# Sling shot ammo preference!



## MrTriscuit (Oct 10, 2011)

Hey guys and girls wondering what you use for ammo and where you find it?

Thanks tristin.


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## atom (Jun 24, 2011)

i use all kinds of ammo marbles from pound shop/ stones free/ 9.5mm steel from gun shop /hex nuts from diy store , what ammo you using?


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

I use .177 BBs, .25 cal steel, glass marbles (all available from local stores) and .375, .429, .450 and .490 lead balls. I buy lead wheel weights from tire shops and cast my own balls.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Usual ammo - 3/8 steel from Royal Steel Ball USA.

Special ammo - Alumina oxide grinding media


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## MrTriscuit (Oct 10, 2011)

Thanks guys, I'm gonna have to try what you recommended! And at the moment I'm using some 3/8" steel balls I got from the hardware store.


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## notchent (Aug 4, 2011)

I posted the first part of this elsewhere, but thought you might benefit from the thoughts and comparisons:

BBs have become my favorite shot. 6000 BBs come in a bottle for $10. I can fit 100 of them easily on a magnet on my wire frame - they weigh next to nothing and take up virtually no space in my pocket. They create less litter on my property and work themselves down into the earth very quickly (10s of thousands of BBs have _disappeared_ into the earth around my home and businesses). I use the lightest possible bands, so my shooting sessions are longer, and I don't worry much about repetitive strain injuries. For me, that's the biggest benefit of BBs.

Using BBs, I can put holes in cat food cans using super light Alliance 117b rubber bands, and I can put more holes in each can because they're smaller. BBs shoot _fast_, so within the range I like to shoot, they fly straight (not as much drop down) - I'm very accurate with them. I can more clearly see how accurate I my shots are on paper targets because the holes are precise.

I love shooting just about everything, but for my daily target practice and "sneak out back" time every day, BBs fit the bill perfectly.

When I feel like breaking things, and with bigger bands (Theraband, Latex from Tex, and Chinese tubes), I use 3/8 inch and 1/2 inch steel, and .44 lead. Lead balls do the most damage, but they become deformed quickly.

Indoors I shoot yellow foam rubber "reball" rounds (used for testing .68 paintball guns), and some other various sized rubber balls that I've found on Ebay. When shooting indoors, an odd flier with this ammo doesn't do any damage (at least in an enclosed hallway).

Gumballs are fun to smash against trees in the woods, and they're completely biodegradable. I also recently started shooting taconite pellets in the woods (got mine at http://www.ebay.com/itm/160658537403). They're just like really round rocks - no one would think they were anything other than rocks if found in the woods, and they pack a punch.

I don't like marbles much because broken glass can cause problems, and they don't go away. Pennies, hex nuts, and other odd shapes are also not my favorites because they don't fly straight over longer distances. Animal foods pellets and nuts are biodegradable and fun to shoot in the woods, but they're too light and mis-shapen to fly straight for target practice (my fiance will only join me for shooting if we shoot food into the woods - helping animals with slingshots - kinda the opposite reason many people pick them up







).

Other ammo that I've tried and dislike include airsoft pellets - because they're too light and don't make a satisfying sound when plinking. The biodegradable airsoft that I've tried don't seem to be nearly as biodegrable as steel BBs. I tried crystal elegance water beads once - kinda cool, because they break apart into a shower of 1000 droplets when you shoot them (totally useless for target shooting, but a neat display for an audience).


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## MrTriscuit (Oct 10, 2011)

Awesome! That totally helps!







cheers mate.

Do you hunt with the smaller BBs?


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## notchent (Aug 4, 2011)

I wouldn't try to take anything other than the smallest birds with a BB. Definitely go for heavier ammo and bands (double Theraband or double flat Latex, and 1/2 inch steel or lead) if you want to hunt even squirrels or rabbits.


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## slingshotvibe (Sep 26, 2010)

I use sand granules and my target is an eye of a needle lol


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## fishjunkie (Sep 10, 2011)

i like to hunt with stones nice round one like p gravell


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## MrTriscuit (Oct 10, 2011)

I'll try pebbles I just gotta find spherical ones, I have a dankung that I mad some looped latex and I've taken a chickadee and that's it so far..:b


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## notchent (Aug 4, 2011)

SlingshotTristin said:


> I'll try pebbles I just gotta find spherical ones, I have a dankung that I mad some looped latex and I've taken a chickadee and that's it so far..:b


There's a section of this forum used to discuss hunting specifically (to avoid offending and getting into negative discussions with others). There's lots of info in that section, specifically about hunting, if you're into it. Click slingshotforum.com -> Hunting and Fishing with Slingshots .


