# Hathcock Target Sniper Mod



## justplainduke

This mod thread is mostly appearance, which is only second to function









duh...
How do you take an awesome design and make it suit your personal needs without changing the design too much? well I didn't change the design which I consider next to perfect, instead I added some cosmetic changes that made me happier with the design. 
So...I purchased the hathcock sniper from Bill and shot it a bunch to get the feel before any changes would be made. Let me add; Bill makes great slingshots and the target sniper is his less expensive production model, so for me elbow grease is cheaper than his custom shooters, which are aresome btw.
So, I started by sanding the frame to remove any production witness marks from the casting process using 220 wet/dry sand paper, then I went about carefully filing the tiedown grooves where the edges had softened in the casting process using a 0.25 rat tail file. Then I hand chamfered the holes and made the lanyard groove a bit more pronounced with the afore mentioned file. After I was satisfied that the finish was smooth and fit my hand perfectly, I re checked the sanded areas to be sure they were hatched enough to take the coating of rubber spray. 
The first coat I laid down wet to get good adhesion between the plastic slingshot and the rubber spray, then after 4 or 5 light coats I moved the can farther away to get a light splatter effect to the entire frame for better grip and a cool appearance.








Tomorrow I'll post some pics of the snake knot paracord lanyard attached, and the thera bands installed.
I suggest that if you don't own one of these that you pick one up. Shoot it, mod it, or whatever, it's a fun slingshot, a great seller and a good price.


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## NoSugarRob

splendid work


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## kobe23

Don't rubber spray increase abrasion at the fork? I never used it before I don't know.


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## Tex-Shooter

Very nice Mod! -- Tex


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## justplainduke

kobe23 said:


> Don't rubber spray increase abrasion at the fork? I never used it before I don't know.


Thank you for the question









So far so good; the idea of the surface area of the top of the un-rubberized forks is to add grip to the bands and take the negate the pull force directly from the tie bands as the latex or TB pull across the top of the fork, the pressure pulls the rubber down against the top of the forks, otherwise you would have an issue with the bands stressing the tie wraps and causing premature breakage.
If friction were an issue then you would see more band breakage at the forks on double bands; which I have not yet to hear.
I have so far used this spray with great sucess 600+ rounds on the Toucan in three days. (you can tell that I like shooting it now)
If this were to fail I would certainly post it as a learning experiance,
As you get to know me, you will learn that I strive to live free of ego and I only want to help; not gain credit or admiration.


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## NightKnight

That looks great! Is the spray similar to Line-X truckbed coating?


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## Northerner

Nice work Duke. Do you shoot the Target Sniper with OTT attachment or TTF?

One more question. What is the measurement between the finger and thumb grooves? The attached pic shows where to measure. My pinch grip ergos are around 3 3/8" and I was wondering how the Target Sniper compares.

Thanks,
Northerner


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## justplainduke

NightKnight said:


> That looks great! Is the spray similar to Line-X truckbed coating?


It's stickier like a quality coated shovel handle.
I LIKE the bed liner idea!!!!!!!!
I'll need to buy some and try it on one of my board cuts. I have just the one in mind


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## justplainduke

Northerner said:


> Nice work Duke. Do you shoot the Target Sniper with OTT attachment or TTF?
> 
> One more question. What is the measurement between the finger and thumb grooves? The attached pic shows where to measure. My pinch grip ergos are around 3 3/8" and I was wondering how the Target Sniper compares.
> 
> Thanks,
> Northerner


I shoot OTT normaly but I may set it up TTF just for a change. I believe that Bill leaned towards TTF when he designed the wider forks.
As for the distance between the finger and thumb grooves.....I'm at work so I'll have to send the dimensions later tonight. Let me say that they were made for Bills BIG Texas hands.
I have large hands (XL glove size) and it's still a little stretch for me, (which does aid a bit in balance and bracing). I sanded it down and rounded it a nominal amount to gain a little more of a wraped grip.
I liked this shooter before and I think that i'm gonna Love it now, it's killing me that I had to wait for the rubber spray to cure overnight. (4 hours)


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## fatboy

Thanks Duke! I bought a can of Plasti-coat spray the other day for another task. Now there is another job on the to-do list.


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## slingshot_sniper

Good job that duke


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## justplainduke

Here is the completed Hathcock target sniper:


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## wd40

"And now I think I know what my father meant,

when he sang about a lost highway....."

Good garage art!!!

WD40

PS: Good slingshot modification as well. I like your contributions to our forum, Duke.


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## justplainduke

wd40 said:


> "And now I think I know what my father meant,
> 
> when he sang about a lost highway....."
> 
> Good garage art!!!
> 
> WD40
> 
> PS: Good slingshot modification as well. I like your contributions to our forum, Duke.


Lost highway is surely my favorite Hank sr. Song by far. Almost a theme song sometimes. 
Thank you for appreciating my input. It's nice having this forum and it's members to share with.


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## Deltaboy1984

Great looking mod.


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## justplainduke

justplainduke said:


> "And now I think I know what my father meant,
> 
> when he sang about a lost highway....."
> 
> Good garage art!!!
> 
> WD40
> 
> PS: Good slingshot modification as well. I like your contributions to our forum, Duke.


