# At last: A Sling-X-Bow for everybody!



## JoergS

So many people begged me to do a how-to for the Sling-X-Bow.

Of course people don't have welding gear and lathes, so a tutorial can't require such equipment.

I thought about this for a long time, as there were numerous issues to be solved. But then I finalized my blueprints and got to work.

I used wood and off-the-shelf screws only, plus common household tools.

Making it took six hours, because of the constant filming and also because welding stuff together is a lot quicker than drilling holes and fixing screws...

I used Stu's ratchet idea for the cocking, but made my own ratchet out of a length of wood. It is easy, you just push the frame to the front until it hits the stopper, and then it swings into the notch.

I made the frame, the lock base plate, the lock arms and the trigger plate out of multiplex (most of it I found in the trash of my favorite DIY superstore).

This is real solid, shooting hunter bands is not a problem, lots of reserve.

The video will follow tomorrow, here are some pics for now!














































Jörg


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## ZDP-189

Wow, I hope we'll see people make one just like it soon.


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## A+ Slingshots

Joerg you have out done yourself once again!!!! Amazing!!! I love it!!!! I may need to try it if I ever get caught up....


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## boyntonstu

Terrific craftsmanship. Wunderbar!

A comparison between the metal and wood: chrony and pull tests, PLEASE?


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## JoergS

Stu, it comes down to the bands. The wooden one can take the same bands as the steel one,

So we will get the same power!


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## NightKnight

Great design!!


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## baumstamm

unbeleavebel how simple u´ve hold it!


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## slacker04

Wow..this is simply amazing Jorg!! I'm gonna try this project for sure


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## NaturalFork

A. You should make a video of you shooting this!!
B. Slingshot of the month July. For sure.


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## Brooklyn00003

NIcely done I cant wait for the video to come out .
Cheers mate!


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## JoergS

Here is the video, some shooting and the entire how-to.






The blueprints can be downloaded here:

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B2...YzYyNTQwNWE0ZGU0&sort=name&layout=list&num=50

I truly think this is the deadliest, most accurate projectile based weapon you can make from DIY supplies, with nothing but household tools.

You need very special wood for a good bow. You need turning and welding gear for a firearm. This crossbow, all you need can be found in any DIY store for less than 20 dollars, tops.

Good luck

Jörg


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## NaturalFork

We even get blueprints!!! Thanks!


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## boyntonstu

Judging the measurements from the photo above it appears that the stretched band is 4 X the original length.

Correct?


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## NightKnight

I wonder if one of these would work as the "barrel"
http://www.amazon.com/Olympia-Tools-38-240-Ratcheting-Spreader/dp/B003ES5T6K


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## JoergS

boyntonstu said:


> Judging the measurements from the photo above it appears that the stretched band is 4 X the original length.
> 
> Correct?


Not quite. The photo is misleading as the rubber is a bit stretched (4cm) in non-cocked condition, so the ball does not fall out of the pouch.

Effective relaxed band length is 18 cm for an 85 cm draw. That is about 4,7 stretch factor. I could go to factor 5, but then the band life would shorten very much.


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## ZDP-189

That video is great. I like the trigger mechanism and the simplicity of design.

The delay from cocking to shooting doesn't seem any faster than my original Slingshot Bow that I made many years ago to test ammo.


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## ZDP-189

That video is great. I like the trigger mechanism and the simplicity of design.

The delay from cocking to shooting doesn't seem significantly faster than my original Slingshot Crossbow (link) that I made long ago (link) to test ammo, though. I prefer your slicker metal version in those regards.










I think the delay, the smoothness of the draw and the compactness of the design can be addressed with a pump on a pulley.


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## JoergS

The cocking is probably not faster, but a lot more easy and safe. If I understand correctly, yours is loaded be drawing out by hand and then, under full force, inserting the loaded pouch into the trigger.

