# Use what I have or buy a scout?



## kpla51 (Oct 19, 2014)

Ok so Im an avid small game hunter and have always used my 22. Well today I puled out the chief aj sling bow and took off the brace and put some barnett bands on it from academy and went out. I had a blast even though I wasn't too accurate. I know I need to practice but heres my question. Are flat bands better than tubes for hunting? It didn't seem like it was to powerful and Im assuming it was the barnett bands. Im interested in the Scout since I've read great things about it, will it make a good hunting slingshot or should I just stick to what I have?


----------



## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Did that have the flip arrow rest also ?

The flats will be better than those tubes .

Buy the Scout .


----------



## kpla51 (Oct 19, 2014)

treefork said:


> Did that have the flip arrow rest also ?


yes but I removed it, the bands it came with were toast and snapped when a buddy was shooting arrows off his balcony. So I figured for 4 bucks Id buy the bands from academy and try it out.

How lond do flat bands last? I read they don't last as long as tubes. Just thinking ahead and might order a few sets if I'm convinced to get the scout.


----------



## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

You can mount flats on that frame also . Just lay the flat on the fork and wrap and tuck with a latex strip . Works good .


----------



## kpla51 (Oct 19, 2014)

treefork said:


> You can mount flats on that frame also . Just lay the flat on the fork and wrap and tuck with a latex strip . Works good .


So what is the main difference in the two frames performance wise, is one more efficient than the other? Or is it just user preference.


----------



## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

The Scout will work better with flats . They can be mounted OTT or TTF or looped or single tubes . They scout is more ergonomic with the option of hammer grip , finger brace or a pinch grip . Very versatile .


----------



## oldmiser (Jan 22, 2014)

Buy a scout man you will be glad you did..Great shooter...All bands & tubes are subject to wear out ..The bands set come's long cut

for the scout ..so you will have to adjust for your draw length....Note: you may want to get a couple extra band sets...

~AKAOldmiser


----------



## SimpleShot (Aug 30, 2012)

You will likely have more than three slingshots eventually. The Scout is 25% off until Dec. 25. Grab one and give it a try. If you don't like it, they are easy to trade with others or pass along to a friend.


----------



## MakeSlingshots (Jul 16, 2015)

Scout


----------



## Phoul Mouth (Jan 6, 2015)

Buy the scout. Everything Treefork said is spot on, plus they are on sale. You won't regret it.


----------



## StretchandEat (Nov 11, 2015)

I say use what you got... and buy a scout.. I love mine.. and instead of Barnet tubes I like theratube blue... though I shoot better with flats.. I've killed many squirrels with both.. oh yeah I don't like barnets pouches non what so ever


----------



## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

the scout seems great for giving you the chance to try different set ups with bands and tubes. you can do ott, ttf with both bands and tubes, and then try looped tubes. many sizes of tubing and choice. from the scout you will be able to get an idea of what set ups you favor and then you can buy a slingshot to solely fit that need or not.


----------



## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

Nathan's spot on with you'll have more than 3 SSs in your life. SSs are like food, variety is the spice of life. I keep saying, "Now, dang it, I've got more than enough slingshots, so why do I have three more in the making on my work bench?" I just finished a board cut frame and am starting yet another board cut hybrid creation and have two ergo nattys going too... this is stupidly fun!!! Yeah, buy that Scout, it's cheap, universal and stout and as Nathan said, you can trade it like bullion here on the forum if you would rather have some other frame.

You'll use what you have also. I shoot ALL my slingshots during a month's time. I call it my slingshot harem. I love 'em all and fondling them is fun. (!!) (??) :hmm:

KPLA51, Your frame is fine, it may be the tube/ammo combination that is affecting accuracy. Believe me, when I change bands as in width or length, I have to cringe sometimes when fliers abound and I don't know why...it's like gun ammo...some is sweet in X gun and some sux...yet in other guns the sux ammo works fine. Try different ammo or different tubes or tie flats to the frame like I do and forget tubes...try it all amigo to find what combo works. For wire frames I made a short section of tube, say inch, slip it over the fork tip and roll it like a rubber back, then lay a flat band on the wire frame and roll the tube cuff over it so it covers the flat... a tube cuff over a flat band is what it's called, and tie sometimes over the cuff just to make sure it's gonna hold, and don't other times... Off the cuff this cussed cuff method works fine for me. Puns intended.


----------



## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

http://www.aplusslingshots.com/slingbows.html For the sling bowers A+ has a new version of the Jackalope slingbow. Longer arm strut and beefier. I like his pseudo taper tube set up. I did this with flat band broken bands by the way, to recycle them...a pseudo flat taper?? Yep. Works like a charm too with minimum pull and max snap. I was shooting this set up Saturday and was super pleased with my recycled idea.


