Anyone use...sling-shots?

[Ugly Sauce]

Anyone into sling shots? Throughout me life, I've had wrist-rockets here and there, could never hit nothing with one.

So, this Christmas I got one of these for the 9-year old grandson, (and one for myself of course so we could shoot together ) and after watching some YouTube, (the guys on the tube are amazing shots...wasn't sure at first if they were faking it) these things are amazing, accurate and powerful. So, a new addition to my survival gear. I was hoping for a silent way to take grouse when hunting, but Washington State says NEIN! to slingshots. Only thing legal for grouse is shotgun, bow and arrow, .22 pistol or .22 rifle. Don't make sense to me, but I follow the game rules.

With very little practice I'm already good enough with it to hit a squirrel, rabbit or grouse at 15 yards easily. With the steel BB's I'm amazed at the power. The wrist-rockets never packed the punch these things do. Again, not legal, but if I'm lost, injured and starving to death on the side of a mountain, why not have another tool in the kit for small game? The game department does forgive in cases like that.

 

[hso]

Joerg Sprave of Slingshot Channel fame is a member and shared quite a few posts when he was active here.

 

[Fyrstyk]

I carry a sling shot with me to my deer stand to shoot the pesky grey squirrels that like to give away my location. I use .44 caliber lead black powder pistol balls. They will kill a squirrel even with body shots. Lately, it seems I take home more squirrels than deer.

 

[Rick Kr]

View attachment 1127904
Anyone into sling shots? Throughout me life, I've had wrist-rockets here and there, could never hit nothing with one.

So, this Christmas I got one of these for the 9-year old grandson, (and one for myself of course so we could shoot together ) and after watching some YouTube, (the guys on the tube are amazing shots...wasn't sure at first if they were faking it) these things are amazing, accurate and powerful. ...snip...

I'm interested. Tried dissuading squirrels from attacking a bird feeder last spring. Didn't work all that well. Looked around a bit at YT. Could you provide some links to the videos you found most helpful, please?

Rick

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Joerg Sprave of Slingshot Channel fame is a member and shared quite a few posts when he was active here.

I apologize, I didn't do a search to begin with, as for some reason I just did not think there was any interest in them. A quick search showed quite a few old posts.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I'm interested. Tried dissuading squirrels from attacking a bird feeder last spring. Didn't work all that well. Looked around a bit at YT. Could you provide some links to the videos you found most helpful, please?

Rick

"Catapault (or however you spell it) Carnage" is a good one, and what got me interested. Very informative channel, knowledgeable guy and all that. I believe that channel will give one everything one needs to know.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I carry a sling shot with me to my deer stand to shoot the pesky grey squirrels that like to give away my location. I use .44 caliber lead black powder pistol balls. They will kill a squirrel even with body shots. Lately, it seems I take home more squirrels than deer.

I have not tried lead yet, the steel shot is so powerful. I will try some .375" balls though. Perhaps today.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I tried the .36 caliber/.375" ball. WOW! So as not to use up any of my soft led pills, I'll make some hard-cast ones. Those things hit hard, and I didn't notice they were flying much slower, or that the sling shot was "sluggish", or anything like that. Nice.

 

[TarDevil]

Great ideas here! My sling isn't so fancy, but still a ball to shoot.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Yeah, I went through most of a bag of 00 buckshot when I was a kid.
It put food (squirrel) on the table... .

 

[Ugly Sauce]

It occurred to me that buck shot would work great, but the .375" ball works really great, and I've got two molds...so .375" it is.

 

[teerex.otw]

Always nice to know you’re not alone…have shot slingshots off & on since I was a kid (we always used marbles…round & cheap).
Always amazed at the short-range power they possess, a few years back a rabbit in my backyard that thought I couldn’t see him made the fatal mistake of not running when I missed him the first time. He turned 2 complete flips before he hit the ground after the second shot (silly rabbit…)
Falling into the Youtube rabbit-hole a while back, I stumbled on a few videos some Asian dude put out using a homemade crossbow-type slingshot.
Needless to say, now that’s on my “gotta’ do” list too.

 

[Y-T71]

Yeah, I picked up a Scout LT from Simpleshot for something to play with during the Covid mess.

I bought a couple of bandsets, a ton of clay balls and already had a .375" round ball mold.

