Description
This claim goes back to a National Geographic article from 2017, comparing the stopping power of rocks or lead bullets flung by a sling to a .44 Magnum cartridged fired from a handgun. Sounds ludicrous, right? Is there anything to it? Well, let's find out!
I'll be showing you some practical tests and also crunching the numbers to see how they really compare. Time to bust a myth? We'll see.
Either way I'm sure we can agree that Balearic slingers are pretty badass.
Older videos I'm referring to here:
An Introduction to Black Powder and Comparison to Smokeless Powder
https://youtu.be/8fNxHeM3OQI
Shooting helmets (flintlock musket ball and modern cartridges)
https://youtu.be/XLu-gn44y9A
https://youtu.be/ygaSMeTh-f0
Which Shoots Hardest? - Measuring Velocity & Energy of Bows / Crossbows
https://youtu.be/bqqnYOYF7Po
Scale Armor, Part 2 - Time to Shoot It!
https://youtu.be/kavPt1CEJWs
*** Sources / Credits ***
National Geographic article by Heather Pringle (2017)
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/ancient-slingshot-lethal-44-magnum-scotland
“The Ballistics of The Sling” by Thom Richardson (1998)
https://slinging.org/25.html
“New experimental data on the distance of sling projectiles” by Margaret Y Brown Vega and Nathan Craig (2009)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/41373270_New_experimental_data_on_the_distance_of_sling_projectiles
“The Sling as a Weapon” by Manfred Korfmann (1973)
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-sling-as-a-weapon/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24923218
“I Tested the Deadliest Ancient Weapons” by Mike Shake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR4UhwAqdBo
“Sling vs ballistic dummy - brutal results” by Dash Rendar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUpEUyZThvk
“Sling bullet vs ballistic gel test!” by WeaponResearch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGFCR5oDjKI
“Roman Lead Sling Bullet Penetrates Human Flesh! Ballistic Gel Tests!” by Thegn Thrand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpu-BCSfJ2c
“Sling vs M1 Helmet — Cinderblock Carnage!” by Primal Slinging
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na7X0W86x30
“El reto del hondero Balear y la sandía (The Balearic slinger challenge)” by Destmenorca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCZaDLQCPlY
https://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?action=print;num=1779134813
https://ammoreports.com/cci-stinger-22-lr-32-grain-hvhp/
Wes Littlefield, "44 Magnum Ballistics Tables From the Top Ammo Makers"
(https://ammo.com/ballistics/44-magnum-ballistics)
“How Effective is a 44 Magnum Lever-Action Rifle??? (Henry Model X)” by 1ShotTV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDKIxrmAl_0
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http://www.woodenswords.com/?Click=1799
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#skallagrim #history #historicalweapons #myth