# My New Favorite Slingshot Ammo



## truthornothing (May 18, 2015)

I just bought 100 rounds of .357 148 grain copper jacketed Wadcutters. I love these things. They demolish steel cans can't wait to see what they do to Mr. Bushy Tail. They are easy to hold, fly straight, hit hard and are relatively inexpensive. Win WIn Win :woot:


----------



## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

What size bands are you using ?


----------



## hotserk (Jan 10, 2016)

Can you make them just cutting a piece of rouded iron bar? will they work nice? Thank you


----------



## truthornothing (May 18, 2015)

treefork said:


> What size bands are you using ?


Those are 3/4 latex, I have also shot them succesfully with 1" double black Theraband


----------



## truthornothing (May 18, 2015)

hotserk said:


> Can you make them just cutting a piece of rouded iron bar? will they work nice? Thank you


I don't have the set up to do that but some folks on here make them like that and they work just fine.


----------



## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

Hotserk, round steel bar stock is exactly what I use. 10mm, 9mm and 8mm. I have a band saw cut off tool, I buy the bar in lengths of 6 meters for about $6, $7 and $8 respectively. I cut the slugs the same length as the diameter...i.e. 10x10, 9x9 and 8x8mm. I prefer this ammo to my own 9.5mm lead balls I mold, marbles and steelies. Why?

They hold in the pouch better.

I use my hour glass pouches that self center the ammo with no need for a center hole.

They fly as straight as spherical ammo and are heavier per mm of diameter than spheres, meaing I can pack the same impact energy into an 8mm steel cylinder as I can into a 9.5 mm steel sphere or so. (that's not exact but close enough).

I made a stop for my cut off tool that is adjustable so I can make all slugs the same length (and same weight for consistency) so the weight doesn't vary in a batch.

I get counting kerf wastage about 1.3 to 1.6 cents per round, very very cheap. I can make enough in an hour to last a year or two since I don't plink much and don't lose ammo using my catch box. I paint them white with a spray can then fluorescent colors to make them "tracer" ammo and can be seen easily as bounce outs. The paint lasts a long time.

I've tried rebar also but the nubbins on it feel weird in the pouch and I'm not liking them on release for that reason. The difference in cost from black iron rod to rebar isn't enough to concern myself about..cents per 6 meter piece.

Shown in one of the photos are the 9.5mm lead rounds I cast as well.

There are a number of us who prefer cylinders to spheres and some prefer cubes cut from square black iron stock for the 8 points that inflict more trauma on game..and feel good in the pouch too.

I firmly recommend cylinder ammo for those who can make it using a cut off tool (abrasive wheel cut off tools waste too much metal, use a band saw cut off tool) or buy bullets.

In .357 if you want a more squat cylinder, use 110gr wad cutters. .45 ACP bullets do well some say. One poster recently made cast lead cubes using silicone baby ice cube trays.


----------



## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

The copper jacketed (swaged) .357 wad cutters would sustain less damage than just raw cast lead slugs and last longer without deforming so much, good idea truthornothing. The longer wad cutters sure feel good in the pouch too. I used 148 gr .357s also when I was young in my slingshots, man did they have smack down power. They were about as long as what you pictured above...but just cast, not copper jacketed. I would imagine yours weigh about the same and that is righteous hunting ammo for sure.

In the penetration of steel paint cans and lids above and steel tuna cans in the photos above, I was using double TBG 20mm wide each band, 31 inch draw, 90% stretch. Total both side penetration of a steel paint can with 10mm x 10mm steel slugs is enough proof of smack down power...even more with truthornothing's lead wad cutters.

I frankly don't know why some members don't make steel cylinder or lead cylinder ammo and sell it here. A simple 8 round gang mold, drilled, the kind that has like a bullet mold 2 steel mold halves, would suffice for those with machine skills/shop for molds. Recycled wheel weights, roof flashings or any lead really would work.

A sinker mold that makes an oval sinker has been used to great success by some members here, the aluminum sinker molds are not expensive and can be bought online or at some advanced fishing shops. The oval ammo works splendidly...essentially a modified cylinder.

Here are a few disk ceramic magnet belt clip type ammo holders I made..one uses a clip from a discarded steel tape measure, one uses a G.I. canteen web belt clip bought years ago at a surplus store..you can still get these. I switched exclusively to steel ammo about a year ago, not because I don't like lead, I do, it's because I use the belt magnets when shooting all the time, more convenient than fishing in a pocket or pouch for ammo.

I've included one more photo of rebar ammo too. Steel cylinder ammo does not deform and lasts until you lose it to plinking. It does deform steel cans. I use it on my truck inner tube target disks and it won't bust up the disks which are free hanging from the cross bar in my catch box. For a bit over a penny a round I can't beat it.

As to Mr. Bushy Tail, he's going to die quckly! Kathunk!


----------



## hotserk (Jan 10, 2016)

Chuck Daehler said:


> Hotserk, round steel bar stock is exactly what I use. 10mm, 9mm and 8mm. I have a band saw cut off tool, I buy the bar in lengths of 6 meters for about $6, $7 and $8 respectively. I cut the slugs the same length as the diameter...i.e. 10x10, 9x9 and 8x8mm. I prefer this ammo to my own 9.5mm lead balls I mold, marbles and steelies. Why?
> 
> They hold in the pouch better.
> 
> ...


WooW, Thank you so much for this absolutly good information, I'm going to try it right now! Thank you again.

Cheers


----------



## Lacumo (Aug 18, 2013)

truthornothing said:


> I just bought 100 rounds of .357 148 grain copper jacketed Wadcutters.


Just out of curiosity... Where did you get them and what kind of $$ did they cost you?


----------



## hotserk (Jan 10, 2016)

truthornothing said:


> hotserk said:
> 
> 
> > Can you make them just cutting a piece of rouded iron bar? will they work nice? Thank you
> ...


Thank you, without your topic I wouldn't know about this incredible kind of ammo


----------



## truthornothing (May 18, 2015)

Lacumo said:


> truthornothing said:
> 
> 
> > I just bought 100 rounds of .357 148 grain copper jacketed Wadcutters.
> ...


Midway usa and I spent $13.49 plus 8.39 for $shipping for 100 rounds



hotserk said:


> truthornothing said:
> 
> 
> > hotserk said:
> ...


You are very welcome


----------



## Lacumo (Aug 18, 2013)

truthornothing said:


> Lacumo said:
> 
> 
> > truthornothing said:
> ...


Yikes! What a shame--a great product price with a deadly shipping charge. Oh, well--I'll check out the prices at local gun shows. Maybe I'll find some dusty old wadcutters that some vendor would love to get out of his sight...


----------



## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

hotserk said:


> Chuck Daehler said:
> 
> 
> > Hotserk, round steel bar stock is exactly what I use. 10mm, 9mm and 8mm. I have a band saw cut off tool, I buy the bar in lengths of 6 meters for about $6, $7 and $8 respectively. I cut the slugs the same length as the diameter...i.e. 10x10, 9x9 and 8x8mm. I prefer this ammo to my own 9.5mm lead balls I mold, marbles and steelies. Why?
> ...


----------



## inconvenience (Mar 21, 2016)

Thanks! I am so gonna try this.

I have made some wad cutters but I don't have a work area or many power tools yet


----------

