# Simple Hand Slap prevention for OTT frames



## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

I was showing one of my Daughters how to shoot but She kept getting handslaps... which made her flinch, messing with her accuracy, and then she wanted to quit... So I looked at her slingshot and came up with a super simple solution that totally eliminated the handslaps and immediately allowed her to concentrate better on the target, stop flinching and start to actually hit the target... But the MOST important thing was... She didn't want to quit after she wasn't "punished" for shooting.

This simple innovation will be added to all my G10 and other strong framed slingshots.... because after I did this with my Snow Tiger... I too was able to pull heavier bands without being punished.

You simply drill a hole through the side of curved part of the fork tip... lightly allign and pull your bands over the top.. insert a wire, zip tie or other clip over the top and through the hole... voila... no more handslaps... your accuracy and enjoyment will increase two fold.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Bill, I'm going to wait until you report back on how it affects band longevity before I try this.


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

I've worn out two sets of bands this weekend, around 1000 shots total... both breaking at the pouch. At first I was afraid the zip ties would cut the bands, so I made some smooth stainless steel, precisely fit clips to put on there instead... but I didn't ever need them since the bands were just fine on top of the forks and broke at the pouch as usual.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

guess I'll give 'er a try then. Thanks.

. . . Question: How tight did you pull the zip tie?


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

I have said this over and over, but just because the bands break at the pouch does not mean that it is not something at the tip causing it. The pouch tends to push the bands into the tips bruising the rubber, so any thing at the tips that is near to being sharp can affect band life. -- Tex


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

Dayhiker, since you're pretty handy you might want to do it like I did on my Snow Tiger:


















Tex,
I'm getting around 500 shots on average for most of my band sets. I know they don't last me as long as many others because of my draw length. 
With or without the handslap preventer, I'm getting about the same amount of shots... and the bands are tearing in exactly the same spot they always do, right below where they're tied. It doesn't matter what frame or type of bandset... it seems they all tear at the same spot.


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## redcard (Aug 26, 2010)

Hello,

will mounting the bands on the back of the frame and pulling against the ties do the same thing? I think that the attachment method is called african method.


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

I understand that we are discussing new methods of hand slap control on this thread. Please allow me to regress somewhat! Hand slap control is another feature of the Saunders flat band tip system that I don’t think that I mentioned before or have seen mentioned before. It does not eliminate hand slap all together but does reduce it a lot. The more I look at there cam system, the more I appreciate their design. Charles and his engineer did a great job back in 2001/2002 considering that when they designed the new tips, there was not a lot of information to be had on flat bands such as there is now. Here is a review of the benefits of their tip design. 1) Quick changing of bands with no tying. 2) Over the top sight picture. 3) A fail safe design. 4) Reduced hand slap. 5) Easy modification of cam to make a good sight and Saunders also sell a Pipper Fiber-optic sight that replaces one cam. 6) Repair parts are available. 7) Hand and arm safety design. 8) Manufactured and backed by a USA company. Today we have the benefit of many fine custom designs that I like a lot and would not say anything despairing about. Saunders however in my book is still the leader in low cost high production manufactured slingshots. I also believe that the Hawk In the right hands could win a tournament and that the low cost adds the ability of anybody being competitive. -- Tex


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## 919h (Aug 27, 2010)

Very, very interesting !

I follow you

Tex-Shooter, you say it works but not to 100%, that's right ? Excuse me, but i don't understand everything...

Thanks

Xavier.


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## Gandolphin (Jun 28, 2010)

please post a video of it in action,
it's pretty interesting what you've got there!


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## Bugar (Dec 24, 2009)

So if you use a zip tie or clamp to keep from handslap, the band dosen't need to go over the top, why not just fasten the band to the top of the fork with a device rather than going over the top and fixing it in the groove.
But anyway= I'll just keep on with my flip style shooting-no handslap for me, or zip ties= Great idea tho, not for me


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## ZDP-189 (Mar 14, 2010)

Forgive me for asking but what does handslap feel like? I might occasionally get a slight sting in the fork hand middle finger but nothing particularly uncomfortable. Is that handslap? I have shot many forks bands and varying ammo loads, but felt nothing that would warrant all the engineering being lavished on these already fine slingshots.


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

Tex:
All that is true. 
I really like my Saunders Hawk I got from you... and for the small amount I've shot it, it's a nice shooter as well...
But there are literally thousands upon thousands of Over The Top shooting slingshots out there already... so my intention was not to simply buy a new slingshot and put away what you're already using... but with a simple modification you can make it so your existing slingshot is more of a pleasure to shoot.

Also, for many, many new shooters... that handslap can and does make them quit the pursuit of slingshot shooting, as it's not exactly a pleasurable experience getting punished for doing something well.... So I thought I'd share the simple way in which I was able to keep my own kids interested in shooting, and not quitting because their hands are getting hurt.

Dan:
I'm happy for you that you don't experience handslap that often. But many others do and it turns them off of using slingshots. 
If we truly want more people involved in this hobby/sport/obsession of ours then getting the negatives eliminated is not a bad thing to try and pursue.


