# Daisy tubes vs #32 office bands



## KawKan (May 11, 2013)

There have been several Daisy F16 slingshots in my recent past. Sometimes, I have removed the stock bands without taking a shot with them. Sometimes I have taken a few shots, and shook my head in amazement. WTF?! My long held position is, I would rather shoot office rubber. 
I have advanced the theory that it would be easy to put together a bandset of chained #32 rubber bands that would out-perform the stock Daisy tubes. Recently, I decided to put that idea to the test. Of course I had to buy another F16 so I would have tubes for the test. Bands alone cost almost as much as the slingshot!
Down in the basement (it was near 0 Fahrenheit outside) I measured the stock bands at 7 inches from the end of the prong to the pouch connection. A few test shots convinced me that drawing to the corner of my mouth was about all I hold in a reasonably steady manner. That’s 26 inches, and coincidentally that measures out at 26 pounds of resistance. 








Shooting ½-inch glass (Daisy Tracers) over the chronometer, 5 shots averaged 143.7 FPS (feet per second). The ½-inch steel averaged 130.9 FPS. So that was my performance target. 
I configured my first set of #32 rubber bands using a Simple-Shot large microfiber pouch and a chain of 4 and 3 bands per side. That gave me 5-½ inches of active length. They pulled 12.73 pounds at 26 inches. The glass ammo averaged 161.2 FPS. The steel averaged 128.9. Much better speed with the glass, not quite as much speed with the steel, and good reduction on draw weight.
Next up, I assembled a set of #32s in a 3x2x2 per side configuration. That uses the same number of bands per side as the previous set. That gave me 8 inches of active length and pulled 6.74 pounds at 36 inches. The glass ammo averaged 160.5 FPS. The steel shot 130.4 FPS. 
Then I arranged #32s in a 2x2x2x2 per side configuration for 11-½ inches of active length. They pulled 7.48 pounds at 56 inches. The glass shot 161.0 FPS, and the steel averaged 139.5 FPS. This set had one more #32 per side and I think it paid off with the speed of the steel ammo. I think any configuration of 8 #32s would beat the stock Daisy tubes for speed with both ammo weights.


Chart style, it looks like this.
Bandset DW lbs Glass FPS Steel FPS
Stock 26 143.7 130.9
#32, 4x3 12.73 161.2 128.9
#32 3x2x2 6.74 160.5 130.4
#32 2x2x2x2 7.48 161.0 139.5

Any configuration of 7 #32s easily beat the stock tubes with the glass ammo, and pretty much matched it with steel, at significantly less draw weight. Eight #32 beat the Daisy speed with both weights of ammo.








As a bonus, I recently ran my favorite set of #32 for BBs (1x1x1x1) over the chrony and got 178.8 FPS with .177, 176.8 with ¼-inch, and 162 with 5/16-inch steel. That with a draw weight of 3.65 lbs at 56 inches. These speeds are fine for shooting in the basement, or plinking in the outdoor catchbox. Didn’t try it with the stock Daisy tubes.


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Imagine how many people pick up a Daisy F16 at Walmart and shoot it only to be frustrated and disappointed .They say slingshots are crap and never return knowing and loving what we do . Daisy is doing slingshot sport a great disservice by banding them up the way they do . The frame is solid but it just needs to be banded properly to give new comers a positive first time experience . The sooner they hear that consistent metallic clank sound of a tin can hit the sooner they will be hooked .


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## Grandpa Grumpy (Apr 21, 2013)

Thanks Ray! Have you tried any combinations of #64 bands? I think a 2 -1-1 set up is what I used to shoot.

I shot my first set of Daisy bands until they broke. They don't last long.


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## MOJAVE MO (Apr 11, 2018)

Great breakdown Ray. I like the lack of cutting and measuring and fussing to get a set of office bands together. I've seen a video of an 80+ shooter using a fork he had for 77 years and a dangly wad of red office bands hanging from his frame. Of course, he could hit anything and fed his family wild game every night since he was a kid.


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## KawKan (May 11, 2013)

Grandpa Grumpy said:


> Thanks Ray! Have you tried any combinations of #64 bands? I think a 2 -1-1 set up is what I used to shoot.
> 
> I shot my first set of Daisy bands until they broke. They don't last long.


