# my first two slingshots



## Agos80 (Oct 3, 2014)

Hy I've just joined the forum and I like to show the first two slingshot I made in the last days.

The first is a copy oh Hrawk's design, the dragon.



it was in poplar plywood and the rabbit is pyrography.

The second one is an imitation of John Hays's pocket predator










this is birch plywood (much harder wood)I like its precision cause I'm a newbie at firing slingshot, I've found it a little easier to hit the target.

I've banded this with a single straight cut of 1'' thera band gold .

I like working wood but now I would like to build somthing easy but more durable, beacuse rarely I hit the fork and ruin my slingshots.

I want to try an aluminium bent rod, like the ones I see from the old peddler.

Unfortunately I'm a bit confused about what tubes fit my need best.

I would like to try hunting small games in my countryside, like jackrabbit, pheasent and animals like that.

I've a draw lenght of nearly 30 inches.

I want to use homemade clay ammo fired in a ceramic kiln, cause they are totally natural an not dangerous for the ambient, I think that trowing thousand of lead balls in the bushes is not very good for me. My clay ammo are more or less like rocks and will weight around 12-14 gr

I'll be grateful if someone can give me advices.

P.S. excuse me if I make mistakes in writing but I'm from Italy and English is not my first Language, I'll do my best 

Bye

Dario


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## leon13 (Oct 4, 2012)

Nice made slingshots 
Cheers


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## Urban Fisher (Aug 13, 2014)

Those look great! Good job man!


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## DogBox (Aug 11, 2014)

Welcome to the Forum! Nice job. [The guy who designed the Hathcock Predator by the way, is 'Bill Hays' not "John.]


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## Dalethor (Sep 23, 2014)

Nice work on those I like the finishing techniques you used on them. I'm not sure how well fired clay would work as a hunting ammo, they might be a bit light to be able to deliver the energy required for a humane kill. But, having never used it myself I do not have any idea as to the facts there, just my feeling on it. Beautiful job on the slingshots at any rate! And welcome to the forums.


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## Agos80 (Oct 3, 2014)

I'm not an expert in any way, but clay ammo are the only ammo (toghether with stones of course) ancient hunters used with slings .

A clay ammo of 22mm diameter weight aproximatively 12-14 gr , way more than a 3/8 lead ball.

Thanks to his weight is almost like throwing a stone of the same size (more or less)

I'm new to hunting and slingshots but I see reports of good hunters who effectively use the blunt trauma such projectiles deliver.

My grandfather came from 1908 and with natural Forks sling killed a lot of preys during his childhood and during war, for gathering food, using only stones as ammo 

P.S. I'm glad you like the slingshots, on the first one I finished with linseed oil , on the second I colored with acrylic spray can and then only finished with clear acrylic (not a very tough finish)


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## Agos80 (Oct 3, 2014)

DogBox said:


> Welcome to the Forum! Nice job. [The guy who designed the Hathcock Predator by the way, is 'Bill Hays' not "John.]


Sorry you're right, my fault


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## Dalethor (Sep 23, 2014)

That's really interesting info about the clay ammo, thanks for sharing that, I'll have to see about making pouches to fit a round ball that large. And my bad you meant "grams" of weight not "grains" of weight which is how I read it at first, certainly a projectile of that size and weight would seem sufficient to bring down small game. Thanks for the info, I love to learn new things.


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## Agos80 (Oct 3, 2014)

Yes you're right infact I'm creating big pouches for big ammo.

In a perspective af blunt trauma against perforation trauma I think I'll go for big ammo+big poches+less fastness


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## Hoss (Jun 3, 2014)

Nice work, and welcome.


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## J Stacy (Aug 7, 2014)

I copied your second SS and made a cardboard template to use to trace outlines on wood. The width of the thumb and finger groove is pretty wide ,glad I have big hands!  .The use of clay balls for small game hunting has been used in many cultures and an interesting option , but not a lot of us have a furnace to fire them. <_< . Welcome to the group ,Jim :thumbsup:


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## Agos80 (Oct 3, 2014)

thank you, for what i've heard it's possible to hunt with clay balls only low fired in the kitchen hooven, but I cannot say more cause I've never tried myself, I have the luck to have ceramic kiln so i can fire to high temperatures cause my girlfriend does ceramics for hobby


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## kwinpr (Sep 25, 2014)

Nice work and welcome to the forum!


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## Drhanson (Jul 2, 2014)

Great work!


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## Volp (Aug 25, 2014)

Great job Man!! way to go!

Se queste sono le tue prime fionde pensa a quelle future! 

Volp


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## Agos80 (Oct 3, 2014)

Tante Grazie amico


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## rockslinger (Nov 16, 2010)

Welcome Dario!

Very nice work on the slingshots!


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