[AJT]

Well I recently made myself a slingshot (out of NZ native wood ) Rimu. I spent a long time making it and It looked great in the end, though I did not really like it much when I shot it.

When I pulled back the bands there was a lot of strain on my wrist, and as a result of shooting a few shots with it , my wrist is currently in apinful state.....though when I shot my braced commercial slingshots my wrist did not hurt at all, and It was much more comfortable shooting them.

On the forum everyone talks about "self made" slingshots and how they are much beter then commercial slingshots, so I decided to make one, though can it be a reality that your wrist cannot support and take the strain by a traditional style slingshot???

I ask this question, because when my father had a shot with it, he was able to pull the tubes back to full draw, and he thought it was very comfortable, where as with me , it was the complete opposite.

I am confused about the fact that I may not be able to shoot traditional 'unbraced" models of slingshots due to a weak wrist.

I will post a pic of the slingshot......some help in regards with my problem as well as speculation of my first self made slingshot will be very much appreciated.

Maybe it has got something to do with the design of the catty......

AJ

 

[dgui]

Why not try some 2040 chinese tubes these would not put a strain on the wrist as other more powerful bands and tubes will. The commercial tubes available at local stores are very hard on the wrist.

The shooter you made is Beautiful.

The longer the forks the more strain on the wrist. My forks are 3/4 inch long, no strain there.

 

[jmplsnt]

That's a beautiful slingshot, and I'm sorry you're having problems shooting it. I feel like the word "deserve" gets used a great deal by people who have no clue of what it really means but I will lay myself out there and say you deserve to be able to shoot this fine piece you've crafted.

I don't know if you are shooting fork-supported or not as you've probably gotten used to hammer grip with the braced catty. After shooting hammer for years I have converted completely over to fork-supported and would not even think about shooting hanmer ever again. The fork-supported really helps with the bracing and takes a great amount of strain off your wrist when drawing. Check out my picture below for a little help.



hope this helps!

 

[BaneofSmallGame]

That is an excellent first effort AJ, you've shown that you have some serious skill with tools, and I think that you'll be better off making and shooting those made by yourself than the store-boughts once you get the hang of it. If that initial effort is any indication of your future works then you have some potential.

As to the wrist strain, I think the reason is very obvious....although I can't see your bands, just the way you are holding it gives it away. I see that your a holding it pistol grip style (aka hammer grip) yet, your forks are high and your frame shape is meant for a pinch grip style.

Those little indentations and wings on the frame should be resting places for your thumb and forefingers higher up on the frame. You should move both those fingers up the frame to get more of an iron grip on it. Also, in the future I would suggest making the forks a lot lower if you plan on sticking to the pistol grip style.

Here is a boardcut I made with a similar finger rest style, and this is how I hold it, zero wrist strain with quite heavy bands.

There is no reason to abandon that shooter, or future custom works because you craft a beautiful product, don't give up on them, Trust me in time you will fully realize how much better your shooter is than the Daisy.

Cheers - John

 

[AJT]

Cheers Guys, you have all been of great help !!

Jmp, I have just tried your way of holding it, and it works much ,much better tha the old way I was gripping the slingshot.

The bands I am using are very strong tubes which I tie on top of the fork. They work great with the commercial slings, though I really like the look and feel of this custom made slingshot a whole lot more.

Rimu is a very tough (hard) native NZ wood, as well as an expensive one....so I am very eager and willing to do what ever it takes to fix the slingshot up a little.

John, thankyou very much for your reply,

So do you reckon if I made the forks a little shorter, it would be less of a strain on my wrist while I am shooting it??

Dgui,Yeah I am considering making the forks a little shorter. 3/4 of an inch forks sound quite nice !! The bands I am currnetly shooting are much better IMHO than the store bought, ready made slingshot bands. I put on m own pouches, and they do not break as quickly as most store bought tubular bans that I have shot in the past.

Cheers,
AJ

 

[Xidoo]

Well I recently made myself a slingshot (out of NZ native wood ) Rimu. I spent a long time making it and It looked great in the end, though I did not really like it much when I shot it.

When I pulled back the bands there was a lot of strain on my wrist, and as a result of shooting a few shots with it , my wrist is currently in apinful state.....though when I shot my braced commercial slingshots my wrist did not hurt at all, and It was much more comfortable shooting them.

On the forum everyone talks about "self made" slingshots and how they are much beter then commercial slingshots, so I decided to make one, though can it be a reality that your wrist cannot support and take the strain by a traditional style slingshot???

I ask this question, because when my father had a shot with it, he was able to pull the tubes back to full draw, and he thought it was very comfortable, where as with me , it was the complete opposite.

I am confused about the fact that I may not be able to shoot traditional 'unbraced" models of slingshots due to a weak wrist.

