# S-S Medium Tubes: Nearing the Ideal



## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

For the past couple of months I've been trying to puzzle out a band formula. I want a set of bands or tubes that shoots 7/16" steel at 200fps with my 32-33" draw, pulls no more than 11 or 12lbs of draw weight and lasts for at least a thousand shots. So far the closest I've come is using a 14" x 7/8" strip of Theraband Black folded through a pouch to make double bands. When tied correctly this setup nearly meets my criteria but it's a pain to make.

I've now found another setup that looks like it could very well match my ideal. Yesterday I got some of Simple-Shot's medium tubes in the mail. These are the same kind of dipped latex tubes as the small diameter ones, just bigger, but not as big as the large tubes. Got all that? Nathan sells these tubes for 50 cents per foot with free shipping.

I have them set up on my SPS like so:









They're at 6.25" active length including the loop. They're not "half-doubled" or anything, the loop is just big enough to allow them to move freely like looped tubes do and they provide little, if any, "tapering" effect. I shot them a bit yesterday and today and am really digging them.

In terms of draw weight and performance they closely resemble my favorite cut of TBG, which is 1" x 3/4" but unlike those bands I expect them to last for many hundreds of shots. They consistently put up numbers in the low to mid 190s over my smartphone chrony, helped by the weather on this sultry July morning. I'm sure that with a little more overlap of the looped part I could achieve 200fps with little increase in draw weight or drop in longevity.

These tubes definitely outshine my previous favorite single tubes, Dankung 3060s. These are cheaper (when shipping is taken into account), faster, lighter pulling and you don't have to wait two weeks for them to arrive. If they do manage to go 1,000 shots then I think they're an absolute home run :thumbsup:


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## bigron (Nov 29, 2012)

i love the medium tubes too


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## PorkChopSling (Jan 17, 2013)

Thanks for the review MJ, that answers some questions I had.


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## Jaximus (Jun 1, 2013)

PorkChopSling said:


> Thanks for the review MJ, that answers some questions I had.


Me, too. What kind of affect do you think straight up doubling the tubes would have? Too heavy on the draw?


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## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

Jaximus said:


> PorkChopSling said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for the review MJ, that answers some questions I had.
> ...


For me, yeah. I can't imagine what kind of ammo you'd be shooting to need doubles of these tubes.


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## Jaximus (Jun 1, 2013)

Ideally I would like to push .44 lead at 250 FPS. Hunting setup, not target. At the same time, I don't think I can be accurate with a 30 or 40# pull. I've never shot tubes. Just curious is all.

Also, our draws are about the same length. It seems like everybody that's getting high velocities with heavier ammo are all shooting butterfly. I don't even know if it's possible to get the velocities I would like with my draw length and if it's not I just won't shoot at living things with my slingshot. I just don't want to break some squirrel's shoulder going for a heart shot and have it scamper off into the woods all messed up.


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## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

You don't need 250fps of .44 lead to hunt with. You'd make squirrel paste with that much power.

From what I understand, admittedly through a lot of reading and not much practice, 180fps of 1/2" steel or .44 lead is plenty sufficient for small game.


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

M.J said:


> You don't need 250fps of .44 lead to hunt with. You'd make squirrel paste with that much power.
> 
> From what I understand, admittedly through a lot of reading and not much practice, 180fps of 1/2" steel or .44 lead is plenty sufficient for small game.


Absolutely. If you get 180 fps with .44 lead .... game over for small game.


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## Jaximus (Jun 1, 2013)

I'm just going by the starlings I've been shooting. According to my free iphone app I'm getting about 160 fps with my .44 lead and that's killing the starlings with blunt force trauma. No penetration. Had to do a follow up shot on one that took a hit at a funny angle and glanced off a little. If I'm shooting at an actual animal I'd like to be able to get some penetration. Is it possible to kill a squirrel with anything other than a headshot without penetration? I've blasted them out of trees with #8 shot from a 12 gauge and had them get up and take off. They're tough as mothers and sometimes they just won't give you their head.

It's also possible that my app is way off and I'm shooting 120 fps, but eyeballing the shots it looks about right. I defer to the experts. Also, MJ, squirrel paste sounds like a delicious cracker spread. Maybe that's what I want :neener:

Edit: Don't know the difference between differ and defer. :stupidcomp:


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## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

Mmmm... squirrel paste and EZ Cheeze on a Ritz!


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## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

Hmmm...
This set broke after a couple hundred shots. For now, I blame myself. I think I nicked the tube when I was putting the small cuff of tube on at the pouch end. Or I tied the constrictor knot too tight. Or both.


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## flippinout (Jul 16, 2010)

I used that tube diameter set up in a similar fashion to harvest the majority of the 17 squirrels I shot this past season using .44 lead. I never got more than a few hundred shots, but I was maxing them out shooting semi butterfly. I am certain I have gotten close to 1000 shots from a single strand set that was not severely overstretched... and for those who like 200+ grain ammo, this tube in loops is heavy, but efficient.


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## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

Ok, I think I've gone through enough of these tubes in different variations that I can give a well-rounded view.

When used in half-doubled ("pseudo-tapered") form these tubes are fast, straight-shooting and reasonably light in draw weight. They're also hand grenade bands, meant to be fast, not meant to last. I understand that this setup is the rough equivalent to a 2:1 taper of flats and should not be expected to endure for a ton of shots but they really go away quickly when tied this way.

I also tried them as straight singles tied on an OTT fork and found them unacceptably slow with 7/16" steel no matter what length I set them up at. I bet they'd be fine with 3/8", though.

The tubes are obviously of top quality and if they fit into your style of shooting then I'd highly recommend them.

As for me, the search continues :iono:


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## timdix (Oct 1, 2010)

The s-s mediums are my favourite tubes out there. Perfect for mid weight ammo: 9.5mm steel through to .44 lead. I use a 2:1 taper shot butterfly and they are right up there with TBG tapers.

Even in winter down under I'm getting 300fps with 9.5 steel and 250fps with 7.5gm lead with a broken in set.

The draw weight is moderate,perhaps similar to Tex express bands and perhaps Dankung 2050's.They do need a little muscle to get the most out of them. They always outlast flatbands by a long margin at the equivalent speed.

Definitely a big recommendation from me.


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