# Newbie? Band material? Taper vs straight?



## Plainjay88 (Nov 22, 2018)

Hey everyone, to those celebrating. Happy Thanksgiving. I grew up with a wrist rocket as a kid but up until a months ago didn't realize you could adequitly Hunt with a slingshot. I've hunted my entire life and am sort of a "survivalist" so I'm wanting to get back into this sport with that in mind. Once I'm accurate enough my primary use would be hunting birds squirls and rabbits, and I have a 45 cal round ball mold for making lead Ammo. I've been watching a lot of videos and searching the forum to learn but still have a few questions.

My goal is to have a slingshot that I can hunt with using heaver Ammo. 36 to 45 cal lead. I'd rather the bands to last as long as possible. Between tbg, pure latex, precise and gzk or I don't remember the options. What's the best in your opinion when looking at shot count with heavy Ammo for hunting. That said, taper vs straight. From what I read theTaper goes faster and straight cut last longer but I can't find any "numbers" with heavy Ammo. How much fps difference are we talking about. And how much does tapering shorten the life of the bands?


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## KawKan (May 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum!

You can't beat tubes for durability. They are also easy to assemble. DanKung has built a good reputation on their tubes. The 2040s are the lightest for ammo that you have in mind. 1842s are more potent. 1745s are very potent. Consider full loops of 2040s or 1842s for a short draw or face anchor. Good luck.


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## RenegadeShooter (Sep 30, 2018)

Sounds like you're looking for something from A+Slingshots.com Perhaps even the Big Tube Hunter or my favorite the Kit Fox. Both have strong long lasting tubes. A+ also features some nice flat band models all cut wider for hunting. Let us know what you end up with.


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## Blue Raja (Feb 10, 2016)

Ditto what Renegade Shooter said. Perry and Kay at A+ Slingshots are great people to work with. Send them an email telling them what you want and they will make a recommendation for you.


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## skropi (Mar 22, 2018)

How long rubber lasts is a tricky question, it just depends on so many factors. Generally, for hunting you don't need much band life, as you don't shoot many shots, but for practicing, band life is a bit more important. 
I agree with the others though, if band life is a prerogative, then tubes are well worth it, and they are much simpler to get "right" too! 
I am a flat band man btw, so, I would suggest starting with tubes, but also give flat bands a try too later and see what your preference is.


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## Plainjay88 (Nov 22, 2018)

Thanks for all the advice. I should of put this in the original post. I know tubes do last the longest. But I want to stay with flats and just get the longest lasting out of them. And I realize for the most part it is a tricky question because their are so many factors but I just mean as a general rule of thumb which flat bands seem to be more durable.


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

I'd personally go for tubes as well ;-P

You need to experiment to get the ideal - I'd start off say with 25-20mm taper TBG or similar if you get handclap you know you're too heavy.


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## oldmiser (Jan 22, 2014)

With any elastic's you should treat it with some stuff called 303 Aerospace Protentant against the UV rays or just plain oxyagen....that will desinagrate the elastic's

being flat material or tube's...Amazom has the stuff.................Alto the tube's will loast longer ..are quite..no band slap noise.....1842 tube's made in full loop set..will launch the lead .45 cal ammo..

and have good smack down power.....ya need atleast #8 pull back draw..too have a humane kill head shots.........

akaOldmiser


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## KawKan (May 11, 2013)

Simple-Shot Black is the most durable flatband I have tried.

If you're shooting heavy, try 7/8 inch straight cuts, or a mild taper - 1-inch to 3/4-inch, or 7/8 to 5/8.


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## oldmiser (Jan 22, 2014)

*And black theraband shoots well in cold weather.....go with what KawKan recomends for a stright cut band set..*

*have a good tie shootin......akaOldmiser*


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## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

Welcome


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## Plainjay88 (Nov 22, 2018)

Thanks everyone. I got my hands on a little but of the amber latex but when that runs out I'll probably get some tubs and maybe the Ss black to experiment with. Thanks again


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## Tree Man (Jun 30, 2016)

Have you looked into linatex? I get really good longevity out of a set of straight cuts with plenty of knock down power for any small game out there. It's a bit of a tougher draw, but only slightly. Then there's good ol gum rubber. The thicker gauge stuff last forever and hits hard. I'd consult with master Flatband on the subject. He'll set ya straight. 
Welcome to the obsession.


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## Pebble Shooter (Mar 29, 2014)

As a rule of thumb, increasing taper implies decreasing life span of flat bands. I have found that a 30% taper seems to be a good compromise between projectile velocity and life span of thinner band rubber i.e.0.5 mm and lower.

From my experience, thicker band rubber i.e. 0.7 mm thickness and higher, seems to have a very good life span even if the taper is 50%: I received some ready made band sets with a Chinese "chasing dragon" slingshot I purchased, which have achieved over 250 shots, and are still going strong. Moreover, these bands and other variants are less affected by colder temps: the blue bands shown in the photo even work at 5 Celsius.

The quality of the rubber used, and the way the bands are tied to the forks and pouch are also key factors in terms of band longevity. From a point of view of hunting (prohibited in mainland Europe), I would assume that thicker rubber (0.8 mm) tapered to 40-50% percent should work quite well for heavier lead ammo in .38 caliber or slightly larger. I have never used lead ammo.

You might find what you need in the Chinese "Precise" brand, or what is available at GZK: please see the links below.

https://www.dankung.com/Gcontent/genuine-precise-latex-band-best-and-most-people-used-flat-slingshot-band_2419

and

https://trade.onloon.net/detail?itemId=eac48ed0b0c048b0aba8b016204f1f62


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