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cool, I don't know much about slinging and archery, but if i remember correctly from what i learned in history, the germanic warrior were very primitive but skilled with their weaponry which includes blunt force weapons like clubs, spears, and the sling, ancient rome considered them barbarians, but during the roman conquest into germanic territory (ancient germany) they were outnumbered and out weaponed yet managed to defeat the romans with guerilla warfare style tactics they used. just like how our modern day special forces used i.e. owning the night the tribesman would do hit n' runs at night with their faces painted to camoflauge. they were dead accurate with slinging as well.

here's one video i seen on it where they mentioned the sling, if i can find the other documentary ill share it with you as well. I always enjoy learning new things

Thanks for the info on slinging, learn something new everyday.

I agree with Q's point about the sling's biggest advantage is it being easy to construct. 

After that, it seems like the bow has the advantage.  I've only shot a bow a few times and never used a sling so I could be dead wrong but if we're looking to history, the first thing that pops into my head is the Mongol empire.  It was the horse and bow (and obviously training) that allowed them to take over half the world. 

As Q have bought it up, slinging looks interesting to me for a few things:
- you can keep a sling and rock in your pocket.  Hard to do with a bow.
- ammo seems extremely easy to come by.
- the listed velocities of the sling seems pretty impressive.

Cons compared to the bow:
- slings seem to require more training and skill to use effectively than a bow
- the gross motor skills required to shoot a sling seem less accurate than the fine motor skill required to release an arrow.
- not as rapid firing as the bow using the technique demonstrated by Lars.

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Thanks for that explanation, Q.

Also, we forgot one significant advantage of the bow... flaming arrows!

Another advantage of the sling is that if you attach something heavy on one end, you can use it as some sort of flail melee weapon.

If I were to choose, why not have both?  Bow and arrows first then switch to the sling once the arrows are out.

"dedicated practice"

Aye, there's the rub.  I tried pocket and string slings as a kid (10yo) and decided it was inaccurate --to the point of hitting myself on occasion.

Perhaps if I had kept at it for that whole summer vacation, I might have changed my mind.  I went back to my Dennis the Menace (DtM) slingshot.  Got fairly accurate with it, but the fact that nowadays they have DtM slingshots with laser sights on them should tell you something about their accuracy in "instinctive shooting" mode.

In later life I took up archery with a simple recurved  bow and after I fixed sights and a kisser button to it, mere adjustments allowed me to hit paper plates at ~30 - 40 yards in short order and with excellent regularity.

This was before compound bows were popularized (or even invented.)

I think the deadliness and accuracy of the string slingshot is overestimated.  Remember that David's (lucky?) shot happened to hit Goliath in the forehead, whereupon David had to go over and cut off Goliath's head anyhow.

Yeah, it's OK, if that's all you got --sort of like a .25ACP.

It would really take a down-and-dirty, no-holds-barred, me-stark-naked situation, for me to even consider a string slingshot for any kind of defense or hunting.

Now a split-stick rock thrower (similar to what the Hai-alai players use) would be a slightly different story.  That's really an "extension of your arm" weapon.

But even then I might still prefer a Major League baseball or a can of Campbell's Chicken Soup thrown from my bare hands.

I think the major advantage of archery in war is the long distances a huge number of arrows could be launched toward an enemy without really sighting at all.

Now a crossbow... now that's a different story...

Terry, 230RN

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My opinion stands.

If that's all you got, good luck.  If you don't even have that, better luck.

"Dedicated practice" is the main flaw.... and keep at least an edged weapon for the coup de grâce