[StrongFowl]

-----Hello everyone-----
-----I would love to hear about and/or see pictures of which slingshot/slingshots & band/pouch set-ups the Top shooter's grab when it counts-----

-*---If You had one shot at a thimble from 45ft,,which slingshot , ammo & set-up would You use?----

-*---Do You prefer one slingshot for close range and a different one for long range ?----

-*---Do You prefer a different slingshot for different size/type of ammo?----

-*---Which Bands and pouch type do You prefer? Do You prefer a different set-up for different ranges or ammo types?----

-*---Do You prefer a certain slingshot and set-up if speed is involved ? (timed event)----

-*---How many slingshots do You take to a competition? (if you compete)----

-*---If You could ONLY have one slingshot,,,,What would it be? (based on how well You shoot it)----

-------------I think this will be interesting ,,,Thanks a lot-------------

 

[Flatband]

Boy MIke, that is a tough one. As you know- I LOVE ALL SLINGHOTS!!!!! To pick just one? We"ll right now it would have to be the one pictured below. I have been trying to shoot it more then anything else ( keeping the voices of Blue Skeen and Bill Herriman in the back of my mind telling me-stick to only one slingshot to become really good-very difficult)

. I'm shooting 3/8" steel using a Medical Grade Latex of .030" gauge, tapered 3/4" x 5/8" x 6/14" drawing around 36-37"s. Speed is very good clocking out at around 240FPS. Band wear,however is something to be desired-only getting 200 or so shots per set. That's the tradeoff. As far as other slingshots, I have a Trex Ergo I use to shoot marbles out of. My Trusty Maple Ergo for the back-up, and for heavy lead and bigger steel balls(not often) , I sometimes use an old Falcon 2 with a heavy band set-up. I usually take about 4 or 5 rigged up slingshots to a shoot. I always have others lurking about though! Flatband

 

[PJB21]

i think alot of it is less to do with the slingshot and more to do with the band set used.

essentially there arent many real types of slingshot, theres the basic type (board cut/natural fork) then theres the one with extended forks and those with wrist braces as well as starships (both extended forks and a wrist brace. alot of this is to do with preference since theres no design that stands out as being a good shooter. the next factor is comfort and shooting style since this can have an effect, if you shoot tip up with a hammer grip one of bills designs, such as the hathcock, wouldnt work at all, however in a sideways finger assisted hold they are very comfortable. ultimatelly its a matter or personal preference and shooting style when it comes to the slingshot itself, with bands being the main difference. bands can be fast and short life or slower with a long life. they may shoot small ammo (8mm steel) fast while others are better suited to heavy ammo (16mm lead). depends what you plan on doing with it really.

personally i havent tried out enough slingshots or setups however the shooter i currently use the most is a dankung with 3/3/2 chainned size 64 elastic bands shooting 8mm steel

 

[NaturalFork]

Like mr Flatband said it is VERY hard to stick with one. But for me it would be my oak Natural with thera gold shooting good old marbled. Second would be the Saunders Falcon 2. I like all my backups equally. PS2, Flatbands ergo, Pocket shooter from Bunnybuster.

For a camping and canoeing or whatnot I would bring a trumark as the bands last and they are waterproof and float.

 

[wd40]

Great questions, StrongFowl, especially for a Newbie. This will be a fun Q and A session, with no wrong answers. Each shooter is different, yes?

I bet these questions you've posed will have legs and will run for quite a few days.

You will get a whole lot of wisdom with these answers, coming from these guys on this forum; and I bet you will get as many different answers as there are posts in response. In other words, everyone has their own opinion.

First off, yes, bands are maybe the most important part of the whole puzzle.

I will assume you are talking about frames. To that end, I want to say, I truly like all slingshot frames and respect and appreciate each maker's time, work, and heart that they've put into each one. I like each one for different reasons. And each slingshot may work well for one shooter, but not as well for another shooter.

I certainly can't say that I've tried them all yet, but I've acquired a lot of them, and I'm working on the rest. I've got several new ones on the way, as I write this.

But after being blessed, from time to time, to have the funds to try what has caught my eye, I have to say that this is what I have found works for me as far as frames are concerned:

Short distance, as you say, 45-50 feet and under......... the EPS by JIM HARRIS. Looks great, feels great, and shoots great. Fits great in the hand. Fun to use. Deadly accurate. It may be the only slingshot you will ever need.

Longer distances.............. the KINGCAT frame by JACK KOEHLER. If I had to shoot some windows out from a block or further away, or a thimble off your ex-wife's front porch table, this is the one I would pick up. Jack is like the mad scientist/engineer that has already done most of the work for you. This frame is worthy of being the centerpiece of any collection. It's that good.

Those are what work for me........EPS and KINGCAT.

Again, great question to get folks talking and debating.

WD40

 

[Jaybird]

I have many slingshot,differant styles and sizes,but my go to slingshot is a osage ergo with a palm swell,It is 6"long and 5 and 9/16"across the forks with a 2 and 1/2" throat.I have 2 of them.One Wingshooter burned a Jaybird on the front side,Very nice,.The bands are.050 thick 1 and 1/2"tapered to 7/8"and 8"long ,from end of band to pouch.They are made by the master Flatband.I shoot 9/16"steel or .53 lead.When I go to a tournament I make sure I have more band sets and slingshots than I think I will need.

