# PURE LATEX - BACK TO THE FUTURE ?



## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

I have been on a major band shooting and making craze for a little while and have been buying different makers and thicknesses.

I really have not been disappointed with anyone's product, finding they all work, it is just finding the right size band set for your draw and the ammo you use.

But ! I have just begun to test pure latex in a .8 size (it was advertised .8 but is actually .0355 or .9). I noticed right away the snap it had and how fast the latex wanted to come back to its original natural length, it also has a very smooth yet aggressive pull factor, especially at or near the wall.

The speed that I'm getting with this latex using the same cut size is very good and on a par with the advertised brands at a comparative band thickness. (I had some .023-.025 that for me was useless with the ammo I was tossing).

Today at 66° shooting 7/16" steel, I was getting about 247fps with pure latex, while the Precise Gold was in at 254fps. Not to shabby for just plain old latex !!!

The band life is something I know nothing about. I very much hope I get around 200+ shots per set as I figure at that number of shots the elastic may have lost some of its poop. Now if I were using these flats for target I would cut for about 450% elongation factor to still get some speed but greatly improve band life. My fork tie is using a rubber 2mm tube wrap material with rubber tubing as a base. The pouch on these is tied with butchers twine and a constrictor knot.

I do notice latex has a soft feel so I think you may need to be gentler with it and treat it with more care then the newer formulations.

The cost of these Chinese flats is very reasonable @ around $5 per meter, in my case ~ 5.26ea 7.5" pieces making 7ea bands per cut section. or about 37 bands per meter at around .14 per single band. At 200 shots that about 1/10 cent band set cost per shot --- that figure is probably high as I bet I get over 200 shots per band set.

Any of you have thought on latex please chime in :- )

wll


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## Kalevala (Jul 20, 2014)

I have tried Bulk Pure Amber Latex (Simpleshot 2017) and that can be the least suitable for my needs.
Draw feels awkward, feels like bands are over stretchy. With 25-15 taper all new 0,7 bands work great with 9,5mm steel.
When pulling bands, they felt heavier than 4,4kg and wasn't steadily tightening till the end. 
When shooting, I thought I should try that same band set with 8mm steel too, because draw weight (4,4kg) is similar as my normal 8mm band sets has. 
That was waste of time. I waited much better speeds, but it was as slow as with 9,5mm. 82 shots with 8mm, only one hit and band break....
I guess there can be differences between natural latex from different manufactures 🤔


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## Grandpa Grumpy (Apr 21, 2013)

Natural latex breaks down quickly in UV light.


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## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

Grandpa Grumpy said:


> Natural latex breaks down quickly in UV light.


I just coated some in Formula 303 to see if that will help slowing the latex breakdown ?

wll


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## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

Kalevala said:


> I have tried Bulk Pure Amber Latex (Simpleshot 2017) and that can be the least suitable for my needs.
> Draw feels awkward, feels like bands are over stretchy. With 25-15 taper all new 0,7 bands work great with 9,5mm steel.
> When pulling bands, they felt heavier than 4,4kg and wasn't steadily tightening till the end.
> When shooting, I thought I should try that same band set with 8mm steel too, because draw weight (4,4kg) is similar as my normal 8mm band sets has.
> ...


Thank you very much .. I'll be on the lookout for bands breaking sooner than expected !

wll


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## AppalachianFlipShooter (May 9, 2020)

You'll be lucky to get 100 shots from natural latex. I've used it, and love it, but there is much better latex on the market than natural latex. Regardless of what others say, it isn't faster than anything else on the market either. Precise makes the fastest latex on the market. I despise the color of it cause it's yellow, but the stuff is wicked fast 

Sent from my IN2025 using Tapatalk


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## Island made (Aug 14, 2019)

I used and still use natural latex a lot. I only use it in the summer as it don’t like the cold. Yes it breaks down quicker and might not last as long, but I still love that long stretch! I’m curious as to where you found the thicker stuff? I get mine from McMaster and it only goes up to 30 thousandths .030. We all loved the .040 latex but it got discontinued.


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## Ger2020 (Apr 27, 2020)

I have had a few rolls of an unbranded natural .7 elastic off aliexpress and after trying lots of bands gzk bsb etc I actually really like this generic band and have been sticking to it. 
i dont have a chrony but a set of bands with a 145mm active and 18/12mm taper shooting 8mm steel has been taking down pigeons with deep penetration /pass throughs and can punch through one side of a heavy duty beans tin at 10 metres.
Its also really smooth and easy to draw and band life i have not noticed bieng shorter than other light sets I have tried.


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## cpu_melt_down (Mar 20, 2017)

You can still get .04 from Canal Rubber.


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## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

Got a late start but up and at'um at 7am, temp is 70°

Using the Latex after it has been coated with Formula 303.

The bands now are a bit more translucent in color, and after applying and letting it penetrate you wipe off the excess as it feels a bit wet. I used this compound on my slingshot tubes for a long time with good success--- but I always keep my elastic in the frig, and many times when out in a small ice cooler with a cold pack if it's warm.

So I'm out shooting a few 7/16" and things are going very well, I did not chronograph today but my shots at the
35ish yard area are flying fast and in a line... I'm not playing the holdover game for sure. I can tell from yesterday's chronographing these are going out fast !! The area I'm shooting at allows me to recapture most of my ammo if not all so my ammo supply stays pretty constant.

I have probably shot about 60+ or so shots and don't see any scuffing or wear on the flats so far. My microfiber pouch is 60mmx15mmx12mm and works well with this ~11mm ammo. I heat form the ball in the pouch with a hot air gun and clamp down hard with a vice and get a good solid resting place. I may wet the pouch and see if I can loosen it up a bit as this particular brand from China is a bit stiff.

The frame tie is holding very well and has not slipped at all. The rubber to rubber contact really holds well when compressed and allows for some give -- It is very clean as you can see by the pic below:










I might add that the fact that the whole tie area is covered in rubber may help with the rubber scuffing issue others may have when the rubber comes in contact with wood, plastic or a metal surface.

I shot some more with the Precise Gold and I'm very pleased with that also. It is sending this hunting ammo out with a mission.

Heading back to camp to work on the pouches I've been using, be at it again next weekend.

wll


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