# Shooting with stones(or rocks if you're American)



## Cave-dweller

I have recently started trying to do some shooting using stones as ammo but without much success.

I live near a beach and when I am out walking my dog I choose the most round or uniform stones I can find and then shoot them at various targets.

First Question:

How does anyone get any accuracy with stones? Like, I'd guess, 99% of the people on this forum, I am aware of Rufus Hussey and the "Carolina Camera" piece which can be seen on Youtube. The stones he used seemed to be quite rough and not particularly round but he was deadly accurate. When I shoot with much more smooth and rounded stones than these I get "curves" that would make a baseball pitchcher jealous and it's a lottery where the stone is going to go! By the way, I'm only a novice, but I'm reasonably acccurate with steel balls.

Second Question:

The first time I decided to try a larger stone (about 1.5cm (0.5") around, It struck me on the back of my hand, ripped a lump of flesh off and made my hand swell! I was reluctant to try this again but after careful consideration I decided to try this size of stone again but this time using the flip shooting method ( I had used the twisting the pouch method before). Ouch!! It hit me just above the knuckle. Is there something I'm missing?

Any insight would greatly appreciated. I am starting to look like a guy who does bare knuckle boxing with his right arm tied behind his back?


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## bootneck

I always put the thinest longest edge on the pouch since the stone's near me arnt very uniform, do the twist and flip you just have to get a feel for how the stone will react when it's being accelarated i think, also with big stone's do a exadurated flip, that's what i do anyway and it's good out to 15m with flat stones and roundish stone's don't curve at all,

oh by large stone i mean a inch and a half and the smallest i shoot is a cm and a half, anything smaller will take a great big curve so maybe just use bigger stones?


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## mckee

ican shoot rocks just the same a steel people say this but ive never really had a problem try instinctive shooting it may help you to shoot them!


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## A+ Slingshots

Shooting rocks can be a challenge for sure but at close hunting range they can perform well enough!!
Maybe some dedicated more experienced rock shooters like Nico will make some posts here soon. 
I still prefer steel and lead, but I believe everyone should practice with rocks some if they are a hunter or outdoorsman just because of the fact you may need to use them or day.


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## kobe23

The way you lay a stone/rock/pebble in the pouch plays the most important role in shooting them. Unlike sphere bbs, they are uneven, so 
1. bigger pouch shoots better, because the uneven mass have some extra surface area to move a bit so for even mass distribution when shooting.
2. oval and roundish mass shoots well, but triangular masses shoots badly.
3. try to avoid thin coin-like pebbles.
4. volume of the mass increase, probability of a fork hit / thumb hit increases.

A even shaped pebble could shoot accurate to 20m at least (I could cut weed stalks at 18m in a good day). Some practice, learn the maximum size of ammo your slingshot could handle, shoot well =D


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## Cave-dweller

A+ Slingshots said:


> I still prefer steel and lead, but I believe everyone should practice with rocks some if they are a hunter or outdoorsman just because of the fact you may need to use them or day.


Yeah I agree. It was what Joerg calls the "if the sh1t hits the fan scenario" that got me thinking that I should do some regular practice with stones (rocks).


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## Cave-dweller

kobe23 said:


> The way you lay a stone/rock/pebble in the pouch plays the most important role in shooting them. Unlike sphere bbs, they are uneven, so
> 1. bigger pouch shoots better, because the uneven mass have some extra surface area to move a bit so for even mass distribution when shooting.
> 2. oval and roundish mass shoots well, but triangular masses shoots badly.
> 3. try to avoid thin coin-like pebbles.
> 4. volume of the mass increase, probability of a fork hit / thumb hit increases.
> 
> A even shaped pebble could shoot accurate to 20m at least (I could cut weed stalks at 18m in a good day). Some practice, learn the maximum size of ammo your slingshot could handle, shoot well =D


Great info! Thanks.


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## dragonmaster

With a little practice the smallest slingshot can handle the largest stone. Today I took two snakes with stone that were odd shape. Not round not smooth but rough and jagged. With stones you get the feel for placing them in the pouch then work on the release. I can shoot 1 inch stone with no flip and narrow forks not that I'm that great of a shot. I miss allot but can still take pigeon at 15 meters with odd shaped stone.


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## Nico

Hi Cave-Dweller
I like to use oval shaped pebbles there exists no exact measurements however a general "approximation" would be 3/4 inch to 1 inch length by 9/16 thickness
Also round pebbles or in between shapes somwhere within the size of 7/8 inch.

