# Hours of Fun!



## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

Behold! Four sets of butterfly bands. 15x10mm, 13" long. 
This right here represents perhaps 1,000 shots!
Sigh...
That Joan Jett song is echoing in my head. "I hate myself for loving you"!


----------



## skropi (Mar 22, 2018)

Yeah, I shot some tubes, and when I shot flats again......well, much much faster with a much lighter draw.... When the mini challenge ends, I will give tubes their fare chance. Double 1632, and single 2040 will be tested


----------



## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

Back when I only shot these bands, before and after shoulder surgery in 2016, I would justify the hassle by saying "cutting bands should suck and shooting should be awesome, not vice versa ".
I suppose I stand by that.


----------



## Ibojoe (Mar 13, 2016)

Cuttn bands is kind of therapeutic for me. I cut them at night and dream about shooting them the next day. Btw that's my favorite cut right there. Tie them up and wind up with twelvish inches active.


----------



## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

I'll have some cool new pouches from Greece (well, from other places by way of Greece) to tie these up to tomorrow, so I have that to look forward to :thumbsup:


----------



## devils son in law (Sep 2, 2014)

It's like mowing the lawn ... something you just gotta do!


----------



## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Buttabands


----------



## raventree78 (Apr 20, 2016)

For me tieing bands is much like shooting slingshots. I am trying to perfect my technique and style to produce the best bands I can make. And I love the freedom to fiddle around with the various factors involved. Short answer is what ever part of the ball hitting the target I am doing I try to do my best on.


----------



## skropi (Mar 22, 2018)

I am at the same page as Ibojoe and raventree78, I like cutting bands, imagining how good a practice session they will bring me! I also like to make everything perfect, to the 1/10 of the millimeter ????
But tubes will be my go to when I am out and about. My daily shot count is about 200 shots, when I don't have time to shoot, so I need a setup that that doesn't require frequent changes when away from home. Now for hunting, when I make a dedicated set, it'll be just for power and speed, I don't need more than 10-15 shots when hunting anyway ????


----------



## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

I see what some of youse are saying and I appreciate it.
Making the bands is a part of the greater shooting process and should be treated with the same respect given to pouch release or any other aspect of shooting. 
Things are almost always better when done deliberately and with care then when rushed through while b!tching about it the whole time.
This morning I tied up one of the sets I made last night. I took extra time to get my folds at the pouch right and the knot right and then trimmed the excess with care. It made me focus on what I was doing, which is always something I'm looking for, and it made a great looking set of bands. So it was a double win :thumbsup:


----------



## MakoPat (Mar 12, 2018)

I like it all... but I am tinkering sort.


----------



## Bob E (Mar 23, 2015)

I don't even like admitting I know what a rotary cutter is.


----------



## crypter27 (Oct 13, 2010)

*Those are some awesome strips, bro! :thumbsup:** :thumbsup:** :thumbsup:** :thumbsup:** :koolaid:** :koolaid:*


----------



## Rayshot (Feb 1, 2010)

M.J said:


> I see what some of youse are saying and I appreciate it.
> Making the bands is a part of the greater shooting process and should be treated with the same respect given to pouch release or any other aspect of shooting.
> Things are almost always better when done deliberately and with care then when rushed through while b!tching about it the whole time.
> This morning I tied up one of the sets I made last night. I took extra time to get my folds at the pouch right and the knot right and then trimmed the excess with care. It made me focus on what I was doing, which is always something I'm looking for, and it made a great looking set of bands. So it was a double win :thumbsup:


Yeah, living in the moment, another way to put it, is something I realized for the last few years I need to work on. Reminds me of being younger when I was always (almost always) in the moment of whatever I was doing. A lot less thinking of something else I could be doing, or rather be doing, helps to live the current experience. I was simply doing the activity and whatever feeling, fatigue, enjoyment, hilarity etc, it was simply part and parcel of the activity. I enjoyed life much more when I was young and am currently working on being in the moment day to day to enjoy every bit of life's activities that I can. It takes effort to keep the garbage out of the mind.


----------



## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

Aaarrrrgggghhhhh...
These bands are too short.
I can draw them all the way back but they're maxed out and too heavy to focus on the release. It takes all my physical and mental energy to keep the pouch from flying out of my hand. They scream, for sure, but missing stuff faster isn't the point. 
Oh well. I'll cut the next set a half inch longer.


----------



## skropi (Mar 22, 2018)

M.J said:


> Aaarrrrgggghhhhh...
> These bands are too short.
> I can draw them all the way back but they're maxed out and too heavy to focus on the release. It takes all my physical and mental energy to keep the pouch from flying out of my hand. They scream, for sure, but missing stuff faster isn't the point.
> Oh well. I'll cut the next set a half inch longer.


Yeah, that sucks big time when it happens. When it does happen, I shoot a bit, and when I get very frustrated, I just cut a few millimeters off the bands ????


----------



## raventree78 (Apr 20, 2016)

M.J said:


> Aaarrrrgggghhhhh...
> These bands are too short.
> I can draw them all the way back but they're maxed out and too heavy to focus on the release. It takes all my physical and mental energy to keep the pouch from flying out of my hand. They scream, for sure, but missing stuff faster isn't the point.
> Oh well. I'll cut the next set a half inch longer.


Ohh man that is so frustrating. Everything is just perfect, except when it is not


----------



## Yosemite Sam (Feb 18, 2016)

M.J said:


> 15426658075681939869635.jpg
> Behold! Four sets of butterfly bands. 15x10mm, 13" long.
> This right here represents perhaps 1,000 shots!
> Sigh...
> That Joan Jett song is echoing in my head. "I hate myself for loving you"!


MJ, where did you get the cutting mat?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## RenegadeShooter (Sep 30, 2018)

I just read through each of the post on this topic. Interesting to read the various thoughts on cutting and tying bands. So here are my thoughts on the subject.

1. Learning to cut and tie bands is just one more aspect of slingshot shooting that can and perhaps should be learned along with wrap and tuck tying bands to the forks since some slingshot makers are still in the dark ages and haven't caught up with the times in providing a no tie attachment method.

2. Tubes are definitely much easier to cut to length and maybe even easier to tie than flat bands. Tubes are also much easier to attach to the slingshot frame than flat bands are. However, I've found that most of the tube sets available for purchase are way too short for my liking. Which makes learning to cut and tie tubes plus and necessary art form.

3. There are a few places that I can buy slingshot bands already tied and ready to attach which is so much easier than cutting and tying them myself. Probably the best source I've found is A+Slingshots. I have also bought quite a few sets of bands on eBay from US Slingshots and I like those bands just as much as any other source. They run around $5 per set.

4. Cutting and tying your own bands or tubes gives the luxury of experimenting with various widths and lengths rather than having to just buy what the seller provides.


----------

