# flip accuracy



## Don

Ok you flip shooters, I have a question. How do you get consistant accuracy from your flips? I've been shooting some flips I put together this winter and shooting them at targets 10 meters away. I'll shoot dead on a few times then get irratic with shots going high with pronounced rainbow trajectories or shooting wide. I'm guessing that grip variences have something to do with this but I can't pin point what I'm doing wrong. My wrist rockets take a lot of these variables out by virtue of their design and release is one of just a few variables that can screw up a shot. What do you flip shooters do to eliminate grip related errors?

Don


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## dgui

I tried to do this intuitive flip style shooting to eleminate that nasty hand slapp and no matter how much I attemp to perfect flip style it is not consistant for me. My guess is if you begin flip style shooting at age 10 you can have it impregnated into your brain so it becomes a part of your nature. It is more than likely whatever fits your hand and feels natural to you. I think this is what I am finding out about slingshot shooting. For me I keep reverting back to the way I use to shoot when I picked up my first whamo slingshot without any instruction I have developed a technique that was more than likely right for me.


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## smitty

I think the biggest effect on accuracy for me is right at the pouch. What it is made of and how it is held prior to release and the actual release. It seems if I pay attention to the pouch being released the same and held the same the ammo goes where I want. Of coarse, the method of acquiring the target must also be known before how you release the pouch is noticed. Once again I come back to: The answer is acquired only through practice and only through practice will we find the question.


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## pelleteer

Don, good to hear from you. Seems like it's been awhile.







I've found that really choking up on the fork, placing my fingers right up under where the bands are tied, has increased my consistency a good deal. Don't know if it'll solve it for you, but it's worth a shot.


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## smitty

"Worth a shot" ...no pun intended? Ha Ha! I'm sorry, it just made me smile.


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## crazyslingshot

I agree with smitty.
Any one can master any shooting method through practice, practice and practice.
The difference is just how much practice needed for mastering it.


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## njenkins

Second what Pelleteer said. It's important to have your fingers as close to the ears as possible. At least thats what i've found in my own shooting.


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## Flatband

My problem lately (it figures right before tournament time!) is releasing too soon. I acquire the target,and then release too fast before I'm really keyed into it. I have to slow down my whole routine and get back into rythum. I'll be shooting tomorrow for a couple of hours-no people-no phones-no interuptions-and inside too. Got permission from a friend to use his warehouse! Hopefully we'll get out of this slump!







Flatband


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## pelleteer

smitty said:


> "Worth a shot" ...no pun intended? Ha Ha! I'm sorry, it just made me smile.


Hey, what can I say? I'm a _pun_dit.


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## Tex-Shooter

*I need *all of the advantages that I can give myself, so here are some of my thoughts on the subject of fliers. Several years ago I made some test on hardware addressing the problem of fliers. These tests suggest that with a one by three inch pouch, you will get occasional fliers when sight shooting if the fork throat spread is less that 2 3/8 inch. That is why I always use 2 1/2 inches on mine. I also like the inside of the throat to be rounded and smooth. When I try to shoot a fork narrower than this I get an occasional flier. Now with a good flip style shooter this does not apply, however the flip style takes much longer to master than sight shooting. - Tex ------ PS, if you really want to see how accurate a frame is when sight shooting, here is a test. Lock the frame down on a bench and 30 inches back, lock down a draw pin so your draw length stays constant. Then see how tight of a group the frame will shoot from 30 feet. A good frame should shoot about a one inch group. *Warning,* don't do this if you have special emotional feelings about a certain frame, because this could become very upsetting or distraughtful to you.


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## Don

Tex-Shooter said:


> *I need *all of the advantages that I can give myself, so here are some of my thoughts on the subject of fliers. Several years ago I made some test on hardware addressing the problem of fliers. These tests suggest that with a one by three inch pouch, you will get occasional fliers when sight shooting if the fork throat spread is less that 2 3/8 inch. That is why I always use 2 1/2 inches on mine. I also like the inside of the throat to be rounded and smooth. When I try to shoot a fork narrower than this I get an occasional flier. Now with a good flip style shooter this does not apply, however the flip style takes much longer to master than sight shooting. - Tex ------ PS, if you really want to see how accurate a frame is when sight shooting, here is a test. Lock the frame down on a bench and 30 inches back, lock down a draw pin so your draw length stays constant. Then see how tight of a group the frame will shoot from 30 feet. A good frame should shoot about a one inch group. *Warning,* don't do this if you have special emotional feelings about a certain frame, because this could become very upsetting or distraughtful to you.


