Most of the roman tactics were adopted from what their enemies had first used on them, I imagine they knew exactly what it felt like to be on the receiving end of that...
What do you mean “even” back then. Tens of thousands of years of human warfare where our unique offensive capability among all animals is our capacity to throw projectiles…
imagine seeing 1500 unarmoured dudes with ropes thinking a battle is gonna be a cakewalk, then hearing 1500 whips cracking and a sea of rocks whizzing straight at you
@@davenickname That's basically what slings are made of, and they would often wear an extra or two as a head or arm band. And from a distance you may not know what they are, although i think almost everyone knew what a sling was back then
I have seen other videos about the history of slinging. Old documents show your slingers stood behind your soldiers and hurled sling bullets over their heads and straight onto the enemy further up field. It must be horrific to stand in ranks whilst a continuous rain of sling bullets fell on you, hitting you in the face and upper body.
dont forget that crack of the sling. Hearing that sort of noice from hundreds of skilled slingers would be the most traumatising thing a human could ever face
Which just goes to prove Romans we're Terrorists . They knew how to terrorise I can't imagine being on a battle field and a thousand of these projectiles flying over head or close to .
@@Schizz76 yeah try Verdun, the Somme, Kursk, and extended siege warfare from mediaeval times. There would be plenty worse ways to go out on a battlefield. Not saying being belted by rocks then cut to pieces would be fun and all but let’s be real constant actual artillery, bullets, and for some of the battles I mentions chemical weapons, you can’t lie that psychologically it would be more torturous to wait your turn in line to die in WW1 in wave after wave of stalemate attacks and constant artillery barrages. Flamethrowers, gas attacks, bayonets, the first heavy use of machine guns in major conflict, tanks, grenades being dropped from airplanes.
Ah yes, the tried and true Roman Milwaukee drill bit set. Excellent video as always. These whistle shot must have been absolutely terrifying on the field of battle where there were dozens coming your way at a time.
I imagine hearing a couple dozen slinging snaps go off at nearly the same time followed by the whirr of all those shots going past must've carried a proper feeling of "Well, that can't be good..."
Pretty impressive how consistent they apparently turned out. So Romans who had been making those for years probably got them to a few percent tolerances while barely looking at them.
yep... people have always been people. Once you learn a job, and you continue doing it over a long time, you will master the craft. Im sure Rome had bullet makers specifically for the task of creating these clay rocks. And someone that makes thousands of those bastards a week is going to get damn good at making them, and making them fast. seems silly, but the perfect counter example is myself. I started off at Dominos... green, barely able to even slap out a pizza at all.... now after a couple of years, im throwing dough like no tomorrow, no rush is too large.
The Benjamites was actually some of the best with the slings. It was a great weapon for shepherds, all the time in the world to practice, and they keep the predators away from the sheep’s .
Some things never change. Some of the best shots I've seen in the marine corps were ranchers who had been taking pot shots at coyotes for the better part of their teenage years.
A big job growing up was shooting gophers and chipmunks out of the horse pastures all day long with my step brother and a 22. We would hit some wild shots even with iron sights and a whole summer of shooting really makes a difference in accuracy
@@fnerXVIexactly! Just like the best early fighter pilots were guys that grew up hunting birds and rabbits, leading shots on a moving target was second nature to them
I just took up slinging for my celtiberian/roman impressions, and I've fallen in love with it. It's very addictive, been doing it for 3 months and I'm finally able to hit a 50gal barrel at 30yds. Great videos keep it up
@@TheLucidChiba apparently, a sling can generate 100j of force and a 22LR can produce 200j. Apparently, a .44 can produce ~200j when it leaves the barrel but would be around 150-175j at around 15m.
That noise x a few hundred or even thousand. Not to mention witnessing the devastating physical effect on your fellow soldiers. They were capable of cracking skulls and delivering a fatal blow. Psychological warfare in its most primitive form.
@@nicolasclermont893”imagine you’re in a gunfight with people who disagree with you in a gang affiliated way and your friend pulls out a sling like in the video and kill 3 people quickly”
Interesting fun fact: the Bible says David selected five stones from the river. I heard a preacher say once it was because David was afraid he might miss. Then when I was old enough to read it myself, I learned a bit later in the book where it stated that Goliath had three brothers and a servant who would be honor bound to avenge his masters death. David wasn't afraid he would miss, he was ready to take all five of them down. Now that, is badass.
I think Goliath was counting on being able to close the gap before David could take a second shot, and the odds of the first shot being perfect were slim.
It’s cool how the shots become more consistent over time, you can only imagine how good someone would be if this was their job. I was flinching from my phone screen! Cool video
Been reading about the Second Punic War and Hannibal's Balearic slingers and found myself here. This is a cool video and answers some questions. Thanks! The slinger has a nice, fluid motion too. New subscriber.
