# Sling Shooting Gloves: Prudent or Pansy?



## CornDawg (Sep 27, 2015)

About a month ago I started using a leather golf glove to hold the slingshot while trying to squeeze in a few practice shots in the cold. It really helped, Improved grip, enhanced feel, and I thought I looked downright stylish. I'm curious why they're not more popular. I have some over-the-top frames that I really like but don't shoot very often due to their tendency to hand slap, in the cold it's ridiculous painful... and it seems to happen most often when the shot is dead-on target. Nutty right? All solved or heavily buffered by the glove-

If I were to design a glove specifically for sling shooting I'd keep the leather golf glove as a base and then just reinforce the backs of the fingers and thumb with an additional layer of leather. Seems like there are specialty gloves for just about everything these days, why not sling shooting?


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## MikmaqWarrior (May 12, 2014)

I see absolutely nothing wrong with using a glove to protection. I will be using my motocross glove with my pfs, once I graduate from chickpeas to steel or marbles...

I do enjoy the feel of the frame in my hand though - especially wooden frames. Something about the direct contact with it...feels like an extension of my body....That being said, protecting my hand is more important than the feeling of the wood grain...

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## inconvenience (Mar 21, 2016)

I've thought about it. I started using tabs and have switched from TBG so it's not as bad anymore.

But why not? I gave up caring what people think of my fashion sense a long time ago.

Just don't wear a single sparkly glove around town


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## MikmaqWarrior (May 12, 2014)

inconvenience said:


> I've thought about it. I started using tabs and have switched from TBG so it's not as bad anymore.
> 
> But why not? I gave up caring what people think of my fashion sense a long time ago.
> 
> Just don't wear a single sparkly glove around town


???? Billy Jean is not my lover...Ah-heee -heee! ???? (Crotch-grab + spin + moonwalk + toward hat tip)

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## eggscellent.im (Nov 18, 2016)

I use a glove for tubes, but I usually never use tubes much. I also use Theraband black with small ammo. Still deadly if you setup right. Like fishing like tackle for small fish and heavy tackle for big fish.

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## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

*I often use a weight lifting glove which has extra leather in some areas, and not just for hand protection ... it really contributes to a rock solid release.*


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## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

I think gloves are a great idea, especially when my hands are sweaty in the summer.


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## Winnie (Nov 10, 2010)

I went through the "glove phase" a number of years ago. I used one because of hand slap. It turns out my bands were way overpowered. When I worked out the details of building a well balanced band/projectile rig then a glove was no longer necessary. A good set-up doesn't have enough inertia left in the bands to hurt at all. More power, no hand-slap.

winnie


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## CornDawg (Sep 27, 2015)

Glove phase- lol. Ya see, dentists get me; they sense my fear of drills...

I've explored the overpowered band theory Winnie, and I plead guilty during the entirety of my Tard phase and probably 3 weeks into becoming a Doofus. No, there are 3 frames, 2 of them natty's, wrought by my own hand and cursed by the devil. You could shoot 1" steel with half-inch TBG straights and they would still find a way to get ya. Evil. Seriously.


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## Clang! (Jan 16, 2017)

There are already a couple of gloves specific, or near specific to slingshots. It's not a bad idea. You already wear safety glasses to protect against RTS, band failures, and ricochets. A little hand protection isn't a bad idea.:

Specific gloves

1) Archer's bow hand glove - Half finger leather glove covering the base of the thumb and index finger and the webbing between them. It's designed to protect the archer from getting sliced up by poorly trimmed feathers while shooting off the knuckle, but also works well to blunt hand strikes. Doesn't do much against band slap.

2) JX Hunter fishing glove - Same coverage as the archer's glove, but leather over hard plastic to protect against short darts launched by slingshots.

3) Various DIY knuckle guards. I have a leather knuckle guard on my Trumark similar to the metal one on heavydutyss by ruthiexxxx.. Other forums have DIY hand wraps, leather patches sew onto gardening gloves, etc.

Commercial gloves suitable for hand protection.

4) Mechanix M-pact series gloves - Close fitting leather and cloth gloves with rubber padding along the knuckles and back of the fingers. Excellent against band slap, but the webbing is minimally protected. I have a pair I keep in the car.

5) Hard backed gloves - Usually sold as airsoft/paintball gear. Has a flexible, segmented plastic cover over the back of a cloth glove.

6) Plain, old fashion, cowhide gloves. Neither supple nor subtle, but full grain leather offers good overall protection.


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## honorary pie (Feb 12, 2015)

I live for the pain.


