# In Need Of A Good Slingshot For Hunting Rabbits



## imbapojken

As everybody else, i made simple slingshots as a kid to shoot my sister (;D) with those brown things that you use to plant roses (they are so light that you dont get injured but they do hurt like ****).
Now im older and i wanna do it the right way and hunt som small game. Summer is just a small step ahead and im spending 5 weeks at our "vacation house" and you almost trip over all the rabbits over here so i thought that i would maybe be able to shoot one







my cat always come home with rabbits so it cant be THAT hard







so my question is if there are any really good hunting sling shots out there or should i make one myself? I have a metal frame that i can use but what kind of rubberband should i use? Or are there any really trusted people here that can make one for me? The barreta black widow looks really cool but i dont know if its powerful enough :s Trying to spend under 30 euro if thats enough


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## August West

Welcome to the forum and for 30 euro you should be able to get a really fine hunting slingshot, however if I were you I would make my own. The bands are the heart of the slingshot, IMO and the frame is only a way to hold them and any ole frame that fits your hand well and is strong enough for the bands will do great. The great thing about making your own is that you can constantly tweak it till you get the size and design that is perfect for you. If you don't want to build your own, look at some of the vendors on this site, they have some super nice slingshots that are great for rabbit hunting and most are under your 30 euro limit. Chris


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## jskeen

Greetings and welcome to the forum. I'll give you a few answers to your questions first, and then a bit of information on hunting specifically. First, yes there are many good hunting slingshots out there, both factory made, and hand made. Game is successfully taken all the time with just about any type of slingshot. Bands have a lot more options, but in general any medium to heavy weight set of bands or tubes can throw a heavy enough projectile with enough speed to kill a rabbit instantaneously, or close enough to it to be humane, ASSUMING YOU CAN HIT IT IN THE RIGHT SPOT!

In my opinion, that is much more important (and much more difficult) than getting a slingshot-band-ammo combination that is theoretically "powerful enough" to hunt with. NO slingshot is powerful enough to compensate for poor shot placement, whatever the cause, be it an inaccurate tool, or an insufficiently practiced hunter. Unless you can consistently hit within an inch of your intended target UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS, at the range your prey can be approached to without bolting, you are pretty much guaranteed to not only fail to take your intended target, but to leave many more animals injured, and probably doomed to a slow death of it's injuries or from starvation.

So, if you want to hunt, acquire yourself a slingshot of some sort with moderately heavy elastics (not "target" bands) and practice, practice, practice. By the time you have learned to consistently hit a 2 inch circle at random distances in the field, you will have decided on your own what slingshot, bands and ammo suits you best, which is much more reliable than asking someone else's opinion.

But if you just want a slingshot to start practicing with, pm me and I'll figure out how to provide you with something you can work with.

James


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## August West

jskeen, excellent post.


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## RockinRabbit

I myself am into a similar boat as the op. as I'm looking for a new hunting slingshot. I have experience harvesting squrils and rabbits but looking for something better than my current cheif aj quick point! Really anxious to c where this thread goes!

I personally beleive I would like some Flatbands and maybe a ott ergo pfs. If that made any sense!

-imbapojken my intentions are not at all to hijack your thread! Just hoping we can both find something we need here!


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## imbapojken

RockinRabbit, no problem, im just happy to see this thread getting bigger








Thanks again for the great post jskeen


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## Hrawk

Hey guys. This is a question that comes up rather often. To try and answer it as best I can before it's even asked, I have started up the following thread which is pinned in the hunting section.

http://slingshotforum.com/topic/16188-effective-hunting-setups/

Please check back from time to time as it is updated to see what other people are using to take various game. What bands, what ammo, what slingshot etc.


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## imbapojken

August West, i also nees to thank you


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## imbapojken

This is my current setup, i can hit a soda can from 10 meters 50% of the time.
Sorry if my slingshot makes you cry xD
imgur.com/Xkb8B.jpg


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## Hrawk

Funky use of materials man.

We need to get you sorted with some good rubber now, you'll be amazed at how much more power you can get.


