# Where to go for ammo :-)



## H_Talon (Oct 19, 2010)

I'm buying my first slingshot in like forever  now 
where it get ammo. I'm told 1/2 steel for small game.

now where to get a stockpile  round with no flats ..

any suggestions ?????

Thanks

Talon


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## Performance Catapults (Feb 3, 2010)

www.royalsteelballusa.com They have a 15lb minimum...about $30.00 shipped to your door, but you have to call them.

I believe there are some vendors on here, who sell smaller packages however. I'm sure they will chime in if they do.


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## Darb (Sep 14, 2010)

Performance Catapults said:


> www.royalsteelballusa.com They have a 15lb minimum...about $30.00 shipped to your door, but you have to call them.
> 
> I believe there are some vendors on here, who sell smaller packages however. I'm sure they will chime in if they do.


Actually, I just read their invoice for my recent order ... their current minimum (1 standard shipping case) is actually 16 lbs, at $1.50/lb, plus S&H. That worked out to a total of $34 here on Long Island. Those who live closer to the company will naturally pass less shipping.

The quality is great ... about 99% of the BBs were shiny, clean and spotless, and about 1 percent had varying amounts of rust.

BTW, for those n00bs who are curious, 16 lbs of 3/8" steel BBgs has a volume of around 1.5L, and is a little over 2,000 rounds.


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

I talked to the guy at royalsteel the other day. You have to specifically ask for slingshot ammo. It is $1.50 a pound plus shipping and like Jim said there is a 15 pound minimum. Trumark also sells ammo pretty cheap but they do not have half inch steel.


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## haertig (Jul 30, 2010)

300 qty, 1/2" steel, including free S&H = $15 total ... http://www.trulytexas.com/bb-1-2.html

400 qty, 3/8" steel, including free S&H = $15 total ... http://www.trulytexas.com/bb-3-8.html


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

haertig said:


> 300 qty, 1/2" steel, including free S&H = $15 total ... http://www.trulytexas.com/bb-1-2.html
> 
> 400 qty, 3/8" steel, including free S&H = $15 total ... http://www.trulytexas.com/bb-3-8.html


Good point. Plus for whatever reason buying from trulytexas has incredibly fast shipping.


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## crazyslingshot (Dec 25, 2009)

http://www.trulytexas.com/bb-1-2.html

Very good steel balls, and by the way ,bought some Dankung tubing and golden Theraband


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## Jaybird (Dec 20, 2009)

I never had any rusty ones from Royal Steel Ball.The last time I ordered 50lb shipped to my door for $69.Ordered on monday and they were here in Pa.on friday.


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## A+ Slingshots (Jan 22, 2010)

I keep 1/2" in 100 count bags for $12.50 plus shipping in stock.
I also keep 3/8" steel, .44, .50, .36 and .32 cal. Lead. Check out my website for other prices.


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## Darb (Sep 14, 2010)

haertig said:


> 300 qty, 1/2" steel, including free S&H = $15 total ... http://www.trulytexas.com/bb-1-2.html
> 
> 400 qty, 3/8" steel, including free S&H = $15 total ... http://www.trulytexas.com/bb-3-8.html


TIP: when pricing BBg ammo, *always compare by weight*, not ammo count. That way, you can always see immediately at a glance (regardless of caliber or material) whether or not a particular offer is cost competitive relative to other offers. In the realm of mathematics, that's called "normalizing" your data. Some sources deliberately downplay their inability to compete with bulk suppliers by only listing size and count. In general, I only pay a premium to people I know, admire, and whose creativity I'm happy (and able) to help sponsor.

Example: 3/8" steel typically runs 128ct/lb, so 400 qty for $15 works out to $4.80/lb, which is more than double the $2.13/lb that RSB charged me to ship 16 lbs worth (around 2,050 rounds) to long island. Then again, if you're willing to pay extra in order to get small quantities to experiment with, sometimes the higher price is worth it ... but only to a point.


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

Truly Texas has a lot of neat items, but only one slingshot that I saw was made in the USA. Most made in China. One of you custom manufactures should make a deal with them. Royal Steel Ball Products for steel balls as Marty Breed has supported the sport for a lot of years now. For a truly Texas slingshot, I would give the nod to Bill Hays as he is a true flipper. You know that our trade deficit with China is killing jobs in the USA. I am not a protectionist, but we must shop USA when at all possible to bring down the deficit. -- Tex


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## Darb (Sep 14, 2010)

Well said, Tex.

