-. I can sure you that every majorquin is more proud of being majorquin than spanish. Cheers my friend
David watched this before he fought Goliath
Lol
Thank you for convincing me to be very grateful for modern guns and bows!
Thanks for watching!
You sound very similar to the LPL, (Lock Picking Lawyer). Got bored of locks cause you picked them all and have now found a new hobby? Lol
Lol thx for watching
@@WannabeBushcrafter I've always wanted trying slinging since I was a little boy, great beginner vid, think I'm gonna try this summer! Thanks.
Mike Coffin I cannot unhear that now. I hate you
You’re telling me that I have to look at the target to be more accurate. I don’t buy it
thanks for watching! I found the best way is to just look into the target and let your subconscious figure out everything else. It's hard to explain but if you actually tried to consciously aim the stone (e.g adjust the power or timing of the release) the accuracy becomes terrible.
Hanson Stuckey ..... no .... no don't look at the target 🎯 look up in the sky or behind you or a the ground .... anywhere but at the target 🎯
Well at least with a bow you want to look at what you are aiming at till you hear the arrow hit. Otherwise you actually accidentally move your bow a little without realizing it. That affects the arrow and it will make you less accurate. Dont know if that is true about slings though.
Bantham Nobilis either you didnt quite understand or you are stupid. Looking exactly where you want to hit until the projectile hits the target increases accuracy over taking your eyes off of the target and glancing at something else. At no point did anyone other than you mention having your eyes closed.
@@Cody_Ramer "Follow-through." Vital to accuracy with anything.
Excellent summary of the process. As good as any that I have heard. I like that you emphasise the work involved. A lot of beginners make the mistake of thinking that no work is involved in developing a useful level of skill in an "instinctive" method.
Thanks, I'm glad you like it. Yes most primitive weapons require massive amounts of practice to gain proficiency. The sling has the steepest learning curve of all the primitive weapons that I have tried so far. On the flip side, the massive amount of practice effectively gave the ancient slinger the equivalent of a single shot firearm...
@@WannabeBushcrafter The importance of what our subconscious mind believes was underlined for me when after an absence from competition I just happened to go out and scored 83% of the available points in a Primitive bow class where my norm had been as much as 15% to 20% lower.
I had in the interim stopped thinking in terms of what I might normally expect to score and instead just had a carefree round making most of my shots with a focus that gave me a real insight into the saying about just shooting one good arrow at a time.
Talking about it is no substitute for understanding it, but understanding it is nothing without finding the ability to do it as naturally as breathing.
For this we have to put in the work and then take that first essential step beyond mere accomplished technique.
The default attitude should be to believe that everything will go exactly where we are looking.
And have we not noticed how well we often group our bad shots when we look at the outline of the target?
Realise this and then think about what you were really looking at as you let go.
I make mortar concrete balls and spray paint them neon orange. It makes it look like your shooting out lasers lol. You can do it with rocks too (obviously)
James Alexander thanks for the tip I’m going to try it out!
Wannabe Bushcrafter yah man the neon looks like a tracer round, expecially right around dusk. Also just a fyi the motor concrete balls are fantastic for accuracy. Just like u said for consistency of weight. HOWEVER... they almost always explode into dust lol witch is still pretty cool. Also the cure time for a batch is a week if you want to do it right. Love your videos and I love seeing other stingers out there. Oh yah I also go to the golf driving range and sling out golf balls lmao true story
James Alexander awesome, I will definitely try this out
Wannabe Bushcrafter well now I just can't wait for the next video!!!
I like this video and the skill, but I'd like to know more instructively how to load the sling and the movements in release.
Linda Oster thanks for watching I’ll keep it in mind!
just read the easy to fallow instructions that come with it Lindi sweet heart.,,,call me.
@Linda The video at ruclips.net/video/LYwRKxTziHY/видео.html explains more very clearly.
