# Shooting Safely, How far can a marble travel?



## BAT (Feb 26, 2015)

I have two kids, one of 7 and one of 4 years old, they are getting into the slingshot sport, and the first thing I taught to them was to shoot safely.

We live in an area where we have a lot of land without buildings, but also have a lot of houses and parks, so we need to be very careful where to shoot, and know what is behind the target we are aiming, because we don't want the projectile to land on a car or a house hurting someone.

This made me wonder, How far can a stone, BB, Marble and steel ball travel? How can I calculate the landing zone of a projectile, to be able to decide to take the shot, or to wait for a safer angle?

We made a test with a 11 mm marble, single 6.5 inch active length teraband gold bands, and took a 30 degree shoot. The marble landed about 150 meters away.

I know there are many factors, like type of ammo, size, weight, shape, wind speed, etc. but someone else have made a similar test?? can you share the result?

Cheers!!


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

You might find the following trajectory calculator of interest:

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_experiments/rbballistics/web_apps/rb_ballistics.html

It does assume you are shooting lead, so you will have to adjust the diameter of your ammo until you get something reasonable in the weight range. Also, it does not allow you to adjust the angle at which you are firing. But you can change the zero point. It is also revealing to see the velocity drop with distance traveled.

Cheers ... Charles


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## BAT (Feb 26, 2015)

Thanks Charles! Interesting calculator

I just need the FPS of single teraband gold, to entrer the info in the Muzzle Velocity, I use 11.1 mm marble, it weights 2.1 gr


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## flipgun (Nov 14, 2012)

Or you could just go to a lake and drop a few rounds in the water.


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## BAT (Feb 26, 2015)

I was thinking more of a flat dusty terrain, with the help of another shooter, to mark the impact zone and then measure the distance, an empty parking lot, early in a Sunday morning, or a football field.


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

BAT said:


> I have two kids, one of 7 and one of 4 years old, they are getting into the slingshot sport, and the first thing I taught to them was to shoot safely.
> 
> We live in an area where we have a lot of land without buildings, but also have a lot of houses and parks, so we need to be very careful where to shoot, and know what is behind the target we are aiming, because we don't want the projectile to land on a car or a house hurting someone.
> 
> ...


*Good post.*


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## TheNewSlingshotGuy (Oct 11, 2014)

I am currently working in a sleep away camp in the Poconos. Lots of open space! I actually wanted to see for myself how far a marble would go. From right outside my bunkhouse, there is a tree line/pine grove that starts approximately 300 feet away. With single 2040's and a 36" draw, my 12-14mm glass marbles just entered the pine grove when fired at a 45 degree angle.
I then tried with 35mm tapered to 15mm single TBG stretched to the max for a 40ish inch draw, once again at a 45 degree angle, and the marbles sailed through the pine grove and landed on the other side, some 400-450 feet away I would say.

I wouldn't expect marbles to go much further than 450 feet, no matter what bandset you use. They just aren't dense enough, and lose their velocity quickly. Steelballs on the other hand, could probably travel 650 feet or more with the right bandset.


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## chuckduster01 (May 30, 2015)

Before it was tiled and made into a hayfield the 120 acre field beside my property used to get a big waterpuddle in the spring. I had zero trouble dropping cast lead balls of varying diameters into that puddle that was 210 yards away or so. Not sure of the angle as I just kept giving the slingshot upsidaisyium until I hit the puddle. I would expect marbles (glass parachutes) to be more of a challenge if not impossible to reach that same distance. They just do not have the mass for their diameter.


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## BeMahoney (Jan 26, 2014)

We shot 8mm steel straight up into the sky.

After 12 seconds one could hear the sound

of the ball landing in the lake.

I calculated the height (neglecting air resistance)

must have been 176 meters (which is the distance

a falling ball would travel in 6 seconds due to gravity..)

Maximum range should be (Vo)²/g which would be around:

(90m/sec)² / 9,81m/sec² = 825 meters. (air resistance

taken into consideration, the flight distance could be rd.

400 meters, which is what we observed shooting along

a river - from a bridge.)

.. but I´m not really into ballistics.. and glass has a different

mass - and therefore mass/air resistance ratio..

kind regards,

Be


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

With looped 2040, I can send a .44 lead ball over 200 yards.


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## BAT (Feb 26, 2015)

Mr. Monkeynipples said:


> *Good post.*


Thanks Mr. Monkeynipples!, the idea is to have useful info and facts, that can help us to always shoot safely.


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## BAT (Feb 26, 2015)

TheNewSlingshotGuy said:


> I am currently working in a sleep away camp in the Poconos. Lots of open space! I actually wanted to see for myself how far a marble would go. From right outside my bunkhouse, there is a tree line/pine grove that starts approximately 300 feet away. With single 2040's and a 36" draw, my 12-14mm glass marbles just entered the pine grove when fired at a 45 degree angle.
> I then tried with 35mm tapered to 15mm single TBG stretched to the max for a 40ish inch draw, once again at a 45 degree angle, and the marbles sailed through the pine grove and landed on the other side, some 400-450 feet away I would say.
> 
> I wouldn't expect marbles to go much further than 450 feet, no matter what bandset you use. They just aren't dense enough, and lose their velocity quickly. Steelballs on the other hand, could probably travel 650 feet or more with the right bandset.