I'm new to shooting flips. Started this winter in my basement shooting at about 5 yards at small targets. Good to know that it is just a matter of practice and patience so I'll keep at it. BTY Tex are you still selling band sets on-line? I bought some on e-bay and went on recently and couldn't find them any more.

Don


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## Tex-Shooter

I got too busy to sell on EBay, but they are here under vender classifieds. -- Tex


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## Don

Tex-Shooter said:


> I got too busy to sell on EBay, but they are here under vender classifieds. -- Tex


Good to know I can still get them Tex, Thanks. I think I may have solved to some degree my accuracy problem. I took the flat gum rubber bands off the flip I was struggling with and replaced it with a tapered red tube band from trumark. It was one that i recycled from a trumark wrist rocket by cutting off the damaged ends. Pull is a little stiff but my shots are straighter and my hit miss ratio improved quickly. Time will tell how well they hold up with them being mounted on the forks with zip ties. This kind of experimentation is what keeps me interested in slingshots. By the way, I have one of those natural fork slingshots from Thialand coming my way. Bands don't look like much but the sling itself looks well made. Any of you other guys have one? Tell me your impressions if you do have one.

Don


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## Don

Don said:


> I got too busy to sell on EBay, but they are here under vender classifieds. -- Tex


Good to know I can still get them Tex, Thanks. I think I may have solved to some degree my accuracy problem. I took the flat gum rubber bands off the flip I was struggling with and replaced it with a tapered red tube band from trumark. It was one that i recycled from a trumark wrist rocket by cutting off the damaged ends. Pull is a little stiff but my shots are straighter and my hit miss ratio improved quickly. Time will tell how well they hold up with them being mounted on the forks with zip ties. This kind of experimentation is what keeps me interested in slingshots. By the way, I have one of those natural fork slingshots from Thialand coming my way. Bands don't look like much but the sling itself looks well made. Any of you other guys have one? Tell me your impressions if you do have one.

Don
[/quote]
Ok, I've arrived at a conclusion that tube bands are the best type for me to use. I put another set of recycled tube bands on another flip I have and it too shoots much more accurately then it did with latex flat bands. I know its not traditional, even though tradition is important to me,if I shoot this well with non traditional bands then thats the way it goes.

Don

PS I live in NH do any of you guys know of a slingshot club in NH? I was thinking of getting one started if there wasn't one existing already.


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## smitty

I like tubes also. Before I found the Dankung 20-40 and 17-45 I liked Trumark RR-T red tapered tubes the best. Like you, for me they were more accurate. I never put them on the slingshot right out of the package either. I stretch both tubes, as if they are on a fork, between my hands to find the proper length. For me, that is where they stop stretching at two inches past my draw length. This gives very good performance for target shooting.








Here are two I rigged with RR-Ts:








If I did it today, I would shorten the leather to where the hole for the tube would be as close to the slingshot as possible. I tried attaching the tube directly like flats, but I felt it shot better with the leather for over the top. I was obviously concerned about the leather hitting me in the face, but it proved itself that even one groove with no screw is plenty to hold it in place with stretched rubber around the groove.







P.S. the hole at the bottom of the handle holds a mag flashlight for night shooting. It works very well. This one has a set screw to keep the light from moving in the hole, even though the hole is snug on the mini-mag.


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## Don

smitty said:


> I like tubes also. Before I found the Dankung 20-40 and 17-45 I liked Trumark RR-T red tapered tubes the best. Like you, for me they were more accurate. I never put them on the slingshot right out of the package either. I stretch both tubes, as if they are on a fork, between my hands to find the proper length. For me, that is where they stop stretching at two inches past my draw length. This gives very good performance for target shooting.
> 
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> Here are two I rigged with RR-Ts:
> View attachment 914
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> 
> If I did it today, I would shorten the leather to where the hole for the tube would be as close to the slingshot as possible. I tried attaching the tube directly like flats, but I felt it shot better with the leather for over the top. I was obviously concerned about the leather hitting me in the face, but it proved itself that even one groove with no screw is plenty to hold it in place with stretched rubber around the groove.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> P.S. the hole at the bottom of the handle holds a mag flashlight for night shooting. It works very well. This one has a set screw to keep the light from moving in the hole, even though the hole is snug on the mini-mag.


