# Slingin' rocks



## evo_rides (Sep 19, 2017)

So, while I'd rather shoot steel, I do find times where I'm out pedaling in the woods, would like to do some shooting and don't have my catchbox with me.

Simple Shot is clearly very against shooting stones.

The bulk of the stone shooting that I have done was as a kid with a wrist rocket. A possible fork strike(possibly cutting a tube) and inaccuracy were the main issues that I encountered.

My question is, how do you guys feel about stones? Nice round smooth river stones. Are people as anti stone as Simple Shot? Or are they just extra careful because of liability concerns?

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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

Marbles are essentially smooth round stones  ... I don't mind them (used them as my primary ammo as a kid ) - but not so wild about using them for hunting (they're also illegal here for that).


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## flipgun (Nov 14, 2012)

For stump shootin' and clanging the occasional traffic sign marbles are just fine and reasonably priced per shot.

But, on the web, you can find Taconite pellets. I found a 5 lb bag on E bay for $13 and free ship. Yes they are fairly dirty to handle, but wash off the dust let dry, spread them out and hit them with some cheap spray paint and you are ready to go. They range 3/8-1/2 inch in size. They are neither target nor hunting ammo but you can shoot them all day for danged near nothing per round.


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## Jolly Roger (Aug 14, 2017)

You will find that A+ Slingshots is very strong towards shooting rocks. They sell heavy bands and tubes with rock sized leather pouches. But A+ has also designed their slingshots to be rock shooters and that makes a big difference. My Big Tube Hunter has heavy tubes and a big man sized leather pouch for shooting rocks. The frame is also big enough and wide enough between the forks to limit fork hits.


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## SlingNerd (Mar 15, 2017)

SimpleShot is just covering their arse as any company with a brain should. They DO sell a "Rock Chucker" bandset with a bigger pouch and Linatex bands (Linatex can take a real beating) and I can say from experience that when set up on my Scout it works perfectly fine for small rocks.

https://simple-shot.com/slingshots/hunting-slingshots/linatex-bandsets/

But again, they won't just up and tell you to do something inherently more dangerous than shooting spheres.


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## inconvenience (Mar 21, 2016)

I made what to me is a very odd discovery recently. I find shooting river stones from a PFS using tweaking gives me fairly good results and much better results then traditional shooting from a conventional slingshot.

My only guess is that tweaking somehow puts a spin on the stone which cancels a lot of the aerodynamics that might otherwise cause an irregular flight path.

I find river stones shot this way to be acceptably accurate at least out to 10 meters.

I found stones shot using other methods to be unacceptably inaccurate and possibly even dangerous.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Round river stones really rock!!! (pun intended) More game has been killed with stones than with any other ammo. As a kid that was all we had.

For accuracy, choose rounded stones. If possible, gather them in advance and separate them by weight to aid in consistency. Stones are the most eco-friendly ammo you will find.

Glass and stone have about the same density. Think of marbles as smooth, well formed stones. Think of stones as irregular marbles.

Cheers .... Charles


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## evo_rides (Sep 19, 2017)

Charles said:


> Round river stones really rock!!! (pun intended) More game has been killed with stones than with any other ammo. As a kid that was all we had.
> 
> For accuracy, choose rounded stones. If possible, gather them in advance and separate them by weight to aid in consistency. Stones are the most eco-friendly ammo you will find.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the input everyone. I've got a buddy with a rock tumbler that we talked about firing up.

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## VAshooter (Feb 10, 2015)

I grew up living on a gravel road. Everyone I knew made their own slingshots or someone made it for them. My slingshot was a gift made for me by my grandfather. Rubber came from inner tubes and pouches came from old shoes and ammo came from the gravel road. You can't run out of ammo when you live on a gravel road. You don't need to carry much with you either.

The slingshot was shaped like a wishbone with a handle about one half inch in diameter and about five inches long. It came from a sassafras tree growing along the road and the forks were about a third of an inch in diameter and about five inches long. My grandfather boiled the frame and tied the forks so that they curved up like a chalice. The distance between the forks was about five inches. I guess my grandfather was a symmetrical kind of guy. All I ever shot with it was rocks from the road but with those skinny forks so far apart I never had a fork hit. It never occurred to me that it was possible to hit the forks. I don't shoot that frame now but I still have it and plan on passing it down to my grandson with a note explaining where it came from and it's history. How cool is it to own something that came from your grandfathers grandfather?


