Slingshots

[MrMurphy]

Back in 'the day' slingers with practice using small stones or lead/clay bullets could generally hit a guy in the head from about 50 yards I think.

Modern, practiced slingers can regularly hit a board that size at that distance with practice. In the missionary's case, he killed half a dozen pika (think large ground squirrels) at about 30-35 yards with his easily.

 

[Hayden]

I have 2 of the marksman wrist rockets, I always carry them in my hiking bag so when my son and I stop we pull them out to plink. When I was a kid I had one that carried ammo in the hand guard, I loved that slingshot. The wrist rockets have some really nice power. Im not good enough to get a rabbit or birds with it, unless maybe they would sit still for me lol but I can hit pop cans at a pretty good distance.

 

[kimfella]

for moose hunting?

Seriously, these are used to set an arborist's throw line in a high crotch, or to power through where there are too many low branches and twigs in the way to get a clear shot freehand.

I used one once when we got back to the yard to launch all the old golf balls we had collected working on a site alongside a golf course. That was fun.

Maybe not quite as much fun as this:

 

[professorchaos]

Not a exactly a slingshot but on occasion my friends and I were known to pair a water balloon launcher and golf balls. Tried turning a potato cannon into a punt gun too. That didn't work out well.

 

[Goober]

Very nice. I remeber those fondly from my youth. As a matter of fact, I might just get another.

 

[kirk 988]

ive got one that i made out of a but of galvinised tube with the rest made of solid stainless tube the top lools like this but the bottom is just a tube
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=s...56&ved=1t:429,r:38,s:0,i:153&biw=1920&bih=899

ive hit a rabbit with it

leeg try the spear slings they make good slings also the lathe apron has a few holes in it from sling making

 

[peterrdean]

In the UK, unless you own a Fire Arms Certificate, the power limit for Air Rifles is 12 foot pounds force (ft-lbf). This is about 16 joules of energy. For Air Pistols the power limit is 6 ft-lbf or about 8 joules. You are allowed spring guns, CO2 guns, and pump up guns, but after a change to the law in the early 2000s, you are not allowed air cartridge guns. I had 2 of those (worth about £700) confiscated by the police, with no compensation. One day I am enjoying my hobby and the next I'm breaking the law. And all because a few idiots had modified the guns (revolvers and Beretta clones ) to take .22 amunition.
I still have 2 Webley spring powered pistols and a Park RH93 .22 air rifle that uses 2 opposing spring powered pistons that stop any vibration on firing.

I also have a custom bow, but you cannot use archery for hunting in the UK.

Peter.

 

[DE_Dude]

Wow, I want to go shoot a slingshot now...the homemade ones on the slingshot forums look too complicated for me to make, though. I'm surprised that the razor/brush stand I made out of a wire coat hanger hasn't exploded yet.

 

[blademen]

Brings me back to my childhood.
Nice work!!

 

[Pkrankow]

I cut a tree and have a perfect looking crook out of 6 inch material. All I need are a couple large inner tubes and some 2 inch ball bearings!

Phil

 

[Legion]

I cut a tree and have a perfect looking crook out of 6 inch material. All I need are a couple large inner tubes and some 2 inch ball bearings!

Phil

Modern inner tubes won't work. Not elastic enough. In the old days inner tubes were made of gum rubber, and they worked great, but the new ones... no good.

The best stuff to cut flat bands out of are those Theraband type exercise bands. Get the heaviest weight ones and cut them into slightly tapered strips (Tapered flat bands spring back faster, giving the projectile a higher velocity). Alternatively, those tree fork ones in my OP have spear gun rubber tubing, carefully sliced down the middle. That works well.

http://www.thera-band.com/store/products.php?ProductID=26

 

[Psychofish]

for moose hunting?

Naw, you'd need a "Slingbow" for that!

 

[kirk 988]

Modern inner tubes won't work. Not elastic enough. In the old days inner tubes were made of gum rubber, and they worked great, but the new ones... no good.

The best stuff to cut flat bands out of are those Theraband type exercise bands. Get the heaviest weight ones and cut them into slightly tapered strips (Tapered flat bands spring back faster, giving the projectile a higher velocity). Alternatively, those tree fork ones in my OP have spear gun rubber tubing, carefully sliced down the middle. That works well.

http://www.thera-band.com/store/products.php?ProductID=26

spear slings are great too i need to make another to take on a outdoor ed sailing trip to bruny a little fun hidden in my bag.

 

[Pkrankow]

I cut a tree and have a perfect looking crook out of 6 inch material. All I need are a couple large inner tubes and some 2 inch ball bearings!

Phil

Modern inner tubes won't work. Not elastic enough. In the old days inner tubes were made of gum rubber, and they worked great, but the new ones... no good.

The best stuff to cut flat bands out of are those Theraband type exercise bands. Get the heaviest weight ones and cut them into slightly tapered strips (Tapered flat bands spring back faster, giving the projectile a higher velocity). Alternatively, those tree fork ones in my OP have spear gun rubber tubing, carefully sliced down the middle. That works well.

http://www.thera-band.com/store/products.php?ProductID=26

Got a picture! That is a size 11 1/2 foot on that log. This would be yard art if I do this.

Phil

 

[Legion]

Go for it! It will be perfect if you ever wage seige warfare on your neighbors.

