Slings and slinging

The Sling

Slings are one of the oldest projectile weapons in man's history. It dates back 10.000 Bc. a sling consists of finger loop which you put around one of your fingers, or a wrist loop which you place around your wrist. Than you have the pouch, and a release cord. Slings can be made in various variations, from modern para-cord slings to old school braided slings made from fiber. Slinging is not a very popular sport, although there are people, like me, who still do it. There are also various cultures around the world who still use the sling for shepherding and other uses.

The cool thing about slings is that it's very cheap and simple to make. You can make one from about any cordage you have, and if you don't have any cordage, you could simple buy some cheap nylon, jute or sisal or any kind of cordage at the dollar store.

There are many, many different ways to make a sling. You can find a lot of tutorials the internet. One site which I really like, and which is probably the best source for slinging information, is Slinging.org. There you can find alot of guides which shows you how to make a sling and how to use it. You could also join the forums, where you can meet other slingers and share each others experiences.

YouTube is also a great source to start, there are many slinging video's which shows you how to sling correctly.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

This is a braided sling. Braiding is not a hard thing to do once you know how. These slings usually have a decent life and are very strong. I made this sling from sisal to give it an old look, but you could also make it from modern twine. If you leave some strands at the end of the release cord, it will give a nice snap. You could also stitch some leather on the pouch to get a closed pouch. The length of this sling folded is about 65cm, a rather short sling, good for short range.

Instructions for making a braided sling can be found here - http://slinging.org/index.php?page=making-a-braided-sling-an-illustrated-guide