... And what makes Hunter & the Black Widow chalk & cheese?
Power is (almost) academic unless it is controlled, although the Hunter does offer plenty of it - far more than a standard Black Widow.
The Hunter's greatest plus points (to me) are its tactility - the Black Widow is a mass-produced collection of plastic and metal and while it is undeniably efficient it lacks the tactile feel of the Hunter.
I also prefer the shooting action of the Hunter and it is far more compact than the Black Widow. You don't have to unfold various bits of it to use it either...
Unless you've done archery this is a little tough to explain but the Black Widow is more difficult to be accurate with (to most users) because the top of the forks sits higher in the hand. This increases torque in the grip hand, especially when combined with that wrist brace, which encourages a sudden downward movement of the gripping arm on release. It's ironic that the design feature meant to offer stability actually does the exact reverse for most people who use it because they don't know how to use it properly.
Because the forks of the Black Widow sit higher and because of the opposing force that the wrist brace brings to the mix, most people I know who shoot one suffer from a badly controlled 'loose' where the natural tendency for the hand holding the catapult is to dip suddenly. The only way to counteract this is to use a relaxed grip, lock the arm and make sure your arm doesn't move on release, and then follow the shot through by remaining as motionless as possible for a few moments after release. Anyone who has tried archery will know what I mean.
With the Hunter you grip it in such a way that these forces are much less evident and it is easier to get a cleaner loose and a more controlled shot as a result.
If we use guns as another example, the closer the centre of the barrel your telescopic sight is the easier it is to zero and the less margin of error or adjustment required over distance. It can also help reduce the effects of paralax bt that's something else entirely...
With a longbow, you shoot the arrow off the hand.
With a competition target bow you (usually) shoot the arrow from a rest which is mounted in a much higher position, and which requires some adjustment. Take a look at these YouTube videos of how the Hunter should be held, which is where most people go wrong with it since they automatically try to hold and shoot it in a 'fist' grip like we all did when we were kids and that just introduces instability and power loss.
Broadly similar issues need to be addressed to be accurate with either the Hunter or the Black Widow.
What I would say is that if you have a Black Widow you can either choose to practice with it to become accurate (taking the above into account) or you can opt to jump ship and get a Hunter or similar. You don't have to change your kit - you just have to learn how to use what you have.
As I say, I jumped ship and I'm as happy as a pig in a wallow as a result. My wayward uncle who is well into his seventies (and who is largely responsible for getting me into hunting, shooting, fishing, trapping, archery and so on) uses an old Milbro with modern bands to great effect. He can shoot ducks on the wing as they flight overhead onto his pond - he makes me sick
Bottom line - you can learn to be accurate with any catapult through disciplined practice - after that, you can let personal preference or curiosity come into the mix, but it doesn't matter what you shoot, the point is to learn how to shoot it well.
Mass produced plastic and metal V hand made from (usually) warm to the touch, mostly natural materials with more powerful bands as standard.
Chalk and cheese...
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