Smitty,

Thats a cool set up you have on those slings. Right now I'm just using zip ties to mount the bands right to the forks. It takes a little doing but if I stretch the bands as I tighten the zip ties the bands stay on very nicely. Some times I have to make second or third attempts to get them on tight enough but it works. My accuracy has definitly improved and I am looking forward to setting up future slingshots in the same way.

Don


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## Don

smitty said:


> I like tubes also. Before I found the Dankung 20-40 and 17-45 I liked Trumark RR-T red tapered tubes the best. Like you, for me they were more accurate. I never put them on the slingshot right out of the package either. I stretch both tubes, as if they are on a fork, between my hands to find the proper length. For me, that is where they stop stretching at two inches past my draw length. This gives very good performance for target shooting.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here are two I rigged with RR-Ts:
> View attachment 914
> 
> 
> If I did it today, I would shorten the leather to where the hole for the tube would be as close to the slingshot as possible. I tried attaching the tube directly like flats, but I felt it shot better with the leather for over the top. I was obviously concerned about the leather hitting me in the face, but it proved itself that even one groove with no screw is plenty to hold it in place with stretched rubber around the groove.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> P.S. the hole at the bottom of the handle holds a mag flashlight for night shooting. It works very well. This one has a set screw to keep the light from moving in the hole, even though the hole is snug on the mini-mag.


Smitty,

I tried your set up on one of those silly animal carved slingshots sold on ebay and I was amazed at the results. I used a standard pull trumark tube band set up the way you pictured and got a solid little shooter that put 80% of my shots inside a 3 inch target at 5 yards. I took it outside and shot at the same 3 inch targets and though not as accurate at 10 yards I was still pleased with the results. I'm confident that with practice this set up will give me 80% accuracy at ten yards on a 4 inch target no problem. I love this forum it keeps me interested in trying new techniques and tricks to improve my shooting.

Don


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## smitty

Don, have you tried 17-45 tubes or 1/16" x 3/16" tubes on a fork with a 3" to 3 1/2" span? You can get the fractional sized tubes from Reef Scuba. They are great people to deal with. I think they are accurate to shoot.


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## dgui

Don said:


> Ok you flip shooters, I have a question. How do you get consistant accuracy from your flips? I've been shooting some flips I put together this winter and shooting them at targets 10 meters away. I'll shoot dead on a few times then get irratic with shots going high with pronounced rainbow trajectories or shooting wide. I'm guessing that grip variences have something to do with this but I can't pin point what I'm doing wrong. My wrist rockets take a lot of these variables out by virtue of their design and release is one of just a few variables that can screw up a shot. What do you flip shooters do to eliminate grip related errors?
> 
> Don


Man, just dont do it anymore. you gotta think about it way to much for it to ever be fruitful. you are working it way too hard. Throw that yoke of bondage off and just have fun.


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## Don

dgui said:


> Ok you flip shooters, I have a question. How do you get consistant accuracy from your flips? I've been shooting some flips I put together this winter and shooting them at targets 10 meters away. I'll shoot dead on a few times then get irratic with shots going high with pronounced rainbow trajectories or shooting wide. I'm guessing that grip variences have something to do with this but I can't pin point what I'm doing wrong. My wrist rockets take a lot of these variables out by virtue of their design and release is one of just a few variables that can screw up a shot. What do you flip shooters do to eliminate grip related errors?
> 
> Don


Man, just dont do it anymore. you gotta think about it way to much for it to ever be fruitful. you are working it way too hard. Throw that yoke of bondage off and just have fun.
[/quote]
Dgui,

I appreciate what your saying but to me trying to figure out how to shoot better is fun. If and when I get frustrated and uptight, I put it aside for a few days and then go back at it with a fresh attitude. I'm not trying to feed myself with a slingshot so ultimatly it all boils down to fun.

Don


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## Performance Catapults

What Smitty states in his signature is so true. We are always telling our kids to practice, but you will find all the answers to your questions if you start going thru band sets. Wear them out!!! Set a goal to wear out a band set a week, at least. Tex will tell ya, I wear out alot of band sets. If your wearing them out, you're shooting alot of rounds, and your learning without even realizing it. The body likes to do, what it does the most of. Make it second nature.


