# Maximum 1/2" Steel Speeds?



## ConnorA9 (May 3, 2018)

I was plinking with the monstrous 1/2 inch steel ammo today, and found that it was way too much for anything but obliterating tin cans and other similar types of targets. I have no Chrony, but I am guessing that the ammo was travelling at between 150-240 fps with double TBG cut 25-20mm (estimated, they were fitted on a slingshot I bought). I wonder what the maximum speeds people have achieved with this ammo has been?

Here's a video I made earlier, shooting the ball bearings :


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## Winnie (Nov 10, 2010)

Connor, when the opportunity comes to remove one of the bands try it with only one band-set instead of two. Strange as it may seem you may well maintain or even increase velocity with half the rubber. Latex is weird that way. Too much rubber gives you a quick snap while a more ballanced set-up pulls a little longer and ends up with a faster shot.

Latex works counterintuitively sometimes.


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

What Winnie said. Also less rubber is way easier to draw which help with accuracy. 25-20mm TBG should be plenty for that ammo.

LOL - had to have a double check at your location  - The UK LOVES overpowering their setups for some reason - seen triple 25-20mm for sale... Think the logic is bigger pull = bigger bang.

Fact is rubber is fairly heavy and the whole setup has to move itself as well as the projectile. Also friction in the rubber also steals performance... Rule of thumb - you get hand slaps or your bands are wearing quickly you may well be using too much rubber.


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

Check out this link.

https://slingshotforum.com/topic/21109-slingshot-forum-300-club/

Note that Can-Opener achieved 356.9 fps with .50 lead, so 350+ is certainly possible with 1/2 inch steel. With the improved rubber available today, I would not be surprised to see 400 fps with .50 steel.


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## ConnorA9 (May 3, 2018)

@Winnie Thanks for the tip, I was under the impression that a double bandset was the stuff to use when exceeding 9.5mm-10mm, especially when it comes to Theraband.

@mattwalt Cheers, at this rate, I am still fairly accurate, but I know what you mean. I'll try using one bandset next time, even though these balls weigh 8 grams each.

Yes, a lot of those from various places in the UK double up their rubber, but I suppose for a long time, everybody talked down 8mm steel for hunting and anything except casual cheap target shooting. Turns out that with a single .66 GZK bandset for example, they can fly fast enough to deeply penetrate small game, and now since this is being seen and known, 8mm steel is highly popular. We seem to be behind in the "slingshot aerodynamics" a bit ????.


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

I blame GKJ


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## ConnorA9 (May 3, 2018)

mattwalt Haha, he's changed his mind about elastics recently, it seems, so has CPC. It was CPC who said that one can "forget about hunting with 8mm steel" in a video made a couple of years ago, but that had completely changed not so long ago, and he regularly catches rabbits with that very ammo now. It's easy to go with what the pros say, and what the popular opinion of others is, but we are all still learning, I suppose. There will be new and advanced rubbers coming out in years to come, I bet, which we'll have to get used to.

Btw, have you shot 6mm steels before, and if so, what do you think about doing that?


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

I shoot 6mm all the time - especially at the moment. When I was in the uk 9.5 was super cheap - but here is costly - 6mm seems to be the best bang for buck I can find.

They are awesome to shoot - incredibly accurate and they fly fast.

I have wondered if it would be a suitable hunting ammo - but I'm not convinced it has enough mass, and the lack of size could turn a near miss with 9.5 into a clear miss with 6...


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## Andy23 (Mar 26, 2018)

mattwalt said:


> I shoot 6mm all the time - especially at the moment. When I was in the uk 9.5 was super cheap - but here is costly - 6mm seems to be the best bang for buck I can find.
> 
> They are awesome to shoot - incredibly accurate and they fly fast.
> 
> I have wondered if it would be a suitable hunting ammo - but I'm not convinced it has enough mass, and the lack of size could turn a near miss with 9.5 into a clear miss with 6...


Matt, I've seen videos from Vietnamese shooters hunting with 6mm. It is possible, but you need a lot of speed I believe.