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

I shoot 3/8" steel quite a bit but I'm suffering from tendonitis in my thumb so I'll be shooting .177cal BBs for a while with mild bands. I also have .375" & .44" lead ammo.... and 1/4" & 5/16" steel.

Cheers,
Northerner


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## The Gopher (Aug 25, 2010)

my three favorite types of ammo are: LEAD, LEAD and LEAD!

Actually i also shoot 3/8 and 1/2 inch steel, 3/8" and 1/2" hex nuts, stones and marbles but I just love shooting lead. I cast my own .45 and .5 lead and also like shooting OOO or OOOO buck shot. For wahtever reason i am a much worse shot with 5/8" marbles, can't hit a darn thing.


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## Bob Fionda (Apr 6, 2011)

10 mm.


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## fatboy (Oct 26, 2010)

I shoot mostly 3/8-1/2 inch steel. Some marbles. Some of my steel is cylindrical or tapered bearings used to shoot away not to be retrieved.

Only 100 of the nearly 1000 ball bearings I own were bought because all of the other bearings were removed from wheel bearings that were given to me from a couple of auto repair shops in town. The wheel balancing man saves all of the bearings he changes and every three or four weeks I drop by to see what goodies he has for me. The only payment he would take from me was a set of Trumark bands for his grandsons 1/4" aluminum frame.

So for a little effort you can score some nice ball bearings. You may even make some new friends and introduce someone to the world of the slingshot.


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## AJW (Apr 24, 2011)

Just my take on marbles. A broken marble doesn't go into shards and can be handled without fear of getting cut. To not use marbles for fear of one that breaks cutting an animal is like not passing wind because your doing your bit for global warming.

Al


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

SlingshotTristin said:


> Awesome! That totally helps!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


BB is a shot size. Technically I suppose there are two sizes. BB lead shot, as used in shotgun loads is .18 inch and steel BBs as used in airguns are .177. Those are standards, but I am sure that if you measure a bunch of each you will find a lot of overlap.


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## bikermikearchery (Sep 30, 2010)

[sub]If it fits in the pouch, I'll try to shoot it. [/sub]


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## fishjunkie (Sep 10, 2011)

i like that if it fits i shoot it


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## cheese (Nov 16, 2011)

1/2 inch steel,but thinking of switching to 3/4 pretty soon.


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## MkBeck (Nov 15, 2012)

when shooting indoors(into a box with a down tilted piece of OSB in my closet, from sitting on my bed) i like to use pennies! you can find em in the couch and if not, you get 100 for a dollar which i suppose isnt CHEAP but i wouldnt call it expensive... they have a goofy flight pattern sometimes(less than 1 out of 10) but if your pinch is good and consistant, they will fly straight for the 15 feet in question and usually more. when im feeling particularly destructive i have 15 old computer-mouse-balls that i have shaved the rubber off of, they will dent an insulated exterior door with ease but also have a drop to them wich makes them less than desireable for accuracy, about the biggest ammo id EVER consider using... but outdoors when shooting squirrels, birds, and other little woodland creatures i prefer the normal little "steelies" for slingshots that you buy at the store in the sporting goods department... oh and everything in between lol... if i have no ammo, im not being inventive enough methinks!
oh and i suppose a hello to everyone is in order as im new and this my first post!


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## muddog15 (Aug 15, 2012)

im shooting 7/16 steel and experiermenting with .44 cal lead. 7/16 inch is supposed to be the same size as .44 cal and that looks like its close enough comparing the two balls in hand. when i get good enough to hunt im going to use the .44 cal lead. i got my led from cheaper than dirt and my steel from simple shots.


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## Adirondack Kyle (Aug 20, 2012)

What hardware store sells steel balls? Would they be listed as bearings for something?


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## muddog15 (Aug 15, 2012)

adarondack kyle said:


> What hardware store sells steel balls?	Would they be listed as bearings for something?


i have found ace hardware has ball berings but there expensive compared to prices i have found on the net.


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