Sitting through this, I got more and more anxious with each shot. The best aimed ones even made me flinch. I imagine a skilled thrower thst started young could be lethal. An army of men throwing this would be downright terrifying, as you see your fellow men get injured and fall before you even reach the enemy. Each snap of the sling and each whizzing projectile striking fear into your heart and breaking your morale. Shields cracked, legs hit and sore, spirits broken. What a weapon! Even an improperly trained formation of men throwing these would be terrifying as long as they threw them anywhere near the enemy
Altho mentioned in passing, slingers, I believe had a great role to play in ancient battles. Your entire camp-followers all had one. They dare not sit far away from the main battle force for fear of being over-run by raiding party during the battle. I betcha' they were all close up behind the main lines, slinging like crazy before the foot soldiers ever engaged. If their side lost they would all be slain whether they were cooks or shepherds etc. So, they were a part of the battle that is never talked about, except David of course... Thanks so much for your effort on these vids. EXCELLENT!
I would have loved to be a slinger in ancient times if I had to live back then. Just the sense of power knowing you would be underestimated by nearly every new enemy, extremely mobile in the sense that you require no special tools to craft your weapon and ammunition, and that you can crack a hole in someone’s head from an immense distance with just a rope and a rock. However, I think I would most definitely fear slingers the most in battle. Yes, arrows are scary, but so is getting a hole punched in your head from a guy a quarter of a mile away.
@@gymshoe8862 A stone/clay shot would do MUCH more than bruise -- if said projectile caught your leg at the knee you'd be known as "Hopalong" -- or your arm at the elbow, you' be called "lefty" from that day hence. If it caught you on the cheek, it would shatter the side of your face. Should you survive the initial blow, (unlikely) the result would be a loss of an eye and permanent jaw/mandible disfigurement, akin to the phrase "drinking your supper through a straw." If it hit you in the eye socket or forehead, lights out. Permanently. Really Gym, think about that projectile slamming into soft-tissue of your belly, the kinetic energy would likely pulp internal organs; I could go on, but hopefully you get the point. It isn't a toy.
@@lpeterman Also lets not forget that these are only clay, the much more lethal ones would have been made of lead so twice the weight and half the size, roughly the size of a shotgun slug. With records of them embedding themselves in flesh to the point of requiring a specialized tool for extraction as well as breaking long bones, those were absolutely deadly.
When the first one weighed EXACTLY 25g i was on the edge of my seat thinking you had the expert precision and all of them would be like the exact same weight XD very inspired by your channel, definitely going to be following your sling making tutorial soon!!
This is just amazing (and mesmerizing) to watch and listen to. From the process to the slings (and how accurate they were to the camera) just makes this cool in many ways. Next time someone says "crack the whip", this is one of the first two videos that will come to mind now. The other will always be the "How to use a Balearic Sling" video, as that one sold me on the whole concept. :D
There's no science to it, really. At it's simplest, you just hold out the hem of your tunic/tunica while you are standing and place the bullets towards the middle, gravity will do the rest and you have a basket for all your goodies... this is actually really great for storing lemons and apples Just be careful, the more ancient you go... the more the likelihood you'll end up flashing somebody doing this! :P As to how Archaic Arms does it... I'm interested too. I have a feeling that he creates a fold at the belt or something.
@@Archaic-Arms I had another comment here but I don't think it showed up because of links. On the British Museum website (Under 'Slingshot') There are a few sling glandes that show drilled holes on shot that are biconical, so it seems that it wasn't just the type found at Burwick. I have my own personal theory that Burwick type were meant to be shotgunned out, which likely explains why they are sphericals and not biconical/almond-like in shape. Edit: lol, just realised that I replied to the wrong comment.
After the very first shot, my heart started racing, right until the end. I flinched on every shot, and at the end I started sweeting profusely. Now, 20min later, my body is still reacting negatively, and I'm shaking. I'm a combat vet, suffering from PTSD. It's been 15 years since my last firefight. And probably 5 years since the last time I had flashbacks, or any other irrational behaviours. But this took me right back there. After reading a bunch of comments stating, that this weapon, would probably have been terrifying, to be up against. I thought that you or some viewers might find my anecdote interesting. BTW this is my first time here. I'll probably skip any other videos, where I'm used for target practice. Haha
Wow, that is insightful thank you. As someone who hasn't been under fire, nor a barrage of sling bullets, I didn't fully realise the extent this weapon could have given people PTSD, and triggered it, on the ancient battlefield. Lead bullets are much louder, and sound even scarier when slung at a higher velocity from a long sling. I hope this video has not effected your recovery in a bad way.
@@kitsmashing3267 Unfortunately those clay ones aren't nearly as loud as lead projectiles (mostly due to construction), and yes they could be going faster. I used a fairly short, 24" sling and it output about a little over 50m/s with those projectiles. Revisiting the project with metal projectiles, and sending them 70+m/s, would make a huge difference!
That was terrifying to face watching on my iPad haha! You can really feel the fear opponents must’ve went through hearing those cracks and whizzing noises, every time waiting for it to be the one that gets you.
Thanks! What I've found is that the larger and deeper the hole, the lower the pitch. I've recently found a combination that works much better, so there will definitely be another installment in the near future...
