The lost art of a Slingshot......

[graybeard]

How many of you are still using a slingshot? I used one as a kid made from a tree branch old inner tube.

I went to a garage sale recently and bought a modern style one with the wrist support, along with a canning jar full of small glass marbles.

There are some talented shooters on those You Tube videos. Now to start practicing......

It would be interesting to hear your experiences and what you use.

Thanks,

[greendrake]

I keep one in my drivers door and when fishing or long drives I'll get out and shoot some rocks at trees or in the water. Fun way to spend a bit of time!

[wildwoods]

Shot a large snowshoe once under a deck. Perfect shot to the vitals and it died instantly. Slingshots are fun when you become semi proficient

[bat119]

I used a wrist rocket in my younger days, it had the wrist support you could break bottles and I bounced a few marbles off gophers never did kill one. I wrapped lead shot in a cigarette paper for those pesky barn swallows that dive at you. Another stupid sling shot trick was to shoot those cheap plastic fletched darts at a target on the barn easily over a hundred yards, lots of fun back then.

[covey ridge]

I used to be quite good with a sling shot. I recall sitting on my neighbor's deck having a few when some how the conversation turned to our misspent youth. Next thing my neighbor challenged me to a shoot off with his sling. After a few shots I found the sweet spot. A can was placed on the top of a fence ledge lower than eye level. The game was to hit the back lip and drop the bearing into the can. I was easily winning the competition when a bearing hit the lip but did not go in. I never heard the patio glass shatter but I did hear a resident across the lane curse. He thought the break was a vehicle
that spun a rock his direction. Hat in hand we approached the other neighbor and confessed and offered to pay for the glass.
That was over 30 years ago and I have not loosed a ball bearing since.

[Scottmisfits]

I have one, and I bought one for my sons. We have out and cans and bottles. We discovered they are a lot of fun at waters edge. Find those rocks that you would normally skip across the water and shoot them.

[Strix]

I use a slingshot often on the acreage mainly to chase unwanted animals out of the garden, off the lawn or just away from the yard. My dogs go ballistic over a squirrel at the bird feeder or a bunny in the clover. One thing I found out is that they have little effect on a moose. When a pebble hits them in the rear end it has about the same effect as a horse fly would.

[3blade]

Originally Posted by Strix

I use a slingshot often on the acreage mainly to chase unwanted animals out of the garden, off the lawn or just away from the yard. My dogs go ballistic over a squirrel at the bird feeder or a bunny in the clover. One thing I found out is that they have little effect on a moose. When a pebble hits them in the rear end it has about the same effect as a horse fly would.

Depends how good your aim is. 3 ft lower than the rump Just make sure the moose is pointed where you want him to go, because he won't likely stop once stung.

Many years ago someone I know got chased over an electric fence by a bull (bovine). The bull was rather satisfied with himself and turned away, and got a marble in the junk. I believe he's still running.

[Northwinds]

There is nothing in this world that is as much fun as a game of Red Neck Paintball, meaning a slingshot and a pile of paintballs.It also helps when you can outshoot everybody else LOL

[mountain_man]

Originally Posted by Northwinds

There is nothing in this world that is as much fun as a game of Red Neck Paintball, meaning a slingshot and a pile of paintballs.It also helps when you can outshoot everybody else LOL

We use to do this all the time. Way cheaper, hurt less and made for a way more challenging game!!

[robson3954]

Originally Posted by Northwinds

There is nothing in this world that is as much fun as a game of Red Neck Paintball, meaning a slingshot and a pile of paintballs.It also helps when you can outshoot everybody else LOL

Please, we used crab apples as kids

[Burglecut83]

Ahh crab apples. We used to play a game as kids where we all had broken off fishing rods and would run through the woods whippin crab apples at each other surprised no one lost an eye lookin back

[densa44]

They are all gone now but that is what you had to use, and a maple crotch plus a tongue from an old shoe. Except for the wooden part none of the other components are available.

We used to hunt what we called ground hogs, (in Ontario) and I never killed one but hit a few.

[Zip-in-Z]

Got a decent one c/w spare surgical tubing band, I'm told the velocity is in the order of 100 MPH at close range with a head shot, I've taken out crows and squirrels.

The Mrs. bought me some more bullets .... Dollar Store sell a bag of marbles for $1.00.

.

[Alberta bull hunter]

My Brother and I used to leave the bag of mini marshmallows out to dry up and then we would have sling shot battles in the house when Mom and Dad were out. Man those things stung pretty good.

[huntinstuff]

Sits in a pouch with 50 cal lead balls on my quad, right next to my pellet pistol

[roper1]

My son killed a half-grown gopher with one shot at about age 8.