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

Bugar said:


> So if you use a zip tie or clamp to keep from handslap, the band dosen't need to go over the top, why not just fasten the band to the top of the fork with a device rather than going over the top and fixing it in the groove.
> But anyway= I'll just keep on with my flip style shooting-no handslap for me, or zip ties= Great idea tho, not for me


Again, there's already thousands upon thousands of already existing slingshots, setup with an OTT design. A simple mod such as shown, will allow more new shooters to get involved without turning them off because of handslap.
Plus if you are accustomed to the sight picture of an OTT design and can shoot that style well... this doesn't change that up, you get to keep your same sight picture, performance and point of aim do not change either, the only thing different is you will not get the punishing handslap some are getting with heavier bands.


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## Gandolphin (Jun 28, 2010)

When I butterfly my hand turn red consistently,
if that solution works, it might be a pleasure to shoot butterfly again...


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

Bill I do understand where you are coming from and I agree 100%! I was just making the point that I did not think that the anti-hand slap of the Saunders had been mentioned before, at least not that I had remembered. Another thing that can reduce hand slap on already existing slingshots is to tilt the frame slightly forward. -- Tex


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## 919h (Aug 27, 2010)

Tex - Shooter : with my slingshots, to tilt the frame slightly forward don't work.

Bill Hays : I think your idea is great because i think that the pouch stay in the top when it come back.

Thanks

Xavier


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## Jaybird (Dec 20, 2009)

The easiest way to stop hand slap is to shoot heavier ammo.Your bands will last longer also.Slingshots are similar to bows the heavier pull bow the heavier arrows you have to shoot.If you shoot to light of arrows it is like dry firing and the bow will break sooner.Same as shooting a slingshot with no ammo in the pouch or to light of ammo the bands will break sooner.


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## 919h (Aug 27, 2010)

Jaybird : If heavy ammu had influence on the hand slap, it's more you have heavy ammu, more you have hand slap.


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## JoergS (Dec 17, 2009)

Hand slaps are indeed an issue for me.

They really occur when you draw out far with powerful bands. They are a lesser issue with heavy ammo but they still won't go away. Heavier ammo is also bigger, and needs larger pouches, large pouches are heavy and store more energy = harder handslaps.

For a few shots, the effect is more irritating than painful, but after an hour of shooting it gets unpleasant.

The Trumark S9 is giving me the most painful handslaps, I think the rotating prongs do that. OTP slingshots come second. Both designs allow the bands to pass the forks freely, that is the explanation. Saunders has very bulky fork tips, they work as a hand protection, so Bill Harriman is right.

The Clamp-On Through The Fork slingshots are very good in this regard.

Bill Hays's little trick certainly works, but you know what? I think the zip ties or metal holders taint the beauty of the slingshot. I would rather live with the handslap.

Jörg


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## Deimos (Dec 24, 2009)

I used to suffer from bad handslaps on one of my frames, but they stopped happening when I started using thinner leater o.o


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## dgui (Jan 12, 2010)

Hand slapping has to do with the position of the hand. I never ever get a slapp. Shooter positioned forward gives no slapp. If the hand is not in the way it will recieve no slapp.


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## whipcrackdeadbunny (May 22, 2010)

dgui said:


> Hand slapping has to do with the position of the hand. I never ever get a slapp. Shooter positioned forward gives no slapp. If the hand is not in the way it will recieve no slapp.


Agreed.


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## JoergS (Dec 17, 2009)

Even when flipping I get slaps, usually on the top of the thumb, the webbing or the inex finger though.

Very strong slingshots flip down automatically, my 1200 fps slomo studies clearly proof that.

Jörg


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## shot in the foot (Jan 3, 2010)

My hand has always flipped down, i only sometimes get a slap on the knuckle, but my son who also flips his hand gets realy bad hand slaps, his get that bad sometimes he cant shoot, jeff


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## Sam (Jul 5, 2010)

ZDP-189 said:


> Forgive me for asking but what does handslap feel like? I might occasionally get a slight sting in the fork hand middle finger but nothing particularly uncomfortable. Is that handslap? I have shot many forks bands and varying ammo loads, but felt nothing that would warrant all the engineering being lavished on these already fine slingshots.


For me, it's quite spontaneous, I get them intermittently, occasionally they will give a nasty sting, but most are barely painful.


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## harpersgrace (Jan 28, 2010)

another reason I shoot through the fork......


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

Yeah, shooting through the fork eliminates just about all of it.. and that's how I'm designing my mini predators that are about to debut...
But again, there's thousands upon thousands of over the tops out there already... and I've got a couple of girls who won't shoot them if they get handslaps... and lugging along a protective glove or shield of some sort, more than kind of takes away from the whole "pocket" slingshot thing.


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## Xidoo (Aug 14, 2010)

I used to get a lot of handslaps, but I started to change the way I hold my slingshot. If I hold it 90 degrees I don't get a handslap. I used to suffer a lot specially my finger from handslaps. They should be called fingerslaps, they are very painfull specially when you get hit in the tip of the finger.


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## dgui (Jan 12, 2010)

Commercial slingshots is the only time I have ever gotten a hand slap.


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