# Long Lasting Band Set



## Flatband (Dec 18, 2009)

I have a set of .030" folded tapered Latex 8 1/8"s x 1 1/2"s x 1", loaded on my favorite traditional fork (through the throat), am shooting 1/2" steel balls and have been counting my shots since I first loaded them on. So far I have 1042 shots on this set and no hint of tearing ( do have some discoloration-first sign). I wanted to do this because at the tournament Joerg had a set of Blue Theraband on one of his frames that had well over 1700 shots on them! I will up date this post as the count continues. Thin rubber can last quite awhile!







Flatband


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## JoergS (Dec 17, 2009)

How long is the band between pouch and fork, and how long is your draw?

I found that you have to avoid stretching it to the max in order to make it last.

It is amazing how soft the pouch gets after so many shots on it.


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## ZDP-189 (Mar 14, 2010)

Spot on. Stretching to the max gives a little more power at the cost of a lot more force. The more I experiment and research, the worse I think it is for longevity, accuracy and safety. I think if one is stretching to the max then one's got the wrong bands and maybe the wrong shot too.


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## Flatband (Dec 18, 2009)

I changed my anchor point and moved it back to my jawbone below my ear. That gives me a 30" draw. Band set was 7 3/4'" from pouch edge to prong tie. I also did not over stretch it to tie the pouch on and they are not near max out on elongation. The heavier ammo is a definite for longer lasting sets. I just added another 80 shots on that set this morning before the rain came. We are up to 1122! Flatband


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## Flatband (Dec 18, 2009)

After the yard work was done we did some more shooting with that set of bands putting 193 more shots on them. Took a picture of the discoloration. Probably the ball rubbing on the way through. This side will be the one to break first I'm guessing. So far the total shots on this set is 1315. This is the most accurate count on a set of bands that I ever did. Haven't missed the count since loading them on after coming back from the shoot. Amazing!







Flatband


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## Flatband (Dec 18, 2009)

Well, I put another 76 (1391 Total) shots on this set and she developed a tear in her around the 20th shot. I still shot the set ( shouldn't really shoot a torn set but I was well protected) and didn't really notice any loss in accuracy up until the tear was half the width of the band. Then the accuracy dropped substantially. Things I took away from this count of shots in this set:

Don't pre-stress too much
Stretch less when tying and just tie tighter

this was a folded tapered set which means also that the band was folded over at the pouch tie( more insulation)

Longer set then usual-slower fps -longer set-heavier ammo= more shots before breakage

no lube was used

also noticed no air bubbles in the rubber

Bands tore right at tie-not in front( which tells me I could have used less tension when tying).

I cut the bad section off and re-used the bands at 7 1/2"s before tie ( running at around 6 7/8"s from prong to pouch)

Pretty cool to get that many shots off a set of thin latex. Flatband


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## smitty (Dec 17, 2009)

Thanks Gary, great information with a scientific approach and no bias.


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## Flatband (Dec 18, 2009)

After that set finally broke,at almost 1400 shots,I retied them (now at 7 1/4" )and so far have about 400 shots on them. I plan to shoot them till they break, they will probably be too short to re-tie and too strong of a pull too,so I'll cut them at a thinner width and go down ot a 3/8" ammo size and see how many I can get. At the rate I'm going ,I'll end up with over 3000 shots on this pair of rubbers.Maybe when they break 'll re-cut and shoot BB's and get another couple of hundred!!!! The set that never died!!!!!!!! COOL!







Flatband


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## Flatband (Dec 18, 2009)

Well the re-tied set died yesterday with-get this 767 shots on her! Now I took them off and squared them up and they are 6 1/2"s long 1 1/4" x 7/8". They would be a little too short and strong rigged up this way again so I cut them for 3/8" ammo/ They are now 3/4" x 5/8" x 5 " from prong end to pouch tie and let me tell you,this rig flys at a 30 inch draw. You can hardly see the ball. Chrony is broke so I'll make a wild stab and say 240 fps. I don't think these bands will last that long with this speed but them this set is something special! Now I just hope I can find the rest of my 3/8" steel balls so i can take this set to the end of it's useful life! Pretty cool test, 2158 shots on a set of folded .030" latex using 1/2" steel and then whatever I get using the 3/8" after I re-cut. This was a fun test and I tried to maximize the bands by first checking them for cuts and bubbles and any anomalies at all with a magnifying lens. They were found to be real clean. I also left them longer then normal at the start and used pretty heavy ammo (1/2" steel). I did all right with the slower set at the start. Pretty cool. Now we need someone to do an accurate test with standard tubes and Chinese style tubes.Fun! Flatband


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## harpersgrace (Jan 28, 2010)

Talking about getting your moneys worth out of a set of bands


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## pelleteer (Dec 19, 2009)

My flats invariably tear just in front of the pouch tie (like pictured above). I'll try backing off on the pre-stress step and see how it goes. Good info, Gary. Thanks!


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## Flatband (Dec 18, 2009)

Well, I put another 111 shots on that speedy 3/8" set up but she started tearing at 86 and by 111 was torn halfway through so I stopped. I know once you go past a tear of more then 50% ,the accuracy drops big time. I won't cut these bands again for 1/8" pellets (I was toying with the idea!). So the final total shots on this set of .030" folded tapered latex bands was 2269. That is pretty cool and this is an accurate count. Pretty amazing huh? The secret is keeeping them long when you first load them on and use heavy ammo and taper the bands so they tear at the pouch so you can re-tie. BTW,I used no lube of any kind on these. Now watch the next set I tie on will last 200 shots!! That's the way it goes! Flatband


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## NoSugarRob (Jun 3, 2010)

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## Peresh (May 3, 2010)

Gary, some really cool information on this post. I'm going to see how long my bands lasts which I just got from you today. I got 120 or so shots today on it.

I'm wondering if I bring the anchor point from corner of mouth or under the ear jaw bone, how that would work. That would give me about 4"-5" of extra draw. Can't wait to try this tommorow.  Am thinking those long shots which are over 100 feet, it would be good to add a few inches instead of aiming a little higher. Got to try this.


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