# Parts list for complete newbie



## ZeroFlight (Dec 25, 2020)

Background: I'm a complete newbie to slingshots; experience is limited to using a cheap Daisy w/ arm brace to shoot rocks at trees & ponds. My primary goal is for small game hunting and secondary for target practice, but don't want a big honking contraption, just simple, sturdy, and long-lasting. I'm not a fan of synthetics like the current Scout models, so am going to go with either steel or aluminum. I'm currently leaning heavily toward Dankung and getting a convertible model that can use either flat or round bands. I already have a ton of 11mm steel that I plan to use but nothing else yet.

So the main question I have is what variety of parts should I grab all at once? I figure I'd need a few different band sizes/diameters to find what works for me, band ties, spare pouches/straps, etc. but am not sure what all to go with. Based on some other posts I figured a spool of 17/45 round would be good but have no clue about on the flat bands or other tubes I should give a try. I'd prefer to get the majority of starter stuff early on rather than one here, another a couple months later, etc.

What else do you pros recommend I grab? Do you have different recommendations for a sling?

If it makes a difference, I have short arms.

Thanks in advance.


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## Hoss (Jun 3, 2014)

I wouldn't buy a bunch of stuff until you figure out what you like. I would personally go to simpleshots website and buy a few of their band sets, they sale them according to the ammo size your planning on using. 
Once you figure out what works best for you then you can buy some bulk rubber and pouches to make your own brand sets.

That's just my opinion, others may have better advice.

And buy the way, welcome to the forum, lots of good information on here.

Sent from my SM-T380 using Tapatalk


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## SLING-N-SHOT (Jun 5, 2018)

I second what Hoss said, and watch as many YouTube "How To" vids as you can...there are lots of good tips to be learned there.

Some great channels I can recommend off the top of my head are....SimpleShot, PocketPredator, CatapultCarnage, Gamekeeper,

Welcome from Georgia

Darrell.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## vince4242 (Jan 11, 2016)

That is a huge group of questions you're asking. There's a lot to figure out what you like and what will work for you. If you're going to go with 11 mm Steel I would recommend 3050 tubes to shoot it. They have a lot of zip and better than 1842 tubes. I suggest going to slingshooting.com and taking a look at the D1 titanium slingshot with adjustable Forks. It is a hammer grip and it is my personal favorite shooter. With fiber optic sights it is that accurate and we'll take tubes and bands. You can also buy the bands and the tubes there as well had a very high quality. There is a review from catapult Carnage that made me want to buy the D1 and I have not regretted it it is my favorite slingshot fully adjustable to your Anchor Point. I will find it and send you the link to the YouTube video.

Cheers


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## vince4242 (Jan 11, 2016)

Here is the link to see the review on the D1. It starts at eight minutes if you want to skip ahead to start it. I don't use any of those extra sites I just use the top rail fiber optic sights. Here's a picture of my D1 head attached to the Dragon King to handle. The handles aluminum and fits my hand perfectly the combo comes in at $78 $50 just for the D1 if you just want the standard handle.

Hope this helps there are so many other amazing slingshots this is just the one that I have found to work great for me.


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## Harry Knuckles (Sep 28, 2020)

Hoss and Sling-N-Shot both give great advice. As one noob to another, shoot how you naturally feel comfortable. I watched a lot of youtube vids trying to copy other's stances and shooting styles but it didn't do me any good. Once I just relaxed and did what felt comfortable things started to fall into place.

Things I have learned over the past year.

1. Your ammo hand is much more important than your fork hand. Figure out how you want to hold your pouch and master it. The release is one of the most important elements of accuracy.

2. Head position is also important. Go with what feels natural. Tipping your head forward or to the side will change where your ball hits. Keep it consistent.

3. Don't cut your bands to a full 500% when you are starting out. Your bands will last longer if you just add a 1/2" - 1" to your 500% cut length.

4. Stand close to your catch box and just shoot over and over. Build your muscle memory, from how you load the ammo, draw, and release should be the same every time.

5. Don't over band your ammo. (this should be after #3). Too heavy of bands with light ammo with make you less accurate and your bands will wear out faster.

6. Learn to cut your own bands as soon as you feel comfortable making the investment of a cutting mat and rotary cutter. You will save money in the end (Walmart sells kits that include the mat, cutter, and straight edge). You can make a lot of bands from one $15 roll of latex.

There is so much more but I feel that's a good starting point.


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## ZeroFlight (Dec 25, 2020)

Excellent advice everyone, thank you. I do like that titanium shot so will take a closer look at that before I decide on the first one. I'm still a bit lost on fork & band width at this stage so need to spend more time on the various beginner videos. I have a feeling the choice won't matter too much at this early stage but would still like better idea of what I'm getting myself into. I'm anxious to get shooting but think it would smarter to spend more time research for the moment.


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## devils son in law (Sep 2, 2014)

Just wondering, what do you have against wood or plastic? Only asking because there are some very good options with both. Particularly with inexpensive wood forks that can help you decide what you like and don't like.


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## Got Bands (May 12, 2016)

research all that you can. Ask questions on the forum these guys know what they are talking about. One thing that you should research is the size and length of your bands or tubes in relation to your ammo. You don't want to be over banded. It sounds like a good idea to be ripping ammo through the air as fast as you can but that will just cause more problems than you can count. have fun and welcome to the forum


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## Tobor8Man (Nov 19, 2020)

Welcome to the forum. You came to the right place.