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## August West

Cool use of everyday materials. Get some decent bands and check out on here how to easily attach them and you are off and running, that frame looks fine. Chris


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## Sst der Kleine Steinschlag

imbapojken said:


> This is my current setup, i can hit a soda can from 10 meters 50% of the time.
> Sorry if my slingshot makes you cry xD
> imgur.com/Xkb8B.jpg


OMG! these expander rubber bands are a pain in the a**! the thin rubber strands iside might work out pretty well, but the cloth "coating" makes them hard to draw and that stiff that they won´t deliver an acceptable amount of energy and. turn to tubular or band rubber or your cat will bring more prey home than you! P.S. and try finding bigger rocks than that light gravel - that might bother the rabbits fleas but not the rabbit!


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## Sst der Kleine Steinschlag

Sorry to bother you again, but this setup might rob my night´s sleep and your eyelight! please think about those metal hooks on the slingshot "secured" with gaffa tape, or wear an integral motorcycle helmet while shooting!


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## imbapojken

Hrawk said:


> Funky use of materials man.
> 
> We need to get you sorted with some good rubber now, you'll be amazed at how much more power you can get.


Hehe, my grandpa loves sailing so he had like a zillion of them and one of them did actually fit perfectly into my holes








What kind of rubber should i use?
Im decently strong but i wouldnt arm wrestle Joerg








How do i take care of the rubber so it doesent dry out and fall apart?
And where can i buy the rubber? 
Thanks in advance, Oden.


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## imbapojken

Sst der Kleine Steinschlag said:


> Sorry to bother you again, but this setup might rob my night´s sleep and your eyelight! please think about those metal hooks on the slingshot "secured" with gaffa tape, or wear an integral motorcycle helmet while shooting!


I was really careful when shooting and i was wearing safety goggles, thanks for the advice tho


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## imbapojken

August West said:


> Cool use of everyday materials. Get some decent bands and check out on here how to easily attach them and you are off and running, that frame looks fine. Chris


Made it last summer of some plywood i found in the woods


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## treefork

Some office bands would give far greater performance than that bungi cord. ( readily available) A word of caution to the hook on the end of the cord could knock an eye out!!!!!


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## imbapojken

treefork said:


> Some office bands would give far greater performance than that bungi cord. ( readily available) A word of caution to the hook on the end of the cord could knock an eye out!!!!!


Where do i buy those bands? And how much are they?


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## jskeen

I just did a quick search for theraband gold at uk.ebay.com, and got several pages of hits. There are plenty of places in europe to buy both whole exersize band sized pieces, and precut slingshot bands in Europe. Odds are you are going to have to order any decent band material in, and if you are going to order it and pay shipping, might as well get the good stuff as fight with office bands or such.

If you just can't order band material for some reason, then you might actually be required to scrounge up local materials. There are plenty of tricks to do that as well, but the easiest thing is just to order the bands from someone in the EU with a decent ebay feedback score.

But then what do I know, I'm a yank


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## treefork

On line or at a store that sells office supplies.. generally a sz 32or 64 in chains. sz 107 can be used as a straight flat band.


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## imbapojken

jskeen said:


> I just did a quick search for theraband gold at uk.ebay.com, and got several pages of hits. There are plenty of places in europe to buy both whole exersize band sized pieces, and precut slingshot bands in Europe. Odds are you are going to have to order any decent band material in, and if you are going to order it and pay shipping, might as well get the good stuff as fight with office bands or such.
> 
> If you just can't order band material for some reason, then you might actually be required to scrounge up local materials. There are plenty of tricks to do that as well, but the easiest thing is just to order the bands from someone in the EU with a decent ebay feedback score.
> 
> But then what do I know, I'm a yank


Im not very comfortabable with ebay and have never purchased anything there, isnt surgical tubing or chained office bands enough?


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## RockinRabbit

imbapojken said:


> Cool use of everyday materials. Get some decent bands and check out on here how to easily attach them and you are off and running, that frame looks fine. Chris


Made it last summer of some plywood i found in the woods








[/quote]
Let me get this right you where in the woods and chose to make your ss out of plywood.

