The bow and sling are among the most ancient types of throwing weapons invented by man. At the same time, in ancient times, contrary to the ideas of most modern people, fighters with slingers were much more appreciated in military affairs, and not fighters with bows. This is despite the fact that the bow looks like a much more advanced and formidable weapon. What was the matter?
A piece of rope or leather with a loop pocket, and a bag stuffed with stones or bullets - this is the recipe for one of the most formidable forces on the ancient battlefield. Until the beginning of the Middle Ages, the sling remained a much more popular type of weapon than the bow. Why is it so? It's worth starting with the simplest. A non-compound bow shoots an arrow 100 steps, investing in it kinetic energy of 300 J, provided that the arrow falls along a hinged trajectory and accelerates in the fall from gravity. For comparison, a bullet fired from a Makarov Pistol has an energy charge of 320 J. At the same time, the most modest sling gives its bullet (or stone) a charge of no less than 400 J. The sling's bullet retains most of its energy for 100-150 meters, with a weight of 200-400 grams.
Thus, the sling in the ancient era was a much more formidable weapon. There are cases when lead slingshot bullets pierced bronze thoraxes (chest armor) of the ancient Greeks. When hit on a naked body, the impact of a bullet was so strong that it could immediately kill or neutralize a person with terrible pain and a titanic blow. At the same time, the maximum range of throwing stones and lead bullets could reach 280 meters. With a large concentration of slingers, this allowed a real rain of stones to fall on the heads of enemies.
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An important advantage of the sling was that it is extremely easy to manufacture, absolutely not whimsical in operation (especially in comparison with a complex compound bow) and at the same time it is quite effective. Especially against unprotected or poorly protected people. Do not forget that, unlike a bow, a sling is much less demanding on ammunition. Arrows are still much more difficult to make. And a lead bullet can, if desired, be cast from a piece of metal with just a fire, a thumb and earth under your feet. The low accuracy of slingers was usually offset by their number.
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The only drawback of slings was that they required a lot of skill in handling. Shooting with a sling isn't easy. In a tight formation it was spun along the arrow's stele, and in a free formation - overhead. At the last moment, the thrower let go of one of the sling harnesses, after which the projectile left the "pocket" in the desired direction. The sling went out of use only in the Middle Ages, when protective equipment began to develop rapidly.
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A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/221119/52498/