Slingshots

reply to post by locololo


I should have done this sooner -- going to try and repost your OP video, and then look at it.



Okay. No, I haven't seen these before. looks like a decent system, except perhaps the plastic hinge -- that seems like it might be prone to a failure after a time. Perhaps it's made of polycarbonate or with a steel pin and therefore stronger than it looks. Edit to add: I really like how this slingshot seems to maximize a person's pull and it looks comfortable to hold a position. I would try one of these out if they were available here.

I'm a believer in the KISS principle, and this doesn't seem like keeping it simple. There's nothing that says you have to limit yourself to a single slingshot -- you could have a collapsible slingshot for your BOB, another more elaborate slingshot/bow for your small game hunting, yet another more "experimental" model for tweaking.

Another couple of points that I wanted to add:

1) a slingshot that is constructed such that it allows me to draw it back fully and lock my arms makes for a condition where I can hold the shot and release when I think I'm zeroed on the target.

2) tapering the bands such that they are narrower at the pocket tends to produce more acceleration through the shot

3) Pocket sizing. The pocket should be sized such that the ammo naturally centers in the pocket. If you don't know what ammo you might be using, it's sometimes beneficial to create a large pocket.

4) Tubing instead of bands. I personally don't care for flexible tubing, as (in my experience) tends to wrap or twist around the uprights of the slingshot, making for a slower recovery time for the second shot. I much prefer bands of some form or another, because they tend to untwist themselves.

5) Don't do like I did department: Always verify that your slingshot pocket (particularly if it's a homemade one) has not turned itself inside out. Once while shooting at a rabbit, the pocket of my homemade slingshot got turned inside out, and when I shot, the projectile (a round lead sinker) came back and I shot myself in the side. It didn't have enough energy on the return to penetrate my skin, but left a nasty bruise and could've just as easily hit me in the face or even my eyes. Which brings me to the final point.......(for now)

6) I always wear polycarbonate glasses when I use a slingshot. For me, that's my standard amber sunglasses. Some people choose to wear goggles, others shooting glasses. It just takes one "oops" to cause yourself serious damage, and that can be as ordinary as a band or tubing breaking on the draw. If it breaks near the slingshot, the band will come back at you. Nothing to do with slingshot shooting, but I like amber polarized lenses, because when you look at water, it helps with the clarity. I suppose that could be useful if using a slingbow for nailing fish.

reply to post by argentus


Ok, thanks for the advice. Did you see earlier when I said i have one now? Well, I have one now lol. Of course this isn't goign to be my only item in my shtf armory, but it one of them. I also have a long bow, a compound bow, am getting a crossbow, then there rifles if needed. I also have all my knives. I'll have to make a thread one of these days of my atm shtf armory, even though it'll also be pooled with the rest of my survival community and what they have.

reply to post by locololo


Good deal. I think we can become proficient with anything, given enough practice. This slingshot looks like it might tend toward shortening that process by virtue of being able to establish the same 'sight picture' and muscle memory. Any time you can replicate the draw consistently, you're well on your way to having an effective weapon.

Let us know how you like it! remember also, that ALL bands/tubing wear out eventually, so you might be looking into banding replacements, or even material in which you can make your own bands. It takes a little bit of practice using a rolling cutter for making bands - nothing you can't handle. A layout board with gradations is helpful.

If you live in a humid or hot area, you probably want to store your banding replacement or replacement material in a container that is as airless as possible, out of the sunlight and possibly in the refrigerator.

cheers

reply to post by argentus


Thanks for the advice, you've been very helpful with this. I'll be doing the research for the bands, making them and the such that way I know what I need.

I love slingshots and they don't have to be fancy to be effective. This old timer is fun to watch

reply to post by jibeho


I'm really glad you brought up Mr. Rufus Hussing. I'd forgotten about him, but have looked at the video before, and nodded my head when I saw his outlook and his simple approach. Hopefully this isn't belaboring a point ...... he [appears to] strives for the same sight picture and draw each time he shoots. It doesn't really matter the specific slingshot to Mr. Rufus, but one that he's made and used is best, because he knows exactly how it will perform, and he's a dead shot with it.

He epitomizes the essence of the Art of Slingshot. Mr. Rufus says "he doesn't aim".......... I suppose that's true, since he says it, but I believe that the aiming is so intrinsic to his craft that he doesn't realize he's doing it, in the same way that we don't "aim" when we shoot a basket with a basketball, but muscle memory combined with the brain produce the perfect combination of motions to achieve the goal. I also REALLY like that Mr. Rufus uses rocks, and his ammo isn't round.... it DOES seem consistent in mass and general size.

This is what we slingshooters aspire towards -- a dead shot without even thinking about it. I've been using a slingshot of one kind or another all my life; I will never approach Mr. Rufus' level.*

*but I can try. It's good to have goals

reply to post by argentus


Rufus has been at since at least the 1950's and could probably hit a Japanese Beetle blindfolded.
Muscle memory is essential to golf, slingshots, archery and shooting as well as other target based sports like hockey, soccer, basketball etc.

Good Stuff!