Lost highway is surely my favorite Hank sr. Song by far. Almost a theme song sometimes. 
Thank you for appreciating my input. It's nice having this forum and it's members to share with.
[/quote]
Here is some more of my lowbrow garage art:


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## e~shot

Good job


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## justplainduke

Yea, there's only one problem....with the ergonomic rubber grip, I can't put the darn thing down








With the solid grip, It's begging for HEAVY bands!!!
I have now created my new hunting frame!


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## radray

Duke,

You keep getting better at this! Good job my friend. The HTS is definitely a good shooting slingshot and I like it better after putting on Tex's Express Bands on them. Bill does know how to make a good slingshot, but your mod made his budget slingshot look premium. I will have to try this on my own HTS and the polymer Ranger as well. Thanks for sharing.

Raymond


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## Charlie Cam

where can i find the design for this it looks great??


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## lightgeoduck

Thats sharp,, I might have to do something to mine.. maybe do a rubber dip, like one does for tool handles?

LGD


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## mckee

good job


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## NaturalFork

That is a very good idea!


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## justplainduke

Thanks guys.


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## Bob Fionda

Good work I like it and good idea.


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## bkcooler

Thanks for the idea.
I have Hathcock, Ranger and SEAL sniper that I'll work on.
There goes my weekend.


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## Dayhiker

I have a can of dip-it I mean Plasti-Dip coming in my local Ace Hardware. It's going on my Toucan as soon as it comes in.
Duke, I think you are correct in what you say about grippiness at the fork tips. Thanks for giving me something to think about.


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## Litebow

I have a Hathcock Target Sniper and a Polymer Ranger I would like to mod by drilling a hole for tubes as close to the end of the forks as I can. Right now I run theTrumark tubes I am using through the existing hole with the plug in the tube facing me, and then up an along the fork, and secure them there with a rubber band. I am then able to shoot over the forks. I was wondering if the ballistic nylon sniper and the poylmer ranger forks would be strong enough for another hole and how close I could get to the end of the fork with the hole, and still maintain adequate strength.

With the present configuration the tubes swing around like a pendulum with the shot and gives me a good handslap. With gloves thats no problem , but I would like to eliminate the gloves, If I shoot straight back from the existing holes (with a plug attachment) the tubes are too close to the top of my hand, and I get hit there.

Thanks for sharing your mods. I enjoy the forum. I've been shooting slingshotsand lurking for about three months.

Dave from Indianapolis


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## Bill Hays

Litebow said:


> I have a Hathcock Target Sniper and a Polymer Ranger I would like to mod by drilling a hole for tubes as close to the end of the forks as I can. Right now I run theTrumark tubes I am using through the existing hole with the plug in the tube facing me, and then up an along the fork, and secure them there with a rubber band. I am then able to shoot over the forks. I was wondering if the ballistic nylon sniper and the poylmer ranger forks would be strong enough for another hole and how close I could get to the end of the fork with the hole, and still maintain adequate strength.
> 
> With the present configuration the tubes swing around like a pendulum with the shot and gives me a good handslap. With gloves thats no problem , but I would like to eliminate the gloves, If I shoot straight back from the existing holes (with a plug attachment) the tubes are too close to the top of my hand, and I get hit there.
> 
> Thanks for sharing your mods. I enjoy the forum. I've been shooting slingshotsand lurking for about three months.
> 
> Dave from Indianapolis


There is a steel rod right where you want to drill... so your idea probably won't work. You can however simply strap the tubes on the same way you'd do flatbands, in the TTF fashion... you'll eliminate handslap that way and won't take a chance on screwing up the frame.


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## Litebow

Thanks Bill, thats good to know. I'll try tying them on, just not as neat and tidy looking as running thru a hole and plugging. I never shot anything but a wrist braced slingshot, before getting my order from you earlier this month. At first it was a whole new set of muscles to use and the Ranger seemed easier for me to get my hands around,The HTS seemed a little big. Now that I have been shooting them both for a month and my muscles seem to have adjusted the HTS is feeling more comfortable all the time. Seems more solid in my hand than the Ranger as I pull on the bands. I like both of them tho.

I'm a newbie, only three months shooting so I'm still in the early experimental stage. Just wondering, are any of your sideshooters just a little bit smaller than the HTS? One thing I have learned on these forums is a guy can't have too many slingshots!

Dave

Update: I just took the tubes off and tried two different ways of just tying them on as you suggested. I ended up turning every thing around. I ran the tube through the hole with the plug facing away now, came up the forks and tied a number 64 rubber band around the forks in the midfork groove at then shot pulling against the rubber band instead of pulling the tube over the top of the fork and shooting across the top. This moved the tubes up higher on the fork and the through the fork pull kept the tube from swinging around like a pendulum into my hand. Shot about 20 shots each with the HTS and the Ranger and no hand hits or handslaps. I was suprised at how strongly that #64 held the tubes to the fork. Much better than when I tried to tie them on tieing around the hole and the top of the forks as you had tied on the thera bands that came with it. With the end of the tube tucked into the hole it is still tidy as I don't have the end of the tube hanging out in space. Not sure if you could follow all that, but the short story is problem is solved. Thanks


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