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## Thwupp-p-p

dgui said:


> ...Man, just dont do it anymore. you gotta think about it way to much for it to ever be fruitful. you are working it way too hard. Throw that yoke of bondage off and just have fun.












Incredibly Good Advice for life (_and work)_ too!!!


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## njenkins

One thing I utilize alot when flip shooting. And lately, that's the only shooting I have done; is visualizing. I visualize the trajectory the ammo is gonna go and with the flip at the end sort of "guide it" towards the target. It has helped my accuracy but the key like anything and all the fellas said; is practice. I'm without a target currently and haven't been shooting much and can really see the drop in my accuracy.

And flipping the hand towards the target really is like pitching a baseball. If you understand what you are doing there, try and do the same with the slingshot flip and you should get good results.


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## mr.joel

Tex-Shooter said:


> *I need *all of the advantages that I can give myself, so here are some of my thoughts on the subject of fliers. Several years ago I made some test on hardware addressing the problem of fliers. These tests suggest that with a one by three inch pouch, you will get occasional fliers when sight shooting if the fork throat spread is less that 2 3/8 inch. That is why I always use 2 1/2 inches on mine. I also like the inside of the throat to be rounded and smooth. When I try to shoot a fork narrower than this I get an occasional flier. Now with a good flip style shooter this does not apply, however the flip style takes much longer to master than sight shooting. - Tex ------ PS, if you really want to see how accurate a frame is when sight shooting, here is a test. Lock the frame down on a bench and 30 inches back, lock down a draw pin so your draw length stays constant. Then see how tight of a group the frame will shoot from 30 feet. A good frame should shoot about a one inch group. *Warning,* don't do this if you have special emotional feelings about a certain frame, because this could become very upsetting or distraughtful to you.


I wonder if a slightly smaller frame is more suitable for a slightly smaller pouch, say if you want to shoot .31 caliber lead balls for example.


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## Tex-Shooter

That is true a smaller pouch will shoot on a smaller fork. My problem is I like to shoot 1/2 inch steel. Also I use the top fork tip as a sight and with a narrower fork I shoot high. -- Tex


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## mr.joel

Well, I built a buncha these pocket sho0ters up at about 2 1/8 to 2 1/4." Fortunately I also have the small caliber Do-It mold in .31 and .375. Guess I'll gear 'em toward the latter with a smaller pouch and a lighter target weight bandset, heavy bands don't seem to give much more velocity with these. Nothing wrong with a pea shooter/plinker I guess.


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## Nico

Hello,

I by no means consider myself a world class shooter most of my shooting is for hunting.
I do know about flip style shooting because that is mainly how I shoot with the style of slingshots I make.

For me at least I do experience an occasional shot that will fly above the target or to the side I attribute this to the pouch release at the time of flipping.

What I mean is when you "feel the shot" you flip/release sometimes the pre-mature release will cause the wayward shot.

I noticed a decrease of this occurence when I paid less conscious attention to the flip release action and focused more on the target and just "flipped" my shot. Usually that would give me the dead on shots.


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## smitty

Hey Nico, that looks like Felix the cat with his bag of tricks!


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## Tex-Shooter

My great uncle George Herriman creatated Crazy Cat! -- Tex


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## whipcrackdeadbunny

Firstly, Tex, that's amazing; secondly, Don I think the flip was better for you with the old bands because you instinctively knew the timing of the elastic better; thirdly, I started flipping instantly, I didn't get taught, I find it natural and I have a very close grip to the top of the fork. I also don't use targeting because I use my martial training to focus on the target. it's a very natural way to shoot I find and the best for rapid fire.


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## whipcrackdeadbunny

pelleteer said:


> "Worth a shot" ...no pun intended? Ha Ha! I'm sorry, it just made me smile.


Hey, what can I say? I'm a _pun_dit.















[/quote]

I don't play poker, I can't see the big deal!


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## Sam

Using Darrell's _Pickle Fork Shooter _I've been achieving 1.5" groups from 10 yards using flatbands, attached over the top. It's like a sniper rifle!


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## dragonmaster

Some times I get all worked up when this happens I just shoot don't think just shoot the only thing I think about is the pouch then point and shoot I was amazed the first time I did this that I hit the target


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