Like Dragon Master said the placement of the stone in your pouch is key to success in shooting stones and I have never hurt my hand shooting stones as all I have ever used are stones for hunting.

It helps if you use a stone shooting pouch like this one here is Mayan shape 








Also what Dragon Master said about the other rocks the crushed slate and limestone gravel variety if you get a weighty square like rock of this kind it is still possible to make shots at 20 yards no problem as long as your slingshot is not ridiculously fast it will not spiral this odd shaped rock
Here's an example








I recently was shooting these gravel rocks at a sign accross the street from my home 40 yards distance and the rocks traveled straight albeit in a loop as I used lighter bands and still the gravel rocks were hitting the 40 yard target.

Just remember as has been noted by DM the placement in your pouch of a rock is key to accurate shooting this is something you just to have gain a feel for by experiencing as there is no other way to know if the stone is proper in your pouch except by feel.

Nico


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## pelleteer

Great thread. I like the idea of shooting rocks, as they are free and plentiful no matter where you go. However, like Cave-dweller, I can't hit with them worth a darn.







Nico, could you give the dimensions of the Mayan pouch again? I think I'll finally make a couple and see if they help.


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## kobe23

pelleteer said:


> ...free and plentiful no matter where you go....


Well they are free but good rocks are not plentiful, much strain to the neck and eyes searching for them everywhere when you get hooked.


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## WC28

all ive ever shot is rocks and personally getting the feel for rocks is just as easy as steel and its free and easy to find


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## Charles

The VAST majority of my shooting from the time I was about 5 or 6 up to now (66) has been with stones. As a youngster, no one I knew shot anything else. Marbles were too expensive, and no one had access to steel or lead balls in any quantity. We all used larger pockets than you see on most commercial slingshots these days, and I suspect that is a large part of the key. You want that pocket to be big enough to wrap all the way around the stone. If the pocket does not wrap, the stone is too big or the pocket is too small. Then it is a question of smooth release. And we certainly would never use a flat stone because its flight would be too erratic. No doubt others have different opinions ... in the end, experimentation is the key ... find what works for you.

Cheers ..... Charles


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## JoergS

Shot with stones at the ECST for a while, towards the end when all of the steel balls were gone... I had forgotten how much fun that is.

Nice heavy stones can indeed be very accurate for about 15 or 20 meters, beyond that they often stray.


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## Gwilym

I think the crucial things for accuracy rocks is to make sure you got a big enough pouch and low velocity. I think one of the reasons nico is so successful with rocks is cos he is not overly concerened about having high velocities like most instead he prefers larger projectiles. This has two advantages. Heavier projectiles will be less affected by wind cos they have a lower surface area to mass ratio and because of tghe lower speed there will be less wind resistance to affect it.
Also I noticed i can shoots rocks much better with squares than flats which backs this up.
Having said that I am no expert with stones so if nico or someone thinks I'm wrong I probably am.


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## Nico

Gwilym said:


> I think the crucial things for accuracy rocks is to make sure you got a big enough pouch and low velocity. I think one of the reasons nico is so successful with rocks is cos he is not overly concerened about having high velocities like most instead he prefers larger projectiles. This has two advantages. Heavier projectiles will be less affected by wind cos they have a lower surface area to mass ratio and because of tghe lower speed there will be less wind resistance to affect it.
> Also I noticed i can shoots rocks much better with squares than flats which backs this up.
> Having said that I am no expert with stones so if nico or someone thinks I'm wrong I probably am.


Your correct on many levels, heavier projectiles are less apt to be affected in flight and yes if you really want longer range capability by this I mean within the 40 yard (36 meters) range then you need to make sure they are smooth either oval or round. They do not have to be perfectly round for straight travel at a longer range if they are heavy.

The slingshots I use are considerably faster than the classic English Black squares as I have tested this myself with chrono shooting the same stones.
Yet they are not as fast as some of the modern things like theraband gold.

My slingshots are firing a 308 grain oval smooth stones (21 grams) at about 160-165 fps and they can easily fire these stones accurate to 40 yards no problem.
The classic black squares only fire these same stones at about 138 fps but can give you 150 fps with 220 grain stone.
Still a 220 grain stone is no joke and if your square laccy can do this then you can kill small game with 1/2 ounce stones up 20 meters with your humble square rubber.