Ehh to each his own, good luck!


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## imbapojken

RockinRabbit said:


> Cool use of everyday materials. Get some decent bands and check out on here how to easily attach them and you are off and running, that frame looks fine. Chris


Made it last summer of some plywood i found in the woods








[/quote]
Let me get this right you where in the woods and chose to make your ss out of plywood.

Ehh to each his own, good luck!
[/quote]
Isnt plywood good?


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## jskeen

imbapojken said:


> I just did a quick search for theraband gold at uk.ebay.com, and got several pages of hits. There are plenty of places in europe to buy both whole exersize band sized pieces, and precut slingshot bands in Europe. Odds are you are going to have to order any decent band material in, and if you are going to order it and pay shipping, might as well get the good stuff as fight with office bands or such.
> 
> If you just can't order band material for some reason, then you might actually be required to scrounge up local materials. There are plenty of tricks to do that as well, but the easiest thing is just to order the bands from someone in the EU with a decent ebay feedback score.
> 
> But then what do I know, I'm a yank


Im not very comfortabable with ebay and have never purchased anything there, isnt surgical tubing or chained office bands enough?








[/quote]

Well, perhaps, but neither option is as efficient, or as simple as flatbands. It will require more fiddling, more adjustment, more effort and probably almost as much money to develop a combination of chained bands or surgical tubing that will yield the velocities with the ammunition needed to take game consistently and humanely. Can it be done? Sure, and there are plenty of people who have done it and posted about their experiences and techniques.

Remember that unless you can independently verify your results, you will need to exactly follow someone else's directions to duplicate their results. If someone uses red crepe bands in a certain configuration and achieves good hunting results, it can't be assumed that you will get the same results using tan office rubber bands. Same for types and sizes of tubes.

For some folks, its figuring all that out that is the fun part, though.


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## pop shot

some people hunt with size 64 chained together in a 3/3/3 chain and heavy ammo (3/4" round rocks) but they're accurrate- able to hit a 2" circle at 15 yds most of the time. that's the important part. you should start out light and work on your accuracy before you start hunting. then go heavier for hunting.


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## imbapojken

jskeen said:


> I just did a quick search for theraband gold at uk.ebay.com, and got several pages of hits. There are plenty of places in europe to buy both whole exersize band sized pieces, and precut slingshot bands in Europe. Odds are you are going to have to order any decent band material in, and if you are going to order it and pay shipping, might as well get the good stuff as fight with office bands or such.
> 
> If you just can't order band material for some reason, then you might actually be required to scrounge up local materials. There are plenty of tricks to do that as well, but the easiest thing is just to order the bands from someone in the EU with a decent ebay feedback score.
> 
> But then what do I know, I'm a yank


Im not very comfortabable with ebay and have never purchased anything there, isnt surgical tubing or chained office bands enough?








[/quote]

Well, perhaps, but neither option is as efficient, or as simple as flatbands. It will require more fiddling, more adjustment, more effort and probably almost as much money to develop a combination of chained bands or surgical tubing that will yield the velocities with the ammunition needed to take game consistently and humanely. Can it be done? Sure, and there are plenty of people who have done it and posted about their experiences and techniques.

Remember that unless you can independently verify your results, you will need to exactly follow someone else's directions to duplicate their results. If someone uses red crepe bands in a certain configuration and achieves good hunting results, it can't be assumed that you will get the same results using tan office rubber bands. Same for types and sizes of tubes.

For some folks, its figuring all that out that is the fun part, though.
[/quote]
You do not have to reply to my pm James, i just ran over to our local food store and bought like 500 rubber bands for 3 euro to make a prototype.
May not be the best but still, a prototype.
i will use 2 of these for every fork thingie (cant really find a word for them but one of the forks) so a total of 4.
for this one that you see here i used 50 rubber bands, if anybody have a better solution how to chain them, dont be afraid to reply


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## imbapojken

pop shot said:


> some people hunt with size 64 chained together in a 3/3/3 chain and heavy ammo (3/4" round rocks) but they're accurrate- able to hit a 2" circle at 15 yds most of the time. that's the important part. you should start out light and work on your accuracy before you start hunting. then go heavier for hunting.