Lots of great people and good advice here. The Scout XT is often recommended as a first slingshot because you can shoot it with all 3 grips - hammer, pinch, and thumb support. It is also reasonably priced and you can probably sell it or swap it here if it does not suit you. It's probably a good idea to figure out your grip style before you buy an expensive slingshot.

The best way to learn about bands and pouches is to experiment. You can get a rotary cutter and self-healing mat in the Walmart sewing section. Walmart also sells a pack of 3 resistance bands for about $10.00. Makes sure it is the latex based ones. You get a lot of band material for not much money. No sense wasting good band material while you learn how to cut bands and tie pouches.

Bill Hays - PocketPredator.com - has a great collection of instructional videos and some very good advice on slingshot shooting. While you are there, check out his designs - very innovative. Bill is a great guy and well deserving of our support.

Finally, once you settle on a favorite slingshot - stick with it and practice a lot. I say this because it is very difficult for me to follow my own advice. But, when I practice consistently with one slingshot, it really pays off.

Practice with paper targets so that you can see where you are hitting.

This is a fun hobby.


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## ZeroFlight (Dec 25, 2020)

devils son in law said:


> Just wondering, what do you have against wood or plastic? Only asking because there are some very good options with both. Particularly with inexpensive wood forks that can help you decide what you like and don't like.


I tend to adjust myself to different styles rather than finding appropriate style to fit me, so try to jump closer to the end goal than a starting point. I'd probably be ok with plastic or wood as a very basic starting point, so may grab a Scout anyway, but I'm more comfortable with the durability of metal in the slimmer style I'm looking for and would rather jump straight to that. It's probably more mental than logical in that regard but I'm generally against plastic/artificial for long term durability. The wood ones seem hit & miss. Most I've seen use metal forks attached to wood handles rather than a solid frame (the equivalent of a tang but I don't know the slingshot term) with wood grips. And I really don't like that style. Too many ways for that to go wrong. But that may be more from lack of exposure to good sets. I'm also hesitant about actual wood quality from most of the places on the internet but would trust someone here making them.


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## Pebble Shooter (Mar 29, 2014)

When starting out, the best approach in my opinion is to keep things relatively simple. I would therefore suggest:

- Buying a slingshot that is ergonomically designed and has a low fork height (reduced wrist torsion);

- Buying ready made flat band sets with low draw weights suitable to shoot 7 to 8 mm steel at 8 to 10 yards;

- Improving your shooting skills using a cheek or jawbone-based anchor point before trying "floating" anchor points;

- watching slingshot videos - like this one:




- Learning how to make your own band sets and pouches to experiment and see what best suits your shooting requirements.

- Moving up to stronger bands sets and larger ammo once you manage to hit a 2 inch circle at 10 yards fairly consistently. This is essential if you want to hunt small game humanely.

I fully agree with you with regard to your preference for steel and wood, as opposed to plastic molded slingshots. There are a number of US manufacturers who sell steel rod slingshots that come with plastic grips that I would nevertheless deem as durable products.

Compact 304 or 440 stainless steel slingshots generally come from China usually including fiber optic sights and very efficient flat band attachment clamps. Having purchased a number of various Chinese-made slingshots from reliable sellers, I can strongly recommend these to you.

I feel that Dankung is overpriced. Here is a short list of links of possible options for you to look at:

*Saunders slingshot:* https://sausa.com/product/falcon-x/

*Chinese slingshots from Piao Yu* (Aliexpress), a reliable seller in my experience (non-exclusive list):

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000459540696.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.57.6a0e7e4brn2AXT

and

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000918102756.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.2.53c5442cU9s8fI

and

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32925687698.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.52.2f267e4bZFab4r

*For flat bands, the Chinese "Precise" brand *is among the very best. I would recommend 0.55 mm thickness or lower to start with (cut to 22 cm length, tapered from 20 mm at the forks to 12 mm at the pouch, for a cheek-based anchor point):

*Rolls:* https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32855639494.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.17.4de050a4G63wIA

*Ready made flat band sets*: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32819033755.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.9.4de050a4XGUjDG

If you do start making your own band sets, you will need a rotary cutter (The "Olfa" brand in 45 mm is excellent), a suitable cutting mat, and a safe metal ruler that protects your hands while cutting the flat bands.

My 2 cents worth... B) Enjoy!


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## ZeroFlight (Dec 25, 2020)

After watching a bunch of videos like that Predator how-to, and thinking on it some more, I decided to grab a Scout LT to start (and snagged some spare bands & the like since I was ordering anyway). Mainly so I can decide whether I want to go with OTT or TTF as it lets you switch while almost all of the metal ones I've been seeing have been strictly OTT. I was really leaning toward OTT and really like that D1 but figured I'd better at least try TTF before I rule it out. I'll snag some Precise bands soon - thanks for those links, I wasn't seeing a consistent, reputable link for them and that greatly helps. I have a variety of craft hobbies and already have a rotary cutter & mat so will try my hand at tapered as well. But probably not until I've done a lot of practice on simple, stock sets. I'm not looking forward to getting to the point of debating bands vs tubes vs chains as there's already enough for me to think about, lol.

I'm now in the hardest part... waiting for stuff to get here . I look forward to building skill & experience so I can better converse with specifics with y'all!


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## Hoss (Jun 3, 2014)

Sounds like you're on your way to some happy shooting, you can't go wrong with the Scout. 
Keep us updated.

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## vince4242 (Jan 11, 2016)

Funny I started with the Scout XT as well. But found I couldn't really get that comfortable grip I needed. When I switch to the D1 I definitely found something that fit great in my hand and with the fiber-optic very accurate for me. Everyone has their thing and you've got to figure out what works best for you.

Cheers


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