Linda Oster I've been using a sling for over 50 years. I just like the idea of the distance that a longer than average sling is capable of throwing a stone. I always spin the sling several times around at about a 45 degree angle before releasing. It's the final spin and throwing movement of your arm that gives the stone the power. I use a thinner rope on the release line, and hang on to a slightly heavier rope on the end that I hold onto.
You lost me at 100’sand 100’s of days. I knew there was a fundamental reason I am not a sling-jineer. You nailed it🤣🤣
Lol thanks for watching!
"Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss"
Book of Judges 20:16
Thanks for watching!
That's the first thing I thought of when I saw this video. Those guys were good!
When I was a young I used to through rocks so hard that the rocks could rise and make rumbling rotor sounds as the rocks would rise and disappear in to the distance. The rocks can stick in tree trunks. Very dangerous weapon in the right hands. Rocks can travel hundreds of yards. I used one for about 5 years.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Building on this, I made one when I was 16 or 17 years old. While screwing around and seeing how big of a rock I could throw I managed to get a brick moving at Major League fastball speed, there is no doubt in my mind that it would have killed or severely injured anything it had hit. These weapons are no joke.
You sir takes 1st place for the biggest lie ever told. You have never stuck a rock in a tree trunk by throwing with your hand unless it was totally rotten just like yourself.
@@robertlangley258 he didn't throw with a hand he used a shepherd sling
@@robertlangley258 You have never used a sling. You probably have little girly arms. I grew up using a sling.
So... Consistency in bullets is the key for your ammunition. Consistency in practice is key for your accuracy. Dude. Brilliant. I recently got obsessed with the bronze age and The Bible in general, so now I'm getting into metal casting. Time to make some projectiles for my sling.
Thanks for watching!
Ban Assault Stones
Rofl
AND HORSE'S..
Assault leather.
1 year later, you've got to be at least 4/5 and 2/3.
I've definitely gotten more accurate over the last year. I would say still not 2 out of 3 shots at 45 feet. But I have been focusing on putting more power into each shot without affecting accuracy.
@@WannabeBushcrafter Ah yes, that would seem like the bestter option alright.
As a kid in Kentucky there was an old leather smith who made our heavy duty pouches, he inserted bronze grommets for the holes, this prevented tearing. We used a medium duty cotton rope (from hardware stores; used in antique windows for the weight system). We had the standard size for individual use. We developed a super sling which required two people to use (load and help get it started). The super sling was about 7 ft long with a pouch 3x in size. We were able to launch 2 lb rocks around 120 yards into the Ohio River. We normally used smooth river rocks which had been dredged up into piles. We ended up launching at the river as it had become to dangerous to use them in town with walnuts. Our final version was the buckshot sling. It was only about3-4 ft long but had a oversized pouch made of denim. We used small pea gravel in it, we used it to clear birds from trees during harvest season when 100s of black birds invaded the area.
Nice thanks for sharing this story!
This just goes to show that Goliath never really stood a chance when he faced David!
"You are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth."
Practice until you can practice, and then youll be able to practice
Lol thx for watching!
Slings are massively underrated in their effectiveness as weapons
Thx for watching! Slings are deadly weapons in the right hands.
That’s one way to get your rocks off. 🤣
I’ve never seen that style of slinging before.... very sudden.
Thanks for watching! Yeah the overhand is a good slinging method for hunting since it reduces the amount of motion needed to execute the shot.
I made on as a kid one summer and got pretty handy with it. I used a pf flyer sneaker tongue for a patch and the shoe laces for cordage. I could stand on one shore of lake lorain in spfld mass and launch it to the other several hundred yards a way. It was totally instinctive shooting. If you found a flat stone and flung it the stone would make a cool noise like a
ricochet from a firearm. I went from sling to slingshot to bow then firearm and I think it made me a good shot with rifle. I'm 64 now and I bet I could still sail one over the lake if I tried. The 60's was the last great time to be a kid. Today "you'll shoot your eye out kid".😊
Thanks for sharing your story!
Lucius Aemilius Paulus was killed by a sling bullet at Cannae. Just saying.
