Let's Talk SlingShots

Wow great timing for this thread!
I have an old Crossman slingshot which i haven't used in years.
Coincidentally i bought a new band for it last week.
 
DOC-CANADA said:
BTW, another use for a slingshot - slinging arrows with cord attached to get bear hanging rope up into tree. The nylon guide supports the arrow at full draw. It doesn't have to be an arrow, of course. When we're canoeing, and if necessary, a convenient length of straight stick fills the bill.
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Doc
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Thats pretty cool Doc.
Your slingshot kinda looks like mine, except yours has that arrow shooting add-on.
Did you buy it or mod/make it yourself?

I remember back in the 80's or 90's some manufacturer was selling slingshots geared for shooting ultrashort arrows/bolts.
There was a notch cut in the shaft just behind the tip and you would put the band in the notch then draw it back and let it fly!
 
If you are truly interested in slingshot hunting, try contacting this guy :http://www.primitivesupply.com/default.cfm
He's up the road from me, I know he does courses in small game hunting, where you actually hunt with a slingshot. I think he also does stick bow and all sorts of one on one survival instruction , when he is not training SEALs in wilderness survival. He was a twelve year SEAL Team One member himself. Browse around his site,some pretty interesting stuff there.
 
Muskrat Man makes some great slingshots. I got this one from him.

My only complaint was that the handle was a little too short. So it wants to lever out of your hand. This prompted me to start making my own.

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tholiver said:
Thats pretty cool Doc.
Your slingshot kinda looks like mine, except yours has that arrow shooting add-on.
Did you buy it or mod/make it yourself?

I remember back in the 80's or 90's some manufacturer was selling slingshots geared for shooting ultrashort arrows/bolts.
There was a notch cut in the shaft just behind the tip and you would put the band in the notch then draw it back and let it fly!
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Hey th, I made the support out of a cheapy nylon cuttin board. I use full length shafts in it.

Doc
 
stitchawl said:
I'm far more accurate within a 1 meter target at 20-30 yards with a sling than with a rubber band slingshot, but that's only because I've practiced with the sling and NOT with a sling shot. Stitchawl
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Not a lot of 1-meter targets to fill the ol' stew pot with....
 
stitchawl said:
While you can throw a small (50cal) round ball with a rubber slingshot, you can't throw a golf ball sized rock very far. A sling can throw a golf ball sized rock 40-50 yards with force and accuracy. As with any other weapon or tool, practice makes perfect.

I'm far more accurate within a 1 meter target at 20-30 yards with a sling than with a rubber band slingshot, but that's only because I've practiced with the sling and NOT with a sling shot. However, I never have run out of sling ammo, nor do I have to carry any with me, so I guess the question is; what are you using it for? If it's for fun and hunting, and you can carry your ammo to be sure you have it with you, AND if you practice with it, the rubber band sling shot wins out. If you are depending upon it for survival purposes, and you have practiced with it, I think the sling is a better option simply because of the size and availability of the ammo you can use. Neither of these will work without practice. :(

Stitchawl
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Unless you are hunting blind and deaf game a traditional sling is not fitting for a survival situation. Squirrels, rabbits and the like are pretty jumpy anyway and 'winding up' a sling is gonna spook most of them. Sure, you could launch a projectile big enough to take down a whitetail buck, but you would spook it long before delivery. A sling shot gives you that element of 'surprise.' Now, if I were to pick one for a situation where I was being pursued, the sling would be my pick. I would not be worried as much about being seen and would be more concerned with dropping big human-sized targets, something that I feel a sling shot would be hard-pressed to pull off.
 
dougo83 said:
Unless you are hunting blind and deaf game a traditional sling is not fitting for a survival situation. Squirrels, rabbits and the like are pretty jumpy anyway and 'winding up' a sling is gonna spook most of them. Sure, you could launch a projectile big enough to take down a whitetail buck, but you would spook it long before delivery. A sling shot gives you that element of 'surprise.' Now, if I were to pick one for a situation where I was being pursued, the sling would be my pick. I would not be worried as much about being seen and would be more concerned with dropping big human-sized targets, something that I feel a sling shot would be hard-pressed to pull off.
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I agree with you completely! It really isn't something I want to rely upon for dinner. (I prefer fishooks for that, and wild vegetables.) I only carry my sling when backpacking for play during rest stops and in the evening after dinner. But I ALWAYS carry my sling. How many folks ALWAYS carry their slingshots and ammo? For backpacking we usually aim for light weight. While having a Wrist Rocket would be nice. I don't want to carry the weight. I cut the handle off my tooth brush and throw out the joker from my deck of cards! ;)

When planning for survival kits, eventually you get to the point where size and weight have to be considered. In mine, I carry dry soup packets, salt, and tea. Much lighter than 50 cal lead shot. Actually, we usually will bring one or two extra freeze dried meal packs per person beyond our expected menus. I prefer Beef Teriyaki and Jamaican Style Chicken & Rice to possum or rat. I wish someone would make a good freeze dried Chardonnay....

