Bolas and Slings

[Stew]

Roving Richs post about catching geese got me thinking about the bolas and slings me and my brother used to play with years ago.

Anyone else had any experience with them?

We made our bolas' by casting some lead balls that were about an inch across then stringing them. I had one that was a 3 ball version an it weighed quite a bit. I remember throwing it to a post and missing but hitting a tree next to it and it sticking into the bark temporarily!

I made a few slings too but never got particularly good at accuracy - the range was excellent!

 

[Bear Stone]

Stew,
I've never tried a bolas but I did spend many months as a boy trying to master a sling. I started with its length at three feet; there was power in the shot but I couldn't hit a thing. Eventualy, I got it down to 18 inches. After much practise I was more accurate but still not good enough to earn any street cred; and of course there was very little power - certainly not enough to hunt successfuly.
If you've got the knack (ask me how I fair with the long bow ) then with a little practise it comes to you and you can just do it. I reckon it must take years to master a sling but that's no reason not to try - good luck!

Bear

 

[GreenManOfTheSouth]

Have made and played with bolas, stones in a leather pouch, meta disks with a hole punched in 'em. bunles of nails . . .

Three strings work best - quite accurate up to about 20 metres (um 60 footish?) were aparently originaly used to bring down quadrapeds (and bipeds! - trust me works for that )

Havent herd of them being used against birds. Which is not to say it wont work ...

slings are fun and can get massive distance 100+ Metres (300 odd foot) with my 2 foot long one.
Accuracy is about one meter (3 footish) at about 10 M. distance. + a few total random ones (slinging river rocks).

Have put a rock disk the 2-3 inch diameter right through a banana palm and can break bamboo and dent heavy wood powerfull but relatively inaccurate IMHO. would be very cool in a massed volly though

 

[JFW]

Stew,

I make my own braided slings, they are great fun. Accuracy is fine over short distances 20-50 m with enough power to do some serious damage - had to take out a couple of pidgeons inside a building.
The kids love them for lobbing stones over the fields or into the river.
Never tried the bolas might be something to have a bash at..
Cheers

JFW

 

[bambodoggy]

would be very cool in a massed volly though

 

[longshot]

if you want to get into slinging and bolas, as well as a number of other weapons check out the folks at, www.slinging.org

dean