# Suggestions for my next plinking session please...



## NoamAdd (Mar 13, 2016)

I'm renewing my interest in slingshots as an adult and life finally allowed me a chance to get out to the sticks and plink with my new Scout gen2 with 3/8 and 7/16 steel ball ammo. As a noob, I'm not totally sure I know the right questions to ask, but I'm mostly fishing for some band length input.

As a kid I always had a slingshot and the safest place to be was wherever I wanted to place my shot. Anything I shot at was perfectly safe. I was a lousy shot on the best of days with an occasional miracle hit.

Anyway, I watched many Bill Hays tutorials and finally got a chance to follow his advice this morning.

I was simply stunned. At 10 fairly large paces (3+ foot paces) I was getting 3ish inch groups after about five shots just to get the feel of it. I felt like I wasn't getting enough stretch out of the bands (7/8" TBG as sold by Simple Shot) so I trimmed off 1.5 inches. My pull length is 34" and the band length on the slingshot is about 8 1/8" now. Again, I was stunned at the results. I had a heavy duty shop blanket to stop and collect the ammo, but with the shorter bands I was going through the shop blanket with 3/8" ammo. The factory issued length did not penetrate the blanket but the shortened ones passed through it with ease.

So I guess my question is should I trim the bands until I can get a 500% stretch out of them? I think the Simple Shot introduction videos were saying something about 500%.

It kinda seems a little sketchy to this noob to trim my bands down to 6 3/4" to get the 500% stretch that's stuck in my head.

And again, WOW at the Hays tutorials. I could never hit a ping pong ball except for dumb luck, now I can hit one most of the time at ten strides.

I wish I had more time to plink, but it's not a good idea where I live... gotta make a field trip out of it.


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## Yosemite Sam (Feb 18, 2016)

Look in the bands and tube section of the forum. Tone of information. As a noob myself, I learned a lot from this section from what bands to use, and how to cut and tie them. If you are new to the group, welcome.

Yosemite Sam


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## NoamAdd (Mar 13, 2016)

Yep, I'm a noob and computer challenged. I should have figured out where to post and/or look. Thanks.


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## StretchandEat (Nov 11, 2015)

For hunting I use a 5:1 ratio pouch to fork.. so for 34 inches I'd try 7 inches but leave some extra so you can tie them on


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## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

I pull the bands as far as they can stretch..the limit, then back off about 10% or so, maybe 15% to adjust the length. Obviously different rubber has different stretch. Why don't I pull to the max? It wears bands out much faster and I can't buy bands in Ecuador, a relatively slingshotless country. Were I in the civilized world however I would stretch the bands more for better velocity and taper them too for the same reason, as is I use straight bands and an inch more than I need, tied with that extra on the fork, so when I get a break, and usually at the pouch, I just reapply the bands paying out that extra length to make my draw length requirement. But again, I do this to conserve rubber. I'm getting about 180 to 190 fps and for just me the target only shooter, no huntin', that's cool...but far from what I could get with 5 to 1 on my TBG bands and using tapered instead of straight bands.


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## NoamAdd (Mar 13, 2016)

Thanks Stretch and Chuck. Good food for thought.

I hope you and yours are okay there in Ecuador after the quake, Chuck. Sounds pretty rough there.


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