# How Far?



## Hulla Baloo (Nov 25, 2017)

Little fella asked me, "How far will it shoot?" I told him I can hit a paper plate at 30 yards with some regularity. He said "No, I mean how far will it go if you just aim it at the sky?" From the mouths of babes...

I'd never really considered it. What's the farthest you can propel any object with a slingshot? If the task were pure distance- all carry, no roll, on flat land, what do you think is attainable? If we throw butterfly and star ships in the mix is 400 yards possible? 500? What kind of setup would you use?


----------



## MakoPat (Mar 12, 2018)

I am curious about this one.

But have no clue.


----------



## Winnie (Nov 10, 2010)

I have shot out over water to the far edge of a lagoon nearby. With 7/16 steel I am guessing that shooting full butterfly 13 inch TBG cut 3/4 inch by 1/2 inch will get me somewhere around 600 feet.

328mm x 12mm x 20mm x 183m.

I'll try to get out with the rangefinder this weekend.


----------



## waimser (Sep 4, 2018)

Playing around with some calculators i get about 210m for a 10mm steal ballbearing fires at 250fps. Which lines up pretty well with my estimates after stepping out a couple shots.

Goes out to about 240m fired at 300fps.

If you can get 25mm steel to 250fps its out to around 340m. The calculator consistently shows the heavier you get for the same density, the farther you go.

To get that same range out of 10mm steel you need to be above 500fps.

Resources used

https://www.desmos.com/calculator/on4xzwtdwz

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=convert+fps+to+m%2Fs

https://bearingballstore.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=6

http://infinityline.net/conversion.htm

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=area+od+circle

This was fun


----------



## jazz (May 15, 2012)

I use two TBG bands cut at no more than 2x2 cm because I can not stretch more than that due to my shoulder pain.

The active length is 15 cm, draw length 75 cm, steel ball 3/8 of some 3.55 grams and my calculation shows that it should fly some 170 m.

I did not measure the distance but it looks pretty real

cheers,

jazz


----------



## spewing (Mar 13, 2016)

That Desmos calculator was a bit heavy going on a phone.

Any idea what the terminal energy of a given ball size at max distance would be.

Thinking along the lines of medieval long bows firing in the general direction of the enemy rather than aiming for a specific target


----------



## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

*Unscientific input here ... I think it's Trumark that has a warning on their packaging that slingshots can be viable out to 225 yards, a little more than 2 football fields.*

*From my apartment back patio, I can launch 1/4" rounds at 45-50 degrees out of the complex, across a wide boulevard, over someone's backyard, into a vacant walled off 5 acre city owned plot. Google maps has the distance at a minimum of 410 feet. It's not specific target practice, just an exercise to practice form, but if someone used a metal detector on that dirt lot, they might be astonished. *


----------



## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

If you shoot lead, it will carry further, as it loses less energy due to air friction as compared to steel... and steel will carry much further than glass or stone... and glass will shoot further than wood balls, and wood will carry further than foam balls and foam will go further than feathers!

BUT, the one that carries the furthest... depleted uranium... followed closely by Tungsten, which you can get but is a bit pricey

I've shot a .41 cal lead ball at about 275 fps at about 45 degrees, and it traveled over 700 feet..... the length of my pasture... I would guess it went around 800 total.


----------



## Flatband (Dec 18, 2009)

Never knew about the depleted Uranium Bill. I always thought Tungsten was the heaviest-( I've worked with it and it is serious! ). You can always learn something new. Nice post!


----------



## Hulla Baloo (Nov 25, 2017)

Great replies guys. Thanks for the mathematicals Waimser. Could be a sub-forum to compete with the speed demons and the power guys- The Long Boys!

Bill, if you properly dimpled that depleted uranium smooth ball, you'd lose half the drag. Now, if you could put some of that engineering wizardry to work on a way to create backspin on that ball coming out of the pouch, well sir, I daresay you'd own yet another record in this industry. This should all take a back seat to the integral band attachment system for the Scorpion, of course...


----------



## jazz (May 15, 2012)

Bill Hays said:


> I've shot a .41 cal lead ball at about 275 fps at about 45 degrees, and it traveled over 700 feet..... the length of my pasture... I would guess it went around 800 total.


Hi Bill,

what setup was that?

cheers,

jazz


----------



## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

jazz said:


> Bill Hays said:
> 
> 
> > I've shot a .41 cal lead ball at about 275 fps at about 45 degrees, and it traveled over 700 feet..... the length of my pasture... I would guess it went around 800 total.
> ...


0.03 medical latex, single layer, 1" X 3/4" taper X 12" long.... about 11" active length, a little longer than my usual (used to be usual) 55" draw... Temperature was about 95 degrees... very little wind that day. The .41 cal lead ball weighs right at 100 grains. .41 mold is a custom NEI mold that casts 4 roundballs at a time... by far my most favorite mold, but at 4 at a time a little to slow for production purposes.