----------



## you'llshootyereyeout (Apr 5, 2014)

As a guy that almost exclusively makes and shoots his own frames, the Scout is an excellent starting point for slingshots. It's durable,versatile, and affordable. I can't think of a single active member of the forum that has just one or two slingshots. So it's likely that over time you'll end up with a bit of a collection. And before you plunk down some money on a custom made frame it's a good idea to see what you like. The Scout will be useful in this regards as you cam hold it in many ways and shoot many different bands or tube setups with it.

Aside from comfort the thing you'll be looking for is paring the band set to the proper ammo. Using ammo that's too heavy or too light will adversely affect the oreformance of a band/tube set. In addition pouch selection is important. Pouches that are too big or too small could result in hand slaps and return to senders or flyers. Look in the hunting section to find list of what combo other members are shooting.

I'm interested to hear what you decide and how it works out for you.


----------



## kpla51 (Oct 19, 2014)

I placed an order for the scout and two sets of their +p bands for 3/8th steel which I will be mostly shooting. All for under 40 bucks I couldn't pass it up,


----------



## StretchandEat (Nov 11, 2015)

You are gonna love it... what color


----------



## kpla51 (Oct 19, 2014)

StretchandEat said:


> You are gonna love it... what color


All black. Almost went with the camo but decided against it. Would of loved the green/black but they were out of stock.

I'm thinking of maybe getting a cool cerakote job on it one day to personalize it.


----------



## StretchandEat (Nov 11, 2015)

I have the double black also.. though I thought about the black widowed color 1.. to tell you the truth.. iDE like to have 1 of every color


----------



## StretchandEat (Nov 11, 2015)

Cerakote?


----------



## kpla51 (Oct 19, 2014)

StretchandEat said:


> Cerakote?


Its a very durable coating thats used on fire arms but people can do some great work with it. I was thinking maybe a camo design, Ive had this coating on my block for a long time and its been outstanding.

Heres a link check out some of the cool designs and imagine it being on a slingshot!

http://www.cerakoteguncoatings.com/gallery/?gclid=CKKG0e6T7skCFcodgQodS_UAcQ


----------



## StretchandEat (Nov 11, 2015)

Is it the stuff that they apply by dipping your gun into to apply it? They use to put marsh grass camo on duck guns


----------



## kpla51 (Oct 19, 2014)

StretchandEat said:


> Is it the stuff that they apply by dipping your gun into to apply it? They use to put marsh grass camo on duck guns


I believe what you are referring to is called hydrodipping. cerakote is a paint like product that is sprayed on and then baked. A lot of gun shops do it for very reasonable prices depending on how detailed you want to go. Also it works very well on polymers so a slingshot like the scout would be very cool to do.

Speaking of hydro dipping I think they did a limited edition scout in camo


----------



## StretchandEat (Nov 11, 2015)

Simile to powder coating


----------



## JediMike (Jan 1, 2015)

Bro tubes are fine. Lots of game been taken with tubes.
The only thing is most commercial tubes are designed to launch anvils rather than marbles, so may be hard to draw.
If you can draw and hold comfortably, party on.

That said, buy more slingshots! Tubes, bands, coiled antelope entrails , shoot them all


----------



## calinb (Apr 4, 2015)

kpla51 said:


> I placed an order for the scout and two sets of their +p bands for 3/8th steel which I will be mostly shooting. All for under 40 bucks I couldn't pass it up,


You did great to take advantage of the Christmas sale! No matter how your collection fills out or what your favorite SSs turn out to be, I guarantee that you will not regret your purchase. I already have a Scout and I've been thinking about picking up another one during the Christmas sale.

In my experience with hundreds of rounds shot across a chrony (I'm also a gear head with a large collection of latex band material), flatbands can be setup at high elongation factor, tapers, and sometimes doubled or tripled layers to beat tubes for speed, but when you back off the flatband elongation factor to increase their longevity, there's often not a clear winner--at least from what I've measured and experienced. Admittedly I've not collected comprehensive longevity data like I have with my chrony data so some of this generalization is my personal swag at a comparison.

I am pretty confident that if someone were to send me any kind of bandset made with tubes, the ammo it was designed to optimally shoot, and a specified draw length/weight, I could devise a bandset made with flatbands that would shoot the ammo at a superior speed at the specified draw length/weight. My flatband set would very often not last is long as the set made from tubes, but not always.

The nice thing about the Scout is it works very well with many bandsets (flats or tubes) in a wide variety of configurations and, if you like to chrony drag-race bandsets, as I do, it's usually quick and easy to swap them around or even adjust their active length during testing.


----------



## TheDaddy187 (Jun 21, 2014)

why not build one... 
find a Nice fork and shape and sand...
or get adventurous with some multiplex and a coping saw...

using something you made for the thing you made it for successfully feels twice as good as using something premade...

buy some theraband gold and a roller cutter...
make many band sets until you find the right one for you...

i see this hobby as one you can adapt to what you want it to be... rather than one you must adapt to...