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## Winnie (Nov 10, 2010)

In my experience, there are two things likely to cause pain when shooting. The first is hand-slap from over powered bands and the second is bad pouches that result in "flyers". I have built well over a hundred slingshots and cut, literally hundreds of bands through the years and for many years cut my own pouches, again hundreds of them. I've had flyers that have done a remarkable amount of damage to me, my slingshots and to things around me yet, it took a long, long time for me to figure out that my cool molded elk hide pouches were the cause of most of my problems. Once you have mastered a smooth release if you feel the need to use a glove because of the possibility of hitting your hand consider your pouch. There is a lot happening between the time you release the ball and when it passes the fork. A couple of years ago I switched almost exclusively to SimpleShot double layer SuperSure pouches. Literally all of my flyers went away - and with them my occasional flinch went away too. You don't have to get hit very often to begin to take some of the fun out of shooting.

Learned the hard way.

winnie


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## CornDawg (Sep 27, 2015)

OMG! Fork & Glove Sets! 

Forgive me Jaximus, but Rush comes to mind...








+









... a veritable bonanza I betcha. anic:

I'm compensating, I know. A glove makes sense to me, even if band bite only happens 1 time in 10. I can't explain it Winnie, and I only shoot Ray's pouches. I just didn't want to be the only one wearing a glove- thing like that could hurt a guy, I could be demoted to Doofus. I can't go through that again.


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## Winnie (Nov 10, 2010)

Ya gotta like that glove though. Don't discount the cool factor.


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## Viro (Jan 19, 2017)

There's always these

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## inconvenience (Mar 21, 2016)

No offense to anyone. But the thing about bands being "overpowered" never made sense to me.

If your bands are propelling a given projectile to the maximum velocity for your draw length it would seem the bands would necessarily have to have plenty of energy left. The weight of the projectile would necessarily have to be trivial for a given band to retract at near maximum speed.

I have found certain elastics to rebound less than TBG, which seems about the worst. And things like tabs and a light, soft pouch definitely help.

Certain frames slap more than others. Depending on the cant of your hand, how close your grip is to the fork tips, how much of the band wraps around the fork tips etc. etc.

Now I can see the bands expending most of their energy if they are maybe 75% (wild guess) of the power needed for maximum velocity at a given draw.

But If you are trying to max speed out OTT, it seems like you just have to pay the price.

I've also experienced hand slap when firing as soon as I reach extension. Due to the bands losing minimal potential energy to heat. (I recon, I ain't got no fancy book lernins')

Anyway. I know that you can definitely eliminate slap just by tuning the bands. But you will necessarily have to be shooting at lower velocity. (for the given draw length, of course.)

B.T.W. I've found the Simple Shot black latex to produce less hand slap than TBG at a given "strength".

And the Simple Shot dipped tubes seem to give less hand slap than Dankung tubes.

I don't know how the speed compares on either of those.


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## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

Makes sense to me Inconvience, good post.


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## CornDawg (Sep 27, 2015)

+













​
*Waste Not, Want Not* is my all-time favorite slingshot. After seeing it paired with this Evertan in mahogany, I don't think I would want to hold it any other way... 

For further information please contact CornDawg's Performance Handwear via PM. Thank You.


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## brucered (Dec 30, 2015)

That could be the most gorgeous frame I have ever laid eyes on...I'm a sucker for wood frames.


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## MikmaqWarrior (May 12, 2014)

brucered said:


> That could be the most gorgeous frame I have ever laid eyes on...I'm a sucker for wood frames.


I was just about to say the same..

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## inconvenience (Mar 21, 2016)

OMG that is a fine frame. I usually don't like stuff that busy, but Nathan can make it work. There are tons of awesome makers out there but I wish Nathan still had the time to turn out frames now and then.

One of his original Maxim customs is still in my all time top 5.

Anyway. DUDE! I been shooting thin pouches for months. On a lark I slapped a leftover double layer pouch on some leftover .040...

I forgot how strong .040 is, add a heavy pouch and a cold day and I thought an RTS hit my middle finger for a second. I'm glad no one was around to hear the stream of profanity that came forth. It would have sent a whore to church.

It was one of those moments that makes you consider going pure TTF.


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## inconvenience (Mar 21, 2016)

OMG that is a fine frame. I usually don't like stuff that busy, but Nathan can make it work. There are tons of awesome makers out there but I wish Nathan still had the time to turn out frames now and then.

One of his original Maxim customs is still in my all time top 5.

Anyway. DUDE! I been shooting thin pouches for months. On a lark I slapped a leftover double layer pouch on some leftover .040...

I forgot how strong .040 is, add a heavy pouch and a cold day and I thought an RTS hit my middle finger for a second. I'm glad no one was around to hear the stream of profanity that came forth. It would have sent a whore to church.

It was one of those moments that makes you consider going pure TTF.