@@Archaic-Arms, I was wondering about that hole vs no hole. What if you dimpled the clay like a golf ball? Or a ring of smaller holes? I remember something about some military shells that screamed along at a high pitch.
imagine a football tumbling end over end in flight rather than the level spiral in which they're thrown. more aerodynamic, more precise. also i think there might be an issue of the shot slipping out of the sling if it were loaded lengthwise.@@johnruckman2320
I made a sling as a kid, used the leather tongue from a shoe and some cord. I would get round rocks from the river for ammo. Was a lot of fun once I stopped hitting myself in the head. Never as good as the guy here but not bad. Cool video. Thanks for the upload
Same! I was obsessed with the David and Goliath story as a kid and made my own sling out of leather as well in the 90s! Had fun with that thing. My dad accidentally let go of it and lost it in the lake lmao. That thing was powerful.
Ok, today's rabbit hole brought me here. And oh wow, am I amazed. The skill with this weapon. This is amazing. Something else for me to fiddle around with this coming winter.
Using a sling is such a mad skill. It seems to me it’s gotta be a high barrier to entry, meaning it takes a huge amount of practice just to achieve the most rudimentary competence. At least that’s how it looks to me, from the outside looking in.
This is random and I don't personally have any connections, but I'd love to see some of your shots in high speed footage! On topic: How terrifying it must have been; to be on the receiving end of a slinger's volley! Love your videos, dude. Keep up the great work!
Man, the firerate, the projectile velocity, the nasty damage these thing could make, and of course, the noises. Those slings are literally ancient bolt action rifles
Anyone who’s ever stood in on a fastball or played ice hockey know what something that dangerous and at high speeds looks and sounds like but, this is truly unreal. Check out the Ancient Greek coins from Pamphylia, Aspendos they feature a slinger on the reverse of their issues
Well congrats you got me to physically jump in my chair when you hit the camera stand! I had no clue slings were this terrifying and with only clay shot, it seriously sounds like gunfire. I can't imagine running down a group of people doing that to me
Now I am craving some good ole Rome: Total War and using slingers only army. lol! This was super cool and I would love to learn how to use a sling as well as this guy!
imagine traveling with your band of soldiers and from the trees you hear multiple loud ass whip-like snaps, your buddy next to you falls over bleeding from the head, and the whole field is buzzing at you...
The Greeks at Troy actually used lead shot in their slings.Homer says they were naked and carried only their sling and pouch full of shot.They also inscribed the shot with pithy sayings like 'take that'.
I always thought we should have learned to toss hand grenades with slings. It can go a long way and if it don't pop you still knocked the crap out of someone anyway.I taught myself to throw and always thought one spin of the sling was enough. Multiple times only confused me but I cant deny this guy is good and scary. I made my slings with boot tongue leather and nylon cord. Just enough to almost touch the ground when held with arm down. Leather strap tore up too easily using road gravel. Just need lots of space and maybe a hard hat when learning.
I made several slings of leather as a kid. I could throw small river rocks like bullets, but it was hard to hit a target. If one group of slingers were whipping rocks at another group I'd take cover fast! I just used small rocks, looking for the roundest ones Ball bearings flew straight but were hard to come by.
I cant freakin believe this! A few years ago i was bird hunting with friends and we stopped in a field to take a break. We heard several strange noises go by us. There is a shooting range about a mile away and we figured it was .22 wizzing by, we got out of there right away. I swear it sounded just like this!
Wow! The last thing ever heard is a crack and a whistling buzz, then you wake up on the other side. Impressive! Please, make some out of lead. I am curious to hear what it sounds like.
Im not going to lie, Ive been shot at before and hearing that shot whizz up and crash through the weeds near the camera was just as jump enducing. good stuff!
Damn I finally put on headphones after watching this video a dozen times and it sounds even more insane than I expected. THIS is the video that made me decide "yes, I NEED a sling for self-defense." Seems like a great tool to bring to protests, much quicker than using a bow, and literally unlimited ammo more or less.
if you have space to whip a sling around without hitting anyone in the middle of a protest good luck justifying the use of force in self defense to whatever court you end up in, not a hater just saying
@@mahbuddykeith1124some people got fucked on their 2a rights thanks to being wrongly locked up for bullshit reasons despite never committing a violent crime in my life, while people who literally support the gops sedition to destroy the american constitution arent infringed.
The audible crack sound when you release the projectile, is the shot breaking the sound barrier? Or is the sling itself cracking like a whip? This is a great video study on this subject. I'm not an expert on slings but I do know they're quite lethal. Good job.
Thank you. Only the end of the sling breaks the sound barrier, but the shot isn't a slouch in terms of velocity either. I intend to revisit this at some point with a longer sling and projectiles that whistle better.
Tracers are really easy to see coming at you or coming from you. They are really easy to track with the naked eye. I bet these projectiles were moving a lot faster than people might think.
this guy is not afraid of nailing his camera by accident. I'd put a mic down in the field and just sync the audio with footage from the side or something. Scratching a nice lens would bring me to tears.
That is so cool. I love slinging. That looks like Georgia red clay. I'd like to know for sure. Very good weight consistency, and...Damn Good Slinging, Brother!!!
Check out the Greek slingers, were they treated projectiles to be with smooth surface and charcoaled, in order to be soundless and invisible. Quite more panicking, when the only thing that you hear, are the actual blows!
A long time ago, I made a sling out of some cat-5 cable and a clif bar wrapper. That thing sent a 1" nut right through a piece of 1/2" OSB. Easy weapon to make.
