# New starship fan



## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

I had made one of these but shot it very little...bit nervous of it in a confined space I suppose. But then I got a commission to build one and that got me looking again at mine.

Also I had taken to heart wise advice from Bill Hays and others that length of draw could be more important than heavy bands. I'm not prepared to shoot full butterfly (having a deep-seated fear of taking my ear off!) so starships seemed the only way to achieve this.

My starship (originally made as a slingbow) has the forks 14" ahead of the grip which gives me a massive 50" draw at half butterfly. I put on tapered Linatex SINGLES (!) and was blown away by the performance. I can only judge by the effect on steel dogfood cans but the starship was definitely outperforming my conventional slingshots with very heavy rubber.

I'm still getting the hang of aiming the thing. I normally shoot 'intuitively', i.e. without conscious aiming. I am trying the same with the starship...sometimes i hit several cans in a row...sometimes several misses...I suppose it's just getting used to it.

The Linatex broke after several dozen shots. I replaced it with double 30mm TBG and that seems to be just as good. I could pull heavier rubber on it but I'm not sure there's much point. The double TBG chucks the 38 gramme lead ovals with more than enough force. Mind you I would love to try looped 50/80s on it when I get some more.

But it's early days with this thing and I'm still learning. I would love to hear from other starship shooters about their experiences, choice of rubber and aiming techniques.


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## LVO (Sep 25, 2011)

Very nice, Ruthie! 
Video, please!

Remember, it's not how hard the pull is, it's the speed of the retraction. A rope is hard to pull but slow to snap back. Come on now and make a video of you killing cans!


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## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

I'll have to ask The Boss. But it's not very easy to vid as our 'shooting gallery' is a long narrow corridor. I'm hoping that we're going to get out to a friend's land soon for a session mainly with slingbows but also the slingshots too. It will be amazing to have a distance longer than 15 metres to shoot and maybe we could do some videoing.

Don't expect any shows of prowess in accuracy though. I am not in the same league as many of the shooters here. I'm just pleased if I can hit a can at 10 metres most of the time. Mind you, whatever I DO hit is GOING DOWN !!


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## Aussie Allan In Thailand (Jan 28, 2013)

Way to go ruthiexxxx, I like your style.

I am still to get into the starship thing, but I am determined to do so.

Hopefully having built an 18 inch extension model; which will give me at my normal 45 inch draw a total of 63 inches.

Which is way over my short size full B'fly, IF I could draw my normal bands that far, which I simply cannot do.

Therefore banded with my normal set up,the FPS likely will be astronomical, even for my usual heavy ammo/ shot.

Cheers Allan


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## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

I think you'll be over the moon with it Allan. I know I am.

The only two drawbacks really are weight. My one is solid English oak and it is not lightweight...but it's perfectly manageable. The one I am making is lighter but I was concerned about safety and used a piece of very high quality multiplex for the fork assembly and it is quite heavy stuff. I am not sufficiently experienced in working with multiplex so am loathe to make cut outs to lighten it.

But the principle one is simply that it ceases to be a concealable weapon. Not a lot one can do about that !

Accuracy (by my standards!) seems to be coming fast. I'm still not sure what I'm doing differently but it seems to help if I stop 'trying to aim' and just focus hard on the target and shoot without conscious reference to the juxtaposition of frame and target.

SO tempting to think about natural latex bands for it...we both know how awesome they can be. But I want this one to be able to shoot M10 hexnuts as well as the heavy stuff and I'm sure it was shooting the hexnuts that trashed my double .04s and triple 03s so quickly. I don't want to limit this one to heavy lead only.


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## Aussie Allan In Thailand (Jan 28, 2013)

Yea well concealable is not an issue here in Thailand.

Where carriage of any slingshot is perfectly legal anyway; although a starship would be very strange by Thai standards.

Cheers Allan


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## Can-Opener (May 11, 2013)

Hi Ruthie,
I am an aimer with my starship. I added a sight pointer to help me. I do not know how it would work for you but I am sure you could come up with something. It might be worth a try. When shooting I barley touch the bands with my cheek. I anchor behind my ear. I follow the line of the bands and the pointer is adjusted to my correct elevation just like sighting in a scope. It works very well for me. I hope this is helpful. I love the style you bring to your work.


