# Wrist rockets/slingshots, does anyone use one?



## JuliaAnn (Dec 7, 2004)

I have bought a few cheapo wrist rockets at the local sporting goods store (didn't want to invest in good ones yet) for us to play with. I know that for protection, one wouldn't be as good as a handgun or rifle, and pepper spray or bear spray might be more effective in stopping someone, but maybe for close to medium distance, a wrist rocket might have it's uses---a fairly quiet deterrent, extremely portable, and maybe effective at stopping someone altogether if one were proficient enough with it. Not for use as a sole means of protection of course, but just another option, dependant upon the situation.

Has anyone ever used one, and what did you use it for? How long did it take you to become proficient? I just went out and spent about 10 minutes and 25 1/4" steel shots, and from about 30 ft. I managed to hit soda cans a total of 9 times out of 25. And another 3 times I hit the 2x4 sawhorse about 1 to 2 inches directly below the sawhorse (so I was pretty close on those shots).

Are there any models that have more power or range than others, in your personal experience?


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

Just my wife plays with one.


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## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

Yes I have a sling shot on my outside sitting table at all times.

And I use it, alot. Pretty good too.

Practice , practice, Practice


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

WARNING
Just because you give two 15 year old boy the slingshots along with a bag of marshmellos each does not mean they will stop shooting each others when they are out of marshmellos. A gummy bear to the eye can require a trip to the eye dr. and two weeks with a patch along with questions of child abuse due to disbelief that such damage can result.


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

Gummi Bear preps for Zombie attacks....now thats a visual!


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

I can hear it now, "Wadda ya mean we're outa ammo?" 
Reply "URP! There might be some green ones left"

I should get another slingshot I used to be pretty good with one.


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## naturelover (Jun 6, 2006)

JuliaAnn said:


> Has anyone ever used one, and what did you use it for? How long did it take you to become proficient? I just went out and spent about 10 minutes and 25 1/4" steel shots, and from about 30 ft. I managed to hit soda cans a total of 9 times out of 25. And another 3 times I hit the 2x4 sawhorse about 1 to 2 inches directly below the sawhorse (so I was pretty close on those shots).
> 
> Are there any models that have more power or range than others, in your personal experience?


Yes, I've used slingshots since I was a little kid, still use one and am quite proficient with it and I really enjoy using it. The one I have now was made for me by a friend so I can't express an opinion about various makes and models and their power and range. However, I do think that power and range and accuracy may be mostly dependent on the size, physical strength and accuracy of the person using the slingshot rather than on the make and model.

If someone can recommend the best models and their reasons for what makes them superior models I too would certainly like to hear about it because I'm always on the lookout for something that performs better and would help me to perfect my own performance and accuracy.

.


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## longshot38 (Dec 19, 2006)

just a thought in cheap practice ammo, buy a couple bags of marbles at the dollar store. save the more expensive steel ammo for when you get your form down. sort of like using a cheaper bow and arrow to start with when you were a kid rather than a full blown, full cost bow and expensive arrows to break and loose.


just a thought
dean


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

Becarefull of the real cheep ones that rubber tubing can break at the wrong time.


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## kenworth (Feb 12, 2011)

Oh I had one when I was a teen, and carried around all the time. I kept about 5 ball bearings in my pocket at any given time. Other times I just used rocks. 

Mostly I shot dogs off my horse when they chased us.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Used to use one loaded with marbles to kill iguanas (filthy invasive creatures that love to eat flowers and veggies) in south Florida. Even a pellet gun is too noisy in a suburban environment. The steel shot is worthless, as it has no mass.

Hickory nuts make pretty good ammo as well.


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## machinist (Aug 3, 2010)

I souped up the wrist rocket I have. Bought some heavy surgical rubber tubing from McMaster-Carr, and use 3/8" diameter steel balls salvaged from junk ball bearings.

Result is, it will put a serious dent in a 55 gallon barrel, and take a tree rat with no problem.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

There used to be a slingshot forum that had tons of pictures of hand carved ergonomic slingshots. Great stuff. But the forum is gone now. 

Here is a simple example, you can see how your thumb has a place to rest to resist the pull. These use flat bands, that are from latex bands that people use for rehab after medical problems. Each color has a different strength. http://stores.slingshotsusa.com/-strse-583/Bunny-Buster-Single-Ergo/Detail.bok

I like 36 caliber lead balls. Get a cheap Lee mold, follow the directions so you don't ruin it, and cast up scrap lead.