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## evo_rides (Sep 19, 2017)

VAshooter said:


> I grew up living on a gravel road. Everyone I knew made their own slingshots or someone made it for them. My slingshot was a gift made for me by my grandfather. Rubber came from inner tubes and pouches came from old shoes and ammo came from the gravel road. You can't run out of ammo when you live on a gravel road. You don't need to carry much with you either.
> 
> The slingshot was shaped like a wishbone with a handle about one half inch in diameter and about five inches long. It came from a sassafras tree growing along the road and the forks were about a third of an inch in diameter and about five inches long. My grandfather boiled the frame and tied the forks so that they curved up like a chalice. The distance between the forks was about five inches. I guess my grandfather was a symmetrical kind of guy. All I ever shot with it was rocks from the road but with those skinny forks so far apart I never had a fork hit. It never occurred to me that it was possible to hit the forks. I don't shoot that frame now but I still have it and plan on passing it down to my grandson with a note explaining where it came from and it's history. How cool is it to own something that came from your grandfathers grandfather?


That's a great story! Super cool that you still have the shooter!

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## romanljc (May 26, 2014)

I use to just shoot River stones but I found steel and lead shoot better and I can get the stuff pretty cheep I usually shoot into a catch box re use it .so ammo last for really long time .


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## Grandpa Pete (May 2, 2013)

Charles said:


> Round river stones really rock!!! (pun intended) More game has been killed with stones than with any other ammo. As a kid that was all we had.
> 
> For accuracy, choose rounded stones. If possible, gather them in advance and separate them by weight to aid in consistency. Stones are the most eco-friendly ammo you will find.
> 
> ...


AMEN


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## Grandpa Pete (May 2, 2013)

Right on Charles....all us old timers grew up shooting rocks. The little bag of steel shot that came with my Wham-o didn't last a day then it was back to shooting rocks.


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

flipgun said:


> For stump shootin' and clanging the occasional traffic sign marbles are just fine and reasonably priced per shot.
> 
> But, on the web, you can find Taconite pellets. I found a 5 lb bag on E bay for $13 and free ship. Yes they are fairly dirty to handle, but wash off the dust let dry, spread them out and hit them with some cheap spray paint and you are ready to go. They range 3/8-1/2 inch in size. They are neither target nor hunting ammo but you can shoot them all day for danged near nothing per round.


I assure you marbles are much better than that !


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## SonoftheRepublic (Jul 3, 2011)

evo_rides said:


> So, while I'd rather shoot steel, I do find times where I'm out pedaling in the woods, would like to do some shooting and don't have my catchbox with me.
> 
> Simple Shot is clearly very against shooting stones.
> 
> ...


My first slingshot back about 1964 was a Trumark WS-1 wrist rocket, (as pictured in my avatar), and it slung a lot of rocks!

Today I still prefer the Trumark design for most all of my rock shooting, but I like the folding model: FS-1, mainly because it folds up and fits nicely in your back pocket, *AND I never get a fork hit shooting rocks!* For tubes I use either the commercially-sold red-colored Trumark RRT tapered bands or, my preference is to order, cut and install my own 'medium'-sized latex tubes. This little rig, along with a nice large-sized 'rock-pouch', is the perfect rock shooter in my book, and provides as much shooting fun as any that I do!

Its also great for rattlesnake/pest control.


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## Pebble Shooter (Mar 29, 2014)

Rounded pebbles, like those found near lakes and rivers, make for fine slingshot ammo providing that:

- Their shape is as symmetrical as possible for optimum ballistic properties i.e. better accuracy;

- They are as rounded or oval as possible, with a smooth and clean surface;

- They do not exceed roughly 40% of the slingshot fork width concerned;

- They are very well centered in the pouch prior to shooting;

- They are more or less adapted for the tubes or bands in terms of weight vs. draw weight;

Other key issues:

- The size and thickness of the pouch must be adapted to the pebble size involved; sort the various sizes you find.

- Never uses stones or pebbles with jagged edges: fork hit and/or torn tubes & bands almost guaranteed.

There is no reason why pebbles according to those criteria would not be less safe than regular steel BB's, at least in principle, and depending on the skills of the shooter involved. Check out my video on the subject, if you wish:


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