If you do that with very strong bands, it is quite dangerous. The pouch may slip out of your fingers and then the ball goes off. It is also hard to secure the crossbow for the loading.

I originally started out with such a simple fixed fork, but I hit my thumb while loading. It hurt, and I had a blue nail for weeks.

The metal one looks cooler, but believe it or not the wooden one has less play in the mechanism and the trigger weight is lower, too. Plus, it is lightweight, 800 grams only (loaded).


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## ZDP-189

That sounds scary. The way I did it was to place the fork against the ground like a traditional crossbow, draw the pouch with ball inside and hook the loop over the release. Sometimes I did the same with the fork in a vise; that was when bench shooting.


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## boyntonstu

AaronC said:


> I wonder if one of these would work as the "barrel"
> http://www.amazon.co...r/dp/B003ES5T6K


Not as good as this: http://www.harborfreight.com/36-inch-aluminum-bar-clamp-38184.html

http://slingshotforum.com/topic/1718-my-10-crossbow-slingshot/


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## JoergS

Have added Reddot sights, and also I demonstrate that the design is safe, no danger to be hit by the returning fork.

The mounting rail is made from a piece of wooden board, with a cutoff part of an old metal saw blade as the rail. Works like a charm.






Enjoy!

Jörg


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## rlm

Joerg, I tried to get the blueprints to open and tried a different window but still could not get it to open. Could you e-mail it to me when you get a chance? Thanks. Roger


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## JoergS

Sure. I need your email address for that, though. Your profile does not list one.

Jörg


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## Sam

JoergS said:


> Have added Reddot sights, and also I demonstrate that the design is safe, no danger to be hit by the returning fork.
> 
> The mounting rail is made from a piece of wooden board, with a cutoff part of an old metal saw blade as the rail. Works like a charm.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Jörg


That is awesome! What sort of groupings can you achieve at 15m?


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## JoergS

Sam said:


> That is awesome! What sort of groupings can you achieve at 15m?


Depends on the number of beers I had. My best groups are between no. 3 and no. 6. 

Seriously, this thing is about as accurate as an air rifle. You can hit a can every time at 15 meters. If you have a "barrel rest", then you can hit a coin at that distance.

You have to make sure the pouch sits consistently at the same spot, but that is not hard, I just let it rest on the surface of the lock arms.

Jörg


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## rlm

Sorry about that I thought it was there. Here it is, [email protected] Thanks. Roger


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## Sam

JoergS said:


> That is awesome! What sort of groupings can you achieve at 15m?


Depends on the number of beers I had. My best groups are between no. 3 and no. 6. 

Seriously, this thing is about as accurate as an air rifle. You can hit a can every time at 15 meters. If you have a "barrel rest", then you can hit a coin at that distance.

You have to make sure the pouch sits consistently at the same spot, but that is not hard, I just let it rest on the surface of the lock arms.

Jörg
[/quote]
Awesome, do you think it would be suitable for hunting?


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## JoergS

Sam said:


> Awesome, do you think it would be suitable for hunting?


Depends on what you wanna hunt. "Big game" means 20 lbs deer to Dave Canterbury. I, on the other hand, would consider an adult cape buffalo to be in that category.

Seriously, rabbits and birds are certainly no problem. The X-Bow shoots as hard as a slingshot with the same bands, it is just a lot easier to hit with it.

Jörg


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## Sam

JoergS said:


> Awesome, do you think it would be suitable for hunting?


Depends on what you wanna hunt. "Big game" means 20 lbs deer to Dave Canterbury. I, on the other hand, would consider an adult cape buffalo to be in that category.

Seriously, rabbits and birds are certainly no problem. The X-Bow shoots as hard as a slingshot with the same bands, it is just a lot easier to hit with it.

Jörg
[/quote]
Awesome, I think I shall have to try making my own!


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## boyntonstu

Great work!

Simple, safe, strong, and efficient.

What is the pull and what is the chrono?


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