# How Fast Am I Shooting?



## Kodiak351 (Mar 24, 2013)

Hello! I don't have a chronograph, but I would like to know about how much velocity I am achieving so far. Is there a way to tell using references, for example: "If a 3/8" steel ball can completely penetrate 2 cans, it must be traveling at least 150fps", or something like that? How far away should one be from target when making these kinds of measurements anyway? Thanks again!


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## BC-Slinger (Jan 6, 2013)

If you have a andriod phone. You could follow Mj's guide he has on here to get a good idea of what you are slinging. Other then that no guessing velocities is impossible.

Cheers

BC-Slinger


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## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)

BC-Slinger said:


> If you have a andriod phone. You could follow Mj's guide he has on here to get a good idea of what you are slinging. Other then that no guessing velocities is impossible.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> BC-Slinger


Link to Mj's tutorial


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## Kodiak351 (Mar 24, 2013)

No, sorry, no Andriod phone.


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

An old rule of thumb that I have been told is that if your set up will penetrate one side of a heavy tin can, like a bean can or tuna can, then it is powerful enough to hunt with, rabbits, pigeons and the like.I have no idea about figuring speed without a chony though.

I do have a chonograph and my set up shoots 1/2" lead at about 210 fps, which gives about 19 ftlbs of energy. This has done me well for rabbits, squirrels and doves, I don't think it is enough for anything bigger.


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

Post some details about your slingshot and ammo (bands, measurements, draw length, and we can make an educated guess).


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## All Buns Glazing (Apr 22, 2012)

August West said:


> An old rule of thumb that I have been told is that if your set up will penetrate one side of a heavy tin can, like a bean can or tuna can, then it is powerful enough to hunt with, rabbits, pigeons and the like


He didn't mention hunting!


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Buns,
Not in this thread but in the other two I have been talking to him in, that is all we talked about, specifically hunting nutria which was my reason for stating the size animals that test is useful for.

My apologies for assuming he was still interested in hunting.


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## Kodiak351 (Mar 24, 2013)

So far, I've had no trouble putting a 3/8" steel through 3 bean cans, and the ball still leaves a good dent in the boards behind them. I would try four, but I'm out of cans (guess I could eat that can of chili that's been on the shelf for two years).

My setup is a Daisy B52 with Marksman Hyper Velocity Tubes. Draw length about 35"? I don't know the proper way to calculate, so I just held a tape measure and pretended like I was shooting.

Speaking about those Marksman Hyper Velocity Tubes...are they intended to be drawn past the shoulder? If I pull them to my usual anchor point (my ear) they barely feel stretched out, so I have been pulling them to nearly butterfly-style draw. (If I go to full butterfly draw, they will pop off of the frame) I don't know if I like drawing that far, because I'm having trouble maintaining consistent accuracy.

And yes, I'm definitely in this for hunting. It's got to put food on the table.

Thanks everybody.


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Sounds good, actually outstanding for 3/8s, I have never been able to come anywhere near that with that size shot. How are you putting the tubes ont he frame? I have never had a problem with tubes poppin off the frame like that. As far as pulling tubes or bands, I pull them till they run out of stretch or I run out of arm.


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Make sure you let the tubes sit 24 hours after putting them on the forks. Allows alcohol to dry . Also wrap them tight with a strip of latex. They won't budge .


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## All Buns Glazing (Apr 22, 2012)

August West said:


> Buns,
> Not in this thread but in the other two I have been talking to him in, that is all we talked about, specifically hunting nutria which was my reason for stating the size animals that test is useful for.
> 
> My apologies for assuming he was still interested in hunting.


lol, I graciously accept


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## bullseyeben! (Apr 24, 2011)

Were the cans like a Campbells soup can in thickness, & were they filled with water or empty?.... empty cans, 2 or more is very hard to penetrate if free standing & un supported as the ball comes out spinning and or off centre after passing through the first light can, that moves the instant the ball hits.. shooting at empty cans I have never got through more than 2, shooting 8.4mm lead at over 330 fps... filled cans maybe more plausable.. in any case I have never seen a single tube set achieve more than 350fps.. cheers, Ben


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## Kodiak351 (Mar 24, 2013)

In response to BullseyeBen, the cans were taped together, and I aimed towards the bottom half of the cans. I had tried it with them loose, but, the first would cause the others to move out of alignment fast enough that the ball would end up glancing off the second or third can. I had not thought about putting water in them, but I guess that would only work for one shot. The cans are just standard 15.5 oz Bush's beans. Steel, I believe, since the magnet clings tightly.

Oh, and I forgot, in response to August: I had wetted the frame tips with alcohol and simply slid the tubes on. The tubes came with black rubber "tube protectors" but they stayed on even worse than just the tubes by themselves. Maybe I should not be complaining about them, I have to pull them pretty hard to get them to pop off. They actually have been seemingly getting better with time; maybe they are settling in. The first time they popped off, I had only let them dry for about four hours, but the back of the package said only to let them dry for one hour. And they probably have popped off three or four times since that point, but I have gotten to know how far I can pull them now.


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