Is a sling as powerful as a gun?

The 'Part 2' film looking at slings. The film covers the power of slings, how fast the projectile moves and what its momentum is; momentum being a large factor in the penetration of projectiles. It poses the question and answers in some part 'Is a sling as powerful as a gun?'.

Discuss.....

[shannon]

While in Somalia, I witnessed, during a riot, a bunch of kids using slings against a rival clan. Adults standing 100 yards-ish away were laid out with one shot. I'm not sure if it was a bunch of lucky shots, but it was still extraordinary to see.

[FjeldraevenFreiden]

Tod: "... has effectively the penetrating power of a 9mm bullet..." Also Tod: "...There's another video I've done on how to make them. So go out, play, mess about in your back yard..."

[GaveMeGrace]

Thank you— unless it’s just RPG tropes, they call ‘em sling bullets for a reason. Pretty good against giants too, or so I’ve read.

[WhoThisMonkey]

You don't need to swing it around loads before releasing, that just decreases your ability to aim.

One sharp swing and release, using the rotation of the hips, it gives you a better understanding on where your projectile is going and how hard you're launching it.

(I've been slinging for about 14 years)

[SirBoden]

For perspective remember that shepherds protect sheep with slings. The critters that hunt goats and sheep are not delicate.

[drfill]

The only way to stop a bad guy with a sling is with a good guy with a sling...

[gatocles]

Considering that Roman surgeons had special tools for removing sling bullets from flesh...

[alanmountain]

I was in Spain as a kid and saw a shepherd controlling his sheep by firing a sling against rocks. The sound made the sheep go the direction he wanted. He was super accurate and you could hear the power in the shots. The sling for me is a very underrated weapon

[moldycarrot]

Make slings, overthrow the government. Got it!

[speckledjim_]

"Slings are awesome"

Yeah I know a channel that would agree with you 👍

[futurerandomness]

Hello Todd, not necessarily the same penetration potential, but similar impact force is what the momentum will give you. The 9mm bullet at about 115 grains (~7.5 grams) is travelling 330m/s, and with a much smaller diameter and conical tip, will definitely penetrate more than the lead sling projectile.

Like using an arrow with a bodkin tip vs those blunt spring loaded small game heads.

[slipstreamxr]

So, the fight between David and Goliath was essentially that scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" where Indy pulls out his pistol and shoots the swordsman running at him. I always loved that scene.

[brujero]

The sling projectile is also causing damage on a different level than the bullet of a firearm. Due to the sling projectile's larger surface it's energy is all dumped on impact = massive shock. A truly devastating weapon in skilled hands, love your videos Tod.

[RevoltingRudi]

"Haha. Let me show you itz featurez! Haha"

[notmyworld]

Thank you, Tod. I've only been doing this for two or three months, but have mastered the art of making good slings. So far, but have not developed any accuracy, and only sling underhand, but with considerable force. 75 yrs of age and always learning new things.

[chriswarren]

Well Goliath underestimated the sling and paid the price for a well placed shot! Looking at other comments, the development of a Spitzer projectile shot, could improve performance!

[wiskadjak]

In the autobiography of the artist Benvenuto Cellini (1500 - 1571) just about every time there's a street fight (he got into a lot of fights) out come the slings. Apparently it was a common weapon in Italy at the time.

[Grynslvr]

SIGH. Momentum. I remember this type of argument from one of the gun magazines about 30 years ago. It seems that a 9 pound bowling ball rolling along at a VERY modest rate of speed, has many times the momentum of a .45 ACP round (.45 Automatic Colt Pistol, made famous by the Colt 1911 or vice versa) which in turn, out classes the 9 mm NATO. So a slow moving bowling ball is more "powerful" than any handgun cartridge.


Some have brought up penetration. Sectional density plays a huge part in penetration and it was not addressed here. It is MUCH harder to penetrate anything with a large, round, bowling ball, than with a thin pointy object. Therefore, nails are thin and pointy rather than thick and spherical.


For a real test of comparative penetration, use a black powder flintlock pistol firing a lead ball vs. the exact same weight, size, and shape, projectile from a sling. Both might kill a man sized animal, but only one will penetrate 3/4" (18 or 19 mm, if I got that right) of plywood. One could also do the same test with a modern pistol but it is a bit of a problem to find spherical bullets for modern handguns. It wouldn't be a fair test if the projectile from the firearm hit "pointy" end first and the sling projectile hit sideways.


I have concluded, over decades of shooting, that slings are not as "powerful" as firearms. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean they are not deadly because obviously, they are. I am pretty sure that bullets kill by penetration and slings kill by blunt force trauma.

[Grrxmistress]

I remember first hearing about the lead projectiles historically used with slings from thegnthrand, and I was amazed by the power he demonstrated it could have.

[randylopez]

My grandfather's brothers were literally hung from a tree because of one of these slings. The story goes, early 1900s, the eldest brother at 15 was a sheep shepherd for a major rancher that lived next to the Navajo reservation. A sling was the only tool he had to protect the flock from wolves and such. The lead ram, which were expensive at the time, had a bell around its neck that the flock would follow. He got so good with the sling that he could hit the bell from a far distance and hear it ring. One day while showing off to some ranch hands, he missed the bell and killed the ram, splitting its head in two with a sling shot stone. He then hid expecting repercussions. The rancher and a group of sheriffs showed up on the rez to find him. When his mother said she didn't know his whereabouts they started to hang the other brothers, age 9 and 5, from a tree in the yard. When he arrived to protect his family they hung him too. My great grandmother then hid my grandfather, still an infant, under the floorboards of the shack they lived in. They then arrested her and she was never seen again. When the neighbors came to bury the boys they heard the crys of my grandfather under the shack. They raised him until he was 12 when he and all other Indigenous children were taken to a Christian boarding school to learn to be "civilized". There he was named Lopez to which I am 3rd generation. Anyways, the boys in my family learn to use a sling at an early age as a way to remember. Sometimes something so small can have great meaning.