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

Anyone ever take a whisker biscuit and attach it between the sling forks with cable ties, ( and other small modifications) so you can shoot an arrow with the slingshot? I saw a video on this weapon called a "Slingbow" and I was amazed at the accuracy the thing had- even for newbies.

Dave Canterbury ( of Discovery Chnl's Dual Survival show) and his Pathfinder school has youtube video's that give details.
http://www.missouriwhitetails.com/forums

/viewthread.php?tid=129643http://http://www.missouriwhitetails.com/forums/viewthread.php?tid=129643

-scrt crk


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## Blu3duk (Jun 2, 2002)

Ive got both a tru-mark folder and original style wrist rocket and my wife showed me one at the flee market last wekend they only wanted $3.00 for but needed new rubbers.

That link Ed posted is an good one for new bands and i am so behind the times i didnt think about using a bow trigger release on one to make them more accurate, i did know about the barnette with a stabilizer on it already..... 

I use 54 caliber musket balls like i shoot out of my smoke pole, though i have used 50 caliber cause either someone gave me a box or i got one at an auction in a mixed lot..... I also have steel bearings in 3/8 and bigger that are good too.

I learned though using glass marbles, they were and are cheap [inexpensive projectiles], cause you loose so many until you get good at hitting the target with a backstop behind it like a good rubberized tarp that aint stretched tight.....

There are regulations in Idaho that require certain size projectile and weight if i remember correctly and by using the lead round balls I believe that pertymuch covers that regulation here, your baliwick may differ ....

William
Idaho


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## JuliaAnn (Dec 7, 2004)

Thanks everyone for the input, and for the link. I bookmarked it and will look at it more in-depth tomorrow. 

I'll get some marbles for practicing with, too. I didn't spend a lot of time practicing with it today because it was 107 outside this afternoon, so I only stayed out for about 15 minutes total, but felt I did pretty good. I am still trying to figure out how to aim the thing. 

I just bought cheapies because I wanted to see if they were going to be something any of us wanted to actually pursue. I'm quite proficient in using the firearms we own, and practice a couple times a year with my compound bow and am fairly good with that too (although not as good as my DH) and I just wanted to add another skill. I've always been intrigued with the idea of wrist rockets as tools of protection. Can't say I'd hunt with one, but if TSHTF, who knows...


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> I've always been intrigued with the idea of wrist rockets as *tools of protection*.


I wouldn't bet my life on one.

If I couldn't use a gun, I'd consider them as pest deterrents

I've shot them for years and consider them slightly dangerous *toys*


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## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

Here's what you can do with just some sticks and rubber straps.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ieWrWLjii0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ieWrWLjii0[/ame]

And will someone tell me how to embed a video in a msg? 

Edited to say I got it!

[YOUTUBE]9ieWrWLjii0[/YOUTUBE]


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## NickyBlade (May 27, 2008)

We have a couple and my son-in-law and I discovered that...

If when SHTF all we have is a slingshot to hunt with... we will be very very hungry. lol


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## JuliaAnn (Dec 7, 2004)

Oh, I don't mean to 'stop' someone bent on killing me or mine, no. But more of a deterrent.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

if you use lead ball ammo beware ...as it is jsut like being shot with a handgun...a lead ball will penetrate flesh.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

if you change out the original bands to the black bands.the slingbow pulls at 40#

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6LxKfpAPYA[/ame]


[youtube]-6LxKfpAPYA[/youtube]


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

heres a place to see how deadly a slingshot can be.look at what a laed ball does to meat.look through some of these videos.

http://www.youtube.com/user/JoergSprave

[youtube]ko1x5v_a85A[/youtube]


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Oh, I don't mean to 'stop' someone bent on killing me or mine, no. But more of a deterrent.


I think it would hurt them just enough to escalate the situation

A 38 Special only stops 80% with one shot


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

[youtube]B9lJ5FoXrek&NR=1[/youtube]


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## jlrbhjmnc (May 2, 2010)

Ed Norman said:


> There used to be a slingshot forum that had tons of pictures of hand carved ergonomic slingshots. Great stuff. But the forum is gone now.
> 
> Here is a simple example, you can see how your thumb has a place to rest to resist the pull. These use flat bands, that are from latex bands that people use for rehab after medical problems. Each color has a different strength. http://stores.slingshotsusa.com/-strse-583/Bunny-Buster-Single-Ergo/Detail.bok
> 
> I like 36 caliber lead balls. Get a cheap Lee mold, follow the directions so you don't ruin it, and cast up scrap lead.


