Slingshot
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Yes there is a site dedicated to it.I cant recall what its called or find a link,but IIRC the most useful tip was point your finger towards your target as you release the 'loose' string.
Making one doesn't get much simpler than 2 lenghts of string/paracord/thong and attatch them to an oval leather ball pocket (chamois leather works).
They are still used in the Middle East as effective weapons to guard sheep and annoy armies of occupation.
Making one doesn't get much simpler than 2 lenghts of string/paracord/thong and attatch them to an oval leather ball pocket (chamois leather works).
They are still used in the Middle East as effective weapons to guard sheep and annoy armies of occupation.
My grandad and I were always making catapults! I have found some lovely ones in the past and saw two the other day, almost ready for harvesting!
Slingshots are not really the same thing but the common trend seems to clump slingshots and catapults together as the same object.
The one real problem is getting the right elastic, tube elastic and square is just not good enough IMO.
Kris
Slingshots are not really the same thing but the common trend seems to clump slingshots and catapults together as the same object.
The one real problem is getting the right elastic, tube elastic and square is just not good enough IMO.
Kris
One time I was lucky enough to find a cast alloy milbro fork buried in the mud on Southend beach back in about 1971, just stood upon it out of all the miles of grey mud that was there. Never knew what happened to it though. I always used tree fork's and the square elatsic (propellor rubber for model flying plane's) with banana oil IIRC to make it more supple. My new one has tubular round elastic but they are an inch or 2 too short (long arm's me). Might try the flat band type off ebay.
Akabu, absolutely great links, thanks! I'm reinspired to start making my own slingshot again. It's cold and rainy today, so I'm off for a ramble to find a few good tree branch forks to start to carve.
Thanks
Alex
Sharp, in my case the one with the rubber bands. Here in N. America they're called slingshots, and I'm assuming in the UK they're called catapults, or hand catapults as oppossed to the ones that knock down walls. 
Cheers
Alex
Cheers
Alex
Can anyone tell me, by the sounds of it, slingshots/catapults are illegal in the UK? If so I find that kind of Draconian.
Alex
Alex
No slingshots aren't illegal here. The variety isn't very good, mostly Barnett, which I don't like. Im rather fond of the Marksman 3006 wristlock slingshot. Not so powerful as say a black widow, but much more accurate and more comftorble.
If you were thinking of making one you could use a wooden fork and some surgical latex tubing I beleive its called. Its the same stuff spear fishermen use for there spearguns.
If you were thinking of making one you could use a wooden fork and some surgical latex tubing I beleive its called. Its the same stuff spear fishermen use for there spearguns.
Sharp, you must have been reading my mind. We have a scuba shop a short bicycle ride away, and I'm going to price out the tubing for the spear gun...
Cheers
Alex
Cheers
Alex
When we were kids we used to make our own.
What you need...
1. wooden clothes peg (not the type with the spring).
2. 2 shoe laces or string.
3. A tounge from an old shoe or some small bit of leather for a pouch.
4. 1 piece of gut - 1ft square type. (this is the strongest gut we could get at the time 70's. and looking at catapults today I still think our old style gut was superiour).
GUT.
First off it was a trip to the local sports shop for a 1ft length of square gut? dont know if this is what its called or if you can still get it?
HANDLE.
Get a wooden clothes peg or a piece of wood and carve a ball type top on it. The ball on the top of the wood/peg stops the shoe lace or string loop from slipping off.
AMMO POUCH
Next get an old shoe and strip out the tounge - (to be used for the ammo pouch). You'll need a pice about 1in W X 3in L. Once you have your strip of leather punch 2 holes in it, one at either end.
2 BITS of LACE - STRING.
1. Tie the lace/string to fourm a circle. Make a loop fron the circle and put loop over peg top. Your handle is now ready.
2. Tie each end of you other pice of lace/string in the holes in your tounge/strip of leather. Once done you should have a circle of lace/string & leather.
GUT - HANDLE - POUCH.
Make a loop in the circle of lace/string you have coming from your handle and slip gut into it and pull tight. Do the same with the with the circle of lace/string that you have on your pouch .
You should now have a comple catapult or as we called them up in Scotland when we were kids - A Gutty.
Handle - Lace/String - Gut - Lace/String - Pouch.
Simple.
For those that cant follow this explenation? I'll try and do some kind of diagram and post it up.
Thanks
Tom
What you need...
1. wooden clothes peg (not the type with the spring).
2. 2 shoe laces or string.
3. A tounge from an old shoe or some small bit of leather for a pouch.
4. 1 piece of gut - 1ft square type. (this is the strongest gut we could get at the time 70's. and looking at catapults today I still think our old style gut was superiour).
GUT.
First off it was a trip to the local sports shop for a 1ft length of square gut? dont know if this is what its called or if you can still get it?
HANDLE.
Get a wooden clothes peg or a piece of wood and carve a ball type top on it. The ball on the top of the wood/peg stops the shoe lace or string loop from slipping off.
AMMO POUCH
Next get an old shoe and strip out the tounge - (to be used for the ammo pouch). You'll need a pice about 1in W X 3in L. Once you have your strip of leather punch 2 holes in it, one at either end.
