# Good Tubes



## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

After experimenting with many many different types of tubes from pretty much every manufacturer I could find... I've settled on a few that are in my opinion _almost_ as good as flatbands.

Kent elastomer makes a 1/16" inside X 1/6" wall (3/16" OD) tube that I think is a better general use tube than the Chinese 1745 tubes (available at http://www.latex-tubing.com/ )

Hygenic makes several very nice tubes... Tex has a couple that are very nice that he sells, a real light weight tube and a heavy weight... but there's one that I like he doesn't sell... it's a perfect "in between" weight tube. It's 1/8" ID X 3/64 W, 7/32" OD. This odd size can be found at: http://www.dmesupplygroup.com/8790c.html

Both of these can be used in the half looped, or half tapered setup. The Kent tubes pull about 10.8 lbs at full draw and on a 75 degree day shoot a 7/16" steel ball at over 230 fps.... and a 3/8" steelie at over 260 fps
The hygenic tube pulls 15.4 lbs and shoots a 7/16" steel ball at 260+ fps... and a 3/8" steel ball at well over 300 fps.

These speeds at these draw weights and length are almost exactly the same as high quality latex flatbands.






One thing to note, tubes and bands have close to the same longevity once the speeds are similar... at lower speeds and a draw of 4:1 ratio these will last and last... but when you pull over 5:1 and are going over 250 fps, the difference is negligible between tubes and flats.
Of course there is the convenience factor involved with the installation of tubes... but that is also negated when using topslots or side attachments for the flats.


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## SonoftheRepublic (Jul 3, 2011)

Bill, what is the method and material you use to tie off the loops when making your tapered tube sets? I find that with the ones I have tried, when I draw and stretch them, the loop will diminish in size as the rubber stretches and pulls through the tie.


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## Jakerock (Mar 8, 2012)

Thanks for all that info!


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## leon13 (Oct 4, 2012)

thanks for the info indead its a pleasure to see ur advices


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## fsa46 (Jul 8, 2012)

Very good, useful information. Thanks for posting it Bill.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Bill, I wonder if you have worked out a formula for cut-length. Specifically, if my draw is 38", how long should I cut the tubes and how much do I double back to make the loop?

It's possible Henry in Panama has worked this out, maybe he can help?

Anyway, thanks for this post, it is very enlightening.


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## timdix (Oct 1, 2010)

Very interesting tests Bill.
I'm not suprised the mid weight extruded tube from Hygenic is the bomb. The cross sectional area by my calc is closer to 2050 rather than 1745,still light enough to maximally elongate thus maximizing velocity. It's just perfect for for mid weight ammo.
I'm intrigued as to why your looped portions are only about a third of the total length. Correct me if I'm wrong but I see better performance with a half loop/half single set up. I attach the single strand to the middle of a separate U-shaped loop with the 2 free ends tied at the fork,,,fiddlier but significantly better tube life.
I liked your technique tips...pulling back slightly at the moment of the shot is a good one.


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## Adirondack Kyle (Aug 20, 2012)

Thanks for putting in the work for us bill!! We appreciate it.


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