 

[Slash McCoy]

In the UK, unless you own a Fire Arms Certificate, the power limit for Air Rifles is 12 foot pounds force (ft-lbf). This is about 16 joules of energy. For Air Pistols the power limit is 6 ft-lbf or about 8 joules. You are allowed spring guns, CO2 guns, and pump up guns, but after a change to the law in the early 2000s, you are not allowed air cartridge guns. I had 2 of those (worth about £700) confiscated by the police, with no compensation. One day I am enjoying my hobby and the next I'm breaking the law. And all because a few idiots had modified the guns (revolvers and Beretta clones ) to take .22 amunition.
I still have 2 Webley spring powered pistols and a Park RH93 .22 air rifle that uses 2 opposing spring powered pistons that stop any vibration on firing.

I also have a custom bow, but you cannot use archery for hunting in the UK.

Peter.

No bow hunting? Why? What a bunch of retards you got, writing your laws for you! Oops... we got some of them over here, too! Anyway, what a crying shame. First of all, where tradition? The English were once famous for their archers, and even as an example won the (strategically useless but still inspiring and noteworthy) battle of Agincourt mostly by virtue of skilled and well placed archers against a far superior force. Bow hunting is safer... a bullet might well cause injury at a mile or more. An arrow will certainly be in the ground before traveling 1/5 the distance. Bowhunting is better sport and requires more stealth because you need a closer shot. It is quiet. It is greener... the arrow can often be re-used, even the head. It is aesthetically more pleasing and more politically correct and acceptable for the handwringing liberals than a gun. It is primitive. It makes overharvesting game less likely. It is FUN. In most parts of the U.S., there is a season for regular firearms, and a season for bow and another for black powder or muzzle loading arms. Crossbows are legal in some places for taking some game. Bowfishing for nuisance or non-game species like gar or carp is popular. Everybody gets a chance in the field, both modern arm hunters and primitive arms guys.

It seems like with no bow hunting and severely restricted firearms ownership, the UK should be quite overrun with game. Are the deer a nuisance in downtown London yet? LOL. The bow is pretty quiet, and if I were there, I think I would well never mind...

 

[Psychofish]

Guess they watched Rambo too many times.

 

[Legion]

No bow hunting? Why? What a bunch of retards you got, writing your laws for you! Oops... we got some of them over here, too! Anyway, what a crying shame. First of all, where tradition? The English were once famous for their archers, and even as an example won the (strategically useless but still inspiring and noteworthy) battle of Agincourt mostly by virtue of skilled and well placed archers against a far superior force. Bow hunting is safer... a bullet might well cause injury at a mile or more. An arrow will certainly be in the ground before traveling 1/5 the distance. Bowhunting is better sport and requires more stealth because you need a closer shot. It is quiet. It is greener... the arrow can often be re-used, even the head. It is aesthetically more pleasing and more politically correct and acceptable for the handwringing liberals than a gun. It is primitive. It makes overharvesting game less likely. It is FUN. In most parts of the U.S., there is a season for regular firearms, and a season for bow and another for black powder or muzzle loading arms. Crossbows are legal in some places for taking some game. Bowfishing for nuisance or non-game species like gar or carp is popular. Everybody gets a chance in the field, both modern arm hunters and primitive arms guys.

It seems like with no bow hunting and severely restricted firearms ownership, the UK should be quite overrun with game. Are the deer a nuisance in downtown London yet? LOL. The bow is pretty quiet, and if I were there, I think I would well never mind...

This is probably a debate for another place, but let's just say that the laws of "weapon" ownership and use are pretty different in the US than a lot of other countries. For the record, I agree with you. But why do you think I have to target shoot with a slingshot in the first place? (which are also technically illegal here, FFS!) Ah well. We make do as best we can. I can't buy Pinaud Clubman here either.

 

[Slash McCoy]

This is probably a debate for another place, but let's just say that the laws of "weapon" ownership and use are pretty different in the US than a lot of other countries. For the record, I agree with you. But why do you think I have to target shoot with a slingshot in the first place? (which are also technically illegal here, FFS!) Ah well. We make do as best we can. I can't buy Pinaud Clubman here either.

Oh no! Clubman illegal, as well?

I have tried the wrist-rocket type slingshot and it seems quite capable of considerably better accuracy than the old traditional forked stick type slingshot. The wrist brace helps to stabilize and index the slingshot. I find myself wanting a harder draw and more power. I think if I were designing one, I would use multiple bands, of surgical rubber tubing, maybe speargun bands instead of the lighter slingshot bands. I think a 70 lb draw slingshot would be a lot of fun, shooting large ball bearings or whatnot. Maybe marbles, at soft targets and backstops where they would not shatter.

 

[Legion]

Oh no! Clubman illegal, as well?

I have tried the wrist-rocket type slingshot and it seems quite capable of considerably better accuracy than the old traditional forked stick type slingshot. The wrist brace helps to stabilize and index the slingshot. I find myself wanting a harder draw and more power. I think if I were designing one, I would use multiple bands, of surgical rubber tubing, maybe speargun bands instead of the lighter slingshot bands. I think a 70 lb draw slingshot would be a lot of fun, shooting large ball bearings or whatnot. Maybe marbles, at soft targets and backstops where they would not shatter.

Most people make a "catch box" for shooting targets. That is basically a cardboard box with a paper target over the opening, and an old T-shirt or other piece of material hanging inside. When the ball hit the material it just drops to the bottom of the box and can be used again.

The highest velocity slingshots use the tapered flat bands rather than tubes, and have two bands on each side. They are a LOT more powerful than the store bought slingshots, but still have low enough pull weight to shoot a non braced model accurately. I can easily get over 250 fps out of a slingshot set up that way. Not even close with a store bought sling.