Thanks for the info New Slingshot Guy, very helpful. I always shoot with marbles because I like target shooting, and for that marbles are fine to me. On the other hand steel balls are better for small game hunting/ pest control, so is good to know the variations on different types of ammo. I think its more likely to be shooting with steel balls in an open space.

Cheers!!


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## BAT (Feb 26, 2015)

chuckduster01 said:


> Before it was tiled and made into a hayfield the 120 acre field beside my property used to get a big waterpuddle in the spring. I had zero trouble dropping cast lead balls of varying diameters into that puddle that was 210 yards away or so. Not sure of the angle as I just kept giving the slingshot upsidaisyium until I hit the puddle. I would expect marbles (glass parachutes) to be more of a challenge if not impossible to reach that same distance. They just do not have the mass for their diameter.


Good info Chuck Duster, I now know for sure that marbles don't travel that long. Which is the diameter of the cast lead balls you where using? and maybe, do you know the weight?

210 yards (192 meters) is a good distance, maybe I´m going to look for a waterpuddle and make some distance tests.

Cheers!


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## BAT (Feb 26, 2015)

BeMahoney said:


> We shot 8mm steel straight up into the sky.
> 
> After 12 seconds one could hear the sound
> 
> ...


Hey Be!!

Thanks for sharing this detailed info, I wonder your answer if you where into ballistics!!

Where you using bands? tubes? With this height of 176 meters, how far of the shooting zone was the landing zone of the 8 mm steels? I know it depends on the wind speed, but is just to have an idea.

Kind Regards!!


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## BAT (Feb 26, 2015)

Webfoot said:


> With looped 2040, I can send a .44 lead ball over 200 yards.


Thanks Webfoot!!

200 yards (182.8 meters) with .44 lead balls. Later I will make a little table with all this info.

Cheers!!


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## BeMahoney (Jan 26, 2014)

BAT said:


> BeMahoney said:
> 
> 
> > We shot 8mm steel straight up into the sky.
> ...


With only a very small angle from the straight vertical line, the ball lands more than 30 meters away..

And I have no idea what that air resistance really does to it..

I still wonder how high that ball flies in reality.. it is slowed down and then accelerated at rd 9.81m/sec²,

but it starts at rd 90m/sec and should land with V = 9,81 x 6 = 58,86m/sec - again minus air resistance.

So the way down should take longer than the way up - the velocity downwards is lower, and less affected

by air..


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## chuckduster01 (May 30, 2015)

My slingshot roundballs are made out rejects/scraps from bullet casting for my loud toys along with whatnot unknown alloys so they come out a bit harder and a bit lighter than if made of pure.

I was shooting .360 @ about 68 grains and .440 @ about 120 grains that day if my rememberer is correct. Neither had any trouble reaching that distance when the angle of launch was right. I shot a few .495 @ about 180 grains too. They just barely made it there but I was a bit underbanded for that size ammo.


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

BAT said:


> With looped 2040, I can send a .44 lead ball over 200 yards.
> 
> Thanks Webfoot!!
> 
> ...


I'm unsure exactly how far the shots went. I was shooting over water and the bank was 212 yards away (verified by Google Earth), and after I elevated above about 30 degrees, the balls were striking land.


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## BCLuxor (Aug 24, 2010)

417ft max shot I could register 9mm steel , Dankung 2040 looped.

http://slingshotforum.com/topic/24903-the-max-shot-and-a-great-day-out/


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## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

Where I shoot, even though there is just about no one around, there are ranches about 500 yds off and the farmers are often half that distance to me. I'm extremely careful shooting up into the trees with 1/2" steel going ~240fps for sure !

wll


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## BeMahoney (Jan 26, 2014)

What I dare to say is that we reached to the red circle.









So at least 320 meters; minus 10% (correcting overestimation ..  )

would be 288meters - the bridge is about +7 meters above the water

But I wanted to know ever since.. I will definitely one day check this

together with some people.

I´m really curious!


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## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

Theoretically in a "perfect world" a 45 degree angle is the best for range of anything that launches anything. Air resistance is a factor however in the range/velocity graph. I agree with the poster, a lake with known points set out in a canoe or boat would satisfy curiosity...and an observer with protective gear to spot the splashes.

I've been busy as a bee lately and haven't had time to putz with my sound "chronometer" called laptop-Audacity sound chrono. (my nomenclature, LOL). See my thread in general discussion section.

Next, a GPS marble? And you could retrieve it and reuse it if it wasn't bashed up too much. Ah! An idea for the equipment freaks!


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## chuckduster01 (May 30, 2015)

Anyone living near the Bonneville Salt Flats could sort this out right quick with orange marbles. I have way too much greenery to pull it off. Heck I have trouble finding bounce outs when they occasionally happen.


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## BAT (Feb 26, 2015)

BCLuxor said:


> 417ft max shot I could register 9mm steel , Dankung 2040 looped.
> 
> http://slingshotforum.com/topic/24903-the-max-shot-and-a-great-day-out/


That would be 129.5 meters, Thanks BCLuxor!!


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## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

Thanks Bat!!!! This is exactly what sort of information my Godson needs for his school project. Also a huge thank you to Charkes for showing us a website to help us.


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## BAT (Feb 26, 2015)

Tag said:


> Thanks Bat!!!! This is exactly what sort of information my Godson needs for his school project. Also a huge thank you to Charkes for showing us a website to help us.


Great!! I´m glad that this info helped!!


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