Bro lives in town neighbor's cat used his garden to leave a mess. Borrows my wrist rocket cat's walking along the fence lets a marble go. Misses the cat goes right though the neighbor's kitchen window. Goes over that evening says there was a magpie, fixed the window, all good.

Haven't shot it in a while though.

[drhu22]

To up your slingshot game, use surgical tubing for rubber (you can buy it at drug stores)... best energy transfer I have found (70s - 90s anyways).

[EZM]

I got a pretty good lickin' as a young kid when my parents discovered the dimple marks in the aluminium siding. My slingshot was confiscated and it was years before I was allowed to have another.

We all got pretty good at it too. Could hit a can from about 10 yards more often than not.

[^v^Tinda wolf^v^]

Just dug mine out. I need a new band, a friend just told me if you lube the band once in a while she won't snap on ya.

[drhu22]

OT but one summer at my auntie Vi's farm, the sport was shooting flies with rubber bands (sorta like a sling shot eh?)... I think she wanted to kill us when she found out we were stealing sealer rings from her preserves when we lost or broke all our rubber bands.

[ghostguy6]

Here my home made sling bow. Has a draw weight of 40 lbs. Managed to get a rabbit at 25 yards with an arrow. Loosen a screw and it also fire steel ball bearings.

[drhu22]

Originally Posted by ^v^Tinda wolf^v^

Just dug mine out. I need a new band, a friend just told me if you lube the band once in a while she won't snap on ya.

Oil degrades rubber from what I remember... I could be wrong. Anyways, go to your nearest drug store and buy some surgical tubing... you wont be sorry.

[marlin1]

have the wrist rocket version , took down a magpie with it , steel ball bearings from transmissions work well

[wildwoods]

Originally Posted by ghostguy6

Here my home made sling bow. Has a draw weight of 40 lbs. Managed to get a rabbit at 25 yards with an arrow. Loosen a screw and it also fire steel ball bearings.

Now that^^^^^^ is rad!

[Runewolf1973]

If you want some real fun, try a sling. Just a piece of leather with two leather stings attached. Now that takes some practice, but you can hurl some really large stones...just don't practice close to your vehicle.

[MyAlberta]

Slinging bales often lead to a pocket full of baby mice. Would slingshot them down the driveway for the dog to catch.

[Chewbacca]

Originally Posted by Runewolf1973

If you want some real fun, try a sling. Just a piece of leather with two leather stings attached. Now that takes some practice, but you can hurl some really large stones...just don't practice close to your vehicle.

I got reall good with one of these when I was in elementary school. Used to have contests in our breaks. I tried lots different combos of length and width of lace and size of leather cup. Once i found the right one I was tough to beat. You can get your lace to long.

In grade 8 I hocked a piece of black rubber tubingf om the science lab to make a sling shot because tire tubing just wasnt cutting it. Spent lots of time looking for the right crutch and was ready to go. Found a nice round rock about an inch round and loaded up, it was a struggle to get it pulled back as far as I could get it down the side of my head to achieve maximum power. Was wobbling around from the torque and let er buck. All I remember was a flash of light and then coming to on the ground. That rock hit me right behind the ear and knocked me out cold. Dont know how long I laid there in he snow. Note to self. Get lighter rubber hose next time. Was a lot of years before I shot another one.

[fishnguy]

When I was kid, we made our own out of a good branch, a piece of leather and, whatever it is called, the inside of a soccer ball cut to size (maybe a bladder?). Those things killed small things easily. A pigeon or a crow would fall dead where it stood with the right shot. I do remember breaking a wing on a pigeon and I could not catch that thing for the life of me and it just kept running around bleeding, etc. That was the last time I used a slingshot on anything alive.

A couple of years ago I bought a slingshot at Canadian Tire for about $15. What a piece of ****. I should definitely make one myself again at some point.

The ones we made looked something like this (except for the rubber):

[brendan's dad]

Originally Posted by fishnguy

When I was kid, we made our own out of a good branch, a piece of leather and, whatever it is called, the inside of a soccer ball cut to size (maybe a bladder?). Those things killed small things easily. A pigeon or a crow would fall dead where it stood with the right shot. I do remember breaking a wing on a pigeon and I could not catch that thing for the life of me and it just kept running around bleeding, etc. That was the last time I used a slingshot on anything alive.

A couple of years ago I bought a slingshot at Canadian Tire for about $15. What a piece of ****. I should definitely make one myself again at some point.

The ones we made looked something like this (except for the rubber):

That is exactly what we use to make. The elastic bands were "hockey sock" elastic bands that we used all season instead of hockey tape. At the end of the season, we would sneak them out and then tell dad come fall that we needed new ones. I am fairly sure he knew what we were doing, but did not care since they were only about $2 a pair.