I wonder if we shouldn't nudge AaronC about adding a "Links" pulldown, so that our members (particularly the recent deluge of n00bs) can have convenient and easy to find links for the following:

Slingshots:
* Links to the business homepages of our "authorized vendors".

Bands:
* Links to the business homepages of our "authorized vendors".

Ammo:
* Link to Royal Steel Ball website, with instructions on how to request their slingshot ammo special, via Marty Breed.



​


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

Tex-Shooter said:


> Truly Texas has a lot of neat items, but only one slingshot that I saw was made in the USA. Most made in China. One of you custom manufactures should make a deal with them. Royal Steel Ball Products for steel balls as Marty Breed has supported the sport for a lot of years now. For a truly Texas slingshot, I would give the nod to Bill Hays as he is a true flipper. You know that our trade deficit with China is killing jobs in the USA. I am not a protectionist, but we must shop USA when at all possible to bring down the deficit. -- Tex


I couldnt agree with you more.


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## Tom Krein (Oct 24, 2010)

Well said Tex! Just ordered the 15lb minimum or 1/4" and 3/8" slingshot ammo from Royal Ball!

*THANKS!*

Tom


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## Chugosh (Feb 9, 2010)

I paid too much for mine. I went to the local big store (Fred Meyer, for those in the Pacific Northwest USA) and got two packages of Marksman .30 golden "Talon Shot". I now have 300 round balls with flat spots on one side, and I can say I'm not the least bit displeased. At the same trip I got a net full of unpresurized tennis balls for my slings.

I got a gift card from work last night and knew I'd be blowing the whole thing on something, so slingshot ammo wasn't a bad call for it. Better than the ice cream and soda, perhaps anyway.


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## crazyslingshot (Dec 25, 2009)

Anyway I think the steelballs of TrulyTexas is truly made in USA.

Importing Steel ball from oversea? I don't think it's a wise thing,the shipping cost would be very big.

http://www.trulytexas.com/bb-1-2.html


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## Mtnfolk Mike (Aug 23, 2010)

i recently picked up about 2,000 3/8 steel ball bearings from www.fastenal.com i think i paid a little over $45... they have stores all over the place and even one here in Santa Cruz..


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

crazyslingshot said:


> Anyway I think the steelballs of TrulyTexas is truly made in USA.
> 
> Importing Steel ball from oversea? I don't think it's a wise thing,the shipping cost would be very big.
> 
> http://www.trulytexas.com/bb-1-2.html


The majority of steel balls do come from overseas anymore. There are no Manufactures of steel balls in Texas. That information comes from a Texas steel ball supplier. I have checked all the known sources in the USA and have found only two that sell for under $3 a pound shipped. Royal is the only one that I have found that ships small quantities (under 500 pounds) for that kind of money. There slingshot ammo cost a little over 2 dollars a pound. The price depends on where you live because of shipping. About 30 dollars will get you 15 pounds (about 1920 balls) of 3/8 balls from them and that is shipped to your door in most of the country. There steel balls are very nice. -- Tex


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## Darb (Sep 14, 2010)

I posted a pic of an ammo sorter I cobbled together over in the L.I. Slingshooters Thread. Just scroll down to the post on page 2 with the same approximate timestamp as this one.


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## ZDP-189 (Mar 14, 2010)

Tex-Shooter said:


> Truly Texas has a lot of neat items, but only one slingshot that I saw was made in the USA. Most made in China. One of you custom manufactures should make a deal with them. Royal Steel Ball Products for steel balls as Marty Breed has supported the sport for a lot of years now. For a truly Texas slingshot, I would give the nod to Bill Hays as he is a true flipper. You know that our trade deficit with China is killing jobs in the USA. I am not a protectionist, but we must shop USA when at all possible to bring down the deficit. -- Tex


Seeing as I live in Hong Kong, I suppose that means I should only buy Chinese products and stop buying from America?









Of it's top 15 trading partners, the USA is in trade defecit with: Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, Germany, the UK, South Korea, France, Taiwan, Italy, India and Venezuela. *Venezuela*? What the... oh, oil. Anyhow, the USA is in defecit with just about everyone it does business with except the Netherlands, Singapore and Brazil. The USA is the world's biggest trade defecit country. Something is clearly wrong with national competitiveness. Waste, the minimum wage, the strengh of the currency, taxation, the cost of finance and strategic resources clearly need looking at and people's national preference for buying 8mm slingshot ammo is probably not going to reverse the situation.

Note also that China was the USA's #3 export market in 2009, and tiny little Hong Kong is #13. That explains my savings defecit.