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## CornDawg (Sep 27, 2015)

He not only has time Incon, he's crafted the reigning champion,* Excalibur: *










When paired with the FootJoy WeatherSof in classic white with gecko-green accent, well, it's just about irresistible...


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## inconvenience (Mar 21, 2016)

Holy crap that's fine. I know he still makes a frame now and then. But I thought it was pretty rare. I talked to him on the phone (when placing an order) and he said he doesn't really get much chance these days.

I'll have to keep my eye out. Nice to see him flex like that.


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## inconvenience (Mar 21, 2016)

That frame is so awesome. I woke up and had to look at it.

I need to try the Ocularis system out again. I think the way it changes the vector of the bands it may eliminate some hand slap. And I love the way it handles looped tubes.

Changing my phone background to Excalibur.


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

Makes me wonder if cycling gloves not the way to go. Some have leather section on the thumb index pinger web... And can get short or full finger....


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## Cjw (Nov 1, 2012)

Only had one slingshot that gave bad hand slap no matter what bands you put on it. Got rid of it. Only slingshots I shoot now are SPS and Rogers RH slingshots. Never have hand slap.

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## Rayshot (Feb 1, 2010)

One objective *is to enjoy shooting as much as possible*. If a glove makes that happen at this time... :thumbsup: .

I hate band slap and it hurts more when cold is a factor.

If you want to find what helps reduce read on for some of the factors.

I found band slap almost disappeared when I went to TTF. Some of it was due to what I mention next.

Even TTF has factors as to how much slap happens. Since an Axiom champ is my 99% go to SS with a 1 9/16 fork gap I get hand slap only now and again. I have come to recognize, it is some little subtly somewhere in my shooting. When I made a Champ that cut as much of the fork away to allow a bigger gap, the hand slap greatly increased. Conclusion, the smaller gap results in the forks taking a lot of the unused energy of the bands as the elastic and pouch go through the gap. This I see evidenced by the rub marks on the inside edge of the forks.


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## Alfred E.M. (Jul 5, 2014)

You don't have to get hit very often to begin to take some of the fun out of shooting.
Learned the hard way.
winnie

*First Hand hit last fall near base of index finger - bloody mess. Caused by frame twisting in careless grip. Three weeks later same frame, almost healed, hit again in nearly the same spot. Again, shower with hand sealed in plastic bag, pain, discomfort, scar tissue. Gave that frame away. Now I wear the weight glove because no way will there be a third hit. Lo and behold, release is much improved.*

*Winnie, I like your 'well balanced' theories. *


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## CornDawg (Sep 27, 2015)

Thank you for the comment Mr. Rayshot. I'm going to pursue narrowing the fork gap; it makes perfect sense. Incon recently inspired me to try my hand at board cuts so it's the perfect opportunity.

Nipps, you make a strong point regarding concentration and release. I'm one heck of alot more accurate when I'm not worried about getting clipped.


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## inconvenience (Mar 21, 2016)

Cjw said:


> Only had one slingshot that gave bad hand slap no matter what bands you put on it. Got rid of it. Only slingshots I shoot now are SPS and Rogers RH slingshots. Never have hand slap.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I plan to try one of the new low cost line they introduced. The one with the rubberized grip but hardened tips for the option of flats. If they ever have a slingshot that isn't sold before my browser updates 

I can totally see why they are so popular though. It took me a year to find my sweet spot. And the SPS fits neatly into it.


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## Winnie (Nov 10, 2010)

inconvenience,

I am the first to admit that it makes no sense, but alas, it is true. Bands that are too powerful for what you are shooting will simply snap fast and throw the ammo. Strange as it may seem, lighter, tapered bands will transfer energy from various parts of the band throughout the time the ball accelerating. The end result is a faster projectile and less leftover speed In the bands. Remember that hand-slap is unused energy. It's energy left in the bands and not transferred to the ammo.

I know this because I have done a fair bit of experimenting, having made and chronographed many, many bands through the years.

Try this (I have mentioned this a couple of times over the last year and will likely bring it up a time or two again):

Take a set of 1 inch (24mm) straight cut TBG bands, however long you normally shoot, and, shooting a 7/16 steel ball, shoot and record the speed. Do it a few times.

Next:

Disassemble the band set and, taking just one of the bands, cut it lengthwise into two equal pieces, 3/8 x 5/8 x ? Now reassemble a new band set using these two smaller bands. So, now, you're using half the rubber. Take the 7/16 steel ball and clock it shooting through the same fork. What you will discover is that the smaller tapered bands will shoot significantly faster than the 1" straight band set and the spent bands will pretty much just fall onto your hand.

Might I suggest: 1/2 inch x 3/4 inch tapered TBG band (12.7mm x 19mm) for a 7/16 ball. Fast with minimal hand-slap.

winnie


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