# 8mm bbs for hunting?



## MedSlinger (Feb 3, 2015)

can i use 8mm stell bbs for hunting doves and birds with that size ?


----------



## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

There is no such thing as 8mm BBs. BB is a shot size measuring .18 inch.

8mm steel would kill a dove sized bird with a head shot if moving fast enough. Most hunters prefer heavier balls.


----------



## MedSlinger (Feb 3, 2015)

Ok but if i miss the head and hit another part of the body could it fall down or actually die(shooting 25 mm single non tapered tbg bands with a long draw) ?


----------



## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

Maybe, maybe not.


----------



## MedSlinger (Feb 3, 2015)

Haha ok . Will Practise with that ammo ☺
. When im sure enough to hit a golf ball from a good distance. Then i will try to get a headshot on one bird. But for now i will stick with a golf ball sized target. I dont want to injure the game without killing it .


----------



## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

32gr ammo is pretty light, how fast are you shooting, in the high 200's I would imagine ..... Well at 300fps you have about 6fpe and at 20yds you have 4 fpe ... you would need 375fps to get 10fpe and that would give you 7fpe at 20 yds. Hope you can do it to get clean kills ?

8mm is just a little bigger than 5/16" ..... that is pretty small IMHO.

wll


----------



## zippo (Jul 9, 2014)

Go for bigger.


----------



## MedSlinger (Feb 3, 2015)

What do you think is a good ammo(steel) that works with my mentioned set up.


----------



## JBarber (Feb 22, 2015)

I use the same set up with the TBG. I like to use 3/8 steel (9.5mm) as it works very well with the set up and has good speed and power.


----------



## Susi (Mar 3, 2013)

I bagged a pesky crop eating bird the size of a robin with a chest shot with 9mm lead. I think an 8mm steelie would have had equal result. Steel zips faster than lead usually for it's lighter per diameter but the energy given the target is about the same overall...velocity and mass - impact energy (formula exists). A head shot for rabbits and squirrels would be needed on 8mm steelies. Doves and pigeons, neck, chest or head shots using 8mm steelies at close enough range say 10 meters or so. A chest shot cripples or suffocates due to heart/lung trauma/shock or simply scares them to death.

A neck shot is about the same as a head shot since the spinal cord is also a lethal zone as well as trauma to the trachea which permits the animal to breathe. In fact in deer hunting we always went for a spinal tap right behind the head, a bit under the neck's silhouette for it ruins no meat and the animal drops in its tracks, heart stops, it's dead...same with small animals with neck shots placed so the spinal cord is traumatized enough to interrupt by trauma, all nerve channels from/to the brain.

I'm a firm believer in 9mm-9.5mm lead for all things but 10.5mm-11.5mm steel does about the same thing. When you get into heavier ammo such as 11mm or more steel you need the band power to achieve the velocity enough to have a flat enough trajectory to facilitate some accuracy however the more band you use it seems the less accuracy you have...you'll have to find out what's the sweet spot for ammo and banding for you yourself...draw length etc..and accuracy factor. Experimentation rules. I've tried 20mm steel with double 12mm TBG (equivalent to just about an inch wide) and that's pretty powerful, and 20mm steel really slow, arcs too much and isn't accurate. Frankly it scares me a bit lobbing cannon balls.


----------



## MedSlinger (Feb 3, 2015)

JBarber98 said:


> I use the same set up with the TBG. I like to use 3/8 steel (9.5mm) as it works very well with the set up and has good speed and power.


Ok i will buy me some of 9,5 mm
Thanks for the help!


----------



## MedSlinger (Feb 3, 2015)

Thank you guys for sharing your knowlege


----------



## JBarber (Feb 22, 2015)

No problem. Post some pics if you get any game ????


----------



## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

JBarber98 said:


> No problem. Post some pics if you get any game


One my easy shooting walk around sling I set it up with straight 3060 tubes and your tbg set up is faster I'm sure.

Mine works well with ammo in the 85-130gr weight range. so 5/8" marbles, 3/4" jawbreakers, 7/16" steel, 1/2 steel, all work well and all fly pretty fast and flat.

wll


----------



## JBarber (Feb 22, 2015)

What kind of SS do you use with that set up? I have just recently got into Dankung Tubing. I bought some 1745s and I shoot 9.5 steel with single tubes. It works well. Do you know whether that set up would work with 2040's? I don't really know much about them and would like a bit more power than the 1745s.


----------



## AZshooter (May 1, 2011)

If you have doubts about your ammo for hunting try lead slugs or hex nuts...They get the job done,,,Phil


----------



## MedSlinger (Feb 3, 2015)

JBarber98 said:


> No problem. Post some pics if you get any game ????


Ok


----------



## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

AZshooter said:


> If you have doubts about your ammo for hunting try lead slugs or hex nuts...They get the job done,,,Phil


I have about 4ea 5/16" HEAVY HEX NUTS" coming to my office to see if i want them, I think they weigh in about 120gr, so they could be a nice shooter with my 3060 tubes.

Heavy hex nuts are quite a bit bigger than ordinary hex nuts for sure. I have some 3/8 heavy hex nuts somewhere, and they will knock the stuffing out of your turkey for sure !

wll


----------



## oldmiser (Jan 22, 2014)

Well back in the 1950's about all you had then was 1/4" steel ball's =6mm to take down a Rabbit or Squirrel...with a Wham-O.. Wrist Rocket..Victor..Deer Slayer

ZiPZap..Milligan....to name a few slingshots of that era.......Of course you had marbles & rocks as well for ammo.. Buyover the many years gone by a lot has

changed...My thought is if your going to be hunting.. use lead 44 cal ammo... be sure to match the power of the band set or tubes to your ammo used..

"May Your Ammo Fly Straight"~~AKAOldmiser


----------

