# wats good ammo?



## slingshot awesome (Dec 7, 2010)

wat type of ammo is best for slingshots (Paintballs ,steel shot,bb's etc.)
plz help-
slingshot awesome


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## HOE (Nov 13, 2010)

For me, lead sinkers. Steel bounce back at close distance.


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## ZDP-189 (Mar 14, 2010)

I use lead sinkers too, but lead cast is better. Steel works well but it's less dense and it bounces. Ricochet risk is less if you shoot in a forest at reasonable distances. The density isn't a significant problem at slingshot velocities if you use a larger ball to compensate (13% wider ball). Even marbles and stones are pretty good and they're lighter still.

Steel is arguably better for the environment and is reusable. You can collect it with a magnet and it doesn't deform and corrodes more slowly. That makes it great for target practice.

There has been a lot of discussion about tungsten but I suspect for most people it won't be good value for money and won't be as revolutionary as is generally expected.

At the end of the day, I suggest you shoot whatever is most cheap and plentiful. If you can buy bulk steel ball at a few dollars a pound, get that. If you can scrounge lead, cast it and if by some miracle you work for a company that has huge quantities of surplus tungsten... sell it to us! Otherwise, get bags of fishtank marbles from the dollar store (thoigh please watch out for shattering glass.)


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## HOE (Nov 13, 2010)

If you do use tungsten carbide balls, you should paint it with some bright coloured paint so that you can recover it easily. Tungsten is way too expensive for slingshots to use and I don't even know where I can buy them.


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## jmplsnt (Jan 1, 2010)

My favorite ammo for daily plinking, practice, and even some light hunting duty (mostly doves and pigeons) is the cheap 9/16" glass marbles. You can buy them for $1.00 per bag of 100 at those shops that sell everything for one dollar. You can catch, recover, and re-use them if you use a bullet trap. There is also no environmental risk with them and no dangerous preparation making your shot as there is with lead.. Go out and get yourself some marbles; you can become a very serious shooter using them. They track perfectly out to 20 yards, are decent to 25, and I have killed using them out to 35 yards. But first you must learn to shoot accurately before you commece the hunt!


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## Dan the Slingshot Man (Nov 21, 2010)

for hunting I like .44 or .50 lead muzzle loader ammo. For target shoot 3/8 steel or .50 steel. For plinking and some target shooting white marbles because white is easy to see if it's not snowing.


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## ERdept (Jun 10, 2010)

thought the absolutely best ammo was posted before as the smallest, to decrease surface area and wind resistance, with the densest material.

So as i remember the conclusion was a 9-10mm lead ball, very smooth.

right?


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## ZDP-189 (Mar 14, 2010)

ERdept said:


> thought the absolutely best ammo was posted before as the smallest, to decrease surface area and wind resistance, with the densest material.
> 
> So as i remember the conclusion was a 9-10mm lead ball, very smooth.
> 
> right?


Yes. That gives a 10-14g projectile, which is great for accuracy, keeps its energy, is more resistant to drift and spin and have great penetration.

Steel, or rocks would not have quite so good chraracteristics. However, the difference between a 10g lead ball, a 10g steel ball or a 10g round pebble is not so great as you should go far out of your way to obtain one vs another. To carry a big bag of lead balls over long distances to a beach with lots of perfectly round and well sized stones is a bit silly.


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## stelug (Feb 6, 2010)

ZDP-189 said:


> thought the absolutely best ammo was posted before as the smallest, to decrease surface area and wind resistance, with the densest material.
> 
> So as i remember the conclusion was a 9-10mm lead ball, very smooth.
> 
> right?


Yes. That gives a 10-14g projectile, which is great for accuracy, keeps its energy, is more resistant to drift and spin and have great penetration.

[/quote]
sorry man: 8,6 mm lead is barely 4 grams, 9mm should be less than six, you must rise up to 12 mm diameter to reach 9-10 grams. But lead still rulez


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## ERdept (Jun 10, 2010)

ZDP-189 said:


> thought the absolutely best ammo was posted before as the smallest, to decrease surface area and wind resistance, with the densest material.
> 
> So as i remember the conclusion was a 9-10mm lead ball, very smooth.
> 
> right?


Yes. That gives a 10-14g projectile, which is great for accuracy, keeps its energy, is more resistant to drift and spin and have great penetration.

Steel, or rocks would not have quite so good chraracteristics. However, the difference between a 10g lead ball, a 10g steel ball or a 10g round pebble is not so great as you should go far out of your way to obtain one vs another. To carry a big bag of lead balls over long distances to a beach with lots of perfectly round and well sized stones is a bit silly.
[/quote]

So I got a .490 cal lead ball, that's about 178 grains. Is that about close to ideal?


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## lobodog2 (Nov 10, 2010)

Hello slingshot awesome, I really must respond to your question about the best slingshot ammo. My ideal slingshot ammo would be something within my budget, and easily obtained. It would pretty much shoot the same whether I shot at a paper target, or a live target. Consistency is the key. Find an ammo that you can replenish, and go with it. I personally shoot 7/16" steel. I find it a happy medium between 3/16" and 1/2". Now jmplsnt has a valid point about the cheap Dollar Store Marbles...I've shot alot of those. You can deliver a kill-shot with glass, and don't let anyone tell you different. Just remember to buy the brightly colored ones...Then you can pick up the occasional stray.


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## ERdept (Jun 10, 2010)

lobodog2 said:


> Hello slingshot awesome, I really must respond to your question about the best slingshot ammo. My ideal slingshot ammo would be something within my budget, and easily obtained. It would pretty much shoot the same whether I shot at a paper target, or a live target. Consistency is the key. Find an ammo that you can replenish, and go with it. I personally shoot 7/16" steel. I find it a happy medium between 3/16" and 1/2". Now jmplsnt has a valid point about the cheap Dollar Store Marbles...I've shot alot of those. You can deliver a kill-shot with glass, and don't let anyone tell you different. Just remember to buy the brightly colored ones...Then you can pick up the occasional stray.


Ahhhh, the true magic bullet. lol Just kidding.

I use marbles all the time, bought 5000 of the for the case. Now i cast my own lead, it's easier than I ever thought. Just heat the pot and pout. You can even use a cast iron pot on the stove and lead ladle.

But it's best with the Lee melter that has the drip spout.


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## Gene (Dec 28, 2010)

Just ran across a very interesting article, and the best part of it was ideas for ammo.
http://hubpages.com/hub/slingshothunting

The writer talks about getting joint compound or mix-it-yourself cement, and molding your own balls. Any opinions on this?


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