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HELP! How would you shoot this grappling hook from a slingshot?

7K views 71 replies 21 participants last post by  THWACK! 
#1 ·
I bought a stainless steel 14/0 fishing gaff treble hook and cut the barbs off to try to use it as a slingshot propelled grappling hook... I thought I could shoot it by hooking one of the tines on the slingshot pouch but it caught as I suspected... I was wearing a protective glove knowing it could happen and it protected my hand from being smashed to pieces. It's still on my arm! :wave: The full weight of the hook, link, and o-ring is 105.6grams.

How would you implement a pouch or other method to fire this from a hand held braced slingshot?
 

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#12 ·
With those large hooks it wont release well with the fletchette shooting method as you experienced. Even if you were to shoot it it will probably be tumbling ends over to the target.

My best idea would be to attach an arrow shaft to the "stem" and shoot it like a slingbow. But with this large weight you will need a heck of drawweight. I dont think you will be able to shoot this thing very far with just a regular slingshot. Some kind of crossbow or slingrifle would be needed.

Maybe the arrow shaft can be fixed to the hook in a way so it drops off after release and the trailing line will then stabilize the flight.
 
#14 ·
I would try to loose the link amd the Oring from the hook, so they dont tangle up. Put some amsteel blue or maybe paracord trouh the end. Then make a bandset with 2 or more bands per side and a big Oring as a pouch(so big that you can put the end of the hook in amd use it to draw back, the front hooking on the Oring.
 
#15 ·
I would try to loose the link amd the Oring from the hook, so they dont tangle up. Put some amsteel blue or maybe paracord trouh the end. Then make a bandset with 2 or more bands per side and a big Oring as a pouch(so big that you can put the end of the hook in amd use it to draw back, the front hooking on the Oring.
JK, Good ideas. I am going to try and lose the link and replace it with a three wraps of paracord but I need to keep the o-ring at the rear so that I can draw a carbiner up to lock in (the ladder rope is drawn up that way). Otherwise having an O-ring welded to the end of the hook would probably help in being able to draw it back. I am going to try to use a short cord length to create a sort of finger pull that I can draw through the pocket hole and wrap that cord around the three tines. So the weight is down to 89grams now. Good! I will post a video if I get it right.
 
#16 ·
With those large hooks it wont release well with the fletchette shooting method as you experienced. Even if you were to shoot it it will probably be tumbling ends over to the target.

My best idea would be to attach an arrow shaft to the "stem" and shoot it like a slingbow. But with this large weight you will need a heck of drawweight. I dont think you will be able to shoot this thing very far with just a regular slingshot. Some kind of crossbow or slingrifle would be needed.

Maybe the arrow shaft can be fixed to the hook in a way so it drops off after release and the trailing line will then stabilize the flight.
I actually saw some dude on youtube had a fairly unimpressive version of this that he fired from a regular 40lb bow.
 
#18 · (Edited by Moderator)
Grappling hooks are the most dangerous of all methods of anchoring rope. You usually can't see where they hook onto something or how well they hook on. Then the Hollywood 007 climbs up giving his entire life to the confidence the thing held well enough. Only in Hollywood my friend, please don't do it. And hurling it from an SS is going to be a true challenge. Why??

I think you could just wind up and sling it by hand better. Be careful, what goes up must come down, chances are it won't hook the first time (except in James Bond movies of course) and down she comes on yer noggin or teeth. What do you want to grapple may I ask?

I had some misguided dweeb come into my high adventure shop one day and ask me if I sold grappling hooks. I said no, that's only for movies and searching for cadavers at the bottom of a lake. I asked him what he was going to grapple. He replied he was going to throw it through the 3rd story window of the girls' dormatory (University). OH, I said and told him we didn't sell them but I got his student ID number off him and called the U police and told them about this dweeb.

Chuck
 
#20 ·
Grappling hooks are the most dangerous of all methods of anchoring rope. You usually can't see where they hook onto something or how well they hook on. Then the Hollywood 007 climbs up giving his entire life to the confidence the thing held well enough. Only in Hollywood my friend, please don't do it. And hurling it from an SS is going to be a true challenge. Why??