The sling is powerful. Once you get the accuracy down, it's literally like having a single shot pistol with infinite ammo.
It's a lethal weapon, and was used effectively by highly professional militaries in warfare. It really irks me when people describe slinging as "throwing stones", as if it's just tossing a pebble at someone's back to be a nuisance. _Dennis the Menace_ type stuff, rather than the reality that it remains a highly dangerous and effective weapon in skilled hands and people are occasionally killed by it to this day.
Absolutely, this weapon is highly underrated. The more I practice with it, the more I'm realizing that there might have been 2 types of slingers in antiquity. 1. Small numbers of highly skilled slingers who trained from childhood. these guys essentially had the accuracy and energy equivalent of repeating firearms and were capable of picking off individuals at 50-100 yards and long range casts of 200-300 yards. 2. Much larger numbers of people with little training but can manage to chuck a stone in the general direction of an an enemy formation at 100 yards.
Wannabe Bushcrafter Surely so, as that divergence of skill levels and corresponding ability is seen with most other personal weapons. This is an important factor in the dedication of resources to maintaining professional warriors, rather than only conscripts trained as needed. Just like most skills, it takes years to dedication to martial arts to achieve high levels of skill. With ranged human-powered weapons like slings and bows it is particularly obvious how skill and physical conditioning increases capability, because it can be objectively measured. Accuracy, distance, damage delivered to target by the projectile. But of course those of high ability in contact weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and firearms also have a tremendous advantage over those who have only a basic competency. The difference of ability between the master and the competent in slinging may be high, but there's a similar great chasm with weapons in general. And it's not just speed, accuracy, power, technique, and equipment. In a military context mastery also grants wisdom of how best to utilize the weapon, and how a team of men can best work together to maximize the effectiveness of the weapon upon the enemy. A unit of men of elite ability, if deployed to exploit their advantages, can defeat a much larger but less able force. The enemy often knows this, and surely will once they begin taking losses, so intimidation, as always, is another power of the most able. When it comes to ranged weapons, it discourages an attack because a greater effective range means losses will be inflicted on a known approaching force before they can fire back. Warfare is more about destroying enemy morale than the bodies of the enemy. The range, rapidity, and lethality of master slingers was surely intimidating and a reason they were prized even among civilizations like the Roman Empire that had access to every other kind of weapon in the world. I almost said "more sophisticated weapons", but actually the sling is probably one of the most sophisticated weapons invented. As with many simple things, there is an extreme amount of nuance to the details. I'm intimidated just imagining the depth of knowledge that existed about how to best to create and maintain slings and ammunition. An effective knife pretty much anyone can make with basic metallurgical knowledge, and it will perform pretty much just as well in a knife fight. Effective slinging equipment, and the mastery of it, is much more particular. It will not be figured out by one man, it is an art built by the efforts and lives of countless men. Because it is so complicated, it makes those who master it even more elite. To devote such resources to slinging in a world full of other weapons proves that slinging was a weapon that earned respect. I suspect it's unfamiliarity is because it requires more training and skill than other weapons. Especially in a military context, training time is always in short suppy except for the most elite (and expensive to maintain) warriors who do nothing else but prepare for battle. Archery was limited in it's use because of the amount of skill required. Slinging requires even more hours of training to be effective, limiting widespread adoption. Up until modern times, the soear was the predominant weapon worldwide not because of it's relative efficacy, but in spite of it because it was so cheap to produce (arrowhead on a pole) and effective even in unskilled hands. Bows are generally more effective, as are swords in many contexts, but who given the expense of equipment and training, only the warrior caste, upper classes, and professionals can afford to master advanced weapons. Everyone else has too much other work to do just to stay alive.
I agree with this pov.
Nahh, I'll stick to my AR15!!👍😂
Thx for watching! I like shooting the AR as well. But there is something magical about the shepherd's sling. Crafting it, finding the right ammunition for it in nature, the art of the cast. I find slinging to be extremely enjoyable.
@@WannabeBushcrafter i must admit to definitely wanting to make and practice with one now that i've watched your video.