Have you ever used a mold? Thinking something like a meatball maker. or for portion sizing roll the clay out in a fixed depth and cut with a cookie cutter prior to rolling balls by hand.
On your next batch of clay shot, grab a few spent .22 cal rimfire casings and mold them into the holes. I wonder if that would increase their volume. I wouldn't imagine it would create that much of a rotational imbalance.
I read a book about the annihilation of 2 to 4 Roman Divisions during an ambush in Germania. The sling shots were aimed at the groin and weakened the wounded from muscular pain and bleeding; the gladius was used to finish them off as the wounded crouched and limped.
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Even back then the ancient Romans knew it’s never good to hear something whizz past you, that sound was probably just scary as a gunshot
Most of the roman tactics were adopted from what their enemies had first used on them, I imagine they knew exactly what it felt like to be on the receiving end of that...
@@Nate-bn5kk Ye Carthage had Balearic slingers in the Punic wars so I would think they did this same tactic then.
I think I’d rather be shot than hit by one of those rocks
arrows
What do you mean “even” back then. Tens of thousands of years of human warfare where our unique offensive capability among all animals is our capacity to throw projectiles…
imagine seeing 1500 unarmoured dudes with ropes thinking a battle is gonna be a cakewalk, then hearing 1500 whips cracking and a sea of rocks whizzing straight at you
why are they carrying rope ?
@@davenickname That's basically what slings are made of, and they would often wear an extra or two as a head or arm band. And from a distance you may not know what they are, although i think almost everyone knew what a sling was back then
I have seen other videos about the history of slinging. Old documents show your slingers stood behind your soldiers and hurled sling bullets over their heads and straight onto the enemy further up field. It must be horrific to stand in ranks whilst a continuous rain of sling bullets fell on you, hitting you in the face and upper body.
I think I heard a twig snap...what's over there? *THUMP* Game over!
Eh..
I'd charge them over archers or muskets.
Had many things thrown at me over the years.
Doesn't feel threatening.
Damn, each shot's got me flinching. Well made example of ancient psychological warfare..
Definitely would have made it difficult to concentrate on the ancient battlefield with hundreds flying down at once!
dont forget that crack of the sling. Hearing that sort of noice from hundreds of skilled slingers would be the most traumatising thing a human could ever face
Which just goes to prove Romans we're Terrorists . They knew how to terrorise I can't imagine being on a battle field and a thousand of these projectiles flying over head or close to .
@@Schizz76 yeah try Verdun, the Somme, Kursk, and extended siege warfare from mediaeval times. There would be plenty worse ways to go out on a battlefield. Not saying being belted by rocks then cut to pieces would be fun and all but let’s be real constant actual artillery, bullets, and for some of the battles I mentions chemical weapons, you can’t lie that psychologically it would be more torturous to wait your turn in line to die in WW1 in wave after wave of stalemate attacks and constant artillery barrages. Flamethrowers, gas attacks, bayonets, the first heavy use of machine guns in major conflict, tanks, grenades being dropped from airplanes.
@@BarrackObamna how’s this compromise:
War is hell
Ah yes, the tried and true Roman Milwaukee drill bit set.
Excellent video as always. These whistle shot must have been absolutely terrifying on the field of battle where there were dozens coming your way at a time.
Wait until you hear the "proper" metal ones...
True Roman drill for True Romans
Milwaukee 414 represent 💪🏾
they did have metal drill bits though
Dozens ? Try thousands. Every Roman soldier was trained to use a sling. There were five thousand men in every legion
I imagine hearing a couple dozen slinging snaps go off at nearly the same time followed by the whirr of all those shots going past must've carried a proper feeling of "Well, that can't be good..."
Pretty impressive how consistent they apparently turned out. So Romans who had been making those for years probably got them to a few percent tolerances while barely looking at them.
yep... people have always been people. Once you learn a job, and you continue doing it over a long time, you will master the craft. Im sure Rome had bullet makers specifically for the task of creating these clay rocks. And someone that makes thousands of those bastards a week is going to get damn good at making them, and making them fast.
seems silly, but the perfect counter example is myself. I started off at Dominos... green, barely able to even slap out a pizza at all.... now after a couple of years, im throwing dough like no tomorrow, no rush is too large.
The Bible says that a good slinger could consistently hit a fist sized target at 50 paces.
@@Ba11leFieldAce think how crazy that is! Being able to hit an APPLE consistently, at half a football field away, with a rock!
The Balearic slingers where doing this quite before they being invaded by the Romans...
@@Ba11leFieldAce the bible is extremely far from a reliable source, but I don't doubt that's true in any sense
The Benjamites was actually some of the best with the slings. It was a great weapon for shepherds, all the time in the world to practice, and they keep the predators away from the sheep’s .
Some things never change. Some of the best shots I've seen in the marine corps were ranchers who had been taking pot shots at coyotes for the better part of their teenage years.
Balearics were the best.
A big job growing up was shooting gophers and chipmunks out of the horse pastures all day long with my step brother and a 22. We would hit some wild shots even with iron sights and a whole summer of shooting really makes a difference in accuracy
@@fnerXVIexactly! Just like the best early fighter pilots were guys that grew up hunting birds and rabbits, leading shots on a moving target was second nature to them
@@marctatum8474imagine the death rate if the gang bangers had grown up shooting, like us country folk!