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## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

Can-Opener said:


> Hi Ruthie,
> I am an aimer with my starship. I added a sight pointer to help me. I do not know how it would work for you but I am sure you could come up with something. It might be worth a try. When shooting I barley touch the bands with my cheek. I anchor behind my ear. I follow the line of the bands and the pointer is adjusted to my correct elevation just like sighting in a scope. It works very well for me. I hope this is helpful. I love the style you bring to your work.
> 
> 
> ...


I love your starship...in fact the one I am making uses the same long 'V' shape for the fork assembly. Yours must be wonderfully light and easy to handle.

Those look like natural latex bands you have on? What sort are they and what kind of ammo do you find best ?


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## Can-Opener (May 11, 2013)

Thanks, I am shooting .030 natural latex for target with 3/8" steel. Bands are tapered 1" TO 3/4" Band length is 11" my draw is around 54" so I get close to a 500 percent draw. That shoots around 250 fps easy pull and more with a harder pull. I can shoot hard and soft by adjusting the draw of course but I only shoot accurate when I pull it all the way to full draw length. 
I have done speed shooting but I used an even longer starship for that. But we are talking about power here and I have some 50 cal lead I want to try but just have not gotten around to. I will shoot it through my chrony and see what kind of power I can generate with it. Then get back to you with the results.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Starships are just the right tool for many purposes!

Cheers ..... Charles


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## Big Sandy (Jan 26, 2012)

That is a beautiful starship Ruthie, i have been interested in making one myself. I have a few questions regarding the forks. What are yours made of? And Ive noticed that some starships have forks that are angle forward while yours are straight, is there a performance difference?


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## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

Can-Opener said:


> Thanks, I am shooting .030 natural latex for target with 3/8" steel. Bands are tapered 1" TO 3/4" Band length is 11" my draw is around 54" so I get close to a 500 percent draw. That shoots around 250 fps easy pull and more with a harder pull. I can shoot hard and soft by adjusting the draw of course but I only shoot accurate when I pull it all the way to full draw length.
> I have done speed shooting but I used an even longer starship for that. But we are talking about power here and I have some 50 cal lead I want to try but just have not gotten around to. I will shoot it through my chrony and see what kind of power I can generate with it. Then get back to you with the results.


Oooh, yes please. I shall be very interested. Also in hearing about your other starship.


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## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

Big Sandy said:


> That is a beautiful starship Ruthie, i have been interested in making one myself. I have a few questions regarding the forks. What are yours made of? And Ive noticed that some starships have forks that are angle forward while yours are straight, is there a performance difference?


Thank you 

Firstly I should say that I am a beginner with starships and am learning by doing (and from borrowing good ideas and designs when I see them!)

The forks, like the rest of the assembly, are in English Oak. It was originally made as a slingbow so the design is different to how I would have made it. I would have had the fork assembly in steel and flat to the body of the shooter. I have always been paranoid about fork hits and fliers as I shoot indoors. However, since I have started shooting it there have been no problems (touch wood !!)

The one I am making now has no forks in the line of fire at all which I hope is going to work well. If not I can always fit more conventional band attachments.


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## Wingshooter (Dec 24, 2009)

I have been bitten by the Star-ship bug to such a degree I can't shoot a hand held anymore. I don't touch my cheek at all I hold just a little below it. The picture shows how I sight. I pull 48 to 50 inches and there is very little adjustment in my sight picture from 25 feet to 40 which is the range in my yard. I use .030 latex with a 9 1/2 inch band that gets me 500 % to 530% stretch. I use 1 inch to 3/4 taper and straight cuts, right now I am playing with 11/16 shooting 1/2 steel. I am trying to find the lightest pull with the maximum results. I have used straight cut .040 Thera Band that pulled 24 pounds, way to much for me and didn't get the results I expected. My draw weight is down in the 10 to 15 pound class. Way to much fun to have all by yourself.


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## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

Wingshooter said:


> I have been bitten by the Star-ship bug to such a degree I can't shoot a hand held anymore. I don't touch my cheek at all I hold just a little below it. The picture shows how I sight. I pull 48 to 50 inches and there is very little adjustment in my sight picture from 25 feet to 40 which is the range in my yard. I use .030 latex with a 9 1/2 inch band that gets me 500 % to 530% stretch. I use 1 inch to 3/4 taper and straight cuts, right now I am playing with 11/16 shooting 1/2 steel. I am trying to find the lightest pull with the maximum results. I have used straight cut .040 Thera Band that pulled 24 pounds, way to much for me and didn't get the results I expected. My draw weight is down in the 10 to 15 pound class. Way to much fun to have all by yourself.