I think you could just wind up and sling it by hand better. Be careful, what goes up must come down, chances are it won't hook the first time (except in James Bond movies of course) and down she comes on yer noggin or teeth. What do you want to grapple may I ask?

I had some misguided dweeb come into my high adventure shop one day and ask me if I sold grappling hooks. I said no, that's only for movies and searching for cadavers at the bottom of a lake. I asked him what he was going to grapple. He replied he was going to throw it through the 3rd story window of the girls' dormatory (University). OH, I said and told him we didn't sell them but I got his student ID number off him and called the U police and told them about this dweeb.

Chuck
Wow. You are pretty boring for someone that runs an high adventure shop. :D
 
#21 ·
Don't forget to post a pic of your utility belt! I hope you get it sorted. Next you could work out a spidey tracker that could be shot from a SS. You know to track cars and what not. I'm sorta kidding and sorta completely dead serious.
I think the whole thing might be a bit too encumbering to hook onto my utility belt. the spidey tracker is something to think about... the electronics could probably be under a few grams in weight so the only thing would be how it would attach to a car? It would have to connect, not bounce off, survive the impact... someone has to be working on it somewhere. :rolleyes:
 
#22 · (Edited by Moderator)
  • Depending on how long the trajectory is and amount of rope, figure the weight of the grappling hook plus the weight of the rope attached to it, I doubt a SS will be of much use. Maybe a whaler's cannon. If you are fighting crime somehow with this I'm sure there's a less risky method of ascent. My electrician had to somehow get a wire from one end of my rather large showroom's ceiling to the other. He had to do this above the suspended ceiling. He had a crossbow and first shot a monofiliment fishing line, 20lb test, attached to the bolt from one end to the other, tied the Romex to that and pulled. Vola...wiring prob solved. I was amazed he used a crossbow...he told me he used it all the time for just such jobs. In my case he shot the line like bow fishing and didn't have to lift up all the ceiling panels and meticulously run the Romex over each one individually.
 
#23 ·
Will it fit in the end of an aluminum arrow shaft, maybe with a slot to allow the wire to the hook to hang out for spooling.The ferrule in the end of aluminum shaft arrow is just held in with hot glue. Heat it up and remove the ferrule. Cut a slot, Insert hook like arrow head. Just the beginning of an idea.
 
#24 ·
  • Depending on how long the trajectory is and amount of rope, figure the weight of the grappling hook plus the weight of the rope attached to it, I doubt a SS will be of much use. Maybe a whaler's cannon. If you are fighting crime somehow with this I'm sure there's a less risky method of ascent. My electrician had to somehow get a wire from one end of my rather large showroom's ceiling to the other. He had to do this above the suspended ceiling. He had a crossbow and first shot a monofiliment fishing line, 20lb test, attached to the bolt from one end to the other, tied the Romex to that and pulled. Vola...wiring prob solved. I was amazed he used a crossbow...he told me he used it all the time for just such jobs. In my case he shot the line like bow fishing and didn't have to lift up all the ceiling panels and meticulously run the Romex over each one individually.
I was thinking of doing the same thing with polyester ribbon but I might try 20lb test line if I can see it well enough and not get it tangled. Thanks! That story was pretty good... not so boring this time. :king:
 
#25 ·
Will it fit in the end of an aluminum arrow shaft, maybe with a slot to allow the wire to the hook to hang out for spooling.The ferrule in the end of aluminum shaft arrow is just held in with hot glue. Heat it up and remove the ferrule. Cut a slot, Insert hook like arrow head. Just the beginning of an idea.
The eye hook on the hook won't fit into an arrow shaft but I really want to avoid having to put a shaft on it anyway.
 
#26 ·
realistically, you may never be able to shoot one with a slingshot due to having to match the strength of either bands or tubes to the weight of the grappling hook. only thing i can suggest is that you make yourself a giant "angry birds" style of slingshot and shoot the hooks the way MJ shoots flechettes with his slingshots.
 
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