2 BITS of LACE - STRING.
1. Tie the lace/string to fourm a circle. Make a loop fron the circle and put loop over peg top. Your handle is now ready.
2. Tie each end of you other pice of lace/string in the holes in your tounge/strip of leather. Once done you should have a circle of lace/string & leather.
GUT - HANDLE - POUCH.
Make a loop in the circle of lace/string you have coming from your handle and slip gut into it and pull tight. Do the same with the with the circle of lace/string that you have on your pouch .
You should now have a comple catapult or as we called them up in Scotland when we were kids - A Gutty.
Handle - Lace/String - Gut - Lace/String - Pouch.
Simple.
For those that cant follow this explenation? I'll try and do some kind of diagram and post it up.
Thanks
Tom
Can anyone tell me, by the sounds of it, slingshots/catapults are illegal in the UK? If so I find that kind of Draconian.
Alex
Here we go...one of the "name creep" cases between the US and UK.I'm ancient ok, in England anyway a fork crutch with elastic/rubber bands attached has always been a catapult. Two lengths of rope/cord with a pouch fitted has always been a sling.
Somehow we are now getting catapults as slingshots?
Neither is illegal in the UK unless of course you start hurling rocks down the High Street, then you could have a problem..
If you go into a shop over here and ask for a pushchair, you now you get a blank look...eh??? Ooooh! you mean a "Baby Buggy"...No, is that not a small horse drawn carriage?? Wicca is now off to the cinema..sorry Movies..
:Coincidentally, I made a couple of slings (the kind you swing, not the kind with surgical tube) last week for Christmas gifts.
I make them all the time -- they're lots of fun in the back country... or in the Gaza strip It can take a bit of practice but you can get pretty accurate after a while...
I make my fancy ones with braided leather, but the practical ones are dacron twine, which is generally better.
You might note that I've added a couple of beads here and there and a bit of antler on the release -- that's just befitting a present. All my slings are fully functional, despite embellishments.
I make them all the time -- they're lots of fun in the back country... or in the Gaza strip
It can take a bit of practice but you can get pretty accurate after a while...I make my fancy ones with braided leather, but the practical ones are dacron twine, which is generally better.
You might note that I've added a couple of beads here and there and a bit of antler on the release -- that's just befitting a present. All my slings are fully functional, despite embellishments.
Ooooh, now that's a proper sling. I have tried to use one of those, years ago, think I've still got the bump and bruise behind my ear. There's definitely a knack to using those isn't there? I mean the whirling round the head bit...hurts if you get it wrong..
There's definitely a knack to using those isn't there? I mean the whirling round the head bit...hurts if you get it wrong.. Yeah, there's a bit of a learning curve. But it's really fun and I highly recommend it.
I find the the key is not to really whirl it.
With the stone set in the pocket hold the pocket in the non-slinging hand at arms length in front of you. Then release the stone and as it swings down, make a normal throwing motion with your slinging hand -- one smooth gesture and quite natural because it feels like a normal throw.
With a heavy rock, the imact on the receiving end is devastating -- easily enough to kill.
At least that's what works for me and others I know.
I watched films of Palestinian youth during the Intifada and many of them used a side arm/over the head swing as well as the throw I just described. I've never been able to get that to work accurately.
Remember the next time you hear a story about youth "throwing rocks" in the Middle East -- they's using slings and if you get hit something on your body will break.
I find the the key is not to really whirl it.
With the stone set in the pocket hold the pocket in the non-slinging hand at arms length in front of you. Then release the stone and as it swings down, make a normal throwing motion with your slinging hand -- one smooth gesture and quite natural because it feels like a normal throw.
With a heavy rock, the imact on the receiving end is devastating -- easily enough to kill.
At least that's what works for me and others I know.
I watched films of Palestinian youth during the Intifada and many of them used a side arm/over the head swing as well as the throw I just described. I've never been able to get that to work accurately.
Remember the next time you hear a story about youth "throwing rocks" in the Middle East -- they's using slings and if you get hit something on your body will break.
Ooooh, now that's a proper sling. I have tried to use one of those, years ago, think I've still got the bump and bruise behind my ear.
Done a quick bit of browsing and found a couple of links on Ebay where you can buy the SQUARE Type elasic that we used to use to make our Gutty's
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SCE1-6mm-BLACK-SQUARE-SOLID-CATAPULT-ELASTIC-1-METRE_W0QQitemZ200235448419QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_SportingGoods_Hunting_ShootingSports_ET?hash=item200235448419&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CATAPULT-Elastic-Black-6mm-2-metres_W0QQitemZ280293752273QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_SportingGoods_Hunting_ShootingSports_ET?hash=item280293752273&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318
Still working on diagram
Tom
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SCE1-6mm-BLACK-SQUARE-SOLID-CATAPULT-ELASTIC-1-METRE_W0QQitemZ200235448419QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_SportingGoods_Hunting_ShootingSports_ET?hash=item200235448419&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CATAPULT-Elastic-Black-6mm-2-metres_W0QQitemZ280293752273QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_SportingGoods_Hunting_ShootingSports_ET?hash=item280293752273&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318
Still working on diagram
Tom
