# Fork strike/Flyers



## manitasdeplomo (Oct 31, 2016)

Yesterday I took a couple of shots(8 I think) whilst out walking the dog. Half were done with 11mm steel bearings and the other half with 8mmX11mm lead bean shot. I am shooting TTF with single TBG 23mm to 20mm taper. I got two nasty fork strikes that dented the aluminium frame and messed up the powder coating, and had two flyers, this happened using the steel bearings.

The beans on the other hand flew fine and I managed to hit a floating piece of wood on the opposite side of a canal 3 out 4 times, which impressed me because I'm still very much a beginner.

Can someone guess what caused this? I am thinking the pouch might be the problem, specifically the hole in the centre of the pouch not being big enough. Is this possible? Help is mucho welcome because I recently bought 300 of those ball bearings :banghead:


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

http://slingshotforum.com/topic/23909-how-to-avoid-fork-and-hand-hits/


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## manitasdeplomo (Oct 31, 2016)

Thanks ...should have searched first I think.


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

manitasdeplomo said:


> Thanks ...should have searched first I think.


If you don't figure it out just shout out again . It's hard to determine exactly without seeing your set up and your shooting style .


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## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

That's why we join the Forum, to learn from others. Great post


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## inconvenience (Mar 21, 2016)

I don't do much right, but I do have very strict form. So I've been blessed never to have a fork hit.

I have however had my share of "WTF!" wild misses.

If you are shooting halfway well, and you have eliminated factors like bad form (canting wrist, draw not centered etc.) the first place I would look for any kind of anomolies would be your pouch control.

It just cannot be emphasized enough how much of slingshot shooting is handling and releasing the pouch well and consistently.

The frame is just what holds the elastic in place by comparison.


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## manitasdeplomo (Oct 31, 2016)

inconvenience said:


> I don't do much right, but I do have very strict form. So I've been blessed never to have a fork hit.
> 
> I have however had my share of "WTF!" wild misses.
> 
> ...


I think canting my wrist was part of the problem since I was shooting with a pinch grip. I haven't had it happen since, but I must say I've only shot the lead beans since then. I find it hard to practice since it's illegal to shoot outside in public areas and so I'm always on the lookout for police or nosy people. The result is that I often shoot hastily and tensed.


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

Yeah - would be nice to have shoot-friendly spaces around... Same problem my side.


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## inconvenience (Mar 21, 2016)

manitasdeplomo said:


> inconvenience said:
> 
> 
> > I don't do much right, but I do have very strict form. So I've been blessed never to have a fork hit.
> ...


I live in an apartment. I build catch boxes with lots of padding and use a leather target with a bit of mild steel as a "bullseye." It makes very little noise, so I get a lot of early morning and late night shooting. My woman got tired of me shooting inside. Even after I got accurate enough I no longer put holes in the walls.


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## manitasdeplomo (Oct 31, 2016)

mattwalt said:


> Yeah - would be nice to have shoot-friendly spaces around... Same problem my side.


Isn't it legal to shoot catapults in the U.K.? Or only on private property or with permission? It's been 15 years since I lived across the channel so I can't remember what is was like.

Got a couple of Bill Hays' frames two days ago and since I'm shooting OTT my accuracy seems to have improved and have been getting no more fork strikes, even with steel. Also I have been paying attention to the height of my anchor point which made a noticeable difference.


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## romanljc (May 26, 2014)

manitasdeplomo said:


> mattwalt said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah - would be nice to have shoot-friendly spaces around... Same problem my side.
> ...


Everyone's different but I seem to have noticed the same thing it's probably because there is more clearance for the bands and projectile .
But then other people will tell you they shoot TTF better so everyone is different you have to just try both and see what happens everyone has there own style of shooting so your going to get different results.


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

Yeah - its legal in the UK - hunting with seems to be OK legally (but have found contradiction in the law). Land access is the big headache for me. You either need to have a friend with a farm or be lucky enough to have some good bridle/green/walk ways. Unfortunately I don't have anyone local with any land bigger than a postage stamp. And being I'm in a more tourist friendly area - walk ways are a issue. My garden is fine - but have to keep shot in that area only - and always a chance the neighbours may complain... Also you'll probably need liability insurance (to be safe).


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