# Thoughts for the next time I go shooting



## Facewizard13 (Dec 28, 2020)

1. Hand webbing hits - I think this has a lot to do with where I hold my anchor and possibly my release. When I draw back, I hold on the corner of my mouth just about every time. I think I may be rotating the pouch a little bit which might cause me to shoot into my hand. Im just out there by myself so I dont have anyone to tell me if I'm doing anything wrong, so I have to troubleshoot on my own.

2. Point of impact way too high - this probably has a lot to do with my anchor point as well. My point of impact seems to be well above 6 inches of where I aim. I can move my anchor point higher, but I'd like to sort out my anchor point in one position before I start moving it around.

Need to know if I'm on the right track from the pros here - thanks!

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## vince4242 (Jan 11, 2016)

I would have to say that it is the way you're releasing and holding the pouch. Sounds like a speed bump to me like you are not holding the pouch straight and you're bending your grip and then when you release the ball flies over the top of your finger and sends it not straight but higher than it should. I know I'm saying that wrong and someone else will say it way better but sounds like a speed bump to me. Try and hold it perfectly straight to the Target so that when you release it releases evenly between your finger and thumb.

Also make sure you have a high elbow and you are not trying to pull too heavy of bands. Start with light bands and light ammo this will help you get your form figure it out before you're trying to control 15 pound of pull with two fingers and trying to aim and shoot and released properly. I hope this helps we all start out somewhere and usually we all take a certain amount of time to figure out what release an anchor Point works for us.

Practice practice practice that is my Mantra daily.

Cheers


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## Facewizard13 (Dec 28, 2020)

vince4242 said:


> I would have to say that it is the way you're releasing and holding the pouch. Sounds like a speed bump to me like you are not holding the pouch straight and you're bending your grip and then when you release the ball flies over the top of your finger and sends it not straight but higher than it should. I know I'm saying that wrong and someone else will say it way better but sounds like a speed bump to me. Try and hold it perfectly straight to the Target so that when you release it releases evenly between your finger and thumb.
> 
> Also make sure you have a high elbow and you are not trying to pull too heavy of bands. Start with light bands and light ammo this will help you get your form figure it out before you're trying to control 15 pound of pull with two fingers and trying to aim and shoot and released properly. I hope this helps we all start out somewhere and usually we all take a certain amount of time to figure out what release an anchor Point works for us.
> 
> ...


So I hold the slingshot with my right hand, pouch with my left. Maybe when um anchoring with my left, the speed bump is making the ammo swing to the right hitting my hand

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## Eric in Kildare (Oct 30, 2020)

Drop to something like 0.45 bands and 6 or 7mm balls - this way you not fighting pulling and holding the bands, you can steady and hold easier.

MAke sure you are holding the ball through the pouch and not the pouch in front of the ball. To exaggerate this imagine you are holding the ball with the thumb and forefinger just between the fingertips...exactly....as Vince said you may be holding the ball almost in behind your finger or thumb and as it has to come up and out it goes a but awry ......

Think straight lines......front of the slingshot at 90 degrees to target.......bands, side of pouch, forearm in a straight line to the target...elbow up nice...inline of a bit higher than shoulder height.

As regards accuracy I'd get a sheet of paper, draw a 1 inch solid bullseye in the centre and pin it to the front of a catch box (so you can recover the balls you fire).......if you are shooting gangsta (slingshot sideways) then put the top front corner of the top fork just under the bullseye and shoot.....do this at about 6 or 7 yards.....walk up to the target and see where the ball hit.....make sure you keep consistent draw length, good posture and feet (almost side on, feet shoulder width apart) and good straight arm, high elbow etc...

Depending on where you hit you want move your point of aim , so if you were an inch high and to the left then aim an inch lower and to the right......

Practise, practice, practice......at a catchbox with paper as above.....when you get consistent then look at a hanging plastic target....(dont do this at first as its hard to see where you are missing so hard to adjust)

As you get consistent then step back to 10m gradually.

Eric.


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## Slingshot Seb (Jan 9, 2020)

With the hand hits, your most likely holding the pouch in front of the ball. Try to only squeeze the side of the ball and not in front. This is because when you release the ball is rising over your finger (like vince said) making the ball go astray into your hand. With the high impact, that's due to one of two (or both) factors. You're using a very skinny (fork gap) slingshot. The other is your anchor point. I don't know how to explain it visually but the more lower your anchor point the higher your impact. So try anchoring against your cheekbone and that should bring you back on target.

Hope this helped


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## Facewizard13 (Dec 28, 2020)

I must be really weak then, because when I tried to hold the ammo and not in front of the pouch, I could barely hold it at my full draw length ~30". Im using the band set that came from SS and clay ammo. Not quite sure about the bands, but the ammo should be very light.

