# Which Do You Prefere? "band Life Or Speed"



## gamekeeper john

*"band life or speed"*​
*do you prefere band life or speed?*

TARGET SHOOTERS = straight cut bands (not so fast but a very long life span)2715.43%TARGET SHOOTERS = slightly tapered (quiet fast and quiet a long life span)4726.86%TARGET SHOOTERS = extreme tapered (very fast but not a long life span)74.00%HUNTERS = straight cut bands (not so fast but a very long life span)95.14%HUNTERS = slightly tapered (quiet fast and quiet a long life span)4425.14%HUNTERS = extreme tapered (very fast but not a long life span)137.43%HUNTERS & TARGET SHOOTERS = tubes or square2816.00%


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## gamekeeper john

hi, i have started this poll to see if people prefere band life or speed, the greater the taper on a band set the faster they shoot,,, the lesser the taper the longer they last,,,,
so first of all target shooters would probaly prefere band life as they shoot hundreds of shots a day, but hunters dont realy shoot loads of shots off and therefore would probaly go for the speed, 
for example on my gamekeeper range i only taper my bands from 25mm to 20mm and they put out good power and have a good life span, but on my own personal hunting catapult i use a taper from 30mm to 15mm this is a lot faster but doesnt last as long,,,,,, 
please answer in all honesty, i have set the poll up so we can see what you prefere and if there is a difference in target shooters and hunters!
if you are a "target shooter" please only answer questions 1, 2, 3 or 7, 
if you are a "hunter" please answer only questions 4, 5, 6 or 7, many thanks john


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## dgui

I must have both or I won't play.


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## Dayhiker

dgui said:


> I must have both or I won't play.


Yeah, me too.


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## Bugar

I got sevral sets, hanging on the peg, and switch around-gotta have all kinds to play with, big taper, no taper, short, long, whatever, and pouches too


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## NightKnight

Mainly speed, but band life is important too. My least favorite thing about slingshot shooting is attaching bands.


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## M.J

AaronC said:


> Mainly speed, but band life is important too. My least favorite thing about slingshot shooting is attaching bands.


Mine too; freaking hate it! Making band sets and especially attatching pouches bums me out.
I love my super-fast bands but if I had to choose one or the other I would probably have to choose the pretty fast but long lasting fixed Chinese tubes.


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## mckee

doestent realy bother me as long as i can shoot im ok


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## slingshot_sniper

Dayhiker said:


> I must have both or I won't play.


Yeah, me too.
[/quote]

DITTO


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## NaturalFork

M_J said:


> Mainly speed, but band life is important too. My least favorite thing about slingshot shooting is attaching bands.


Mine too; freaking hate it! Making band sets and especially attatching pouches bums me out.
I love my super-fast bands but if I had to choose one or the other I would probably have to choose the pretty fast but long lasting fixed Chinese tubes.
[/quote]

Attaching pouches and bands is annoying. The saunders cams solve one end of that problem. Too bad I really like naturals.


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## PandaMan

Well I don't hunt, but I think you should offer 2 different band sets, and when someone orders give them the choice of the two. So one extreme taper and one slightly tapered. The slightly tapered would be all around type bands and the extreme would be just purely hunting bands. Surely there is no one who uses their slingshot 100% for hunting, though...


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## philly

PandaMan said:


> Well I don't hunt, but I think you should offer 2 different band sets, and when someone orders give them the choice of the two. So one extreme taper and one slightly tapered. The slightly tapered would be all around type bands and the extreme would be just purely hunting bands. Surely there is no one who uses their slingshot 100% for hunting, though...


Frogman does and his posts show how effective he is at it.
Philly


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## flippinout

It matters not whether hunting or target shooting- I want top speed and flat trajectory. Rubber is cheap and changing and making bands is a small task in exchange for a flat and hard shooting band set. So long as i get 100 shots I am content.


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## Nico

I _only _use a slingshot for hunting and what little target shooting I do is for sharpening before hunting I dont target shoot for fun or even shoot targets like a target shooter.. Simply do some shooting exercises to stay sharp for hunting.

Band life matters to me but power for me is more about the bands being able to handle the heavy projectiles, if a projectile loops over a longer range "who cares" you can always compensate the distance as I do not aim, instinctive shooting makes it easy to compensate. A 277 or 300 grain projectile traveling at 150 or l65 fps will have a lot more damage knock down/shock trauma wise than a 130 grain projectile traveling at 250 to 300 fps, field proven by many.

Nico


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## philly

flippinout said:


> It matters not whether hunting or target shooting- I want top speed and flat trajectory. Rubber is cheap and changing and making bands is a small task in exchange for a flat and hard shooting band set. So long as i get 100 shots I am content.


Couldn't agree more ,Nathan add to that a comfortable draw weight at anchor and you have the perfect band set.