Posted a picture of my prototype, check it out


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## Imperial

imbapojken said:


> Posted a picture of my prototype, check it out


wow ! you can just hang your prey with them chains !


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## jskeen

imbapojken said:


> i will use 2 of these for every fork thingie (can really find a word for them but one of the forks) so a total of 4.


Interestingly enough, I don't believe I've ever seen half or a slingshot given a proper name. Or maybe half of the top half (or would that be a third) of a slingshot. The components of a fork are called prongs, so that would mean that you will be using two chains per prong, if you equate a slingshot to a dining utensil. English is an odd language, for a fact. I guess it's due to the fact that there are no tonal differentiations.


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## imbapojken

jskeen said:


> i will use 2 of these for every fork thingie (can really find a word for them but one of the forks) so a total of 4.


Interestingly enough, I don't believe I've ever seen half or a slingshot given a proper name. Or maybe half of the top half (or would that be a third) of a slingshot. The components of a fork are called prongs, so that would mean that you will be using two chains per prong, if you equate a slingshot to a dining utensil. English is an odd language, for a fact. I guess it's due to the fact that there are no tonal differentiations.
[/quote]
But what do you think about mah chains


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## jskeen

I really couldn't say, as I have no idea how thick the individual band are, or how much force it takes to pull the chains, or how long they are going to last. Just as a completely unsupported guess, I'd say that two of those per side is going to be very difficult to draw and shoot accurately, due to very heavy draw weight and sheer bulk of the chains getting in each others way. but I may be way off base. I do want to hear how they work out for you, and what kind of performance you get out of them.

Perhaps we can devise some sort of performance comparison that will let us rate how they work vs a known standard. Assuming you don't have a chronograph handy that you can use to determine actual velocity for different projectiles.


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## imbapojken

jskeen said:


> I really couldn't say, as I have no idea how thick the individual band are, or how much force it takes to pull the chains, or how long they are going to last. Just as a completely unsupported guess, I'd say that two of those per side is going to be very difficult to draw and shoot accurately, due to very heavy draw weight and sheer bulk of the chains getting in each others way. but I may be way off base. I do want to hear how they work out for you, and what kind of performance you get out of them.
> 
> Perhaps we can devise some sort of performance comparison that will let us rate how they work vs a known standard. Assuming you don't have a chronograph handy that you can use to determine actual velocity for different projectiles.


Off-topic, i think that was yoour 666th post ;D
As soon as i get the other chains ready i will try it out and report back with the results


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## August West

Well one thing is absolutely for sure, those chained rubber bands will work brilliantly compared to that bungee corded nightmare you were shooting. LOL

Gypsy tabs with chains takes a lot of game and that is for sure. James is spot on about the accuracy large ammo and pinpoint accuracy is what your looking for. Chris


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## imbapojken

August West said:


> Well one thing is absolutely for sure, those chained rubber bands will work brilliantly compared to that bungee corded nightmare you were shooting. LOL
> 
> Gypsy tabs with chains takes a lot of game and that is for sure. James is spot on about the accuracy large ammo and pinpoint accuracy is what your looking for. Chris


Haha okay








I went to a drugstore and they had green therabands (the brand was not therband but they were green and 1 meter long, aprox 7 centimeters wide) can i use them? Or are they too weak?


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## Imperial

imbapojken said:


> I went to a drugstore and they had green therabands (the brand was not therband but they were green and 1 meter long, aprox 7 centimeters wide) can i use them? Or are they too weak?


as long as it is latex it will work . avoid the ones that say " latex free " .


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## imbapojken

Imperial said:


> I went to a drugstore and they had green therabands (the brand was not therband but they were green and 1 meter long, aprox 7 centimeters wide) can i use them? Or are they too weak?


as long as it is latex it will work . avoid the ones that say " latex free " . 
[/quote]
Okay, cool








But if i get these http://www.garderobe...-828-c-176.aspx (its in swedish sorry, but its an english brand so i think you'll understand







)
How do i attach them to this fork?








