Catapult hand slap. How do you stop it?

[MagiKelly]

I got one of these catapults to try

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/THE-MINI-POACHER-CATAPULT-SLINGSHOT-HUNTING_W0QQitemZ230542188952QQ

I have not used a catapult for years and even then not that much. After my recent attempts at archery I was interested to see how accurate (if at all) I could get with it.

The ammo I first tried was 8mm steel balls. When using these I found on the follow through that the leather "pocket" and bands slapped my hand. I asked the seller about this and he recommended heavier ammo. I tries up to a 10 gramme nut and it was still the same.

I have large but not huge hands and a 32inch draw for archery to pretty long.

Any ideas how to stop this or should I just toughen up

 

[DaveBromley]

lower the hand that you are holding the catty with and extend the other arm to your jaw then let go. DONT try to flck the caty to make it go further and you should be fine but with all things practice makes perfect

Dave

 

[MagiKelly]

That is the way I was shooting it. Pretty much like I would shoot a bow. Anchor at the corner of the mouth. Forward hand still till ball hits the target.

I wonder if the length of bands makes a difference.

 

[DaveBromley]

only one way to find out!1 ive never had that problem (ahem) but if you are doing everything else right then it could be the length

out of interest how long is it at the moment?

Dave

 

[_mark_]

it's tiny, maybe thats the problem

 

[MagiKelly]

out of interest how long is it at the moment?

From in the pocket to the front of the catapult is 8 inches without stretching the bands.

it's tiny, maybe thats the problem

It does not seem to be the grip it is just the follow through of the bands. Even with a bigger catapult my fingers would still where the bands hit.

 

[peaks]

Hi,
You might find that it needs really heavy ammo - a 10m nut or preferably .44 lead. You might also find that the bands won't last very long. Having had a look at the blurb on ebay from the supplier, I think he is "pushing the envelope" on some of his claims like the effective range for example. If all fails try using a glove?
Lots of useful catty info on here:
http://melchiormenzel.de/

HTH

 

[Karl82]

Hey John try tilting the hand you holding the catty in at a 5 to 10 degree tilt forward dont fling it forward just hold a slight angle and the bands should miss your hand. oh and also keep the pull arm inline with the arm holding the catty.

 

[gowersponger]

shoot spring wrist style ,as in when you let go of the pouch the hand you are holding the catty with should sping down in to the fenceing stance lol hope that made sense.

 

[Mojoracinguk]

Looks the similar size as a milbro?
I currently use shot from .22 pelets to 16mm lead shot in the flatband milbro with no slaping.
my fore hand does tilt foward during the release and feel this keeps my hands clear of the shot (to prevent slaping on the near side of my hands).
It does not affect the accuracy as your're an archer you know it's about consistancy....if you do the same thing each shot...your shot will be as consistant as you can make it.

I would question the way the bands are mounted in this style of catty though....they will naturally draw around he top of the forks and then come down on your hands...The milbo has the bands pulling through the top of the forks, so they are heading towards a 'wall' rather than your catty where they are drawn over the top and down the other side (well I'm assuming you are getting slap on the far side of your hands?)
If you are getting slapped on the 'near side' then tilting your hand forward on release is my best bet to remedy the problem

Hope it makes sense (although could be tosh as i've never used that style of catty before)

Mojo

 

[MSkiba]

I got a black widow. Are they illegal by any chance?

 

[drewdunnrespect]

not that i know of ski but could be horribly wrong

 

[iamasmith]

I got a black widow. Are they illegal by any chance?

No, unless you are flaunting in a busy high street etc.

Perfectly legal for hunting small game as long as you have permission from the landowner, you are a good enough shot to and have the intention of killing and avoiding distress.

Germany has some rules about Slingshots that have arm braces but not here. If you want a real hunting catty though check out Fish's hunter. I just got my second one which he made out of Buffalo horn

 

[MSkiba]

Ohh I dont want to hunt with it just shoot static targets =) Thanks, you never know with the ever changing laws.