The bunny face on the slingshot frame is priceless, lol. Die, broccoli breath, die!


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## poorboy (Apr 15, 2006)

Blu3duk said:


> Ive got both a tru-mark folder and original style wrist rocket and my wife showed me one at the flee market last wekend they only wanted $3.00 for but needed new rubbers.
> 
> That link Ed posted is an good one for new bands and i am so behind the times i didnt think about using a bow trigger release on one to make them more accurate, i did know about the barnette with a stabilizer on it already.....
> 
> ...


My .45 cal muzzleloading balls , Don't want to be under gunned like Ed nor kill any thing to dead like your .54 cal.'s:teehee:


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

Who would have thought a slingshot could be so deadly,thanks for the posts people!!!!


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## naturelover (Jun 6, 2006)

Thanks for the videos Elkhound and Watcher, those were interesting. That old man is sure an inspiration for what can be done with just some sticks of dogwood and some rubber.

.


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## Bandit (Oct 5, 2008)

I guess We will have to just starve to death , or learn how to throw rocks really good , as slingshots are illegal in Mass. Along with everything else .
"We cannot allow these dangerous weapons to get into the hands of anyone in Massachusetts, particularly our children," AG Reilly said. "If sellers think that they can hide behind a website and ship these illegal items into our state, they are mistaken."
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/massachusetts_online.html
Bandit
Ps
This winter We plan to continue checking out warmer states to re-locate too for the winter's .
Ex. Tn. , Fl. , Tx., have already been to Az.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

poorboy said:


> My .45 cal muzzleloading balls , Don't want to be under gunned like Ed nor kill any thing to dead like your .54 cal.'s:teehee:


Yeah, but I shoot three at a time.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Where can I purchase the black replacement rubber for the slingshot? Seems my local Wallyworld doesn't stock the black ones and they are about the only sporting good place anymore.


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## poorboy (Apr 15, 2006)

Ed Norman said:


> Yeah, but I shoot three at a time.


.
.
.
.
.
.And I betcha hit 3 times or more often than I do!:thumb:


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

poorboy said:


> .
> .
> .
> .
> ...


Maybe not what I intended, but I used Mark Twain's shooting method:



> If she didn't get what she went after, she woud fetch something else.
> Mark Twain on the pepperbox pistol.


Ehh, the full quote is better:



> We had never seen him before. He wore in his belt an old original "Allen" revolver, such as irreverent people called a "pepper-box." Simply drawing the trigger back, cocked and fired the pistol. As the trigger came back, the hammer would begin to rise and the barrel to turn over, and presently down would drop the hammer, and away would speed the ball. To aim along the turning barrel and hit the thing aimed at was a feat which was probably never done with an "Allen" in the world. But George's was a reliable weapon, nevertheless, because, as one of the stage-drivers afterward said, "If she didn't get what she went after, she would fetch something else." And so she did. She went after a deuce of spades nailed against a tree, once, and fetched a mule standing about thirty yards to the left of it. Bemis did not want the mule; but the owner came out with a double-barreled shotgun and persuaded him to buy it, anyhow. It was a cheerful weapon--the "Allen." Sometimes all its six barrels would go off at once, and then there was no safe place in all the region round about, but behind it.


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## denaliguide (Aug 30, 2008)

Why I might just be forced to find a medical supply that had surg tubing in stock and differing wall sizes and lengths. As in a sling bow, I think your standard draw 30+" would accomodate most available arrows, lordy knows they come in enuf varieties to do most anything. A custom made set of sling bands could probably pull most any weights we could handle, and an arrow release would be quite the thing. The aiming plane or basic sighting device could turn this into quite the "interesting" lo-cost device. The sling bow vids on Youtube are amazing, and I'd think sooner or later I'd have to have a couple of them, one or so cached outdoors, and one near or in my bugout bag. Pretty cheap considering what they could do. Might be one of the better lo-cost energy multipliers since David was a shepard........





Oldcountryboy said:


> Where can I purchase the black replacement rubber for the slingshot? Seems my local Wallyworld doesn't stock the black ones and they are about the only sporting good place anymore.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> an arrow release would be quite the thing


I don't see how you'd make one work with a slingshot.

With a bow, the nock clips onto the string and holds the arrow in place.
Then when it's fired, the string stops suddenly, and the arrow keeps going.

With a slingshot, there wouldn't be that sudden stop to loose the arrow, and with a pouch there is nothing to hold the nock

If you want to shoot arrows, it's better to just use a bow


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## homesteadingman (Mar 17, 2011)

elkhound said:


> if you change out the original bands to the black bands.the slingbow pulls at 40#
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6LxKfpAPYA
> 
> ...