 

[smitty]

I would have to narrow it down to...yes... definitely maybe...one of these :

 

[Bill Hays]

You've got one shot from 45 feet to hit a thimble with a slingshot and your life depends on it...
Well you pick up your trusty slingrifle, put the crosshairs on the target, and binnnng it's done! No problem.

But if you're wanting an option that would be legal to use in a tournament, then you really can't beat a wrist/forearm braced slingshot with 2-2.5" fork interiors and a decent sight system... something along the lines of one of Tex's Shooting Stars. Use light pull bands and medium weight ammo... and it would be hard to miss.

If you're looking for something you can pull out of your pocket and do the deed with... either my Hathcock Target Sniper (number 3 on my avatar) or my Target Ranger (like number 11 on my avatar) would be reliable enough to do it for me. I'd just band it up with some extremely light target bands (1" straight cut black theraband), use a perfectly fitted pouch and shoot a 1/2" steel ball bearing. It wouldn't damage the thimble at all... but I could hit it real easy though!

 

[HOE]

Currently shooting with these, my most trusted slingshots. I almost never make my own boardcuts, only Starships.

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/2051/starshipunfinished.png (I will post some better pictures of it when I get my new camera, my webcam just can't take clear pictures of big objects)
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/1753/mapleergopm4.jpg

-Do You prefer a different slingshot for different size/type of ammo?-> I use Starship with wide fork to shoot big lead balls, I just won't risk my precious boardcut with those huge ammo.

-Which Bands and pouch type do You prefer? Do You prefer a different set-up for different ranges or ammo types?--> Whatever I can get on my own, but I would prefer flat bands.

-If You could ONLY have one slingshot,,,,What would it be?-> A Flatband Chief AJ's WRS boardcut.

 

[Frodo]

I'm not a top shooter but i use only ONE slingshot. All the time. I stick to a simple beech natural with a leather wrist strap.
That small frame has everything i need. I'am always searching for a "spare" wich should have the same dimensions in case i loose her.
My favorite bandset is TB black 31/4-2 and i use a 6cmx1,5cm pouch.

Friedrich

 

[Northerner]

I have many slingshot,differant styles and sizes,but my go to slingshot is a osage ergo with a palm swell,It is 6"long and 5 and 9/16"across the forks with a 2 and 1/2" throat.I have 2 of them.One Wingshooter burned a Jaybird on the front side,Very nice,.The bands are.050 thick 1 and 1/2"tapered to 7/8"and 7"long ,from end of band to pouch.They are made by the master Flatband.I shoot 9/16"steel or .53 lead.When I go to a tournament I make sure I have more band sets and slingshots than I think I will need.

Hi Jaybird,

If I'm reading this correctly you are using 1.5" wide forks? I haven't seen anything like this yet. Pics would be very cool.

Your bands seem quite heavy. What is the measurement from pouch tie to fork tie?

Cheers,
Northerner

 

[bikermikearchery]

My current favorite is my aluiminum ergo. But its real hard to stay with just one. My sanders wrist rocket pro is a fine shooting slingshot.

 

[Performance Catapults]

At the 2009 and 2010 ECST, I used two different renderings of Bill Herriman's Shooting Star designs. After the tournaments, I retired the frames and placed them next to the trophies. There is no question that the Shooting Star is a winning design.

In June of last year, I released the EPS, and have shot it exclusively since then. In a few weeks I will release the EVO 2.5. I will shoot it exclusively for a long period. I'm not the type to shoot several frames at one time.

I started out using 3/8" steel ammo, and jumped to 7/16", then to 1/2", which is what use now. I shot 3/8" and 7/16" for quite some time before moving to the next size.

 

[NaturalFork]

Which one is the shooting star design?

 

[Performance Catapults]

Mxred has made a couple as of recent.

 

[A+ Slingshots]

For me it would be hands down my PS-2 size frame shown in the picture (matching pair of Red Oak frames) on the right. To me they represent the "Not too big, and not too small, but just right" size. They will do the job perfectly on any target, any style, if you can!!!! It's still all about practice!!

 

[Jaybird]

Northerner
Yes the forks are 1.5 wide.I made a mistake in the post about the bands,I changed it.The bands are .050 latex 1.5" tapered to 7/8"X 8"long,not 7".I have shot7"bands 1.5"tapered to 1"but they are a little to much for tournament shooting.One of these days I will get a camera.I am in the dark ages with all this new tecnology.

 

[bunnybuster]

Ok,
I have lots of slingshots, and shoot quite often.
When I was a kid..the Wham-0 was my favorite. Through time and experimentation, I have settled on my big frame Hammermil for hunting game.
But..I still like the Wham-0 and also...I like the Daisy F-16 for fun and target shooting.
For sheer power for hunting...I guess the Hammermil is my favorite, using heavy rubber, and 3/8 lead.

 

[Wingshooter]

Out of all the slingshots I have made this is my go to. When ever I go out to shoot no matter if its hunting, stump shooting, aerials or what ever this is the sling I carry. I always bring a spare and another set of bands. The rest of them I play with.

 

[PJB21]

Out of all the slingshots I have made this is my go to. When ever I go out to shoot no matter if its hunting, stump shooting, aerials or what ever this is the sling I carry. I always bring a spare and another set of bands. The rest of them I play with.

nice classic shape there, love the scrimshaw work on it, did you do it?