I just took up slinging for my celtiberian/roman impressions, and I've fallen in love with it. It's very addictive, been doing it for 3 months and I'm finally able to hit a 50gal barrel at 30yds.
Great videos keep it up
Great to hear! Its a fantastic forgotten skill, and I love to see it growing.
Thanks!
Did you make your sling, or buy it? If so, would you kindly point me in the right direction, please.
@@dendemano I made it. I am currently working on a video tutorial for this design.
@@Archaic-Arms Thanks for the reply. I look forward to watching the tutorial.
Good shot sir!
It's interesting to learn that this is a proper deadly military weapon, not a kids toy
The sling was the gun of its day
Did you know every Roman legionary was required to carry a few different slings, for different situations.
What’s interesting is they ( me included) give deadly weapons to kids and tell them to go have fun and be careful.
If I remember right they can hit with around as much force as a .44
@@TheLucidChiba apparently, a sling can generate 100j of force and a 22LR can produce 200j.
Apparently, a .44 can produce ~200j when it leaves the barrel but would be around 150-175j at around 15m.
You're brave as hell digging and molding that clay in a white pressed shirt. :D
I laughed at this far longer than I should have
Lmao absolutely. And then to just blast stones in the vicinity of his phone/camera
Not all heroes wear capes…
That noise x a few hundred or even thousand. Not to mention witnessing the devastating physical effect on your fellow soldiers. They were capable of cracking skulls and delivering a fatal blow. Psychological warfare in its most primitive form.
@@doubleT84 Wow, thanks for the reply and suggestion. I'm plucking up the courage as we speak. Incoming!!
Imagine you're in a shootout with some opps and your homie pulls this out and catches 3 bodies.
That would be crazy ngl
what does this mean in english
@@nicolasclermont893”imagine you’re in a gunfight with people who disagree with you in a gang affiliated way and your friend pulls out a sling like in the video and kill 3 people quickly”
@@TheSunnyTrails thank you
im that homie
This is when you realize David was never in any danger at all. The whole story takes on a completely different meaning.
Interesting fun fact: the Bible says David selected five stones from the river. I heard a preacher say once it was because David was afraid he might miss. Then when I was old enough to read it myself, I learned a bit later in the book where it stated that Goliath had three brothers and a servant who would be honor bound to avenge his masters death. David wasn't afraid he would miss, he was ready to take all five of them down. Now that, is badass.
@@genghisken0181 Even simpler for David, *Elhanan* son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite *killed Goliath* the Gittite
It's like the beginning of "Troy" with Brad Pit except he didn't run he just stood there spun up and took G-Money's head clean off.
@@genghisken0181Dude, it's a fictional story, David is an old timey Rambo. 💪
I think Goliath was counting on being able to close the gap before David could take a second shot, and the odds of the first shot being perfect were slim.
It’s cool how the shots become more consistent over time, you can only imagine how good someone would be if this was their job. I was flinching from my phone screen! Cool video
Been reading about the Second Punic War and Hannibal's Balearic slingers and found myself here. This is a cool video and answers some questions. Thanks! The slinger has a nice, fluid motion too. New subscriber.
Thank you!
Did you see the hannibal playlist by historymarche on yt?
Sitting through this, I got more and more anxious with each shot. The best aimed ones even made me flinch. I imagine a skilled thrower thst started young could be lethal. An army of men throwing this would be downright terrifying, as you see your fellow men get injured and fall before you even reach the enemy. Each snap of the sling and each whizzing projectile striking fear into your heart and breaking your morale. Shields cracked, legs hit and sore, spirits broken. What a weapon!
Even an improperly trained formation of men throwing these would be terrifying as long as they threw them anywhere near the enemy
if i was an archer there id run away
20-40 slingers in a row? Not sure if they’d have an option. Kinda have retreat or come to terms in being Goliathed.
Or just run out of range 😮
Thats what he just said 😭@guerrillavanilla
Altho mentioned in passing, slingers, I believe had a great role to play in ancient battles. Your entire camp-followers all had one. They dare not sit far away from the main battle force for fear of being over-run by raiding party during the battle. I betcha' they were all close up behind the main lines, slinging like crazy before the foot soldiers ever engaged. If their side lost they would all be slain whether they were cooks or shepherds etc. So, they were a part of the battle that is never talked about, except David of course... Thanks so much for your effort on these vids. EXCELLENT!
The messages they find on slinger bullets such as “Catch!” Or “Kiss my ass” is one of those things that reminds us how old the art of trolling is.
Super impressive! The suspense watching the shots get closer to the camera was exhilarating!
Such an ominous sound. Great video!
The power! He is sooo far away! You almost see the curvature of the earth. I was waiting for him to finally hit the camera and break it.
Haha, I've had some close calls but haven't smashed the camera... yet!
I try to aim near, but not too near.
Earth is flat
Nice hill 🤣
@@Graymenn 💀
@@Graymenntroll
I would have loved to be a slinger in ancient times if I had to live back then. Just the sense of power knowing you would be underestimated by nearly every new enemy, extremely mobile in the sense that you require no special tools to craft your weapon and ammunition, and that you can crack a hole in someone’s head from an immense distance with just a rope and a rock. However, I think I would most definitely fear slingers the most in battle. Yes, arrows are scary, but so is getting a hole punched in your head from a guy a quarter of a mile away.