----------



## Nicholson (Sep 25, 2012)

I googled the stuff with the most density, and that is osmium. If you can get a sphere made out of that stuff, for the least air resistance, and get torsten shooting it with modern rubber, we're talking over a thousand feet I would bet


----------



## jazz (May 15, 2012)

Hi Nicholson and all,

I did some calculations and if they are correct than a round ball of osmium (22.59 tons per m3) which would be of the same weight as a 9.5 mm steel ball, which is 3.55 grams would be 6.7 mm in diameter and fired with a longer draw similar to Bill Hays' above of some 140 cm and maybe some 5.9 kg of draw power should fly some 355 meters or 1168 feet. I hope that somebody will be able to test this..

cheers,

jazz


----------



## Nicholson (Sep 25, 2012)

Dang Jazz, that's pretty impressive that you were able to put a number on it.
As far as speculation, it seems about right, and that would be a super hunting set up. Finding ammo would be a problem though. 
Anyways thanks for playing with the numbers, it certainly seems plausible


----------



## Berkshire bred (Mar 4, 2012)

Regularly shoot 11mm lead cylinders over 180 yards using single layer TBG tapered 24mm to 18mm, can't remember my draw length but I tend to use half butterfly.

Have shot 9.5mm steel probably getting on for 250 yards with some extreme tapered TBG and TBB. Very satisfying.not very accurate though lol


----------



## Blue Raja (Feb 10, 2016)

Great topic! One of my great disappointments in life is my inability to hit a golf ball. My son has worked as a non-touring golf pro since he was a teenager and try as I might, I just never got the hang of it. This lead me to alternatives, including launching a golf ball with a shepherd's sling (about 80 yards measuring to the first bounce - apparently my slinging style results in too much back spin and lofts the ball high instead of out) and a slingshot (about 90 yards to the first bounce, using a modified Trumark WS-1 with a whole lotta rubber bands). 
 
This led to a discussion w/ Perry Adkisson at A+ Slingshots. Perry designed a custom slingshot based on his Timber Wolf design. Not shown is the Wolf Claw arm brace . You pull back the pouch w/ an archery release, either a caliper or his rotary release.

Its been too cold here to shoot this. Perry was able to get 140 yards - which is enough to play on shorter courses. The idea is to use this as a driver and for shots down to a mid iron. I will take approach shots w/ my sling and then use a putter on the green.


----------



## romanljc (May 26, 2014)

I use to like to shoot over water would get 250 maybe 300 yards with rocks . 36 inch draw length


----------



## Hulla Baloo (Nov 25, 2017)

Blue Raja said:


> Great topic! One of my great disappointments in life is my inability to hit a golf ball. My son has worked as a non-touring golf pro since he was a teenager and try as I might, I just never got the hang of it. This lead me to alternatives, including launching a golf ball with a shepherd's sling (about 80 yards measuring to the first bounce - apparently my slinging style results in too much back spin and lofts the ball high instead of out) and a slingshot (about 90 yards to the first bounce, using a modified Trumark WS-1 with a whole lotta rubber bands).
> 
> This led to a discussion w/ Perry Adkisson at A+ Slingshots. Perry designed a custom slingshot based on his Timber Wolf design. Not shown is the Wolf Claw arm brace . You pull back the pouch w/ an archery release, either a caliper or his rotary release.
> 
> Its been too cold here to shoot this. Perry was able to get 140 yards - which is enough to play on shorter courses. The idea is to use this as a driver and for shots down to a mid iron. I will take approach shots w/ my sling and then use a putter on the green.


I always liked the idea of sling golf but I think it would be better enjoyed on a disc golf layout- with a scaled down wiffle ball.










A golf ball weighs 1.6 ounces (linatex territory) and it's ungainly in the pouch. A thick-walled wiffle ball, maybe half the circumference of a golf ball, might weigh in at around 1/2 ounce, and you'd have the ability to work the ball around obstacles. The goals in frisbee golf are upright so there'd be no need to switch to a putter. The distances involved would be more accommodating too.

Who do we know that can make us a scaled-down, thick-walled wiffle ball?


----------



## Blue Raja (Feb 10, 2016)

Hulla Baloo said:


> Blue Raja said:
> 
> 
> > Great topic! One of my great disappointments in life is my inability to hit a golf ball. My son has worked as a non-touring golf pro since he was a teenager and try as I might, I just never got the hang of it. This lead me to alternatives, including launching a golf ball with a shepherd's sling (about 80 yards measuring to the first bounce - apparently my slinging style results in too much back spin and lofts the ball high instead of out) and a slingshot (about 90 yards to the first bounce, using a modified Trumark WS-1 with a whole lotta rubber bands).
> ...


Great idea. I play Frisbee Golf w/ a shepherd's sling and a tennis ball. You could also launch a tennis ball on a frisbee golf course with a hyper dog slingshot.

The golf ball launcher that Perry Adkisson designed has a custom pouch designed for golf balls - note the elastic cord to hold the golf ball in the pouch and the loop to attach an archery release. It has very heavy tubes. You need an arm brace to shoot it.

Looking forward to the warmer weather so I can get out on the driving range,


----------