Sincerely, Oden


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## jskeen

The pharmacy therabands first. The thickness is the determining factor on how long they will last as slingshot bands. Not sure how to measure the thickness accurately unless you have a dial caliper or micrometer handy. Check the package carefully and see if they give a thickness or gauge number. If so we can compare them to known thicknesses of elastic and give you some probable band configurations that you could use it in.

As for the tubes, if they will thread through the holes, you can put them through, then put a something in the end to keep them from pulling back out when you draw. You will want to test it away from your face at first to make sure it is a secure mounting first though. If they are too big to go straight through, you may be able to fold the last 3/4 inch or so over a piece of strong string then pull them through the holes with the string, then remove it. the doubled piece on the outside of the hole may hold it securely enough. Again, you will want to test carefully without your face anywhere close, just in case the frame is not up to the strain or the mounting is not as secure as needed.


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## gabeb

imbapojken said:


> 'August West' said:
> 
> 
> 
> Well one thing is absolutely for sure, those chained rubber bands will work brilliantly compared to that bungee corded nightmare you were shooting. LOLGypsy tabs with chains takes a lot of game and that is for sure. James is spot on about the accuracy large ammo and pinpoint accuracy is what your looking for. Chris
> 
> 
> 
> Haha okay
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I went to a drugstore and they had green therabands (the brand was not therband but they were green and 1 meter long, aprox 7 centimeters wide) can i use them? Or are they too weak?
Click to expand...

Personally that is what I use. My bands don't last long because they are a 4:1 taper. That means that I take my draw length (30 in.) and divide it by 4 to get how long I cut my bands. My taper is 1-3/4 in. with two bands per side. This results in bands that will send .50 lead at a flat trajectory for about 10 yards (30 ft). I usually don't shoot that far because I can stalk my prey to about 16 feet. This is where I am most accurate. I have taken pigeons at 16 and 30 ft. with 7/16 steel bb, I have recently taken a rabbit with 16mm steel from 5 ft. Now I have compared this stuff to theraband gold and it is nowhere near the same. The stuff works if you can't wait for theraband to be shipped to you. Hope this helps you.


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## Viper010

gabeb said:


> imbapojken said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well one thing is absolutely for sure, those chained rubber bands will work brilliantly compared to that bungee corded nightmare you were shooting. LOLGypsy tabs with chains takes a lot of game and that is for sure. James is spot on about the accuracy large ammo and pinpoint accuracy is what your looking for. Chris
> 
> 
> 
> Haha okay
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I went to a drugstore and they had green therabands (the brand was not therband but they were green and 1 meter long, aprox 7 centimeters wide) can i use them? Or are they too weak?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Personally that is what I use. My bands don't last long because they are a 4:1 taper. That means that I take my draw length (30 in.) and divide it by 4 to get how long I cut my bands. My taper is 1-3/4 in. with two bands per side. This results in bands that will send .50 lead at a flat trajectory for about 10 yards (30 ft). I usually don't shoot that far because I can stalk my prey to about 16 feet. This is where I am most accurate. I have taken pigeons at 16 and 30 ft. with 7/16 steel bb, I have recently taken a rabbit with 16mm steel from 5 ft. Now I have compared this stuff to theraband gold and it is nowhere near the same. The stuff works if you can't wait for theraband to be shipped to you. Hope this helps you.
Click to expand...

Checking thread date before replying may help you to avoid wasting your time. You're replying to a question posed some 4 years ago. In forum speak this is known as "waking the zombie".


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## Cjw

With out the proper equipment and months of practice to developed the accuracy needed to hunt all I see is wounded animals running off to die somewhere.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Ibojoe

www.simpleshot.com


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## SlingshotBill

imbapojken said:


> This is my current setup, i can hit a soda can from 10 meters 50% of the time.
> Sorry if my slingshot makes you cry xD
> imgur.com/Xkb8B.jpg


Just seen this Dang it's kinda cool you do have to work about band breakage for a long while. 
I wonder if you could splice in a pouch in the bungee cord??

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