Another gorgeous starship !

Thank you for that. This information is SO helpful ! I'm afraid my designs tend to be very much centred around my own inadequacies. If there are any forks that can be hit then I'm sure that I shall hit them ! So I've gone for very wide forks on the oak starship and a wide 'V' with recessed band attachments on the one I'm making.

I'm beginning to see what you mean about 'the starship bug'. I haven't shot anything else since I picked it up. Funny but I thought I had made my last slingshot. I've got plenty now of the kind that I like to shoot. But now starships open up a whole new arena of possibilities


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## BC-Slinger (Jan 6, 2013)

Great looking finished product Ruthie I like this one a lot. I just recently got myself a KingKat I plan on modifying in the future for speed/power contests. I originally got addicted when I met Charles and he always had a King Kat with him and it was such a neat slinger.

Again great build Ruthie your carving skills are awesome and add a special flavor to your work.

Cheers

BC-Slinger


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## Winnie (Nov 10, 2010)

Ruthie, your starship is cool and innovative like all of your slingshots. But - It's your style that always blows me away. The extra time and care you take to personalize them with your unique carvings is remarkable. When your slingshot building is finished and you have reached the point where all the rest of us would sit down and be content with our creation you have only just begun. Each one is more than a fine and functional piece. Each one is a real work of art. Thanks for letting us enjoy your creation.

winnie


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## reset (Apr 13, 2013)

I agree with Winnie in the above post. Absolutely.


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## Aussie Allan In Thailand (Jan 28, 2013)

On the one I will have built here there will be no forks; and I am planning on fitting my second Hathcock Target Sniper to it.

At present with my set up, I am getting about a 7 mm rise of 20 gram lead at 12.5eters from center of forks.

So with the extra draw length, what (?) ..center of forks to 20 meters plus for 20 gram lead ?...
And lighter 15 gram ?....

Fork hits never been problem.
Forefinger hits very rarely, from poor release as Charles so eloquently described from speed bump, and my grip right up next to the bands.
Which will not be a problem on a starship, the forefinger hits at least, the release, well I will ensure is correct, as is very rarely not.

Cheers Allan


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## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

Thanks guys. I really do appreciate your lovely and generous feedback. When I have got the commissioned one finished I shall make one on the same lines for myself.

And then...and then..... I find myself wondering how far this could be taken. What about a shoulder braced model with an exceptionally long 'barrel'...perhaps with a fold down monopod for stability in aim ???!!! Exciting times!


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## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

Incidentally, the reason I chose to go with Can-Opener's open 'V' shaped forks over the ones in my first starship has just become apparent. A frame hit on that raised bar that holds the forks just scored a long line on the plaster of the corridor and split the hardwood handle of a flogger that was hanging there. I just KNEW if there was anything in the way I'd hit it eventually 

I'll have to change the arm cuff on mine too. The brass isn't strong enough for the lateral forces (wide forks) and I'll replace it with steel as on the one I'm making.

Just noticed that the TBG is splitting


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## Aussie Allan In Thailand (Jan 28, 2013)

Ah ruthie, stuff the mono pod, and go the whole hog, with full sandbaged bunker emplacement and tripod mounted, fulmetal Starship.

Then any fork hits; carefactor Zero; do the whole Joerg thing; and go the leg and doube for double arm pull super launcher !....

The world trembles, ruthiesxxxx's rage.......Grin.

Cheers Allan


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## Aussie Allan In Thailand (Jan 28, 2013)

Purely in humour.
But imagine the world gone nuts, the nuke us back the "New" dark ages with EMP no microchips no more.
I
Then ruthiexxxx is the new terrorist with the S.O M D. (Slingshot Of Mass Destruction); what is left of the U.N. hunt her down in hot air balloons.

It is all in fun, for her starship super weapon.

Stuff Joerg and his 1 inch ball bearings; with ruthie's strength, 2 to3 inch no problem at all.

Spain to ?.........

Duck your heads all...........