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## Slingshot Seb (Jan 9, 2020)

Well there's the issue then. Just gotta make sure you don't pinch in front. This will also increase accuracy. And thats ok if your struggling because your fingers and forearms will get stronger as shoot. My recommendation is to shoot lighter bands so you gradually enhance your strength at a comfortable rate. Especially if your shooting light ammo because by the sounds of it, those bands are way overkill for the weight of the ammo. Of course there are still more experienced shooters on the forum that could probably offer better advice.

Anyway hope that helps again


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## Facewizard13 (Dec 28, 2020)

I bought .5 SS latex when I ordered the slingshot. Maybe I should make a more narrow band than what it came with?

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## Forksville (Jan 6, 2021)

Wow, I am learning a lot here.

Craig


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## vince4242 (Jan 11, 2016)

I have to agree with what everything said on this post about increasing accuracy and getting to be a better shot. The one thing that I would suggest is not to start with Clay ammo, it is not the most accurate especially for a new shooter. Go to Walmart and get ¼" steel balls. It's under $5 for 250 and with a catch box that will last you a very long time and be much more accurate with the exact same weight as the clay balls.

I would also recommend going to YouTube and doing a search for Zachary Fowler. He has an amazing how to shoot playlist that takes you through every step and all the stuff to look for as you start to learn. Sometimes it's much easier to see it on the screen than to try and visualize what someone is explaining.

Send a half an hour and watch his videos that I can almost guarantee you that you're going to have a lot to chew on and work with to get to be a better shooter.

Cheers


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## SJAaz (Apr 30, 2019)

What Vince said.

Be aware that if you are shooting a fork more narrow than say a Torque or Scout, your anchor point has to move up. Smacking the web of your hand is probably a bum release. Might be not holding forks straight, upright and perpendicular to the ground and perpendicular to the target. Hang in there, don't get discouraged and try to solve one problem at a time.


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## Tree Man (Jun 30, 2016)

One thing that really helped me in the past was to practice my draw in front of a mirror. It sounds silly, but it helped me square things up. Also, if you have the capability to video yourself taking a few shots, you can go back and watch your form. Little tweaks make a big difference down range


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## Tobor8Man (Nov 19, 2020)

Google "slingshot pinch pouch." Hitman Slingshots used to sell them as did Simple-Shot - they seem to be out of stock. However, they are simple enough to make. I find that it helps me with similar ammo gripping issues.


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## Slingshot Seb (Jan 9, 2020)

Facewizard13 said:


> I bought .5 SS latex when I ordered the slingshot. Maybe I should make a more narrow band than what it came with?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


What taper are you using? And are they singles?


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## Facewizard13 (Dec 28, 2020)

Slingshot Seb said:


> Facewizard13 said:
> 
> 
> > I bought .5 SS latex when I ordered the slingshot. Maybe I should make a more narrow band than what it came with?
> ...


Im using the band set that came with the slingshot shot. No tapers. Its one big roll

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## Facewizard13 (Dec 28, 2020)

Slingshot Seb said:


> Facewizard13 said:
> 
> 
> > I bought .5 SS latex when I ordered the slingshot. Maybe I should make a more narrow band than what it came with?
> ...


Specs of the band that came with it

Includes .030" thick x 7/8" wide latex flatbands and leather pouch, not installed (best for 3/8"-7/16" steel ammo)










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## Slingshot Seb (Jan 9, 2020)

Interesting. I would say those bands are too thin for 3/8 and especially 7/16. I think that most people would also recommend a taper, even a small one such as 1/8". For 3/8 CLAY those bands would be fine. But I would definitely use a thicker bandset with a taper for 3/8 steel and 7/16 steel.


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## Facewizard13 (Dec 28, 2020)

Slingshot Seb said:


> Interesting. I would say those bands are too thin for 3/8 and especially 7/16. I think that most people would also recommend a taper, even a small one such as 1/8". For 3/8 CLAY those bands would be fine. But I would definitely use a thicker bandset with a taper for 3/8 steel and 7/16 steel.


All I have is a roll of .05 latex which if I'm doing my research correct would be for 8mm ammo. Im not sure how I'd cut .05 latex for the clay ammo though

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## vince4242 (Jan 11, 2016)

Wizard .5 latex will work great for 8 mm Steel. Not sure that of the taper but I know someone can give you the right taper for 2 grams of Steel. That same taper would also work great with ¼" Steel which is my favorite for target shooting ammo.

Go light on the draw weight using a 400% stretch on your latex. Your bands will last longer with the lighter draw weight as a bonus. Don't be afraid to move up from 10 meters. 7 or 8 meters distance from the target is perfectly fine when you're starting out it will help you refine your shot and then you can move back from there once you feel more confident. It is definitely not a contest or a race. It will take time to get very accurate and lots of practice is your best way to hear those spinner crack.