----------



## tyrone8511 (May 2, 2014)

I am no expert but I have a scout and it is an awesome slingshot and if I remember correctly it comes with a latex band set so you can kill 2 birds with 1 stone, figuratively speaking well probably literally too. I do agree with thedaddy187 too though, if you like working with your hands make a natty and rather buy a roller cutter and some theraband or latex, way more experimenting.


----------



## kpla51 (Oct 19, 2014)

the scout came in today and after a little time I was nailing a can from 6 meters consistently ( 6 meters is the length of my garage). Im enjoying it a lot and hopefully Ill be good enough soon to hunt with it. Id say at 6 meters Id be comfortable taking game.


----------



## StretchandEat (Nov 11, 2015)

How are you holding it?(what grip)


----------



## kpla51 (Oct 19, 2014)

StretchandEat said:


> How are you holding it?(what grip)


Fort supported not completely sideways but at a cant. The index finger gets a hot spot on the slingshot by the point but I might round that off just a little where it. Big learning curve sometimes ill hit the can 15 times in a row and then hit an inch right 10 times. At least I'm being consistent with POI and am having a ton of fun with it.

I might order a regular axiom since the ball shape at the bottom feels a little funny ( Is there a technical term for that?) Any tips are welcome!

Whats the best way to post a video?


----------



## kpla51 (Oct 19, 2014)

heres a 5 inch target set up in the garage,


----------



## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

kpla51 said:


> StretchandEat said:
> 
> 
> > How are you holding it?(what grip)
> ...


It's called a " palm swell " .


----------



## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

kpla51 said:


> heres a 5 inch target set up in the garage,


You're crushing that 5 inch disc . Time to go to the 4 inch disc . :thumbsup:


----------



## kpla51 (Oct 19, 2014)

treefork said:


> kpla51 said:
> 
> 
> > heres a 5 inch target set up in the garage,
> ...


Im on my 3rd band set already but like I said Ill hit it 20 times in a row and then miss a few times in a row and I cant tell what I'm doing wrong. Been trying to refine my technique and figure it out.

That disk is a microfiber pad for car wax lol works great except I've blown all the stuffing out!


----------



## MakeSlingshots (Jul 16, 2015)

I just got mine it's back and red, 3/8 steel, Band Maker set, and I got a go pro for making my videos and pics.

It nice to still be a kid


----------



## kpla51 (Oct 19, 2014)

MakeSlingshots said:


> I just got mine it's back and red, 3/8 steel, Band Maker set, and I got a go pro for making my videos and pics.
> 
> It nice to still be a kid


I should of used my go pro lol for an iPhone 6 the video looks like garbage but oh well. I picked up the slingshot from my first post and after a few adjustment shots was hitting that target non stop.

I just wish the bands lasted longer I'm on my 3rd set and its only been 3 days granted I've shot a ton.


----------



## StretchandEat (Nov 11, 2015)

Try tubes


----------



## kpla51 (Oct 19, 2014)

StretchandEat said:


> Try tubes


been looking at the dankung bands but cant figure out what size to get for glass marbles. Id shoot other ammo but I have about 1200 marbles in a bucket at my house so why not shoot what I have.


----------



## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

kpla51 said:


> StretchandEat said:
> 
> 
> > Try tubes
> ...





kpla51 said:


> StretchandEat said:
> 
> 
> > Try tubes
> ...


5/8 " marbles are great ammo . Work on narrowing your focus with smaller targets even if you miss . " Aim small , miss small . "


----------



## StretchandEat (Nov 11, 2015)

treefork said:


> kpla51 said:
> 
> 
> > StretchandEat said:
> ...


I think simple shot has under their dankung bandsets option an explication of what tubes sizes work best for different ammo.. I do believe


----------



## StretchandEat (Nov 11, 2015)

Explanation


----------



## Teach (Jul 5, 2014)

The best advice I have ever been given to improve my accuracy was given from Treefork when he suggested using a smaller target and just like in the movie "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson..........aim small miss small......pretty much have to with a small target.

I cut 2 inch circles out of milk jugs and hang them for my targets. They are tough, last 1000's of hits and are cheap and easy to make more.

Great choice on the Scout. I now have 3 Scouts all banded up differently from each other for different uses. Doing a grab and go is just easier that way.


----------



## kpla51 (Oct 19, 2014)

Teach said:


> The best advice I have ever been given to improve my accuracy was given from Treefork when he suggested using a smaller target and just like in the movie "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson..........aim small miss small......pretty much have to with a small target.
> 
> I cut 2 inch circles out of milk jugs and hang them for my targets. They are tough, last 1000's of hits and are cheap and easy to make more.
> 
> Great choice on the Scout. I now have 3 Scouts all banded up differently from each other for different uses. Doing a grab and go is just easier that way.


Thats a great Idea I also took his advise and was shooting the practice nickels that simple shot sent with my scout. Harder but more satisfying.


----------



## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

You cannot go wrong with a scout. I own several of them and love them. However that frame can certainly perform just as well with both flats and tubes.


----------