However the added velocity with a heavier weight is considerably more devastating I will give an example:

A small 45 cal lead ball I think this is 144 grain (anyone know the exact weight?) shot from the square laccy can give you 170 fps and I have seen videos of a hunter shooting a rabbit with this set-up, he kills it but the rabbit's nervous system made the rabbit still run and he had to find it it in the thicket.

I have shot rabbits in the head with a 300 grain stone with my red chains at 160 fps, and this impact completely shuts down the rabbit's nervous system they do not run just drop on the spot with a little trembling

Either way, heavier is always deadlier.


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## Cave-dweller

Great info! Thanks.



Nico said:


> Hi Cave-Dweller
> I like to use oval shaped pebbles there exists no exact measurements however a general "approximation" would be 3/4 inch to 1 inch length by 9/16 thickness
> Also round pebbles or in between shapes somwhere within the size of 7/8 inch.
> 
> Like Dragon Master said the placement of the stone in your pouch is key to success in shooting stones and I have never hurt my hand shooting stones as all I have ever used are stones for hunting.
> 
> It helps if you use a stone shooting pouch like this one here is Mayan shape
> View attachment 8556
> 
> 
> Also what Dragon Master said about the other rocks the crushed slate and limestone gravel variety if you get a weighty square like rock of this kind it is still possible to make shots at 20 yards no problem as long as your slingshot is not ridiculously fast it will not spiral this odd shaped rock
> Here's an example
> View attachment 8557
> 
> 
> Plenty to work on and think about. This is great! thanks.
> 
> I recently was shooting these gravel rocks at a sign accross the street from my home 40 yards distance and the rocks traveled straight albeit in a loop as I used lighter bands and still the gravel rocks were hitting the 40 yard target.
> 
> Just remember as has been noted by DM the placement in your pouch of a rock is key to accurate shooting this is something you just to have gain a feel for by experiencing as there is no other way to know if the stone is proper in your pouch except by feel.
> 
> Nico


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## PebbleShooter

As my name suggest i basically only shoot stones, unless i find some bbs or what not. I really only shoot stones because they are natural, so a non pollutant and they are free and plentiful. I always try and find smoothest pebbles as possible the rounder the better. It all depends on terrain though. Some places i go and shoot there's not a round stone in sight. This is where shooting get challenging, the rough edges make deviation very likely, sometimes i find it entertaining watching a stone take a wild path curving insane.

Stones weight also plays a big factor, heavy large stones shoot very accurate and normally further, but shoot slow, also you MUST flip shoot with big stones such as .40 as fork hit is very probable. I've also injured my hand horrifically when i didn't flip shoot a large .80 stone half of my hand lost feeling for about a week and i had a half inch gash in it which was surrounded by a large purple bruise. Of course, it makes me think twice about shooting large stones.


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## dgui

Have some video of good succes shooting rocks. The round ones do not fly very good, you cannot pull back and shoot them too fast, from 3/8 inch to no more than 5/8 inch works the best, move oval shaped for a good flight, also if they are somewhat longer than they are wide but not more than an inch long and about 1/2 inch wide. Rufus shot with gum rubber which is very slow moving. If you will look on pfshooter on youtube there is some video os shooting rocks.


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## dgui

Cave-dweller said:


> I have recently started trying to do some shooting using stones as ammo but without much success.
> 
> I live near a beach and when I am out walking my dog I choose the most round or uniform stones I can find and then shoot them at various targets.
> 
> First Question:
> 
> How does anyone get any accuracy with stones? Like, I'd guess, 99% of the people on this forum, I am aware of Rufus Hussey and the "Carolina Camera" piece which can be seen on Youtube. The stones he used seemed to be quite rough and not particularly round but he was deadly accurate. When I shoot with much more smooth and rounded stones than these I get "curves" that would make a baseball pitchcher jealous and it's a lottery where the stone is going to go! By the way, I'm only a novice, but I'm reasonably acccurate with steel balls.
> 
> Second Question:
> 
> The first time I decided to try a larger stone (about 1.5cm (0.5") around, It struck me on the back of my hand, ripped a lump of flesh off and made my hand swell! I was reluctant to try this again but after careful consideration I decided to try this size of stone again but this time using the flip shooting method ( I had used the twisting the pouch method before). Ouch!! It hit me just above the knuckle. Is there something I'm missing?
> 
> Any insight would greatly appreciated. I am starting to look like a guy who does bare knuckle boxing with his right arm tied behind his back?


Did this video today:


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