I will post a pic of the slingshot......some help in regards with my problem as well as speculation of my first self made slingshot will be very much appreciated.

Maybe it has got something to do with the design of the catty......

AJ

AJT,
I had the same problem as you when I started to used naturals. I was used to my marksman 3040 slingshots. One day somebody handed me a natural and I could not hold it properly. It took me some time to get use to natural slingshot and now I prefer them than the comercial slingshots. One thing for sure is that you have to change the way you hold your fork. Either you use your thum and index finger on the sides or at the front face of the fork facing you. That would improve the way you shoot. By the way very nice forK!! I like a lot. Saludos.

 

[A+ Slingshots]

Beautiful.... and you have already been given some excellent advise!!!! The forum works great!!!

 

[Dan the Slingshot Man]

that has to be the nicest first slingshot I have seen congrats

 

[bunnybuster]

Very nice looking slingshot.
Hold the fork with your thumb and forefinger..and use some cant to it.
I like the ergo`s like that because I shoot them horizontily.
A little practice, and the wrist brace slingshots...are not needed.
Nice work.

 

[lucifer93]

Well I recently made myself a slingshot (out of NZ native wood ) Rimu. I spent a long time making it and It looked great in the end, though I did not really like it much when I shot it.

When I pulled back the bands there was a lot of strain on my wrist, and as a result of shooting a few shots with it , my wrist is currently in apinful state.....though when I shot my braced commercial slingshots my wrist did not hurt at all, and It was much more comfortable shooting them.

On the forum everyone talks about "self made" slingshots and how they are much beter then commercial slingshots, so I decided to make one, though can it be a reality that your wrist cannot support and take the strain by a traditional style slingshot???

I ask this question, because when my father had a shot with it, he was able to pull the tubes back to full draw, and he thought it was very comfortable, where as with me , it was the complete opposite.

I am confused about the fact that I may not be able to shoot traditional 'unbraced" models of slingshots due to a weak wrist.

I will post a pic of the slingshot......some help in regards with my problem as well as speculation of my first self made slingshot will be very much appreciated.

Maybe it has got something to do with the design of the catty......

AJ

Hi AJ,
if you like you can drill a hole in the handle and attach a paracord Lanyard, if you make it small enough it will take the strain of your wrist. I now have them fitted on all my slingshots and they work a treat.

 

[NoSugarRob]

Well I recently made myself a slingshot (out of NZ native wood ) Rimu. I spent a long time making it and It looked great in the end, though I did not really like it much when I shot it.

When I pulled back the bands there was a lot of strain on my wrist, and as a result of shooting a few shots with it , my wrist is currently in apinful state.....though when I shot my braced commercial slingshots my wrist did not hurt at all, and It was much more comfortable shooting them.

On the forum everyone talks about "self made" slingshots and how they are much beter then commercial slingshots, so I decided to make one, though can it be a reality that your wrist cannot support and take the strain by a traditional style slingshot???

I ask this question, because when my father had a shot with it, he was able to pull the tubes back to full draw, and he thought it was very comfortable, where as with me , it was the complete opposite.

I am confused about the fact that I may not be able to shoot traditional 'unbraced" models of slingshots due to a weak wrist.

I will post a pic of the slingshot......some help in regards with my problem as well as speculation of my first self made slingshot will be very much appreciated.

Maybe it has got something to do with the design of the catty......

AJ

unfortunate that you have problems shooting this.... its a very nicely shaped and finished catty.

 

[Devoman]

Welcome to the forum, you did a great job, I am looking forward to seeing more of your work!

 

[mxred91]

Really nice wood working there. I suggest you work with the higher grip rather than shorten the forks. If you shorten the forks you may increase the chance you may smack your hand. Dgui is an excellent shooter and even shoots just with the bands (no frame). He has that skill, I don't. I would shoot my hand. You might try some flat bands, I have found them to be much easier to shoot than the tubes you get with a commercial slingshot.

 

[AJT]

Again thankyou for all the positive comments, though I am really paying attention and am willing to learn from the fantastic criticism which many of you have put forward.

This is my first slingshot, and so as in most cases, there will be alot to work on regarding fork size and the grip (cheers mxred91) to be worked on.....I will call this slingshot my test slingshot haha.

I have shot it a bit today, and I have piked up on a few things which I could do to it regarding a better choice of bands for example.

One question, the tubes which I am currently shooting on all my slingshots are heavy, and powerful tubes I have bought from a local rubber shop (so they are ot commercial "slingshot" bands). I bought them by the meter , then cut them down to size and fitted them with a leather pouch. Through tests, they have a much heavier pull than the yellow commercial tubes which are in abundance here in the country, and a whole lot more power.

BUT, do flat bands have an easier draw compared to tubes, or are the powerful flat bands similair in heavy pull weight??

Cheers,
AJ