I know I can go without meat for a few days without turning cannibal and killing my buddy for camp stew. I'm not a desert lover. I prefer the hardwood forests so there are usually plenty of lakes and streams, and no lack of wild veggies. No problem stalking a wild blueberry! :)

Stitchawl
 
True. I guess it all depends on where you distribute weight. I live near a number of decent bodies of water, so I can always carry less water and carry something in its place. We also have large game readily available, so if it was truly for survival, I would even go so far as to carry a small rifle to bag dinner...In my pack a slingshot isn't that big of a deal. I guess for 72 hrs I don't really worry about weight.
 
dougo83 said:
.....Now, if I were to pick one for a situation where I was being pursued, the sling would be my pick. I would not be worried as much about being seen and would be more concerned with dropping big human-sized targets, something that I feel a sling shot would be hard-pressed to pull off.
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I'd far rather have my trusty wrist rocket in such a situation. The rate of fire is far higher, and if I can shoot a rock several hundred feet with my sling shot, hitting someone at 50 feet with it is going to give them severe pause, if not bring them down.

When I was about 12 I had a pugnacious cousin start taking pot shots at me with his pellet rifle. With my wrist rocket, I started shooting rocks with great force back at his place of concealment at a ratio of about 5:1. He decided immediately he was tired of that game!

I've thrown a few rocks with a sling, and the only advantage I see with it is that you can throw a lot bigger rocks. The time it takes, and the practice needed to hit much of anything, puts it way back in the running for me.
 
DWK2 said:
I've got a bunch of them. The fastest has a large brace that covers the forearm, pulleys for the rubbers to work on, and the bands themselves are progressively tapered. Get some muzzleloader lead balls in the 40-50 cal range and they hit pretty hard. Half inch steelies are also good but the lead balls are obviously heavier for the same diameter.

In Northern Canada friends take grouse with them pretty easily. Of course, a lot of grouse will simply fly up on a branch and sit there looking at you. They may even give you a few shots, if needed.

DancesWithKnives
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the item your reffering to we call a wrist rocket where im from, and yes they are extremel eficient when it comes to the small game dept.

i saw in another post wrist rocket mentioned!! should of read all the posts---SORRY
 
Back in my early teens (1957-58) I used a homemade SS with big office-supply rubber bands, a small leather pouch and about 6 to 10 #6 birdshot, scavenged from my grand-dad's shotgun shells. I was hell on sparrows, Blue-jays, grackles, anything that'd let me stalk up to 5-10 yds, or so.

The really stretchy bands, plus light load, really made for some velocity and with 6-10 pellets, it made hitting somewhat more likely.
 
Funny that this thread came up! I was just given a couple of old "wrist rocket" type slingshots by a buddy. He used to have a gun/bow shop and ordered a case of them real cheap, many years ago. They had been in his cellar for years and the rubber tubing was getting a little sketchy. I bought 50 feet of latex tubing for about $10 and made new slings, taylored to my "draw length."

I can't wait to try them out!

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
I absolutely agree with all the posts pointing out better options. There usually is something better to be had with just about anything we talk about. It's usually the user that determines what "better" is though.
Most people would say that it's "better" to sit in a nice air conditioned house, watching TV, eating pre-prepared food than being outdoors camping and hunting your own food.
Just thought I'd toss the idea out there though and see what folks thought of it, and if anyone used one or carried one in their packs. A slingshot certainly isn't going to replace my rifles or handguns for serious needs of taking down 2 or 4 legged critters, but it certainly helps break up the monotony. Besides, ya never know what you might have to rely on at some point...always good to be well versed I say.


Gautier
 
stitchawl said:
Notos&w, I think you may be confusing a rubber powered sling shot with a traditional 'sling shot.' The two are very different. The traditional one is more like a sap or blackjack idea, or a sand-filled sock. The traditional sling shot, often referred to as a 'slung shot,' was usually made of braided rope or cord with a large 'lead 'shot' inside a "monkey's fist" knot on the end. It wasn't a projectile weapon; it was a hand-held 'bopper.'

On the other hand, as with most ambiguous laws, a lot would depend upon the local leo's interpretation of that law.


Stitchawl
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I did some research and it seems reasonable that you are correct. "Slung shots" are new to me. However, as you point out, if you find yourself trying to make a distinction in the mind of the local LEO, one would hope he was in a charitable mood and further, that he isn't too much of a literalist. Me, I wouldn't worry too much about it. There are no reported cases on this issue.

Thanks for being willing to educate me.
 
When I was a kid my grandfather had a large garden oh his land that was under constant attack by the local wildlife. He taught me how to make simple yet very effective slingshot ammo out of the abundant local clay by rolling it into 3/4 inch balls and heating them over a fire. I assume this formed something akin to primitive ceramic because the balls would become very very hard and we had no problems killing anything from squirrels to rabbits and large opossum an raccoons with the clay balls. We could make over a hundred at a time and heat them for a few hours inside a metal paint can hanging over a fire. It never occurred to me at the time but now it seems like a very simple way to make plenty of ammo in a survival situation. I may have to look into picking up a new slingshot, I haven't shot one in years. Thanks for bringing back some great old memories guys :)
 
i find slingshotting to be very relaxing. I can spend a whole day plinking targets with small pebbles, or 1 oz lead fishing weights (i collect them from the trap and reuse them, then remelt them when they are too damaged).
 
notos&w said:
I did some research and it seems reasonable that you are correct. "Slung shots" are new to me.
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It was 'new' to me too until about two years ago when I was corrected! :eek:

I thought that there was no difference between saps, blackjacks, coshes, etc., and 'sling shots' always had rubber bands! I was given a web site that showed all of them with their proper names attached. I tried to find that for you when I made the post, but it was long gone and all I got was a 'page not found!'

Stitchawl
 
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