# General Slingshot Safety thoughts



## NightKnight (Dec 16, 2009)

Any thoughts on slingshot safety?


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## ZDP-189 (Mar 14, 2010)

*Return-to-Sender-Shot*

At this point, something really bad can happen. Let's call it the _return-to-sender-shot_. What happens is the pouch is released a bit squiff, i.e. What normally happens is either the ball slips in the pouch, or the pouch is squeezed off upwards. Either way, the pouch rotates over the top of the projectile until it has passed over in front of the ball. The ball and pouch pass over the forks and reach full stretch again and the ball is shot into the shooter's face in a spectacular own goal. You may consider it far fetched, but it's well documented and there are several videos of it on YouTube. These shots to the face usually involve a cup shaped pouch and a heavy projectile shot from wide (usually pole-mounted) forks. I believe a pouch with a bowl shape or a really deep pouch is more susceptible to this. My Fastbands therefore use no moulded cup, nor stretch into a cup. Instead they are narrow and have a small centring hole. Cupped pouches are used extensively and I have not heard of a 180 degree shot to the face caused by an over the top bandset, but the potential is so great that I continue to use my skinny pouches just in case.






More examples: (link) (link). There were also several examples encountered by the Mythbusters when they did their Border Slingshot episode.

This is not evenly remotely funny. It's super dangerous. Here's a report of a 12 year old boy killed this way.

*Please spread the word about how this tragedy came about. We want to avoid all such accidents and especially fatalities.*


6lb rock
fanny pack pouch
Surgical tubing
8 foot wide fixed forks



> 12-year-old killed by rock from giant homemade slingshot in Minnesota park * By staff writers
> 
> * From: NewsCore
> 
> ...





> The slingshot was made from a modified nylon fanny pack with holes cut to pass a piece of plastic surgical tubing through. The slingshot was strung between two pieces of jungle gym about nine feet off the ground, stretched about eight feet wide.
> 
> link


Even if the bell does not shoot directly backwards into your eye, an imperfect release can give rise to inaccuracy. Spin can be generated by the pouch skimming above or below the ball. Side spin can be caused by the bands being drawn unevenly. It is also possible to impart spin if the ball's unevenly shaped or of inconsistent density or if it contacts the bands or forks on release.

This above information and more about things that can go wrong during the shot are detailed in my previous blog post Transitional Ballistics of Slingshots (link)


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

I have made the mistake of making a BB pouch much too small and the bb came back and went right in my mouth. Small pouches are great but not too small!


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## dgui (Jan 12, 2010)

I too have had a few friendly fires and most of the time I wear two pair glasses the second pair are fitovers. I would encourage all to wear eye protection everytime you shoot.


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## NightKnight (Dec 16, 2009)

In my opinion, shooting safety glasses are a must.


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## ZDP-189 (Mar 14, 2010)

Yes, safety glasses are de rigeur. It's not just for defending against ricochets. It's also because of the risk of some part of the slingshot or bandset coming loose and flying backwards. And if your anchor the pouch at your face, guess where they are heading.

Jörg demonstrated that while safety goggles may be made of so called bullet-proof polycarbonate, they only provide limited protection from blunt force trauma. Nevertheless, given the choice between a hit in the eye wearing safety glasses vs without, I cannot imagine who'd opt to go without.


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## Niagara (Dec 9, 2010)

Cupped pouches are most likely to cause this problem but long may give a similar effect. When we have a fork that gets struck by ammo what are the chances for an accident? I think this is more likely to cause disaster. How can this be avoided?


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## aikidog (Jan 29, 2011)

That was tragic, however, not sure this post belongs here but what are some descent thoughts on what types of shot traps are best? I've played with a few and always seem to be encountering back blast from ammo ricocheting back towards me or windows?


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## aikidog (Jan 29, 2011)

That was tragic, however, not sure this post belongs here but what are some descent thoughts on what types of shot traps are best? I've played with a few and always seem to be encountering back blast from ammo ricocheting back towards me or windows?