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## Andy23 (Mar 26, 2018)

What I have available as ammo is hex nuts. Until recently I have been using M8 nuts (4.5 grams), but seeing all the madness with 8mm ammo I switched to M6 nuts (2.1 grams) and I took some doves with 20 to 15 .7 precise.


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

No doubt - Think with solid headshots it could be effective on birds (I've considered it). Though its a question of ethics. A near miss with a 9.5 may still be a kill - though may be an injury or clear miss with 6... People in some countries who shoot for (lack of a better word) survival may take messy shots, I think if you're getting the bulk of your food from the local supermarket - you may question inhumane kills...

Its down to the person doing the shooting. If they believe they can make the shot and do it clean. Then why not.


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## ConnorA9 (May 3, 2018)

@mattwalt & Andy23 .55 Ulsopp bands from Wasp Slingshots will cause 6mm ammo to fly extremely fast, even blowing cans of fizzy stuff in half. I've found that they are really tough to be accurate with at further distances than 10m, unless it's a really humid day with next to no felt wind. Still, a very portable and cheap way to shoot.


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

As I said - I like them. I find them very accurate out to 20m (what size bands are you using as if its on the heavy side it could be making them corkscrew over 10m?)

BB's at 10m also do some wicked damage on soda cans - but like 6mm because they are sort of where ammo feels authoritative - but still small.


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## ConnorA9 (May 3, 2018)

@mattwalt Not sure about width (I get them premade and haven't done the measurements), but their thickness is .55mm. I saw CC plink the other day with .45mm GZK bands, so maybe they're the answer.


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## ConnorA9 (May 3, 2018)

Although I need to get some catty practice in again, in general. I've mostly been out of the way of it for months, and have just recently come back to it.


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## Ibojoe (Mar 13, 2016)

All I shoot is heavy lead and big steel. Just like busting stuff up. 
I think I'm using less elastic than ever and haven't noticed much change in velocity.


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## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

Nice shooting, definitely rips targetm


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

I was using some single 1632 and 6mm steel yesterday - was surprised how well it was shooting (usually use full loops).

Suggests probably like 8-6mm wide bands... on 6mm (maybe 10mm wide...)


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## mtncurman (Jan 22, 2019)

I have gotten 1/2 steel to 309 fps, and that was only for one shot. It was with double 1 1/4"-3/4" simple shot black. Not real useful because it was so hard to pull, I had a hard time even hitting my catch box. As far as hunting with 1/2 I like it a lot better in the 250-260 range. Not that hard to get it there with a long draw and bands I can actually pull and be accurate with.


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## mtncurman (Jan 22, 2019)




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## Pebble Shooter (Mar 29, 2014)

The performance of 12 mm steel ammo (0.47 inches), which is close to the half-inch ammo being discussed here, was quite impressive with the double layered Thera-Band blue I used when I made a shooting test video several years ago (2014):

Total band length = 29 cm

Active band length = 26 cm (variable depending on the slingshot type)

Band width at the forks = 28 mm

Band width at the pouch = 18 mm)

Slingshot fork width = 5 cm

Perforating 10 mm (0.39 inch) thick particle board was no issue for this combo, pretty hard hitting at close range even without particularly warm temperatures in early spring. The term "magnum" comes to mind to some extent. The draw weight was very reasonable too.

TB blue is super thin, and is therefore extremely "zippy" in terms of retraction velocity: I would assume that the Chrony readings would be quite high indeed (I don't have one of these). The only drawback of TB blue is a relatively short lifespan, but it's great fun while it lasts.

Check out the video here:


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## Blue Raja (Feb 10, 2016)

I have a Kit Fox hybrid from Perry and Kay @ A+ Slingshots - it is designed for 1/2" steel - I shoot 5/8" marbles with no problem. It uses black theraband tubes. Not sure about speed, but it will shred a paper target. One of my favorite slingshots.

Maybe Perry will chime in....


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## ConnorA9 (May 3, 2018)

mtncurman said:


> 91FCD233-7341-46B6-97DE-A3A421000EBB.jpeg


Wow, that's around 35 joules of energy! Pity about the difficult pull, though.


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