Cheers


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## StringSlap (Mar 2, 2019)

Am I missing something here? The SS info says .03" latex, which is .8mm. That thickness and at 7/8" wide is a bit much for 3/8 steel. And WAY too much for clay. There's no wonder you are having trouble drawing that and holding properly. I guarantee that's the cause of your bad release and why that clay is targeting your hand!

If you have a roll of .5, don't mess with tapers until you get a handle on things. Cut yourself a set of 1/2" straight bands and give that a go. Try a 7" active length. Let us know what happens!


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## Slingshot Seb (Jan 9, 2020)

yeah StringSlap now that you mention it im a bit confused as well. Because facewizard was saying .5 latex before soI was assuming he was talking metric and .03 was meant to be .3mm. But yeah the photo obviously proves me wrong.

So those bands would be ok for 7/16 but a bit too much for 3/8 IMO.


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## Facewizard13 (Dec 28, 2020)

Slingshot Seb said:


> yeah StringSlap now that you mention it im a bit confused as well. Because facewizard was saying .5 latex before soI was assuming he was talking metric and .03 was meant to be .3mm. But yeah the photo obviously proves me wrong.
> 
> So those bands would be ok for 7/16 but a bit too much for 3/8 IMO.


Yeah I'm sorry I get really confused when talking about metric and imperial measurements in the same sentence.

I ordered 0.5mm bulk elastic from simpleshot. the picture above where I have it circled is the dimensions of the band that comes with the slingshot.

So I guess right now I'm shooting a 0.03" band which is 0.7mm with the clay ammo they sell on simpleshot. That sounds to me like the bands are way over powered for the clay ammo I got

Sorry for the confusion :/

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## Facewizard13 (Dec 28, 2020)

StringSlap said:


> Am I missing something here? The SS info says .03" latex, which is .8mm. That thickness and at 7/8" wide is a bit much for 3/8 steel. And WAY too much for clay. There's no wonder you are having trouble drawing that and holding properly. I guarantee that's the cause of your bad release and why that clay is targeting your hand!
> 
> If you have a roll of .5, don't mess with tapers until you get a handle on things. Cut yourself a set of 1/2" straight bands and give that a go. Try a 7" active length. Let us know what happens!


Yeah ill try this.

I actually had no issues when I was shooting the band set unmodified out of the box. The bands come already assembled with an active length of 10". I had just wanted to throw the band on there and go shoot. It was only when I cut the band down to 6" that I had a lot of issues with hand hits.

I should mention as well I've been shooting TTF, which from what I'm reading has a much smaller margin for error

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## Slingshot Seb (Jan 9, 2020)

Facewizard13 said:


> Slingshot Seb said:
> 
> 
> > yeah StringSlap now that you mention it im a bit confused as well. Because facewizard was saying .5 latex before soI was assuming he was talking metric and .03 was meant to be .3mm. But yeah the photo obviously proves me wrong.
> ...


All good dont worry. But yeah those bands are definitely too powerful for clay and even 3/8 steel is a bit light for those bands


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## Facewizard13 (Dec 28, 2020)

Slingshot Seb said:


> Facewizard13 said:
> 
> 
> > Slingshot Seb said:
> ...


So since I have .5mm elastic....how should I make bands for the clay ammo? I'm also looking at getting steel bearings from Amazon, but I'm not sure what ammo to get now. The .5mm elastic I think is supposed to be for 8mm ammo, so I could just go with that.....

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## StringSlap (Mar 2, 2019)

As I stated before, don't get bogged down in trying to figure out tapers at this point. Just cut 1/2" straight. Cut them around 9". That will give you plenty to tie on the pouch and have more than enough to adjust the active length. Try a 7" active length to start. Just fold the excess and then clamp the bands to the fork. I don't think you'll need any more length, but it's there if you do. Try a few shots. Adjust and then trim when you find a suitable length. You want a bandset that is easy to draw and hold. Stay close to the target. Don't worry about accuracy. Work on the fundamentals and avoiding those hand hits. When you get comfortable shooting, then experiment with different lengths, tapers, ammo size, etc. If you will only be target shooting then 8mm and .5 will serve you well. This is supposed to be fun, but set yourself up for success and don't try to hit the ground running. Took me a good year to figure things out. That's not meant as discouragement! I enjoyed it all, but now that I have things sorted, I can concentrate on the fun and enjoyment of just shooting.


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## Stankard757 (Apr 20, 2020)

.5 1/2 inch straight cuts is what I use for my clay setups and its good for 1/4 inch steel

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## StringSlap (Mar 2, 2019)

Stankard757 said:


> .5 1/2 inch straight cuts is what I use for my clay setups and its good for 1/4 inch steel
> 
> Sent from my LG-TP260 using Tapatalk


I always knew you were a smart guy!


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