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

Dan, I think that you just made my point! I agree, but it is not going to change by talking about it, we need to be pro-active in business in the USA. All of the raw rubber products except one come from overseas. The one that don’t is not producing enough to supply anybody but the most demanding medical procedures. In fact we have lost 4300 factories and we buy almost everything from overseas. Farm goods are becoming our #1 export. If we don’t get our deficit under control the price of food around the world can and probably will sky-rocket. -- Tex


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## Darb (Sep 14, 2010)

Dan,

Not to drag this poor thread even further off into the woods (for a proper beating), but:

a) In tough economic times, it is a commonplace tendency for people to try to support local/domestic products.

b} Likewise, there's a simmering resentment (and increasing calls for reform) here in the states about companies that are outsourcing large numbers jobs in order to either take unfair advantage of either domestic tax loopholes, foreign 'sweatshops' that underpay their workers, or 'dumping' by foreign countries who send cheap subsidized goods in order bomb competitors out of existence so they in turn can monopolize a niche.

I dont think it'd be accurate or fair to interpret people who advocate buying domestic as an indirect swipe against Chinese products in general, but rather an exhortation to buy well-made domestic products that follow good business and tax practices.

We should probably try to get back onto ammo now.


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

For those that don’t want to buy ammo there are other sources. About a 3/4 to 1 inch diameter rock has killed many a rabbit and squirrel and that ammo is free. You just need to take a little time in a creek bottom and find nice nearly round ones. In many places today you can get wheel weights free as the places that remove them must pay to get them hauled off. They can also be picked up around high traffic corners in town. That makes great hunting ammo. You can just take a pair of side cutters and cut off 1/2 inch pieces. Some Target ranges will let you pick up spent bullets out of there back stop. You can pick up sinkers along the edge of popular river fishing holes at low water. Most garages will save you worn out wheel bearings free and you can make up a set of target ammo from them. You can buy Marbles like used in aquariums in garage sales for a little of nothing. For fun ammo, China Berries, native Pecans, Pig nuts, Acorns, and a variety of other things that are free. -- Tex


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## ZDP-189 (Mar 14, 2010)

Rock scavenging is underrated. Paying for your ammo in hours of searching makes you stalk closer and pick your target and focuses the mind as you take the shot. Carrying a pocket full of lead or steel makes you look for excuses to let fly and not care if you miss.

It has close parallels to digital vs film photography. The guy with a large capacity memory chip often comes home with less keepers than the man who went out with a single roll of 120 film.


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## NoSugarRob (Jun 3, 2010)

.


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## Darb (Sep 14, 2010)

> i think ZDP knows to much. he must be stopped !


/me discreetly slides business card across NoSugarRob's desk.

_Burnham, Cuttem & Howe
Assassins Attorneys at Law
Specializing in Domestic & International Abuse
1-800-RIP-ASAP
_
(kidding)_
_


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## USASlingshot (Feb 25, 2010)

i am selling .44 cal lead ammo for $13 per 100ct if interested. if i was you i would buy lead ammo for hunting because of the punch it packs when it hits your target. pm if interested thanks


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## Darb (Sep 14, 2010)

Normalized comparison: 2 cents per shot for steel from RSB, or 13 cents for lead.


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## haertig (Jul 30, 2010)

Tex-Shooter said:


> Truly Texas has a lot of neat items, but only one slingshot that I saw was made in the USA. Most made in China.


I don't mind buying from China. However, if there is a US supplier that makes a similar product at a reasonably close price, I will buy the US version. Because I live in the US.

Are there any US manufacturers of Dankung-style slingshots? I like the Dankung models to give as gifts. Inexpensive, probably un-damageable, and tube replacement is super easy.

My favoite slingshot is still my A+ PS-2, but those are a tad too expensive to give as gifts to anyone other than family or close friends. Plus, tying the flatbands on at replacement time may be a little over the head of a non-enthusiast. I give gift slingshots to non-enthusiasts in an attempt to turn them into enthusiasts. I am not yet to the point where I'll buy a really nice singshot and give it away (I want to keep it for myself!) Eventually, maybe I'll become more generous, but I want to build my own collection first.


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## A+ Slingshots (Jan 22, 2010)

haertig said:


> Are there any US manufacturers of Dankung-style slingshots? I like the Dankung models to give as gifts. Inexpensive, probably un-damageable, and tube replacement is super easy.
> 
> My favoite slingshot is still my A+ PS-2, but those are a tad too expensive to give as gifts to anyone other than family or close friends. Plus, tying the flatbands on at replacement time may be a little over the head of a non-enthusiast. I give gift slingshots to non-enthusiasts in an attempt to turn them into enthusiasts. I am not yet to the point where I'll buy a really nice singshot and give it away (I want to keep it for myself!) Eventually, maybe I'll become more generous, but I want to build my own collection first.


