# A Question of Caliber



## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

I was thinking .470...between .44-.50


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## Sam (Jul 5, 2010)

mr.joel said:


> I was thinking .470...between .44-.50


Personally I 0.44" is optimum for your average 12-20lb flat-band set-up, with the 0.5" coming into its own in the 20-30lb category...


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

Sam said:


> I was thinking .470...between .44-.50


Personally I 0.44" is optimum for your average 12-20lb flat-band set-up, with the 0.5" coming into its own in the 20-30lb category...
[/quote]
So this may be perhaps optimum for around a 20lb setup, perhaps.


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## USASlingshot (Feb 25, 2010)

for target i would use 3/8. but hunting .44 is optimum, if you have a monsterious band set gor for the 1/2"(.50) you will deffinitly do damage to whatever you shoot at


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## Sam (Jul 5, 2010)

mr.joel said:


> I was thinking .470...between .44-.50


Personally I 0.44" is optimum for your average 12-20lb flat-band set-up, with the 0.5" coming into its own in the 20-30lb category...
[/quote]
So this may be perhaps optimum for around a 20lb setup, perhaps.
[/quote]
Well personally I think that accuracy for most people begins to taper off at around 15lb so I would say 0.44 is pretty much the optimum hunting round for slingshots, I'm confident that that could even humanely take a Turkey or maybe even a red fox, with a >10m head-shot with Bill Heriman's 'Express', or Perry Adkinson's 'Gold Winner' bands. A 0.50" may offer a little more kinetic energy, but I think it would be important to test this with a chronograph, I think you need a muzzle velocity of at least 55m/s otherwise your quarry may start dodging your bullets like Neo!







Also for anyone who doesn't know, the faster and less dense a projectile is, the faster it slows down, meaning that it will, in theory be less effective at an extended range than a slower, denser projectile with a similar muzzle energy... I would personally limit my hunting ranges to 15 metres for 0.44" and 20 metres for 0.50" lead projectiles respectively - although this can, in theory, also be improved using 'Golf Ball' technology!


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

Golf ball technology? OK, with the 15lb. rule in mind, how about going the other way, say a .41 caliber?


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## Sam (Jul 5, 2010)

mr.joel said:


> Golf ball technology? OK, with the 15lb. rule in mind, how about going the other way, say a .41 caliber?


I think 0.40" could definitely work, for when that little extra speed is necessary. I'm Confident that you could go as low as 0.35 and still kill cleanly with head-shots...


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

So how about a mold in .40-.41, .44, and .470-.480, or .50 if you like? Sound ridiculous?


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## Sam (Jul 5, 2010)

mr.joel said:


> So how about a mold in .40-.41, .44, and .470-.480, or .50 if you like? Sound ridiculous?


I think this and this my be of interest to you, warning they're gruesome...


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## bunnybuster (Dec 26, 2009)

Ok...
Being a hunter..
Tried all the rest....
.375 lead,,is the utimate killing projectile.
Dont care what bands you are using.
The 1/2 inch rubber, flatbands, are proven in history.
So...the cut down excercise bands may work for a while (UGLY) IMHO. (therabands)......
Funny stuff.
I like pure gum rubber. Cheaper, and it looks good. More powerful, and you dont need to
make them super wide to accomplish the same result.
Bring it on...I cannot speak for Gary Flatband, But, I can stand up for rubber as a powerful , hard hitting, and long lasting, powerband.


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

That was great. Deadly bullet. Encouraging as well, I have a .31/.38 Do It mold. The .31s are kinda lame on power, but indoors are fun for screwing around, kinda like a first class BB shooter on steroids. Perhaps a pellet shooter is better nomenclature. They will do the job too, if called on, but frankly I think the worst thing going for them is they are difficult to pinch due to their small size.

I saw a kid in Thailand with his cheezy square rubber and flimsy soft wood frame shoot a bird at 40-50 yards with the .38 ball. The bird flew off as it had no power at that range but I think it would have been likely fatal with better rubber. It's nice to know it's possible to use full power bands on this one.


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

bunnybuster said:


> Ok...
> Being a hunter..
> Tried all the rest....
> .375 lead,,is the utimate killing projectile.
> ...


Right on BB, it's just Therea is easier for me to get. It's a repeatable product available throughout the world. Quality gum rubber is hard/impossible to get for me. Gum rubber is great stuff. What mold are you using?


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