[mattwalt]

Availability of ammo where you are think has the most impact on choice.

If I had my way and an endless supply I'd shoot 8mm lead as much as I possibly could. Though for me its a luxury item. I have a few 10mm which I was able to make with a mould I have - but its reserved for the 'perfect' hunting scenario... Whats great is the energy transfer that lead provides. Also doesn't ricochet that badly.

Steel in 9.5 is what I use about most of the time - simply as its what I started off on. The only real downside is ricochets... Steel can bounce like crazy, sometimes in a shower of sparks.

Talking to Q - he suggested switching to marbles (plinking). Steel balls are difficult and/or expensive here in Portugal. But marbles are cheap from the many Chinese shops. From a hunting perspective I'd probably avoid them due to their weight inconsistency and lighter weight...

 

[mattwalt]

LOL - As a kid I always had pockets full of round river stones. They were actually hard to find - area had a lot of shale. Marbles were so coveted so only used when I knew the chance of finding them after was high.

Had a ton of lead at one stage which I used to cast sinkers - and made ammo from. This was my high-spec hunting ammo and only used for shots I was darn sure of. Still have that mould and made a few rounds from lead I managed to scrounge.

Later found bicycle bottom bracket BB's in 6mm - they were ridiculously small compared to everything else I shot (up to 20mm lead sinkers) and did make a 'special' target setup with those.

I wish I knew what I know now about shooting at age 10 or so.

 

[mattwalt]

Yeah - I remember finding a huge stockpile of barrel bearings - think out of CV bearings. Those were fun.

 

[mattwalt]

Though these days those tyre weights are usually made from non lead alloy... Gun range is a good source though.

I use an enamel cup on a gas stove to melt my lead down.

 

[mattwalt]

For me it would be .32 cal. guess thats around 8mm

 

[mattwalt]

When I started on slingshots again as an adult, I was shooting cat eye marbles exclusively. They are quite cheap here, $1 gets me 100 of them. I then bought 10 and 12mm lead mould of Ebay, I recycle lead from old car batteries (yes, I know it is risky, dangerous , messy....) but it is the only reliable source I got.
Steel is expensive to buy and ship, but I discovered local car garages that demolish cv joints and discard steel balls, I once collected two 20lt bucket loads of mixed steel ball sizes.
I'm now searching for an 8mm fishing mould, that cast 10 balls or more at once. I have a Lee precision mould for 2 ball, but I can't use it because I don't have a melting pot with a "tap" to pour the led into it.

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Hey Kenya! What is the critter in your Avatar, and can you eat them? Just curious! Mo

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Meerkat (Suricata Suricatta) - mischievous but cute little guys. Bit like you mo...

 

[mattwalt]

They actually can make good pets. Know of at least 2 people who had orphaned ones when I was a kid. Its illegal in South Africa to take them from the wild or keep them as domesticated animals.

They are also known to be extremely inquisitive and clever - and funny.