This thing is an absolute blast to plink with and I was amazed at how quickly you can become accurate with these things.

Best $ I spent in quite a while!

 

[Coyote3855]

When I was a kid, I had a homemade slingshot. My dad accused me of denuding the driveway because I shot away all the marble-sized gravel. I was good enough to take the occasional sparrow with it. I still recall a solid hit with a rock that weighed about five times as much as the bird.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

This thing is an absolute blast to plink with and I was amazed at how quickly you can become accurate with these things.

Exactly, my greatest amazement. I think my archery experience helped, but I'm very surprised at how quickly I obtained really good accuracy. I think it's a really valuable survival tool.

 

[Armored farmer]

I had a wrist rocket as a kid. I loved that thing. I shot sheared off rivet heads back when that was how you attached sections to a sickle. We always had a supply of them in a bucket by the anvil. I also shot spent 209 primers. They made a cool whistle as the disappeared from sight. Then there was the crab apple tree in the back yard. It was the original paintball ammo. My mom made a simple pouch from denim. I would gather crabapple in that pouch and shoot them all afternoon.
Wow, I had forgotten how much fun that was.
I could see a good slingshot being fun to have in the deer stand. When an old doe starts giving you away......thump!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I could see a good slingshot being fun to have in the deer stand. When an old doe starts giving you away......thump!

"Back in the day", around here South of Spokane where the rolling hills and wheat fields are broken up by wooded gullies and pockets of brush, a lot of guys would carry wrist-rockets, and fling rocks down into the brush, which sometimes would jump up a buck that was hiding. I remember seeing guys do that.

 

[Armored farmer]

I had a wrist rocket as a kid. I loved that thing. I shot sheared off rivet heads back when that was how you attached sections to a sickle. We always had a supply of them in a bucket by the anvil. I also shot spent 209 primers. They made a cool whistle as the disappeared from sight. Then there was the crab apple tree in the back yard. It was the original paintball ammo. My mom made a simple pouch from denim. I would gather crabapple in that pouch and shoot them all afternoon.
Wow, I had forgotten how much fun that was.
I could see a good slingshot being fun to have in the deer stand. When an old doe starts giving you away......thump!

Ps:
I just ordered a pair of folding wrist rockets from. Amazon.
I got 2 for $12..

FYI

 

[Y-T71]

Ps:
I just ordered a pair of folding wrist rockets from. Amazon.
I got 2 for $12..

FYI

I have a 40+ year old wrist rocket around here somewhere.

Those big fat surgical tubes were no match for the performance of the flat bands of today but it sure would bring back memories of my childhood if I would get a new bandset for the Rocket and get it up and running again!

 

[AK Hunter]

Yes I use a wrist rocket with the new rubbers from a buddy that works at a rehab place. I use the 1/4" egg fishing sinkers for shot. They are good for knocking a nut cutting squirrel out of the tree or a rabbit out of the garden. In the city we have to be quiet when taking care of wild life business. I missed one time & took out the neighbor's plastic bird bath.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I missed one time & took out the neighbor's plastic bird bath.

I got my 9 year old grandson one for Christmas. I'm sure there will be some "incidents" in the future. !!!! And I'm pretty sure daughter-in-law was not thrilled with the gift. !!!! But bad influence, is EXACTLY what grandfathers are for.

 

[Y-T71]

I never had the luxury of having a grandfather (one that wasn't an abusive alcoholic) but God willing, I will be one someday

I'm thinking BB/pellet guns, slingshots, and drum sets for everybody!!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I'm thinking BB/pellet guns, slingshots, and drum sets for everybody!!

YES!!! Exactly. On a more serious note, both my Grand-dads died when I was very young. Last time I saw my one Grandfather, I smarted off to him, and he dressed me down pretty good. My last memory of him. So, "I feel your pain".

 

[Y-T71]

I tried to "unlike" so I could "like" harder but it didn't work.

I'm glad you started this thread, brought back a lot of good memories of sampler times (some bad but mostly good )

Here's a pic of my current slingshot



Still haven't found my 'Wrist Rocket" but I will.

 

[DMW1116]

Haven’t tried these in years. My grandfather used to make them from old tire inner tubes. He was a pretty good shot with them too. I make the old David and Goliath style slings but they are definitely a different skill set.