Philly


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## Flatband

Speed Baby!!!!







Flatband


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## M.J

Flatband said:


> Speed Baby!!!!
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> Flatband


That's because you're a band-cutting genius and you could tie pouches in your sleep!


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## Eddie_T

My initial interest in sling shots was as a survival weapon for hunting in case of a total economic crash. Band life considerations and the aging of latex make them questionable for long term use when sources for elastics become scarce. Also the economics are poor compared to air rifle and 22LR. Consider the costs of bands and ammo if you're only getting several hundred shots per band set.

In spite of the above I am hopelessly hooked because they are so much fun to make and shoot.


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## srs45

Speed. Saying that my band just broke and I have no spare


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## Hrawk

I like 1745's from Dankung.

Gives me the best of both worlds!


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## Brooklyn00003

Not that I am hunting alot but as long as it is able to take a bird from like 20-25 meters it is strong enough or me thats said about power the rest is longevity as I hate to tie bands.


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## Charles

One thing that has not been mentioned thus far is ease of pull. I like slightly tapered bands because they give me higher speed and are easier to pull. The easier pull and higher speed combine to make me more accurate. I voted in the hunter category, even though most of what I do is plinking these days. I do not spend a lot of time shooting traditional targets.

I love to go out and shoot stones, which are heavier than normal target ammo. So I do not want too much taper. I want longer band life than extreme taper allows. Nothing shuts down a nice plinking session faster than having to stop and change bands in the field ... yep, I can do it, have done it, will do it in the future ... but I would rather not have to do it. For example, I was recently driving back from Las Vegas on those secondary roads through the desert. I got stopped because they were resurfacing the road and had to wait about 30 minutes, as there was only one lane for about 25 miles. While waiting, I got out, walked to the edge of the road, and began shooting at tin cans, bushes, and large rocks, using small stones from the shoulder. It was fun! If the bands had broken, I would not have bothered to fix them, not knowing if I would have enough time to do so.

Cheers ...... Charles


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## flippinout

I still feel that rubber is cheap and the time to replace a bandset is minimal. So for hunting I like extreme power at the cost of band life.

However, I have recently started shooting TBG with no tapers and am amazed at the speed and most especially the bandlife. The pull is a little less smooth than a tapered set, but the longevity is impressive. I have one set with at least 1500 shots on it and no sign of wear.

I am also shooting chinese tubes more and more- good life and good speed.


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## -SRS-45-

flippinout said:


> I still feel that rubber is cheap and the time to replace a bandset is minimal. So for hunting I like extreme power at the cost of band life.
> 
> However, I have recently started shooting TBG with no tapers and am amazed at the speed and most especially the bandlife. The pull is a little less smooth than a tapered set, but the longevity is impressive. I have one set with at least 1500 shots on it and no sign of wear.
> 
> I am also shooting chinese tubes more and more- good life and good speed.


Erm I'm getting about 50 shots before I get a tare with double thera black tapered full butterfly, maybe I should re-evaluate..


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## Rock Thrower

I'm new at this as well and i hope it hasn't been posted but is there a set of flatlands that last a long time but shoot really well? Thanks for any help.


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## archerben15

Band speed isn’t everything. Eventually you have to consider all of the factors. Band longevity and speed are very important things to consider, but as important as band speed is, the one thing that matters most is the projectiles velocity. When you put the eventual velocity of the projectile as you primary concern you will find that band speed means less, and a happy medium can usually be found between longevity, velocity and economy. I find my medium with a tapered chain band. They last a long time and will shoot large projectiles with great force. This, accompanied with their low price, makes for a great band that is not exceptional in any category but is good in every category.


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## Alex Jacob

I'm not voting in this - I keep changing my mind. I'm using narrow tubing right now and all my catties are set up for a quick change. The options are basically straight loops (as 'twere), i.e. 2 tubes per side, or 2:1 stepped tubes which are nice and fast but don't last long. If the catty has the latter on I take a spare straight set. If it has a straight set on I don't bother with a spare.


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## Rock Thrower

I've been using the latex which I will continue to use but I'm also looking for a flat and that will last longer. I use to use lineman rubber gloves but they are difficult to cut.


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## Jakerock




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## August West

Jakerock said:


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I don't understand what this means????


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## Jakerock

Zombie thread.


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## August West

Gotcha.


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## termite

I'm just an old retired coot that likes to read the great posts here and learn a little. I prefer making board cut slingshots and giving them away to friends and family and not for sale. I can shoot OK but would rather make slingshots than shoot them and I just love to try different band combinations from straight to tapered flat bands. I make most of my bands and pouches but also order some from Mr Bill. I have other interests and so slingshots are something I like to do but take backseat to my other endeavors. My preference is a slight tapered double band set in TBG. I just love the feel of the power!