:bow:

Totally AWESOME!:nanner:My son and I are definitly doing this. We both have the exact same sling shots and he has arrows and a stupid kids bow that works like crud.


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

I have my 35 year old original rigid frame wrist rocket and an off brand fold up wrist rocket style Taiwan knock off surgical tube slingshot.

I have replaced the sling assembly on my wrist rocket seven or 8 times over the years and prefer it to the newer Taiwan knock off fold up model but both are effective.

Using roller balls salvaged from wore out computer mouse controllers I replaced over the years and peeled the rubber coating off of I have a pouch full of reusable if I can recover them 50 caliber sized balls.

I take a few rabbits that bed in my back yard hay piles most every year with my wrist rocket and those 50 cal sized balls dang near take their heads off if my aim is good and the shot under 40 feet.

Even with a body shot its usually a pretty quick and clean kill.


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## Old John (May 27, 2004)

Bearfootfarm said:


> I think it would hurt them just enough to escalate the situation
> 
> A 38 Special only stops 80% with one shot


Yeah but a Good .357 magnum has about a 96% one-shot-stop rate, according to Marshal & Sanow's book, IIRC.

When I grew up I and my DB, next to me made "Slings" the biblical kind. Just a simple leather pouch, cut from an old worn out moccasin and two stout leather thongs and you're good to go. They really take a Lot of Practice, though. They'll throw a round stone hard enough to kill a rabbit, if you're good enough to hit it.


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

Old John said:


> When I grew up I and my DB, next to me made "Slings" the biblical kind. Just a simple leather pouch, cut from an old worn out moccasin and two stout leather thongs and you're good to go. They really take a Lot of Practice, though. They'll throw a round stone hard enough to kill a rabbit, if you're good enough to hit it.


Or embed into a giant's forehead if you're a real good aim. 
I tried to make one- but my pouch creates interference. That's okay, that thing inspired many a little kid in my bible classes when used with rolled up socks as "rocks". Did you use an overhead swing and release or an under arm release? A few yrs ago I'd found a video that showed a couple kids in Israel using a sling... 

-scrt crk


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## Old John (May 27, 2004)

We kinda used those "simple Slings" in a side-arm style. If you let it loose, at just the right spot, they, the rock, flies straight as a rifle. We had a lot of fun with them.
But, I haven't done that in many years. I've been using various firearms for a lot of years. Time just passes on, doesn't it?
I'll leave the slings for the younger folks.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

I used to make slings. I was throwing tennis ball sized rocks down the driveway once. They were a load to swing but a kid will try anything. One hit a wrist sized green hickry limb near the trunk and sheared it right off. That is power. 

I was always deadly with the sling. Not to the target, but to anything else. I was teaching a friend how and made him go way out in a field in front of his house to learn. He fired one backwards and hit the diesel tank on a stand, and put a huge dent in it. His dad never figured that one out.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

These things are illegal here, and so are bb guns. I have always wanted to try one of these wrist rockets.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

I found an old bookmark I had saved. If you want to make your slingshot less handy and more unique, check this out:

http://slingshotrifle.com/index.html


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## Wags (Jun 2, 2002)

I'll never look at slingshots the same way after seeing those videos - very cool!


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## HeelSpur (May 7, 2011)

kenworth said:


> Oh I had one when I was a teen, and carried around all the time. I kept about 5 ball bearings in my pocket at any given time. Other times I just used rocks.
> 
> Mostly I shot dogs off my horse when they chased us.


Why were dogs on your horse?


sorry, couldn't help myself.:happy2:


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## snake35 (Jan 24, 2011)

I have missed more squirrels than anyone that I know with a wrist rocket!


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Why were dogs on your horse?


Because they were chasing them:



> Mostly I shot dogs off my horse *when they chased us*.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

I have not been able to find a wisker biscuit quit like the video shows. But the one I have found is a whopping $40.00 I'd hate to spend that kind of money and then the darn thing doesn't work like the video sounds. I wished he would have shot the darn thing a few times.


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## denaliguide (Aug 30, 2008)

to train my bird dogs with. I'd whack em with 3/4" river gravel, knock them pretty much senseless, my terrier'd retrieve them and then we'd work the big dogs with them, was a good deal. Guess it depends on the game, the range and your eye-hand coordination..........




snake35 said:


> I have missed more squirrels than anyone that I know with a wrist rocket!


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