[Cosmose]

any of you fellow's into slingshot's? if so what kind of ammo do you use and what kind of band's do you use? most replacment bands are dang near the price of a slingshot. i've been reading a lot of good articles in the backwoodsman magazine and would like to make my own and use the old style flat bands but i can not find the flat band's? :confused:
anybody ever make their own?

thanks for any info.:)

[Wedge]

I still have the same slingshot I bought from k-mart when I was 10. always just used BB's to shot at cans. Regular latex band.

[full metal]

I got a pair of sling shots for my boys.they have lots of fun but need a lot of practice.for hunting ammo you could pick up some laserhawk 1/4 steel shot also known as 6mm. you could find them at wal-mart or big 5. i"m thinking of getting me one, loads of fun and challenging,

[swampgator]

I like the disposable latex bands that hospitals use to start IVs. They're flat and pretty strong.

[Bob]

I've got a Trumark. It's the original style Wrist Rocket. My first one got away from me somehow and I was happy to see they still make 'em. I recently replaced the bands with 1/4" surgical tubing - much more power. I cast 50 cal roundball for my muzzleloader so that's what I use in the wrist rocket. Lots of fun!
Bob

[hagar]

I have one I bought 35 years ago, my oldest possession. Every couple of years I change the rubber bands and shoot it. I used to be a crackshot with one when I was a kid.

[patentnonsense]

My kids and i play with slingshots sometimes - they're still fun, and you can still buy them. I can't hit squat with "found" ammo though.

Some of my friends built BIG slingshots in college - building columns + inner tubes can lob water balloons like a high-angle mortar round.

What I want to try is a shepherd's-style sling - four strings and a pouch - anybody try that?

[Ditchtiger]

I've made and used shepherd's slings, they have fantastic range and power. Takes some practice though, don't try one in town or by cars, a golfball sized rock can go 200 yards easily.

[Soap]

In Indiana we also use them to plink a rock off of a bin to see how full it is. :)

[Sharpdogs]

Lots of choices for ammo. If I want to just plink at cans I use dried beans or candy jelly beans. I practically grew up with a slingshot in my hand.

[Tbu61]

I have an OLD Wrist Rocket, my local Fishing supply store carries HEAVY surgical tubing. Since tubing tends to pull free from the slingshot, I had to stipple the "connections" and I carefully lash the tubing with Dental floss to keep in from snapping back in my face. :eek:

This aint no toy!!!! I commonly shoot .375 lead ball to hunt birds or rabbit (very effectively). Brightly colored Glass marbles are fun in bright sunlight, kinda look like tracers :)

[CWL]

Wrist Rocket with folding wrist support.

I use .44 cal round lead shot. Used to shoot them at racoons when they get on my roof. Never killed any though, they just sorta made an "oof" noise and ran away.

[Zero_DgZ]

Air cannons, yes. Slingshots, not so much.

I have one I picked up at K-Mart about a million years ago that's still going strong on its original band. Well, at least I think it is. I haven't shot it in about two years, come to think of it.

The local dollar store used to have bags of cheap glass marbles for a buck for 100, which is an ammo deal you can't beat with a stick. Never got too good at hitting anything with it, but it kept those blasted squirrels from tearing up my feeder, grill, and plants even if I didn't hit 'em with it.

[Sir Aardvark]

I have an old wrist rocket. It is lots of fun to mess around with.

I mostly use steel "Pachinko" balls for ammo. I am almost running out of them, so I'll probably pick up a bag of shot somewhere down the line. If I see marbles at the local clearance store, I'll usually buy them if they are discounted enough.


Here's a little bit of trivia for everybody:

It is illegal to bring a slingshot into Death Valley National Park. They have signs posted when you enter that ALL firearms and slingshots are illegal in the Park's boundaries. Kind of a stupid law, I think.


From the NPS Death Valley web site:

http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/things2know.htm

Firearms and Weapons
Firearms, including fireworks, traps, bows, BB guns, paint-ball guns, and slingshots are not allowed in Death Valley National Park. Do not bring them with you.

[old4x4]

FYI, slingshots are illegal in Massachusetts....just another reason I won't live there. Stupid, isn't it?

[Arkie]

I had a slingshot a really long time ago but the one I was really good at was also the shepherd's sling.

I used to be able to hit a telephone pole with a river rock most of the time about 75 feet away.

I don't think I can do that now. LOL...

[proud2deviate]

I use a slingshot for cheap n' quiet bird, tree rat, and stray cat control. Ammo of choice is the dollar store sack o' marbles. Kills feathers, knocks fur piss silly.

The damn squirels have it in for me. I was sitting on the patio reading when a week old rock-hard biscuit comes flying out of the maple tree and *CLANGS!* off the folding chair next to me. I look up, and there's this squirrel sitting on a high branch with a "shucks, missed!" look on his face. Wrist rocket was purchased soon after, and accompanied me outside on warm, sunny days.

I've also had green tomatoes (stolen off my own dang tomato plant! The nerve of these guys!) dog food, and assorted nut hulls chucked at me. I think the Squirrel Resistance Front is gearing up for something major, but the NSA, CIA, and FBI have ignored my concerns, in spite of growing evidence of an impending large-scale squirrel assault. . .

[Tbu61]

I tried just shooting a pouch full of loose shot and it scattered all over the place. Then I figured out how to make a "shot" load for mine. Wrap up some #4 Buck in a piece of cellophane and it gives a nice little "pattern" that's terrific for pigeons and starlings... Drops them where they perch!

Maybe not so good on squirrels or rabbits though.

[usmccpl]

When I was about 10 I got a slingshot. It took almost as much game as my 22 I got around the same time. I was a lil bit stupid though.I remember shooting fire crackers for a while as bird bombs, one day while calling turkeys I had it and thought well why not and it worked but got in beau coup trouble fer that one. Tried the sheapards style sling a few times all I could hit was myself.

[Boom-stick]

I made a great one when I was around 11 years old, found the perfect Y shaped branch and used an old bicycle inner tube with a small leather patch from the local shoe menders. Th Ol' boy in there asked me what it was for, I said it was for a school project, he mumbled as I left about not using it to make a slingshot:rolleyes:

It was, lets say, removed from my person after some windows in a local factory some how got broken.

After that I got a shop bought wrist brace model that I fired golf balls out of, whilst standing at the other end of the local driving range:evil:

[justsurvivingincalifornia]

Oh yes I do remember mines. I had the Pocket Rocket verson of slingshot. It was just like a wrist-rocket but it folded for concealed carry purposes. I have no idea what I did with it over the last 20 or so years. I was great funs shooting at thing when I was in high school. I was lucky, I never got it taken away from me when I was in school. Those were the days.

[SamTuckerMTNMAN]

was really into slingshots. I don't know for sure why, I mean he hunted squirrels with them - I still have the ones he made with lots of little ticks in the side re: the kills he made. And understand they are simple, small, Y shapes sling shots with no wrist brace. He just used inner tubes or something latex/rubber he made.

I'm a big fan of the old school david and goliath slingshots. No really. It sounds like a joke but once you get into them its hard to go back. They are hard to aim with at first but the practice is truly addictive, and there is a huge range of sizes available with a spin sling. You can throw creek rocks the size of a baseball 200 yards pretty easy, a little smaller and they get up to 3 even 400 yards. It's like the 7.62x39 of slingshots:neener:

Whereas the wrist rockets are the .223 AR:D

Creativity can make the items hurled even more....effective as well.

They are easy to make in the wild, last a long time, and pack up small.....can be worn as a belt, and used for other things like bow drill, cord tie, shoe lace, whatever. Same things I always like in a good weapon, if not just plain fun.

ST