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

The other night a band broke on one of my metal slingshots and it came back and hit me in the face. I shoot with a very loose grip. It is always good to periodically check bands for wear!


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## crypter27 (Oct 13, 2010)

That was the funnies video I've ever seen hahaha.


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## ERdept (Jun 10, 2010)

Wear safety glasses, use common sense, don't fire at anything in which you don't know your backstop.

ALL SPORTS HAVE INHERENT RISKS.


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## Egregious Ed (Feb 17, 2011)

If anyone remembers the Marksman wristrocketalike from many years ago that had the hard plastic frame extensions for anchoring the tubular bands, I have a close call to relate. On drawing the anchorage broke free (upper tine) came back and damaged my glasses as well as putting a substantial divot in the side of my nose. I believe in safety glasses-I think they're much more stylish than pirate eye patches and prosthetic eyeballs.


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

Egregious Ed said:


> If anyone remembers the Marksman wristrocketalike from many years ago that had the hard plastic frame extensions for anchoring the tubular bands, I have a close call to relate. On drawing the anchorage broke free (upper tine) came back and damaged my glasses as well as putting a substantial divot in the side of my nose. I believe in safety glasses-I think they're much more stylish than pirate eye patches and prosthetic eyeballs.


While I certainly agree about the prosthetic eyeball (I've got one), I wish I had known the effect an eye patch has on the ladies when I was younger.


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

Recently I had a customer tell me that he used his slingshot to shoot rocks at another player in a paintball game...
So I thought it'd be a good idea to demonstrate for him and everyone else just how powerful and deadly a slingshot can be.


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## triville36 (Dec 14, 2011)

the video... oh gosh! that's ouch! good thing it's only a watermelon!


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## NightKnight (Dec 16, 2009)

Henry in Panama said:


> While I certainly agree about the prosthetic eyeball (I've got one), I wish I had known the effect an eye patch has on the ladies when I was younger.


I'll bet it only helps if the need was caused by war wound of some sort. Saying "I have a lazy eye" or something probably wouldn't get you any points.


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## Bob Fionda (Apr 6, 2011)

Wear safety glasses, stay off people and animals, but also houses if possible. A pair of gloves would be recommended. Then be quiet and concentrate.


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## Tim (Oct 29, 2011)

Gloves are a good idea but i didnt normaly wear any until i hit my hand with a lead ball from a misfiere. Ive got in total 3 scares on my right hand from handshots and it really hurts espeacily with heavy projectiles.


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## newconvert (Dec 12, 2011)

Henry in Panama said:


> If anyone remembers the Marksman wristrocketalike from many years ago that had the hard plastic frame extensions for anchoring the tubular bands, I have a close call to relate. On drawing the anchorage broke free (upper tine) came back and damaged my glasses as well as putting a substantial divot in the side of my nose. I believe in safety glasses-I think they're much more stylish than pirate eye patches and prosthetic eyeballs.


While I certainly agree about the prosthetic eyeball (I've got one), I wish I had known the effect an eye patch has on the ladies when I was younger.
[/quote]

hubba hubba


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## newconvert (Dec 12, 2011)

Tim said:


> Gloves are a good idea but i didnt normaly wear any until i hit my hand with a lead ball from a misfiere. Ive got in total 3 scares on my right hand from handshots and it really hurts espeacily with heavy projectiles.


gloves, silly us, we use them to work, but not when handling speeding projectile launchers?


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## Tim (Oct 29, 2011)

I dont use them but it was a thought..


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## Incomudro (Jan 12, 2012)

Jeeze...
Ran around like a psycho through the woods with my friends as a teenager, often three or four of us wrist Rockets or Falcons in hand firing lead balls, marbles, steel shot, or quartz that came the closest to "round."
Often chasing squirrels as they scrambled over our heads shooting like mad men.
Never gave a passing thought about safety. 

I'm 48 now, and suddenly I'm thinking about eye protection.


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## Abe_Stranger (Jan 13, 2012)

Goggles, fingerless gloves, and a hat that can block the sun.


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