# 8mm Steel For Hunting?



## phil (Dec 6, 2012)

Hi fellas would 8mm steel balls be ok for hunting small game ie pigeon rabbit and squirrel i say 8mm because i am quite a fair shot with them any help please thanks phil.


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## Toddy (Oct 2, 2011)

Just my opinion here of course. But I just don't think there is enough weight for a humane kill with shot of that size. As catapult hunters we are looking for a concussive kill, not penetration. A good sized shot for hunting is about 9-11 grams.


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## Berkshire bred (Mar 4, 2012)

if yo hit the pidgeon in the head then yes you would get a clean kill but for the puposes of humane hunting you want to be using at least 9.5mm and even then you want it traveling at over 300fps really.


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## Whistler (Sep 29, 2012)

I have to agree with Toddy.

It's not that it's impossible, I suppose if you get 8mm steel travelling fast enough it will carry enough energy but IMO you're better off using lead.


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## phil (Dec 6, 2012)

Hi just out of interest what sort of bands would be best to shoot the 9.5mm steel i have tryed them befor and they seemed to drop alot faster thanks phil.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

phil said:


> Hi just out of interest what sort of bands would be best to shoot the 9.5mm steel i have tryed them befor and they seemed to drop alot faster thanks phil.


What distance are you talking about? At 10 meters, the difference in drop would be pretty minimal. For 9.5 mm steel, you have a lot of options:

Alliance Sterling #107 or #105 rubber bands or the Sparco brand of the same bands

Braided #64 rubber bands

Doubled Alliance Brite File Bands or doubled Alliance 117b bands

Theraband Gold, about 19 mm wide, straight cut or tapered

Dankung 1745 tubes, doubled ... or any of the other sizes, as long as you can pull them

Tex's band sets

In short, almost anything will do. Depends on your preferences and what is available to you locally. 9.5 mm steel is pretty light for hunting, so you want to be sure you can get it up to about 200 fps. A lot will depend on your strength and draw length. Have a look at the following thread:

http://slingshotforum.com/topic/16188-effective-hunting-setups/

Cheers .... Charles


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## SlingDaddy (Sep 24, 2012)

If you're noticing considerable difference in ammo "drop" between 8mm and 9.5mm then my gut instinct is that your not getting anywhere near enough power out of your bands to consider hunting yet. There's too many variables to get into here, but the thread linked by Charles is about the best place on the forum to get an idea of what others are using.

What I will say is make sure your bands aren't too long, as if they are then you're not getting the most speed (and therefore power) out of them.


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## phil (Dec 6, 2012)

Charles said:


> phil said:
> 
> 
> > Hi just out of interest what sort of bands would be best to shoot the 9.5mm steel i have tryed them befor and they seemed to drop alot faster thanks phil.
> ...


Cheers i will take a look ATB Phil.


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## phil (Dec 6, 2012)

SlingDaddy said:


> If you're noticing considerable difference in ammo "drop" between 8mm and 9.5mm then my gut instinct is that your not getting anywhere near enough power out of your bands to consider hunting yet. There's too many variables to get into here, but the thread linked by Charles is about the best place on the forum to get an idea of what others are using.
> 
> What I will say is make sure your bands aren't too long, as if they are then you're not getting the most speed (and therefore power) out of them.


Thanks fella i will make them a little shorter and see what happens ATB Phil.


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