# Chilbro



## TastelikeSnozberries (Jul 16, 2010)

Initial Impressions:

Right away I noticed that the black powder coated aluminum slingshot was significantly lighter than the heavier and more substantial brass model, as was to be expected. My second observation, probably laughable to the European and more experienced US users with a history of milbro use, was "wow these things are small!". after I got over the initial shock however I found them to be extremely comfortable.

Material and Finish

The brass Chilbro is heavy, it has a solid and substantial feel, and instantly I knew I would probably be shooting the triple tubes from this one just for the sake of stability. The aluminum feels almost weightless, and is extremely pointable and very easily carried all day without even noticing it. Should I choose to buy this, I would probably buy the aluminum model just because it makes it so easy to carry all day, and even the best slingshot is useless if you don't have it when the shot presents itself. The finish on both is smooth and without flaws, even the thumb indent feels right and comfortable when shooting.

Performance with 1 strand

The single strand fires great out of both models, but from the brass it feels literally weightless, the sturdy and heavy brass frame reduces stress against the hand almost completely, making the shot extremely comfortable. From the aluminum there was a slightly more noticeable strain, but nothing that would even begin to qualify as uncomfortable. As far as speed is concerned, using what I call the "college boy chronograph", really just a cardboard box full of newspaper and tissue paper, I was able to punch one side easily with .25 steel, and 00 lead buckshot flew through both sides and pulled some of the stuffing out the exit hole with it, all from a range of about 10 feet. In short, a single strand may not be hunting powered out to long range, but for small birds or targets, it certainly fits the bill. Of note is the fact that one of the two included single strand bandsets fell apart, not tore, but actually slipped apart while I was shooting with it. I was not injured and I don't know what caused it, but I left it in the packaging in the hope that somebody with access to more tools can repair it where I failed to do so.

Performance with 2 strands

The double strand fires a bit more comfortably from the heavier brass model to resist the rather stiff pull, and while the aluminum can handle it much better in the flip style of shooting, I felt a bit more sure of my grip with the doubles on brass. The stiff pull was met with a slightly higher rate of speed on the traveling projectile, and it certainly handled 00 buckshot as well as .44 lead with ease, and again literally knocked the stuffing out of the college boy chrony. I attempted rather stupidly to fire a larger marble out of the aluminum version, and got my first fork hit in a long time (So sorry to everybody after me). I was surprised at the fork hit and I'm pretty sure I psyched myself into having issues with the narrow fork width that I wouldn't have had otherwise

Performance with 3 strands

Besides the obvious statement that the pull was felt more on the aluminum than the brass, I will say that the triple strands of thinner tubing was noticeably smoother than the doubles, and I wound up taking the triple bands on the aluminum as my hunting set for the field test. I did not have this problem by when my buddy went to pull the triple one of the bands popped loose and hit him on the nose, he was fine but a bit startled and while I never had that issue I felt it was worth noting that it happened. The power seemed about equal to the doubles, perhaps a bit faster, the most notable thing that I picked up on while shooting was the smoother draw. The downside for me was that I prefer the finger brace method of shooting, and having all three holes filled along the forks with the tripled up band set forced me to change my grip, and since I didn't have enough time to really adapt to that change my accuracy was not what it could be over a longer-term shooting time.

Field test

For those hoping for a good hunting story, and believe me I was hoping too, keep on hoping. Apparently the day I went out was not prime animal time, and I have yet to find anything to shoot at while out hunting. To be fair I have just began to get confident enough in my shooting ability to feel able to hunt, but that is not important to this field test. I was shooting 00 buck from the triple strand aluminum in the hopes of getting a shot at a bird, but no such luck this time. I decided that I needed to shoot in the field, even if it was just at a branch in a tree, in order to do a somewhat decent review, and so I attempted a few shots at various targets both level and angled up. I was able to hit about 50% of the shots I took, for comparison I used my home made ranger with express bands and hit about 80% of the shots I took. I will say though that this is a different style from any I have ever shot before and that the difference in accuracy can easily be blamed on me for not being comfortable with the Chilbro as opposed to any issues in the design.

Final notes

Overall I was definitely a fan of the Chilbro, and I would seriously consider buying one. I found it to be a comfortable and versatile slingshot, able to handle bands of varying power and accommodate rapid band changes for different users. I really enjoyed my chance to test this pair of slingshots, and I want to thank Milbro for giving me this opportunity.


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## harpersgrace (Jan 28, 2010)

Greato you review, do you know what the size of the different band sets were?? ie. 2040, 1745...


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## TastelikeSnozberries (Jul 16, 2010)

Honestly I'm not sure, I just know that the triples were slightly thinner than the singles and doubles, I'm sure that the maker could give you a more accurate answer than I could though. Thanks!


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## philly (Jun 13, 2010)

I recieved the Milbro's while I was away at the ECST, nice suprise on my return home. First impression was the same as TLS, wow they are small. Not being a tube shooter, I was anxious to see how they compared to flatbands. Depending on band set, they seemed comprobable to flats in speed.

The finish and feel of both the Aluminum coated and Brass is superb, the only potential problem I noticed was in the tube mounting holes, more polish is needed. The countersink is even and well done however there is a distinct sharp corner that I believe could contribute to premature tube wear. The coated aluminum seems better in this respect as the coating covers the sharp edge. My preference was for the Aluminum frame as the brass was very heavy in hand and felt a little awkward in the pocket. My normal shooters are EPS's and I like a little weight to dampen hand shock with heavy bands, but the Brass frame was in my opinion, more weight than needed.

The frames came with a number of band sets, singles, doubles and triples. As previously stated I have no experience with tubes so I don't know what number or size they are. I shot all three sets and found the triple set to be comprable in draw weight to Tex Express bands. I shot about 50 shots with each set and after a few shots to get acustomed with them, I found the frame to be very comfortable but felt the pouch was too thick and effected my accuracy. With a softer and smaller pouch, my shooting would have been more consistant. I shot only the Aluminum frame for my review as both frames are the same except for the material used in manufacture. I did have one fork hit in the very beginning of my testing, this frame is very narrow between the forks, a little less than 1.5". Careful attention to how the fork was held was necessary. I tried a hammer grip with my thumb in the spot provided for in the handle and that is when I had the fork hit. Once i switched to a low braced grip it shot fine without incident for over 100 shots.

Overall, Hogans Casting has done a superb job on a classic European shooter. Other than the minor issues stated I found this catty to be a fun shooter and with a proper pouch I believe it would be a great hunting tool.

Thanks Pete for the opportunity to hold, admire and shoot the Chilbro. It is a true testiment of your pursuit for quality that you have requested these reviews, I am sure that when they are finally complete you will have a superb shooter that you will be proud to offer as PROOF TESTED to the slingshot comunity.

Philly


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