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Tex Band Test

2764 Views 7 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Bill Hays
Tex sent me a very nice bandset a couple of weeks ago, but I was unable to get it attached to a fork until this week. I'm in East Texas until after New Year's, and finally got a chance to go into the woods and look for forks. I found a few suitable ones and after letting them dry for 4 days (LOL), I took the new old-timey style Case two blade pocket knife my brother gave me for my birthday and set to work. You can see the results below. By the way, the knife is sharp enough to shave right out of the box.

The bands consist of single tapered bands on each side. They are pale latex and roughly the thickness of Theraband Gold. Sorry, my micrometer is in Panama. They are 11 inches long and have a 9 inch pull with my OTT mounting. I also don't have my scales with me, but these bands are very light pull, certainly less than 10 pounds. They are quite a bit lighter than my Theraband Yellow tubes, which I have measured at 10 pounds. The pouch is a light tan soft leather with a molded cup, measuring 1 x 2 3/4 inches, and is the quality we've all come to expect from Tex.

The bands are blindingly fast and consistent. My first shot with a .25 caliber steel ball zipped through an aluminum beer can without any noticeable slowdown. Using a mix of .25, .375 steel and 5/8 glass marbles, I scored 7 hits with the first 10 shots, well above my average performance. I believe this is easily the most accurate slingshot I own.

I won't be here long enough to report on longevity, but I predict these bands will last as long as Tex bands always do. In other words, these are about as good as it gets. If you are looking for a light pull, highly accurate, and consistent bandset, you won't go wrong with these. Send Tex a PM and insist he put these bands into production.

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Well said Henry,

I too had the incredible opportunity to be a tester of these prototype light bands....They are fantastic! I never had the chance to try any of his famed bandsets before this, and I am blown away by them now. These little, tapred, lightweight bands glide back without any struggle and hurl 3/8" steel, 5/8" marbles 1/2" marbles, 1/4" steel, and the occasional river pebbles with mind blowing speed for the amount of material and draw weight.

The molded pouch is also top notch, far superior to that of my pouches. I have about 50 shots in them ( 10-25 degrees Fahrenheit and sleet/snow/wind right now).... at this point and they are probably my most enjoyable and relaxing plinking bands to date in my collection. With minimal shooting so far I usually connect for 6-7 out of 10 at 10 meters. Honestly the draw is nil, but the product is pure speed and accuracy. Quite a few aluminum cans have fallen these bands, and a thick coffee can looks like it has been to helI and back!


Once again the pouches are incredible, and his attachment is unnoticeable and strong. Now, at this stage I will not provide a picture of my slingshot and bands, as it is on a prototype frame possibly waiting to be unveiled for business.
When the design and news gets out, you will have your picture, for now revel in the beauty on Henry's natural!


Honestly, everyone, heed Henry's words.....these bands are the real deal for all you target shooters out there. And they are a light enough draw to be a go to shooter for young kids or the significant other who sometimes likes to shoot with you. They are an absolute blast to shoot and will get a ton of use if the weather ever breaks, I can't thank you enough for letting me give them a try Bill.

That's all for now, cheers
- John
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i to have these bands an they are as nice as the come!!!!!
im am so sorry bill i have not had a day off to show off
your band set,,,
bill knows his bands for sure great band set
thanks for sure bill sorry again
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Alright bit of an update here, I slapped them on a new natural fork today and did some shooting as we had a surprising meltdown, and it was flirting with 50 degrees!

Overall, I shot with a mixture of 5/8" and 1/2" marbles, 3/8" and small hex nuts and pebbles. Again its all different shapes and sizes of ammo and I'm no tourney shooter but I went 8/10 a few times but mainly hung around 6 or 7 at the normal 10m....not sure about the whole session stats though, as I shot in groups in and out. Honestly, the draw is nil, and the speed especially with the 3/8" steel is impressive. Just ask my coffee can target.....


Here are a couple pics of the bands, I'll give more on the fork in the custom section later...

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Cable Varnish


Glasses Wood Eyewear Undergarment Tableware


Pouch attachment is neat, and unnoticeable....the leather is of perfect consistency.....the list goes on....
Hats off to you Bill for putting together such a great product.

Cheers - John

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They are designed for 1/4 steel balls, but when I tested them I was surprised at the speed shooting 3/8 inch steel balls and 1/2 inch marbles. 5/8 inch marbles are a little heavy for these bands. I have one order in the house right now few larger band sets and after I get it out I am going to take a few days off. – Tex-shooter
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TEX using singles?
I would never have thought! Kidding Bud, I use anything and everything myself! Currently experimenting with a thin width, thick gauge composite Mil - Spec rubber, and so far it doesn't get the nod
Flatband
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Great post! And great thread. I like to shoot with all types of rubber too. Maybe I will give these a try. Thanks Henry, John, Bill, and Jeff. Good info here!
Using my Target Ranger Vergo, and shooting 3/8" ammo I was able to hit a soda can sized gong target 121 times in a row from 33'. I videoed the shooting but man it's long and boring to watch, so I didn't put it up on youtube. I'll eventually get around to better solution for posting up... maybe hits in a row from 66' or something.

These also work perfectly with more narrow forks like the Lil' Ranger... using these bands and the Lil' Ranger together is a real good and super fun setup for target shooting. They'd probably be real good for indoor shooting as well.
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