Sling Shots and Long Bows (Discussion from June 20 and 21, 2006)

Tampico:

Any thoughts on sling shots?I have sling shots on my mind this morning for reasons that I don'thave time to explain, but I would be interested in hearing any slingshot stories or thoughts.I am not thinking of sling shots as a replacement for hand made longbows, by the way.

Black Bart Moon:

Actually, If you had the materials readily available, sling shots would be the weapon of choice. Your reference to a long bow vs a sling shot is kinda like a reference to a Winchester lever action rifle vs a colt 45. It is not a matter of one vs the other but both.

The sling shot would be the weapon for small game and rapid fire defense.

Of course, in the area of defense, should your forecast ever come to fruition, modern firearms would rule for some years to come. A think a viable defense strategy would be to immediately acquire firearms and material but avoid using them. Use items such as your bow and sling shot for day to day survival.

Industrial grade bungee cord should be on your list of items to acquire.

Wayne:

Slings in the hands of a trained user can hit man size targets at 200' and with an 2 Oz stone kill. Think David. In fact the Greeks liked slinger more then bows.
Long bows will out perform a sling but takes years of training.
Check this
http://www.slinging.org/

Black Bart Moon:

Slings are definitely proven but it takes a lot less skill to use a modern day sling shot and they are effective.

Wayne:

Right about that. I have shot more then one drug dealer with a Cat's Eye at 100' which gets them going.

Tampico:

Good points and nice link, Wayne. I do think that I would have better luck getting good with a modern sling, however, and I feel like I could use it to hunt squirrels with ball bearings. I also think I could regulate the speed on a modern one better -- so as not to seriously hurt the dogs.I also have a problem with keeping my rifle out near the back door because we still have underage members of the household. Consequently,when a coyote is spotted I never have a rifle handy. I'll bet that I could bump off a coyote with a sling shot.

One thing I probably would not do is use a sling shot on a drugdealer. What were the circumstances of that Wayne? We can't afford to lose you before the Collapse.

Poppyuncut:

WHY NOT? (Use a sling shot on a drug dealer) I SURE WOULD. IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE WAYNE IS JUST BEING A GOOD, REAL-LIVE PIRATE. KEEP IT UP WAYNE. YOU HAVE MY COMPLETE SUPPORT.

Tampico:

Wayne has my support too, because he is a brave Neo-Swashbuckler, but I contend that you should never go into a battle under-armed unless you have some element of surprise or something else that would tip the advantage in your favor. That is why I asked what the circumstances were.

Brian Provost (modern pirate):

hmm sling shots, will let me say this not be......will thousands of years ago, but i guess whatever me myself perfers good old swords, for i got plenty of them as wella compound bow - silent but deadly…

Poppyuncut:

“right about that. I have shot more then one drug dealer with a Cat'sEye at 100' gets them goingWayne

LOL. WAY TO GO WAYNE! MY KIND OF FELLA!

Tampico:

Great to hear from you Black Bart. Hope things are going well in Arkansas and with the baby.My main motivation for getting a sling shot was not survival related. There are two dogs next door and the owner is too lazy to keep the fence in repair so the dogs come out and attack my photenias. I don't think the dogs are anti-photenia, its just that I am running a soaker hose on the new photenias (8 are new, 22 are established) and the dogs are attracted to the water. I wish I could zip a few shots off at the owner, but I'm thinking about pelting the dogs just to run them off. I would use marbles as shot and not shoot at anywhere near a lethal velocity.I tried reasoning with the guy (yelling across the fence) but he just sends one of his poor kids to recover the dogs and puts them right back in the unsecured yard.

Black Bart:

This does indeed sound like a perfect use for the sling shot.
Incidentally, someone from the University from Texas is here looking for the Ivory Bill. Apparently, I am not the only one who is seeing things.

Wayne:

About a near my home there was an old dead end (Now The Pancho Villa Victory Garden) Drug dealers and hookers would ply their trade. I would go along the woodbine to about 50' 100' and send off a few cat eyes in to the crowd of dealers. First few times some of them would talk shit and pull guns that got a 911 call to the police would who come and search the dealers most felons with firearms after about 4 months and the City letting the block watch group turn the dead end into a Garden the drug dealers moved some place else.

Note never shot at Hookers they were at least runing the worlds oldest business. The Mexicans loved calling the police on the guns Racine had a program where you got $50 for each firearm seized in a drug bust .

I love legal Mexicans

Wayne:

I would have felt bad if I had missed a hurt someone else and there was a chance (small) they would have found out who it was. I could not do it all the time or after dark with no or little moon light.

Also I needed the help of others I am very glad they are gone - the Garden is so much nicer.