It's hard to hit things consistently with a rifle at 250 yards.
Even though I know it’s a video the sounds still has me flinching. Facing a whole army of of people doing this must have been terrifying
They would bruise the hell out of you but not likely be fatal.
@@gymshoe8862Tell that to Goliath
@@gymshoe8862 A stone/clay shot would do MUCH more than bruise -- if said projectile caught your leg at the knee you'd be known as "Hopalong" -- or your arm at the elbow, you' be called "lefty" from that day hence.
If it caught you on the cheek, it would shatter the side of your face. Should you survive the initial blow, (unlikely) the result would be a loss of an eye and permanent jaw/mandible disfigurement, akin to the phrase "drinking your supper through a straw."
If it hit you in the eye socket or forehead, lights out. Permanently.
Really Gym, think about that projectile slamming into soft-tissue of your belly, the kinetic energy would likely pulp internal organs; I could go on, but hopefully you get the point.
It isn't a toy.
@@lpeterman Also lets not forget that these are only clay, the much more lethal ones would have been made of lead so twice the weight and half the size, roughly the size of a shotgun slug. With records of them embedding themselves in flesh to the point of requiring a specialized tool for extraction as well as breaking long bones, those were absolutely deadly.
@@ComotoseOnAnime Indeed.
When the first one weighed EXACTLY 25g i was on the edge of my seat thinking you had the expert precision and all of them would be like the exact same weight XD
very inspired by your channel, definitely going to be following your sling making tutorial soon!!
I didn't realise they were that deadly...A huge amount more power than simply thrown...A lot of skill, practice and arm ache... Brilliant video...
This is just amazing (and mesmerizing) to watch and listen to.
From the process to the slings (and how accurate they were to the camera) just makes this cool in many ways.
Next time someone says "crack the whip", this is one of the first two videos that will come to mind now.
The other will always be the "How to use a Balearic Sling" video, as that one sold me on the whole concept. :D
Had it in mind to make a few for the kids and I, and yours looks high quality!!! Thank you for posting this!
Instant subscription!
Thank you!
Some great shots! Would love to see more about how you carry bullets in your tunic.
There's no science to it, really. At it's simplest, you just hold out the hem of your tunic/tunica while you are standing and place the bullets towards the middle, gravity will do the rest and you have a basket for all your goodies... this is actually really great for storing lemons and apples
Just be careful, the more ancient you go... the more the likelihood you'll end up flashing somebody doing this! :P
As to how Archaic Arms does it... I'm interested too. I have a feeling that he creates a fold at the belt or something.
TheJackinati275 Is on the right track. I'll try and make a short film about how I wear the tunic.
@@Archaic-Arms I had another comment here but I don't think it showed up because of links.
On the British Museum website (Under 'Slingshot') There are a few sling glandes that show drilled holes on shot that are biconical, so it seems that it wasn't just the type found at Burwick.
I have my own personal theory that Burwick type were meant to be shotgunned out, which likely explains why they are sphericals and not biconical/almond-like in shape.
Edit: lol, just realised that I replied to the wrong comment.
After the very first shot, my heart started racing, right until the end. I flinched on every shot, and at the end I started sweeting profusely. Now, 20min later, my body is still reacting negatively, and I'm shaking.
I'm a combat vet, suffering from PTSD. It's been 15 years since my last firefight. And probably 5 years since the last time I had flashbacks, or any other irrational behaviours. But this took me right back there.
After reading a bunch of comments stating, that this weapon, would probably have been terrifying, to be up against. I thought that you or some viewers might find my anecdote interesting.
BTW this is my first time here.
I'll probably skip any other videos, where I'm used for target practice. Haha
Wow, that is insightful thank you. As someone who hasn't been under fire, nor a barrage of sling bullets, I didn't fully realise the extent this weapon could have given people PTSD, and triggered it, on the ancient battlefield. Lead bullets are much louder, and sound even scarier when slung at a higher velocity from a long sling.
I hope this video has not effected your recovery in a bad way.
@@kitsmashing3267 Unfortunately those clay ones aren't nearly as loud as lead projectiles (mostly due to construction), and yes they could be going faster. I used a fairly short, 24" sling and it output about a little over 50m/s with those projectiles. Revisiting the project with metal projectiles, and sending them 70+m/s, would make a huge difference!
Hell, a couple of those shots made me flinch watching this. The ones that almost hit the camera, lol.
That was terrifying to face watching on my iPad haha! You can really feel the fear opponents must’ve went through hearing those cracks and whizzing noises, every time waiting for it to be the one that gets you.
Great video! love the style and the context. sent this to my grandpa and he loves it. keep it up!
Wowsers, an ancient roman bit set with box. Priceless.
Goliath ain’t stood a chance against David’s sling along side the power of God
The shot hitting the grass made perfect Minecraft sound effects.
well done, a true feat of historical recreation that gives insight to the hardcore history.
nice slinging!
Thanks! I like your videos on the whistlers too!
I like your Tunica. Great throwing too!
