# What would you suggest?



## nikjarixhilbert (May 3, 2020)

Hi guys,I m new to hunting with slingshots and I am trying to find out the thickness of bands needed for rabbit hunting with 8 mm steel balls.Any suggestions?

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## Sean Khan (Mar 27, 2020)

Practice shooting plastic coke/pepsi/sprite/whatever bottles filled with water. When you can penetrate them without any problem, I think you should be able to kill critters. Use those bands then.

What I am trying to say is, I don't know the answer to your question but you can do the above easy experiment to find out.

However, slingshots also kill small critters by blunt force, not just penetration. I think 10mm lead (equal to 12mm steel) will give you the results you want.

And try tubes for hunting. They won't fail as often.


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

Firstly - check your countries laws as to firstly slingshot carry in public, and secondly if there are any hunting laws to abide by, land access etc. (even for rabbits).

The rule of thumb is if you can penetrate a tin of soup etc. with a ball you should be fine.

I have done the coke-bottle 'thing' almost decapitated myself with a ball bouncing right back at me - but easily passed right through a tin can. So I wouldn't advocate that. also not all bottles are made equal...

Know guys in the UK use 8mm these days quite extensively - I would assume somewhere around a 20mm band, maybe a 22-18mm taper (for a 32-ish inch draw). But find what works for you. I'd probably want to go a little heavier at 9.5mm steel. or 8mm lead. Also make sure you're comfortably able to take head shots.


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## nikjarixhilbert (May 3, 2020)

mattwalt said:


> Firstly - check your countries laws as to firstly slingshot carry in public, and secondly if there are any hunting laws to abide by, land access etc. (even for rabbits).
> 
> The rule of thumb is if you can penetrate a tin of soup etc. with a ball you should be fine.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much!I saw some videos from Catapult Carnage and found out that you could hunt rabbit with 0.66mm bands with a taper of 18-12mm.Also should the projectile penetrate the whole can or just get in the can?

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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

If its a full can - just inside.


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## Sean Khan (Mar 27, 2020)

mattwalt said:


> I have done the coke-bottle 'thing' almost decapitated myself with a ball bouncing right back at me - but easily passed right through a tin can. So I wouldn't advocate that. also not all bottles are made equal...


Yikes!

Ummm... newbie dude... I take back my advice. Please use a baked beans can or something, not a coke bottle. My ammo hasn't bounced back (yet!) but then I use large pouches and starships and heavy (or very sharp) ammo.. not the kind you are shooting. :naughty:

A few days ago I improvised a catch-box out of a cardboard box filled with plastic bags (not effective against hexnuts I found in a few minutes).

I fired on a baked beans can which had a coke bottle (plastic) sitting in it. The projectile (3/4 inch hexnut) went through both, mangling them together like they were welded.

I think that's overkill for a wabbit. I would say, save your ammo for a zombie. With this pandemic, that's where we are headed.


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

The first day I got my Torque I took a 2L plastic bottle and launched a ball point blank - expected it to pass right through. All that happened - to my surprise was the ball come flying back at my head almost as fast as it had left... Managed to just duck in time.

Almost a Darwin award 

Sometimes you have to do stupid things - at least so others don't have to.


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## Sean Khan (Mar 27, 2020)

mattwalt said:


> The first day I got my Torque I took a 2L plastic bottle and launched a ball point blank - expected it to pass right through. All that happened - to my surprise was the ball come flying back at my head almost as fast as it had left... Managed to just duck in time.
> 
> Almost a Darwin award
> 
> Sometimes you have to do stupid things - at least so others don't have to.


Return to Sender is one of my top nightmares (others involve nasty women and egg pudding).... yeah... No more plastic bottles for me.... at least not until I make a super starship strong enough to take down an elephant.

I have accumulated a ton of cans in this lockdown (which ends today) so I'm not short of targets to test the power of my slingshots, thank goodness.

Thanks for the warning. Seriously.

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## SJAaz (Apr 30, 2019)

Also, there is a fellow in the UK ( Gamekeeper John I think) who bought a supermarket chicken and tested His sling on them. Look it up on u-tube!


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## Sean Khan (Mar 27, 2020)

SJAaz said:


> Also, there is a fellow in the UK ( Gamekeeper John I think) who bought a supermarket chicken and tested His sling on them. Look it up on u-tube!


This one:






He also tested his slingshots on a pig skull. Very impressive.






And a bonus video by everyone's favorite German dude (all the slingshots I have made are his designs):


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## nikjarixhilbert (May 3, 2020)

Thanks!I watched all of these about 3 days ago.

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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

There is also a guy who shoots some raw pork roast. Impressive how much damage a slingshot can do.

Return to Sender (RTS) - is more when the ammo gets 'caught' in the pouch, doesn't release and come right back at you. Luckily only have this happen with BB's, and then it was an isolated 'event' just a few during one session... Know Bill Hays mentioned a pouch which is too flexible (or worn) can cause.

There is a video of Jorge Sprave shooting a gallon water jug and having it hit him in the head. 20mm steel . But was later shown to be a prank by himself.


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## Sean Khan (Mar 27, 2020)

mattwalt said:


> There is a video of Jorge Sprave shooting a gallon water jug and having it hit him in the head. 20mm steel . But was later shown to be a prank by himself.


Yes. I skipped dinner that night. Just couldn't eat.


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

avinor said:


> mattwalt said:
> 
> 
> > There is a video of Jorge Sprave shooting a gallon water jug and having it hit him in the head. 20mm steel . But was later shown to be a prank by himself.
> ...


Totally faked though


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## Sean Khan (Mar 27, 2020)

For a day there, I thought, if he can get hit by a ricochet what chance have I got? Gave me a scare, he did.

On a lighter note, whenever I hear of unwanted ricochets and RTS, I keep hearing this song in my head....


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