Steel flechettes - the ultimate badass slingshot ammo?

[JoergS]

OK, started to test the flechettes (short bolts from massive steel). The design is not mine, a fellow slingshooter from Italy (Sabaca) invented them, quite simple to make with a few hardware store pieces.

I needed a slingshot with a bit higher fork, and goind through my collection, I found the Bunnybuster Tom sent me a few months ago. Perfect for the job!

I attached rubber with a paracord loop on each end (so there is no danger of entanglement, active band length 20cm x 7cm x 4cm Thera Gold. The loops are hooked into the wing nut wings, you grab the rounded hex nut at the end and draw out.

I had to get used to the flechettes but got the hang of it soon. No danger for the hands. The loops work very good.

It is amazing to hear the hissing of the arrows in flight. They need a few meters to straighten out, then they fly really straight.

I have shot them against a wooden board, 22mm thick. The flechettes hit the board very hard, from about 10 meters. It takes force to pull them out. They do not go through the board all the way, but you can see the cracks in the plastic coating (backside) already.

The M8 version has the same impact depth as the M6 version, surprisingly.

But then I took the Monster and butterflied 16mm lead balls into the same board, from the same distance... go figure.

All in all, a lot of fun, but I am not certain if the flechettes can really bring down larger game than lead balls can.

Will continue to test, and make a crossbow that really has some force!

Jörg

 

[Yo Mama]

Friend once told me, "I don't care what it is, I don't want to get shot with it."

 

[JShirley]

Very neat. One of the problems with flechettes used by the US in the past, has been their tiny cross-section and sharpness meant little impact was transmitted as they cut through the target. These don't seem to have that problem.

John

 

[PTK]

As interesting of a projectile idea as they are, I think I will personally stick with steel or lead balls for hunting with my slingshot. If nothing else, it's easier to carry more projectiles when they're smaller.

 

[JoergS]

Here it is - my new sling-x-bow for shooting Sabaca's really cool darts.

It works really good, and has that sniper-like look I borrowed from .50 Browning rifles.

I used 11 mm plywood for the outer two layers and an inner layer of 18 mm plywood, with the trigger/lock part left out. This results in a nice, thick stock that is very comfortable.

It is equipped with Thera Band Gold, 1,5 times hunterband strength. Even in this cold weather it shoots pretty hard.

The lock is slotted so it is easy to notch the flechette into it. One moving part is enough for the entire trigger and lock.

You load it by stomping on the fork and pulling the flechette upwards. Easy and not dangerous.

This is fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI8hpf6KNyk

Jörg

 

[janobles14]

jorg did you run those through a chrono by chance? id love to know how they sped compared to lead ball.

 

[JShirley]

That...is awesome. I swear I'm going to put you in a movie some day. Good stuff.

John

 

[Zoogster]

Really neat Joerg.

My only concern with them would be shooting your own hand if the point of the projectile deviates while shooting from a Y or U type slingshot.
I know in my limited experience with slingshots longer projectiles posed that risk of deviation during launch.
Such a heavy pointed hard projectile as these flechettes are would likely go right into your hand and bone if they impacted point first, with the hard steel shattering or cracking bone during impact if they impacted your hand at more of an angle.

Very neat. One of the problems with flechettes used by the US in the past, has been their tiny cross-section and sharpness meant little impact was transmitted as they cut through the target. These don't seem to have that problem.

I would venture one of the major problems was also the size of them, the Vietnam era flechettes were tiny. With the most reliable common reports and modern sales of Vietnam era projectiles around 7.5-8.4 grains or around 8 grains per flechette.(Here is some similar ones for sale http://www.ammo-one.com/Flechette.html notice the 1" ones popular for testing or used in specialty rounds are even lighter, at only 4.8 grains)
An 8 grain projectile at shotgun velocities is pathetic. With only 19-20 such projectiles per 12 gauge round. I think you would be hard pressed to even find a 12 gauge shotgun shell anywhere near only a 160 grain payload on the market, now imagine it with B or BB sized shot.
The fact that they performed so much better than birdshot of similar weight (B or BB size), while still performing relatively poorly, actually being more of a testament to how effective they can be.
Instead it has illogically been a prime source of them being considered poor performers.
That many aftermarket specialty rounds still loaded with them are of similar projectile size (and that the shotcup is often pierced due to poor design and wadding too soft to resist penetration allowing even more velocity loss as gas blows through the projectiles) perpetuates this much poorer than deserved reputation.
2-5 large flechettes would perform significantly better than 20 of birdshot projectile weight.
The primary limitation would be how much payload could be packed into a shell due to the fins.
Round buckshot still allowing significantly more payload per shell. But with the amount of unused space in a typical 12 gauge shell (most going to wadding) there is room to potentially allow a moderate payload of larger much more effective flechettes, especially in the longer 3.5 inch shells normally only useful for steel shot hunting.

 

[JoergS]

Well, so far not one flechette deviated from its course. These may be too heavy. Heavy projectiles will fly much more stable.

But when fired from the crossbow, all that can happen is a fork hit as no body part is in the line of fire.

Jörg

 

[omcf]

This is just a thought, but what about a regular aluminum hunting arrow cut down to about 6 inches. Ideally one could fill it with led somehow (I am imagining using a bucket of water and lead for molded musket balls, but this sounds like a recipe for a mutilating injury) so that it is as dense as the screws you are using here. The fletching could be remounted, and that would leave you to attach any broadhead, as well as nock arrangement that the commercial world of archery provides.

 

[riddleofsteel]

In high school we used to hunt rabbits with wrist rocket sling shots. My friend decided that one day it would be cool to shoot a pointed tip bolt with tape fletching out of his wrist rocket. You can guess the outcome. the first dozen or so shots the bolt flew out and hit a cardboard target with surprising accuracy. Then suddenly the bolt struck his wrist at the base of his thumb. The blood and tissue damage was quite impressive. Luckily there was no lasting damage to nerves or bones but I remember him wearing a cast on his wrist for several months.
Long story short if I am going to launch anything sharp my body parts willbe well back from the launch point.