I reckon you can get some interesting results if you change the diameter of the holes.
Thanks! What I've found is that the larger and deeper the hole, the lower the pitch. I've recently found a combination that works much better, so there will definitely be another installment in the near future...
@@Archaic-Arms, I was wondering about that hole vs no hole. What if you dimpled the clay like a golf ball? Or a ring of smaller holes? I remember something about some military shells that screamed along at a high pitch.
I noticed that you pay the egg crosswise of the pouch. How does the trajectory differ if it's laid lengthwise in the pouch?
imagine a football tumbling end over end in flight rather than the level spiral in which they're thrown. more aerodynamic, more precise. also i think there might be an issue of the shot slipping out of the sling if it were loaded lengthwise.@@johnruckman2320
@@johnruckman2320I believe it would fall out through the split the moment you start spinning the sling
(I used his video to make a sling)
I made a sling as a kid, used the leather tongue from a shoe and some cord. I would get round rocks from the river for ammo. Was a lot of fun once I stopped hitting myself in the head. Never as good as the guy here but not bad. Cool video. Thanks for the upload
Cheers, thanks for watching!
Same! I was obsessed with the David and Goliath story as a kid and made my own sling out of leather as well in the 90s! Had fun with that thing. My dad accidentally let go of it and lost it in the lake lmao.
That thing was powerful.
Ok, today's rabbit hole brought me here. And oh wow, am I amazed. The skill with this weapon. This is amazing. Something else for me to fiddle around with this coming winter.
I think I’ve just seen the most awesome video I’ve ever watched on RUclips!!!! I felt young again for 7 minutes….that was great. Liked and more
The balearic slingers are no joke. Imagine the sounds they be making 😅
Using a sling is such a mad skill. It seems to me it’s gotta be a high barrier to entry, meaning it takes a huge amount of practice just to achieve the most rudimentary competence. At least that’s how it looks to me, from the outside looking in.
It's very surprising how quickly people can learn when tutored.
Man wore a clean white shirt and then dug into clay with his bare hands... Truly he knows no fear.
This is random and I don't personally have any connections, but I'd love to see some of your shots in high speed footage! On topic: How terrifying it must have been; to be on the receiving end of a slinger's volley! Love your videos, dude. Keep up the great work!
Milwaukee drill bits, the preferred tool of the Roman slinger...
It’s pretty impressive that Milwaukee has been drill bits since the Roman Empire.
loved the video
the pov showed how impressive the sound of one slinger is, imagine a hundred
You did a remarkably consistent job of shaping those missiles but the whistle just gives the opponent a clue where it's coming from
Man, the firerate, the projectile velocity, the nasty damage these thing could make, and of course, the noises. Those slings are literally ancient bolt action rifles
No proper Roman leaves the house without his trusty set of Milwaukee drill bits
Anyone who’s ever stood in on a fastball or played ice hockey know what something that dangerous and at high speeds looks and sounds like but, this is truly unreal.
Check out the Ancient Greek coins from Pamphylia, Aspendos they feature a slinger on the reverse of their issues
You’re one hell of a shot
honestly out of every historical weapon I've ever learned of, this one genuinely scares me the most
Well congrats you got me to physically jump in my chair when you hit the camera stand! I had no clue slings were this terrifying and with only clay shot, it seriously sounds like gunfire. I can't imagine running down a group of people doing that to me
Absolutely fascinating! Thank you for increasing my knowledge.
Thanks for watching!
Now I am craving some good ole Rome: Total War and using slingers only army. lol! This was super cool and I would love to learn how to use a sling as well as this guy!
Thanks for showing how it's done and how it feel to be on the receiving end
Oh man! that's just as terrifying as the whip crack of a modern round ! Thanks for doing this video man!
Could be the best video I ever watched on RUclips
imagine traveling with your band of soldiers and from the trees you hear multiple loud ass whip-like snaps, your buddy next to you falls over bleeding from the head, and the whole field is buzzing at you...
Certainly an intimidating prospect!
What's wild is hearing the whip-snap effect at a distance, indicating the pouch at least was going greater than the speed of sound.
The Greeks at Troy actually used lead shot in their slings.Homer says they were naked and carried only their sling and pouch full of shot.They also inscribed the shot with pithy sayings like 'take that'.
I always thought we should have learned to toss hand grenades with slings. It can go a long way and if it don't pop you still knocked the crap out of someone anyway.I taught myself to throw and always thought one spin of the sling was enough. Multiple times only confused me but I cant deny this guy is good and scary. I made my slings with boot tongue leather and nylon cord. Just enough to almost touch the ground when held with arm down. Leather strap tore up too easily using road gravel. Just need lots of space and maybe a hard hat when learning.
I made several slings of leather as a kid. I could throw small river rocks like bullets, but it was hard to hit a target. If one group of slingers were whipping rocks at another group I'd take cover fast! I just used small rocks, looking for the roundest ones Ball bearings flew straight but were hard to come by.
I cant freakin believe this! A few years ago i was bird hunting with friends and we stopped in a field to take a break. We heard several strange noises go by us. There is a shooting range about a mile away and we figured it was .22 wizzing by, we got out of there right away. I swear it sounded just like this!
