Slingshots Forum banner

Did you ever decide your own personal do-it-all favorite ammo? How come you chose what you did?

3K views 36 replies 27 participants last post by  Henry the Hermit 
#1 ·
I'm so new at this sport I feel like a wobbly legged colt looking up at thoroughbreds thundering down the track around me. Guess I need to live the sport more before I really can afford an opinion. But. I'm beginning to think 8mm ammo may be MY answer for an my all-around ammo. Relatively inexpensive where I am, the bands can be thinner and narrower than with the 3/8 inch balls I've shot mostly. I had right shoulder rotator cuff surgical repair last year and guess because of age etc it hasn't returned to and never will be what my shoulder was 20 years ago. After 25 rounds of 3/8 inch ball I feel like a wood bat has been used on my shoulder to get my attention.
I can't really hunt any more as I sold the farm and moved into a small town subdivision. So anything but a garden raiding squirrel or rabbit isn't a possibility these days. An accurate head shot with 8mm steel at 225 FPS should do everything I need in the wilderness of suburbia.
I can entertain the idea of having a slingshot for tossing 7/16 and maybe even 1/2 inch balls downrange on a day I feel froggy, but the lighter weight balls, bands and tubes just right now seem like where I'm heading.
You folks that have room for magnificent 35+ yard shots with half and full butterfly slinging are amazing. I reckon you need and can handle the strain of the big bands. And I love watching videos of your all's skills in action.
Favorite ammo thoughts so I can judge myself harshly?
Thanks. Don
 
See less See more
#3 ·
I'm so new at this sport I feel like a wobbly legged colt looking up at thoroughbreds thundering down the track around me. Guess I need to live the sport more before I really can afford an opinion. But. I'm beginning to think 8mm ammo may be MY answer for an my all-around ammo. Relatively inexpensive where I am, the bands can be thinner and narrower than with the 3/8 inch balls I've shot mostly. I had right shoulder rotator cuff surgical repair last year and guess because of age etc it hasn't returned to and never will be what my shoulder was 20 years ago. After 25 rounds of 3/8 inch ball I feel like a wood bat has been used on my shoulder to get my attention.
I can't really hunt any more as I sold the farm and moved into a small town subdivision. So anything but a garden raiding squirrel or rabbit isn't a possibility these days. An accurate head shot with 8mm steel at 225 FPS should do everything I need in the wilderness of suburbia.
I can entertain the idea of having a slingshot for tossing 7/16 and maybe even 1/2 inch balls downrange on a day I feel froggy, but the lighter weight balls, bands and tubes just right now seem like where I'm heading.
You folks that have room for magnificent 35+ yard shots with half and full butterfly slinging are amazing. I reckon you need and can handle the strain of the big bands. And I love watching videos of your all's skills in action.
Favorite ammo thoughts so I can judge myself harshly?
Thanks. Don
It sounds like you made a good decision based on your shoulder situation .
 
#8 ·
I keep trying to go with smaller ammo but am completely stuck on 7/16 steel.
Not too fast, not too slow and will put a whallop on whatever it makes contact with. I guess as long as I can pull the weight needed I’ll stick with it.
I love 7/16 for hunting squirrels. That and 9.5mm lead are fantastic

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk
 
#7 ·
I use .177 up to 8mm. With smaller ammo I've found it very helpful to sometimes use paper or scoot a bit closer until you figure out where your shots are landing. You might also consider 6 or 7 mm. My problem with smaller ammo is the similar feeling to a pebble in your shoe. 8mm seems just the right size and still able to use very light bands. 6mm is a close favorite as well. I like .177 for outdoor where its not practical to recover the ammo.

I'm still learning as well but I think many people struggle with accuracy because they are using bands that are too heavy. I only hunt soda cans or random garbage.
 
#9 ·
You're exactly right on people using bands that are entirely too heavy. For target shooting purposes, a .5 band and 8mm steel are more than adequate. I've seen people in tournaments shooting 11mm steel and I can't understand why they do it. Sending a few rounds in the catchbox before hunting is one thing, but not all the time shooting

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk
 
#15 · (Edited)
My current fav for the last few years has been 7mm steel. Second would be 5/16" (8mm) followed by BBs.

When I started into slingshots (1991) I shot .44cal lead exclusively. I had a mold and was not aware of the assortment from online retail. In 2000 I bought a .375" mold and enjoyed the increased speed. Around 2010 I found the online dealers and started with 3/8" steel... then 5/16" ... then some 1/4" and 7mm. I settled on the 7mm for good speed with a low draw weight. The BBs are great for winter when I step outside for a short session with a pop can.
 
#16 ·
I believe the best thing for me to do is transition from the 3/8 inch to 5/16 inch steel ball. The lighter draw weight is very attractive to me with my damaged shoulder. I can build up strength (maybe) and use the 3/8 inch ball down the road perhaps.
I've been using the search feature for to find a good recipe for 5/16 using what I have on hand right at this time:
Simpleshot 0.7 black
Theraband Gold (thickness ?)

Amberbelt
Cotton butcher's twine.

Simpleshot microfiber pouches both small and large.

Draw length is 33 inches so 33 divided by 5 gives me a 6.6 inch active length and I'm adding 1 inch to total for tying at the pouch and frame.
Suggestions appreciated.
Don
 
#17 ·
8.7mm steels and 9.5mm steels.
8.7mm steels mainly but if its really ruff weather I will switch to 9.5mm steels as you would be surprised how much wind and rain throws of the lighter ammo 🎯👊👍👌 I always use the same ammo and elastics to shoot targets and hunt cause your constantly perfecting your performance then 🎯👊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍👌
 
#20 ·
My favorite for target practice is 1/4”. Dirt cheap, don’t need a lot of latex, super easy draw. You can get those puppies screaming fast too. For my heavies I like 3/8” and every great once in a while I’ll pull out the big 1/2” and blow the living crap out of a bunch of soda cans 😁. I’d say .4mm or .5mm latex and some 1/4” or 5/16 would be a healthy daily shooter for the shoulder though. Especially for just 10 meter plinking.
 
#21 ·
I started with 9.5mm because that’s what everyone seemed to shoot at the time. It’s still my main ammo. Seems like nowadays a lot more people, especially Chinese shooters, shoot 8mm. I do shoot that from time to time. Lighter bands and more ammo for the same price are nice. I don’t ever really see myself switching to it full time though. Don’t have much of a reason to switch at this point.
 
#27 ·
I shot 5/16 yesterday for the first time. And using Simpleshot Black 0.7 tapered 5/8-1/2. I sure liked the ease of drawing versus the 22mm-18mm tapered bands that came with my Sparrow, but the 5/16 ammo honestly seemed to just putter along. But I was able to hold the draw easier and focus on aiming, anchor and pinch much better than before. I'll admit though it was easier to hit the swinging target.
Looking forward to experimenting.
Thank you all. Don
 
#29 ·
Afraid my experience is quite limited but I do share your concern with shoulders that are not so young anymore.
So my ammo is .177 steel BB's with 16-10-0.5 mm blue Ignite latex - usually two BB's side by each in the pouch. Not sure it would even get to a kilo of draw weight.
The two BB twins are easier on my finger and thumb.
Sometimes shoot Pocket Shot orange plastic balls from the same latex but my release is not as clean with those.
And, occasionally, used .22 cal air rifle pellets that have been sort of rounded off with a pair of pliers. They hit nice and hard but don't fly that straight.
Kudos to the guys who can shoot the big artillery! Must be very satisfying but hey, I'm not competing, just having fun.......
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top