# Chinese "Tianpeng" titanium slingshot review



## Pebble Shooter (Mar 29, 2014)

Hello everybody,

Sometimes one comes across something that is a bit more special than the "run of the mill" for specific items we like to purchase.

The standard so-called "Tianpeng" OTT slingshot from China, which I already have, usually comes in 304 stainless steel, a nice hardwood grip, and a set of clear fiber optic sights. Designed as a pinch-grip frame, it sports a rear rounded section right below the forks that fits snugly inside the hand palm, as a means to evenly distribute rearward pressure when the bands are fully drawn. The lower grip has spacious finger grooves. The result is a frame that is extremely ergonomic, while having a super low fork height of 20 mm that reduces wrist torsion to an absolute minimum.

I have a preference for heavier slingshots, as I find them to be more steady during, and after the shot release process. The regular stainless steel Tianpeng slingshot fork body has a fair amount of heft to it, and potential accuracy in the right hands is truly outstanding. The Chinese have got it right here.

These criteria are what led me to buying a version with titanium forks and a stainless steel grip from the reliable online seller Piao Yu (Aliexpress). This slingshot has a top notch build quality and surface finish, along with a better quality set of fiber optic sights than the more standard version seen on the stainless steel versions.

Unlike the stainless steel version, the titanium version has an incorporated rapid attachment system for flat bands that faces away from the shooter: an excellent safety feature, albeit that the standard system should in principle be very safe too (at least from my personal experience after thousands of shots with various Chinese slingshots of this type).

Priced at USD 45, I feel that this is a really nice frame to add to my slingshot collection - and one that I can definitely recommend to anyone seeking a target shooting slingshot with tight groupings and competitions in mind: regular one inch groups at 10 yards are possible when you are at your best.

I use "Precise" yellow flat bands cut to 22 cm, which are tapered from 20 to 12 mm, a Chinese mini-pouch, and 8 mm steel ammo. A cheekbone-based anchor point yields the best results for me.

NB: Please note that there are two different fork tip widths available with the "Tianpeng" slingshot: 20 and 22 mm.

Some relevant data: "Tianpeng" Frame height: 11.2 cm, total width: 80 or 84 mm, inner fork width: 40 mm, fork height: 20 mm, weight: 277 grams. The slingshot comes inside a black molded fiber case and accessories such as Allen keys, sight screws, and spare fiber optic strands. The slingshot color is shiny mat grey anthracite.

I purchased my titanium "Tianpeng" here (online seller: Piao Yu)

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001278818038.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.bb2f4c4dzqiJod

Let me know what you think.


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## Ordo (Feb 11, 2018)

Nice photos.


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## Reed Lukens (Aug 16, 2020)

That's a good deal for the price they're asking


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## MOJAVE MO (Apr 11, 2018)

I appreciate the review. I look at these on occasion and wonder if I 'need' one! Your information will support my future thoughts! I am curious. It appears that the band clips are unique. I imagine that turning the clamp screw just causes a minimal 'opening' of the band clamp? As these seem like it would be difficult to drop the clip itself because it seems to be attached and not cut-away from the frame?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Got Bands (May 12, 2016)

wow that looks like a nice shooter...great review


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

Looks good! Did you get the 20mm or the 22mm fork width? Does it have the same fork height and pinch width as your wood handle version?


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## Tobor8Man (Nov 19, 2020)

Thanks PS - just what I need, another slingshot!


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## Pebble Shooter (Mar 29, 2014)

Mojave Mo, the clamp clip is in indeed attached to the titanium fork section, with a minimal but nevertheless sufficiently wide gap to insert the flat band ends. The question here is how durable this is with repeated use, but the thin titanium at this level seems to have quite good elasticity, so no problems in principle.

Northerner, I purchased the version with the 22 mm wide fork tips, just to have additional band width options. In terms of size comparisons, the lower pinch grip groove tips of the titanium "Tianpeng" slingshot extend very slightly lower (3 mm) as compared to the stainless steel version, but this is insignificant in my opinion. Total length and width, as well as the inner fork width and fork depth are identical. The titanium version is less "top heavy", thanks to the heft in the 304 stainless steel lower grip. I will be comparing both at some stage (warmer weather needed) to feel the difference.


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## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

*Well written as usual PS, but for my collection, I'm going thumbs down. Not wanting to rain on your advocacy or enjoyment ... I can see that it's an excellent example of formidable Chinese industrial design. Also, I understand how some with grip issues or preferences would embrace this style. It's the sites that turn me off, yet I know their use is optional.*

*In December we were introduced to Ambrose Draper who can hit a needle stuck in a branch at considerable distance ... without a site in sight. No mechanical appendages, lasers, training wheels, or breast feeding at age five - just extraordinary mental and intuitive aiming skill demonstrating the epitome and essence of slingshot shooting ... a smiling old skool master in rubber boots. That's my simple lane and I'm staying in it.*

https://slingshotforum.com/topic/128176-what-skill/%C2%A0


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## Pebble Shooter (Mar 29, 2014)

Alfred, Indeed there are, and will always be people who stand well above the rest with a particular skill, whereas the rest of us can only admire and realize that that we will probably never reach anywhere near their level. Rufus Hussey comes to mind in this respect: a natural slingshot ace among the finest.

That said, shooting any form of slingshot will invariable require the use of a specific reference point on the slingshot, or some form of intuitive coordination between the eyes, the holding arm, and the hand holding back the pouch ready for a shot. It seems to me that most slingshot shooters tend to opt for the anchor point type of pouch release, because a floating anchor point is extremely difficult to master in order to achieve outstanding accuracy. Some may progress to the floating anchor style once they master the fixed anchor point style - which makes sense.

Thus, even if sights are not present on a slingshot, most shooters will use a specific edge or notch to aim at the target. Sights definitely help in providing a better steady visual reference, and fiber optics are great as they pick up ambient light very effectively. Well designed sights make it possible to achieve even tighter groups. The reason the Chinese team won the international slingshot tournament at Gualdo Tadino in Italy back in 2018 was the low fork design of their slingshots, the fiber optic sights they all used, and light tapered band sets (0.40 to 0.50 mm thickness) together with 6 to 7 mm diameter steel ammo: as far as I could tell, a clear majority of the Chinese competitors used a fixed anchor point.

Therefore, although it is without doubt possible for some people to shoot very accurately, based purely on intuitive judgement (angle and distance) using a floating anchor point, I would assume that most slingshot shooters out there will achieve better results with a fixed anchor point and a good set of sights, or an aiming notch at the very least. After all, all guns and most compound bows come with adjustable sights for that very reason.

I do now and then use the floating anchor point style for more casual shooting, but am well aware that it's an uphill struggle for me to achieve the 1.5 to 2 inch groups I usually manage at 10 yards when using a fixed anchor point and the fiber optic sights on my low fork Chinese-made slingshots.

That said, everyone is of course entirely free to shoot the way they wish. :thumbsup:


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## Cass (Nov 16, 2020)

Hi, I realized that I have a stainless model with Rosewood grip. Got to Christmas from my dad! I guessing he got it because the model name on Etsy was the Peggy, my mom's name. I shot it some, and it is a great slingshot. Will try different bands soon.


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## snydes (Jan 9, 2021)

Thanks - I'm interested in one of these style slingshots, preferably with adjustible forks (the one you have is nice in that you can select your fork width), so I don't have to adjust my hold point ... can you tell me roughly how long the shipping took for you to get it ?


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## Cass (Nov 16, 2020)

Hi, shipping from China varies, usually 4 weeks, sometimes faster, or slower. I think they are starting their new year soon or now, so shipping would be longer.


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