When Society breaks down we wont go all the way back to the stone age thanks to you.
The sudden blackout at the end 💀
Wow! The last thing ever heard is a crack and a whistling buzz, then you wake up on the other side. Impressive! Please, make some out of lead. I am curious to hear what it sounds like.
3:30 imagine you’re in ancient times and you see a guy doing this towards you.
Hey mate, youre actually pretty bloody good at this. I wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of one of those whizzing projectiles.
i stumbled onto this, i comprehend the description, and i'll be watching my step more closely
I didn't know the Roma Slingers Pioneered the Milwaukee Power Drill? 🤪😂
WOW - the very Close shots relly made me Flinch each time! holycow!
Im not going to lie, Ive been shot at before and hearing that shot whizz up and crash through the weeds near the camera was just as jump enducing. good stuff!
The romans, not having obtained firearms wanted to imitate the noise of them with their slings
Damn I finally put on headphones after watching this video a dozen times and it sounds even more insane than I expected. THIS is the video that made me decide "yes, I NEED a sling for self-defense." Seems like a great tool to bring to protests, much quicker than using a bow, and literally unlimited ammo more or less.
if you have space to whip a sling around without hitting anyone in the middle of a protest good luck justifying the use of force in self defense to whatever court you end up in, not a hater just saying
@@noggin8216 "i couldn't have thrown that rock at him, i was 60 yards away."
People will make every excuse they can to not simply buy a gun. Silly sock-bat influencers got y’all thinking wrong.
@@mahbuddykeith1124some people got fucked on their 2a rights thanks to being wrongly locked up for bullshit reasons despite never committing a violent crime in my life, while people who literally support the gops sedition to destroy the american constitution arent infringed.
Excellent demo, thanks!
How did you make your sling? Made mine with a simple 3 strand braid, but yours looks much nicer with that pattern.
Thanks, I learned a few years ago from this:
slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1382647725/0
The audible crack sound when you release the projectile, is the shot breaking the sound barrier? Or is the sling itself cracking like a whip? This is a great video study on this subject. I'm not an expert on slings but I do know they're quite lethal. Good job.
Thank you. Only the end of the sling breaks the sound barrier, but the shot isn't a slouch in terms of velocity either. I intend to revisit this at some point with a longer sling and projectiles that whistle better.
@@Archaic-Arms I've considered many times making a mold for lead shot for consistency. I'm not familiar with the clay shot. Thanks.
@@FlyinBrian777 Clay is reusable once kiln fired too!
Tracers are really easy to see coming at you or coming from you. They are really easy to track with the naked eye. I bet these projectiles were moving a lot faster than people might think.
First time watching one of your video's. This is freakin awesome dude.super cool video.
Glad you enjoyed!
this guy is not afraid of nailing his camera by accident. I'd put a mic down in the field and just sync the audio with footage from the side or something. Scratching a nice lens would bring me to tears.
2:52 3:57 that’s a phenomenal rate of fire. Twenty rounds with one round every 3 - 5 seconds 😮
It's almost like he edited them together. 🤡
That is so cool. I love slinging. That looks like Georgia red clay. I'd like to know for sure. Very good weight consistency, and...Damn Good Slinging, Brother!!!
Good old Somerset soil, rather clay rich!
Thanks, and glad you enjoyed!!
Out of curiosity, if you layered the different shots could you create a realistic sound of 100 shots at once?
Turns out that I've already done something very similar for another upcoming video, using better whistle-shot audio...
It's quite interesting!
@@Archaic-Arms Sounds fascinating mate, I'll keep an eye out!
The lead shots were called “bullets” long before the use of gunpowder. They could penetrate flesh quite easily and fracture bones
Those would certainly crown one's cranium.
Check out the Greek slingers, were they treated projectiles to be with smooth surface and charcoaled, in order to be soundless and invisible. Quite more panicking, when the only thing that you hear, are the actual blows!
Im pretty damn impressed, by the sounds of it you are able to hit within a 2m-4m radius consistantly
A long time ago, I made a sling out of some cat-5 cable and a clif bar wrapper.
That thing sent a 1" nut right through a piece of 1/2" OSB.
Easy weapon to make.
The sound of it is absolutely terrifying.
Have you ever used a mold? Thinking something like a meatball maker. or for portion sizing roll the clay out in a fixed depth and cut with a cookie cutter prior to rolling balls by hand.
Wonderful video. What skill!
On your next batch of clay shot, grab a few spent .22 cal rimfire casings and mold them into the holes. I wonder if that would increase their volume. I wouldn't imagine it would create that much of a rotational imbalance.
I plan to make some proper metal ones of the historical weight which should be much louder.
@@Archaic-Arms Cool!
I read a book about the annihilation of 2 to 4 Roman Divisions during an ambush in Germania. The sling shots were aimed at the groin and weakened the wounded from muscular pain and bleeding; the gladius was used to finish them off as the wounded crouched and limped.
The roman gladius?
Now imagine hearing this but from hundreds or thousands of soldiers slinging these things at you all at once.
Man, I had no idea the ancients used Milwaukee drill bits for their shot making process, what a brand...
I feel like this the 200 AD equivalent of hearing the roar of an enemy 50 cal firing at you