Hey Haertig..... PM me about my *NEW $20 "Rough-N-Ready" Series Slingshots!!!* They're based on my most popular PS-2 frame. I've just paired down some of the shine and little frills to make a great shooter that's economical enough to give as gifts, or make group buys for children's/ youth clubs, Men's Clubs or the like. It comes in natural multiplex only, with a single "adjustable" band assembly, and is finished with two clear coats of lacquer. Ready to shoot from the box! Pictures available soon!!!


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

There you go! I think that is great! Maybe you could set up to cut rough outs and let the ones with out much money or tools finish them out. -- Tex


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## A+ Slingshots (Jan 22, 2010)

Thanks Bill! I will consider that as well. If there's a real interest I would be pleased to provide an "Unfinished" version of the "Rough-N-Ready" series slingshots.

*UPDATE 11/2010 I also offer and "Unfinished" now for $15.00 + shipping*


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## haertig (Jul 30, 2010)

That's a great idea Perry! I don't think your slingshots are too expensive at all. Not for my personal use, where I sit and admire my PS-2 almost as much as I shoot it. However, outfitting my buddies for our next "Men's Annual Camping Trip" (now in it's 28th year!) could get expensive real fast if I were to consider your top line offerings. If you're coming out with a less expensive type of slingshot, then that might make purchasing a batch of them more feasible.


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## A+ Slingshots (Jan 22, 2010)

> our next "Men's Annual Camping Trip" (now in it's 28th year!) could get expensive real fast if I were to consider your top line offerings. If you're coming out with a less expensive type of slingshot, then that might make purchasing a batch of them more feasible.


Thanks friend!!!
I've been working on this idea for a while for just such occasions. Your post spurred me on to reveil my plans this week instead of next.
I want to make it possible for as many people to enjoy quality "flip style" flatband pocket shooters of the A+ design!!!
Hope to hear from you soon... "group buy discounts" will also be available on purchases of 10 or more.


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## haertig (Jul 30, 2010)

A+ Slingshots said:


> Hope to hear from you soon...


Open up your PM's and you'll find you already have!


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

Well I went down the ally behind the stores at the mall. Occasionally I find thinks be thrown out of the stores that I can use, What I found today was a crab apple tree hanging over the fence just loaded with crab apples both on the tree with in easy reach and on the ground. They average about 7/8 inch to 1 inch in diameter and in weight about 1/4 once or about 109 grain (66 to the pound AV). They are very hard and would make good free fun slingshot ammo as they are pretty round. They also would cook down and make good jelly. -- Tex


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## Darb (Sep 14, 2010)

Placing another order with Royal Steel Ball as I type this (15lbs of 7/16 chromium slingshot ammo).

BTW, I noticed something about their 15lb minimum order: the seem to keep an inventory of pre-packaged slingshot ammo that's all pre-weighed and identified as a 16# carton, and then they take and bill you for an order of their 15 pound minimum, they actually send you the 16# carton ... so you're essentially getting the extra 1lb for free. That essentially drops the cost from $1.50/lb to just over $1.40/lb (plus S&H). It's an even better deal than we thought.

_Aside to Aaronc: it'd probably be helpful to create a sticky thread somewhere for recommended {and cost-competitive} ammo sources, as this is an ongoing topic that continually spawns flurries of redundant threads.

_p.s. Philly, if you want some 7/16, I'm happy to exchange for other sizes anytime you like. I plan to keep 10-15# of all three ammo sizes on hand at all times. Plus, if I do the tungsten, that'll give me a 4th ammo option in the rotation._
_


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## frogman (Nov 11, 2010)

For the lead I go to the scrap metal yard. Cook the lead down on a fish cooker outdoors, with propane. After that I clean and scim. Then get it into the Lee 100 pro model and begin to cast. For Steel I just go to Royal Steel ball inc. The lead is a little cheaper, but is rather labor intensive. can be dirty and smelly. You have to wear a breathing respirator made for painting cars. That makes it more labor. All in all I prefer too shoot lead, but, I think the steel is less work. I like to let my steel balls rust up a little in order to get that tight grip in the pocket. I have an occasional misfire with the shinny coating, as they are slipery. Frogman


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