(No people, or stomachs were too hurt laughing, making this mock-U-mentary)

Cheers Allan


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## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

Love it Allan...especially the S.O.M.D s


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## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

I'm sure though that Joerg will already have taken the idea of a super-starship as far as it's possible. I must look through his vids again


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## Aussie Allan In Thailand (Jan 28, 2013)

Ahh it is all in fun, can' t ya just imagine the Marines Yanks or Brits in hot air balloons hunting ya down for your S.O.M.D. ?....

One has to laugh. Imagine if Saddam had one ?....

Gulf war 3 would still be going trying to find it !....

All in jest, just like his W.M.D's from the last gulf war.

Not to ever suggest it was not a just call to do and remain to this day though, ever.

Cheers Allan


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## Can-Opener (May 11, 2013)

I did my starship power shooting today. It was fun. I basically determined that I am not brave enough to take it as far as others. I got the 50 caliber lead going 295.7 FPS which as it turns out is just a smidgen below 35 FPE which would have been a new badge for me.  I tried different lengths of bands. I got the best results with 11"active length 1" to 3/4" taper with approximately a 54 inch draw. I would need to be confident with a full butterfly draw to get anymore speed. And frankly I am not at this moment in time. Also a stronger shoulder. The reality for me is I do not need to shoot harder than that. I mean you should see the lead fly at that speed is awesome and that is as far as I need to take it. With that same set up 3/8" steel is clipping 300 fps no problem. So I will continue to enjoy my starship for the easy target speed and accuracy it provides. Dreaming of another new design as I write! 
Good luck with your build Ruthie!


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## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

a bit more progress....poco a poco!


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## Bajaja (May 13, 2011)

Wow wow wow, this is the best starfleet I've ever seen!!! All starships together :bowdown:

Now I want one!!!


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## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

I am SO into starships now ! (keeps humming Dietrich's "Vallink in luf again")

I've made a few mods to my original one: raised the forks a tad; shortened the Bunny Ears; and shortened the double 30mm TBG bands a little (they were breaking at the pouch end anyway; and fitted a new arm cuff in steel. The brass one wasn't strong enough to cope with the lateral forces as the forks are 9" apart. There should be less of the lateral force on the new build which has 5" forks.

But the power is awesome and, as I get the hang of it, I'm getting better accuracy than I had with standard slings. Still shooting 'instinctively' rather than consciously aiming. I was amazed what tight groups I was getting 

When I get fresh supplies I think that this would be the perfect vehicle for 50/80 in a double pseudotaper with TTS Bunny Ears.


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## Big Sandy (Jan 26, 2012)

ruthiexxxx said:


> When I get fresh supplies I think that this would be the perfect vehicle for 50/80 in a double pseudotaper with TTS Bunny Ears.


I dont know what any of that means, but it sounds awesome!


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## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

Big Sandy said:


> ruthiexxxx said:
> 
> 
> > When I get fresh supplies I think that this would be the perfect vehicle for 50/80 in a double pseudotaper with TTS Bunny Ears.
> ...


Bunny Ears are the loops of heavy tube fixed to the forks. Amongst other benefits they provide a tapering effect (I always use something heavier for the Ears than I do for the bands or tubes). If the main tubes are pseudotapered too...i.e. a loop at the fork end that can be of any length (increasing the pseudotaper) short of the pouch. Currently I have 50/80s pseudotapered to just an inch short of the pouch and I'm sure that gave a little more zing that just the straight doubles).
Hope that explains it


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## Big Sandy (Jan 26, 2012)

Got it. I like the bunny ears idea. I was thinking of something similar, but using the 107 office bands for a gypsy tab style attachment on a handheld ss im working on.

On another subject, i was looking through your gallery and saw a few handhelds that use a metal angle bracket for the forks, almost a mini starship. How did those work?


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## ruthiexxxx (Sep 15, 2012)

Big Sandy said:


> Got it. I like the bunny ears idea. I was thinking of something similar, but using the 107 office bands for a gypsy tab style attachment on a handheld ss im working on.
> On another subject, i was looking through your gallery and saw a few handhelds that use a metal angle bracket for the forks, almost a mini starship. How did those work?


That should work great !

The metal angle brackets make great fork assemblies but you'll probably need two or three thicknesses if you pull heavy tubes. It's only two or three inches extra draw but worth having.


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## HarryBee (Jun 29, 2013)

Is there a prize for putting a lead ball into space ? Lol? Or how about an I.C.B.C.S. ( intercontinental ballistic catty shot ) ! Harry


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