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## Ordie69

I only target shoot so super fast bands are not a requirement for me. As long as I have minimal, and you can read that as approximately zero drop, in my ammo at the range I am shooting, that is my preference. I only shoot between 15' and 30' so I have a few sets.


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## jayw81

Hrawk said:


> I like 1745's from Dankung.
> 
> Gives me the best of both worlds!


I agree... 1745 for me


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## valkerie

I'm still experimenting. At the moment i've been doinga lot of shooting at long range (100yds) so speed is pretty important!


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## RockinRabbit

Eddie_T said:


> My initial interest in sling shots was as a survival weapon for hunting in case of a total economic crash. Band life considerations and the aging of latex make them questionable for long term use when sources for elastics become scarce. Also the economics are poor compared to air rifle and 22LR. Consider the costs of bands and ammo if you're only getting several hundred shots per band set.
> 
> In spite of the above I am hopelessly hooked because they are so much fun to make and shoot.


I agree to an extent but I'd like you to c u pick up a rock and shoot it out of any rifle.


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## Berkshire bred

thats a good point. i hunt and target shoot so i have many different band combinations but in general because i do a lot of hunting i like fast bands so i can get a clean kill.


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## hood

Tubes for hunting, flats for target.


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## Adirondack Kyle

I find that tapering isnt worth it, hunting or not. If i cut doubles of tex or thera flats, and cut em a little short, i can get almost as much speed and have my bands last


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## Adirondack Kyle

Im not sure about that. Think about it. If you needed a lifetime supply of latex, tubes or whatever(for the revolution). And the world was imploding. I think i have about two years worth between the packs of unopened golds gym latex, and rubber manufactures, no longer in business but at this point its survival. I think you could raid a few walmarts, stuff like that. Vaccume seal a bunch of latex. It could be done. Now well see if my wife will let me buy a vaccume sealer, you know, for the zombie invasion? This slingshot hobby started off cheap enough


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## Adirondack Kyle

Acually, for 50 bucks, you can get 100 foot roll of the infamous tex tube? Thats alot of tubing. Its good to know tex has our back just in case.


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## Tex-Shooter

I am not sellng 100 foot coils of my heavy tubing now, only 50 foot rolls for $26 and it is now black.


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## Parallaxus

Forgive me if this question has been answered already but...

As a noob, I think I'm most concerned with band life. What flat bands last the longest and what tubes last the longest? Am I correct in that tubes last longer?

Cheers


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## Parallaxus

My apologies. I just found other forum posts about the topic of bands etc.
Ignore my noob mistake


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## plinker45

August West said:


> 'Jakerock' said:
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> I don't understand what this means????
Click to expand...

me neither but its making me hungry


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## Dr J

I think where you live and the availability of material will influence the decision one makes. Not everyone can run down to the corner store and pick up rubber. I need my bands to last as long as they can, and still provide an adequate amount of speed.


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## Portland Stumpy

I would rather double up on the bands and have to change them less frequently.


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## LVO

I always prefer speed over band life...... until they break...then I'm wishing I had gone for band life


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## myusername

for target shooting i like band life. i straight cut and usually add more layers and cut the bands longer so i stretch them less.


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## LucasDay

I personally still enjoy sitting down and making my bands. I like crafting my pouches when I'm out in my shop but they tend to last about 4 band life's then are tossed. I shoot .177 bb's only and cut out extreme tapered bands from black and blue Thera band. I don't expect more then 50 to 100 shots from them for the most part. Pop cans tend to be my target of choice. After about 100 shots into a can I'm ready to go in. When I walk the creek I'm pretty particular about shoot placement so I can make them last at least to my turn around point. I like to toss sticks in the creek and shoot at a non static target from up on the bank till it hits a bend and is out of sight.


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## poekoelan

I don't mind cutting and making bandsets, but I can't stand it when a bandset starts to tear during a shooting session. So I've begun using tubes lately and am quite happy with them. Speed is good and band life is outstanding. I still shoot flats. But when my son and I get together to spend an evening shooting, I go for tubes.

If I had to pick only one, I'd go for band life over speed.


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## Fullpower24hour

I love the 30-15mm band set up. Especially shooting on a slingshot that’s made for it like a PP scorpion or a PPMG. Band life is an issue but you get used to that and it forces you to make band sets that are spot on. That said, I like making band sets, and don’t mind taking 1/2 an hour to make one and get it just right. The best tip I can give any one to increase band life is to use a safety ruler (the M shaped type) as it distributes pressure evenly for a better cut on the band.


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## AUSSIE4

I am a hunter who uses slightly tapered bands with relative band life. All the tapers I use are only different by 5mm or less. e.g: 25-20mm, 27-22mm, 28-23mm, 30-25mm, 23-18mm.


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