Ha ha! When I started this little project I thought I could test #32s, #64s and maybe 117b rubber too! But shooting over the chronograph takes time, and more patience than I remembered. I like it best in smaller chunks!


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## High Desert Flipper (Aug 29, 2020)

Thank you for doing and posting this, I LOVE seeing things like this! And HOLY COW! 26 lbs of draw for the Daisy tubes?!? I scrolled back up three times to make sure I read it correctly. Cool to see the rubber bands out performing at less than half the draw weight.

Someday I would love to have somebody well versed in slingshot history run through band progression over time- like how the surgical tubing became such a rage during the wrist rocket era, why big box makers seem stuck with that legacy, if the surgical tubing was really a step ahead of whatever came just before it (tire innertubes or rubber bands?) when and how current flats and especially tapers came into being and their evolution, etc..


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## KawKan (May 11, 2013)

High Desert Flipper said:


> Thank you for doing and posting this, I LOVE seeing things like this! And HOLY COW! 26 lbs of draw for the Daisy tubes?!? I scrolled back up three times to make sure I read it correctly. Cool to see the rubber bands out performing at less than half the draw weight.
> 
> Someday I would love to have somebody well versed in slingshot history run through band progression over time- like how the surgical tubing became such a rage during the wrist rocket era, why big box makers seem stuck with that legacy, if the surgical tubing was really a step ahead of whatever came just before it (tire innertubes or rubber bands?) when and how current flats and especially tapers came into being and their evolution, etc..


I'm not a historian, but I was using my paper route and lawn mowing money on slingshots in the 60s. Before wrist rockets and surgical tubing I was shooting a Marksman Fireball that came with molded rubber bands.








After the original tubes broke I went to chained rubber bands that were intended for wrapping my newspapers! But the surgical rubber tubes were way better than the molded rubber. And way better than the current Daisy tubes!


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## Sandstorm (Apr 5, 2021)

I was pretty impressed after Sling-N-Shot sent me some #64’s and 107’s (I believe?). I was able to hurl 1/2” steel through one of his Natties with those 107’s. Surprised the living heck out of me!


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## High Desert Flipper (Aug 29, 2020)

KawKan said:


> I'm not a historian, but I was using my paper route and lawn mowing money on slingshots in the 60s. Before wrist rockets and surgical tubing I was shooting a Marksman Fireball that came with molded rubber bands.
> View attachment 362616
> 
> After the original tubes broke I went to chained rubber bands that were intended for wrapping my newspapers! But the surgical rubber tubes were way better than the molded rubber. And way better than the current Daisy tubes!



That's a neat frame. I remember buying some black Marksman bands back in the '70s- I had a wooden frame that had slots for them. Then surgical tubing in the 80's with a small collection of beloved wrist rockets. Then life happened for a few decades. And now here I am, back flinging things again and loving the heck out of modern latex and tapers and all. Always curious to know how things went down in the couple of decades I missed.


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## Sandstorm (Apr 5, 2021)

High Desert Flipper said:


> That's a neat frame. I remember buying some black Marksman bands back in the '70s- I had a wooden frame that had slots for them. Then surgical tubing in the 80's with a small collection of beloved wrist rockets. Then life happened for a few decades. And now here I am, back flinging things again and loving the heck out of modern latex and tapers and all. Always curious to know how things went down in the couple of decades I missed.


Apparently we were very lucky to have missed out on the bands vs tubes war back then.


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## HOE (Nov 13, 2010)

I still remember shooting my Barnett Black Heavy Pull Tubes on my Black Widow 10 years ago... it's crazy... Accidentally launched a huge steel mouse ball out of my window! Missed my backstop located right below my glass windows! Lucky it didn't hit the wall and bounced back at me or even hit any glass...


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## hoggy (Apr 17, 2017)

cool, thanks for this kawkan.


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## Roll Fast (Sep 19, 2021)

Thank you for posting these results sir!
Amazing numbers really. Half and even 1.4 the draw weight. That is a very big deal IMHO.
And you absolutely cannot beat the rubber bands for convenience. So fast to make up a band set it is crazy.
The modern materials are amazing!
Thanks again!


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