You got me watching some of the sling shot videos of the Scandinavian fella and all I can say is that the guy has some crazy stuff. The pepper spray and double blade "defensive sling shot" gave me a good laugh as well as the one with a stun gun mounted to it. Very Creative.

reply to post by jibeho


Joerg started out with basic instructional videos -- the further back you go in his archives, the more normal his information. I get the sense that he feels the need to keep kicking it up a notch to keep it interesting. Still, every now and then I wander across some of his recent stuff and I think, "whoa! That's weird. hmmmm. I wonder........ maybe I could modify this to do _______________." The guy seems amazingly strong. I know myself that it's a difficult pull to draw back four (he often doubles his bands) 1" grading down to 3/4" bands.

I had an accident in January of this year, and tore up the connective ligaments and cartilage between my upper ribs and sternum. Gave me a good reason to get some therabands for physical therapy (I had to start with red -- the easiest draw). Only now, three months after full recovery and rehabilitation can I pull back gold bands all the way. There is a breakpoint -- sorta like pulling a compound bow -- where the tension is strongest, and then it eases off, so a person can hold the shot if they choose.

Maybe this off-topic........ but I think these kind of conversations -- anecdotal information -- are really useful when embarking upon refining one's craft where slingshots and other drawn weapons are concerned. I was never a dead shot like Mr. Rufus. Even as a kid, my best and most accurate shots were those I could draw, hold and release when I felt the shot was true. Same went for archery.

When I was young and my father teached me how to build one, I remember how he told me that is important to aim with the forehand and also stretch the rubber with the forehand. This way you can have a lock on the target while being able to vary the strength.

Its fun to go into the woods with the kids and show them wich wood to use and how to dry it the right way. Same as for bows and arrows. I think this is something every kid would like to learn.

Edit: the old sympathic guy in the video uses the same technique for aiming

reply to post by verschickter


Something that just occurred to me when I read your post -- and it's probably obvious, but I'll say it anyway. I've rarely taken a shot at a moving target, preferring to track or get closer through stealth and shoot when I had a clear shot. On rare occasion, I've taken a shot at a moving small animal, and I found it effective to draw, hold, and sorta lock my elbows to hold the same picture, so that I could lead and release. Now, Mr. Rufus would probably scoff at that and he would probably just draw and shoot at where the animal was about to be.

In a SHTF situation a person can still practice, but getting food is paramount, and a person tends to go with what has worked in the past. I also think slingshots are underrated as a defensive (against people) weapon. It might take fairly precise placement for the shot to be fatal, but not so much so for it to be debilitating.

ETA: When carrying extra ammo for quick recovery and the second shot, I've found it useful to to hold the extra ammon in the pinky and ring finger of the hand that holds the slingshot pocket, using a sort of scooping motion with that hand to load the second shot. Obviously, this is a little more tricky with smaller ammo, like steel ball, than with rocks.

reply to post by argentus


Yeah, in normal life, you wouldnt need to lock on a moving target, your right. As hunting with slingshots is not allowed here in Germany, we used to throw empty cans (because a full coke can would be a mess as it gets ripped of totaly and spews coke all over the place) or a frisbee to "hunt" on a moving target.

What we also did is running and shooting (slingshot and with bows), wich is really hard to acomplish but if you got the trick you dont need to aim anymore, because you "feel it". Its like dancing, if you have the "feel" you dont have to think anymore.

You mentoined you reload technique. This is actually a good point and I´m glad you mentoined it because I almost forgot that if you have some weight in the hand that holds the shot, like stones in the hand for reloading, It feels much better and gives a great feeling of control because you can grab and hold the shot better if your other fingers "have something to hold".

I dont know about your holding technique but I used to do it this way (I´ll try to explain)

assume that the ammo is lying in the leather bag already.
make a fist with your release hand, then stretch the middle and index finger outwards, your thumb should follow automaticaly. The ring and little finger holds the next shot. Now grab the leatherstrip with the stretched fingers and make a closed U. Now let the rubber bands do a little work (open holding fingers a bit till the stone/ammo is tight in the leather. If you want to release, dont move the fingers, just let it go.

The outside of the leather should be shiny and slippery and soft (like a very used leather jacked) and the inside should be rough.

This is not a joke: We used to wear the leather strip in the shoes. take a bit of 320 sandpaper and lay it in your shoes, put the side that should hold the ammo on top of the sandpaper and walk. walk for a week with this everyday. Soon you will see how the upper side gets pretty shiny and the other side is rought. This is important because if you release the leather, it will release the stone very smooth. The rough side will "pop outwards", wich prevents that the rubber comes back and the stone is still in there, hitting you in your face or elsewere.

This weekend is supposed to be rainy, so I´ll grab my son and go into the woods, searching for some nice wood. I recommend hazelnut wood because it grows very fast, is easy to find and you dont have to touch the trees, wich would be a mess. Maybe I´ll take some pictures how we build it if I manage to get my camera back from my daughter and the batteries are full (I dont believe in it yet xD)

Old used heavy leather gloves or even the cheap ones with the leather strip on top of the glove make good leather strips.


EDIT: Oh, I saw that we use almost same technique to refill the pocket. But it depends on what pocket you have, a strip or a bag. I prever strips because I had some bad days with bags... Yeah I´m going definitly to the woods these days, I want to slingshot again, as my sons sling disapeared or got ripped off, who knows.