Thanks! I'm glad to stoke interest in this ancient skill.
@KASPAR Exactly, one even made cheaply will last you a long time with a lot of ammunition available to an unlimited amount of ammunition essentially and the ability to make your own ammunition just like many armies across the world did in ancient warfare. Also can be made with a lot of different materials and many different ways and regardless of the materials used slings are typically extremely durable and relay on simple technology but are lethal in the hands of an expert.
This is why David was odds-on favourite, despite what subsequent media reports say.
Yes, in skilled hands the sling is quite effective. It's comparable to a single shot pistol in terms of ballistic performance.
My boy Tyrone got fifteen years for slinging rocks. Is it legalized now?
Nah. But RayRay is still out so it's all good.
Lol
David killed Goliath with a shepherds sling.
Thanks for watching! The sling is an accurate and deadly weapon in skilled hands.
I agree with the practice motto, as in instrument playing it takes three years to become a professional.
Thanks mate.
Thx for watching!
Take it from experience !
NEVER swing that sling more then 1 turn before you release it, And never thrust yourself with it as I seen you do, Draw your hand directly over your head and learn to release it at the correct time for accuracy, When you release it over head ever time you should be in line with your target, Then releasing is the essence of hitting your target
Using a sling with a proper leather pouch that just covers the stone is the best for control and straps of leather are the best, for gripping and accuracy as long as they don't get wet,
Your can if your any good, drive a 3 or 4 inch rock through a piece of 3/4 plywood at less then 50 feet. And once you have acquired accuracy, you could drop a grizzly within your range, Or you might make him think twice about attacking you, And smaller stones will have just about the same effect and you can if good enough bring down deer etc, And every time you release that sling it should sound like definite gun,
Size yes makes a difference, but the bigger they (don't discard them learn how to use them) they hit harder at close range, Just like a heavy slug from a gun, has more impact at close range,
Thanks for the tips
What is interesting is that a 4 oz stone flying at 160ft/sec has over 100 ft lbs of energy. That is approximately the KE of a 22LR round.
It's possible to make it crack without any rotations.
one turn and release,that's how the guys back in my childhood in Mexico would bring down iguanas still birds and even birds in flight.
Thanks for watching!
Umm can't we just use our hands instead.?.. that Target is like .. right there ** -_-
Thx for watching! The mechanical advantage of the sling effectively doubles my range.
"...practice until your muscles your eyes and your mind become ONE." -- quite the Zen point ov view well said and demonstrated.
Thanks for watching!
You looking for Goliath?
Tron lol thanks for watching!
David wasn't looking for Goliath when he learned how to use his sling! His intended targets were much smaller and quicker(wolves).
Thanks for watching!
He lost a bet on the Giants.
Like if you came here after playing A plague tale: innocence!!
Thanks for watching, that game is awesome btw.
If you've ever thrown a baseball.. More than half of this feels so natural. The stance and final release feel so right.
Thx for watching! After enough practice you can make a perfect cast without even thinking about it.
Looks like you could do as much damage by just throwing the rocks
The sling has a huge mechanical advantage over throwing the stones. My short sling effective doubles my throwing range.
@@WannabeBushcrafter I understand the principle but I'm sorry to say that it doest come across in your video.
The speed and force of a stone thrown from a sling FAR exceeds what one can do with their arm alone.
This has been known for centuries.
@@whatsup7202 we'll that doesn't really come across in this video is what I'm saying
I could see how that could slay a giant
Thx for watching!
Yep...he'd die of thirst 'cause you knocked his water bottle over!
@@johnmarr8041 lol
recently picked up the hobby. i practiced in an empty park. my target was the playground. i was happy when a rock would go in that general direction. this viddy has helped. time to look for the right rocks! and start zooming in my focus! thanks!
Thanks, great to hear you're enjoying it. I really like slinging, probably my favorite primitive skill.
Say "hunting level accuracy" while doing a ballet pose one more time.
Lol thx for watching!