# Heavy lead, light steel



## zimbowarrior (Apr 24, 2013)

I am going to be going for doves , rats and guinea fowl and I have 15 gram lead spherical fishing sinkers, 5gram sinkers or some m10 hex nuts. Which is the best ammo ? I am using theratube gold. Any replies will be helpful because with a rifle, heavy ammo has lots of stopping power like my .458 lot but small calibre a have more speed. So what do I need, weight or speed? <<<<<that rhymed 
Thanks in advance.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

zimbowarrior said:


> I am going to be going for doves , rats and guinea fowl and I have 15 gram lead spherical fishing sinkers, 5gram sinkers or some m10 hex nuts. Which is the best ammo ? I am using theratube gold. Any replies will be helpful because with a rifle, heavy ammo has lots of stopping power like my .458 lot but small calibre a have more speed. So what do I need, weight or speed? <<<<<that rhymed
> Thanks in advance.


15 grams is 231 grains ... that is VERY heavy ammo for normal slingshot shooting; I would not use it, because it will have a trajectory like throwing a rock. 5 grams is about 77 grains ... that should be fine for doves and rats. It might be all right for guinea fowl providing you can get a good central hit on the head or the neck ... but it is a bit light for my taste. An M10 hex nut weighs about 11.6 grams, which is about 179 grains. That is just a bit more than .50 caliber lead ball. That is on the heavy side, but providing your bands can get it up to about 175 feet per second, it should give you good results. But even with that heavier ammo, I would always go for head or neck on guinea fowl ... no body shots ... the feathers are like armor.

In summary, the 5 gram sinkers will provide good trajectory, but are lighter than I like ... they may work fine for you though. The M10 hex nuts will have a lot more energy, but will not shoot as flat as the 5 gram sinkers. Providing you are accurate with them, my preference would be for the hex nuts. Because of their shape, the hex nuts will do a lot more damage when they hit than will round or oval sinkers.

Cheers ..... Charles


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## zimbowarrior (Apr 24, 2013)

Ok thank you Charles I will be trying the hex nuts and smaller sinkers this coming weekend and hopefully will have a success story to tell!


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## Acedoc (May 19, 2012)

if you use .36/35 cal lead (around 40 grains if i recall) they punch right through feathers (crows). i shot one with a polymer axiom by nathan and hit it low in the body. was disappointed and sure it would fly off but the vermin made a feeble circle of its perch and fell down. it was bleeding quite a bit and on examination the small .35 had entered the body. have also seen the smaller caliber punch clear through the crop area of a flying rat. you can also see my post in hunting section re a crow kill with a head shot.

that said i believe mr charles with his years of experience is making a valid argument for the heavy ammo. i just find it easier to be more consistent with the light bands and .35 cal lead.

find what works best for you , take only headshots to up the game and have fun !


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## Jacktrevally (Feb 14, 2011)

Having shot Guinea fowls, a good compromise is 12mm lead to the head. They are tough birds and need either a head or neck shot to take them out.


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## AussieShooter (Sep 28, 2014)

Okay, i was using single 1842 with a 8mm steel, and i easily killed a pigeon, no problem, you don't need 15 gram at all for the animals, i would use 9.5mm for that with thera band gold,  Apart from the Guinea fowls, double thera band gold with say a 1/2 ball should do it good with a Head or neck shot


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## youcanthide (Jun 16, 2013)

All I use is M 8 hexnuts and kill plenty


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## stinger (Jul 6, 2014)

youcanthide said:


> All I use is M 8 hexnuts and kill plenty


do you lay them so they leave the pouch like a wheel rolling, or flat and tumbling?


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