# Todays shooting =)



## HungaJungaESQ (Jan 4, 2012)

Hey guys.

Spent an hour shooting 3/8th steel this afternoon. Started with my Barnett Diablo with fresh new red "power" tubes.

About the 20th shot, this happened:








No idea... A few more shots though, and the pouch failed. I've found that the pouches that come with pre-fab Barnett bands break well before the bands do. Maybe next time I'll replace the pouch before I even put the bands on.









Sooooo I banded up my newly dried, linseed oiled Patriot. I used braided 64s and 32s. A little heavier draw than the last configuration I used. Apparently that was the power I was missing.








This setup shoots a little high, just like the last office banded shooter I used. I wonder why that is.... anyway, I just aimed below my target did just fine.









It seems shooting more than 5 shots in a row helps with my accuracy. Best shooting to date for myself, in fact. Shot around 15 balls per "round." And presto! My first truly "cut" can.








Patriot shoots great! Thanks for the design Bill. I used it hammer grip for a few rounds and it worked just fine.

-Bob


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Looks like you are doing just great!

Cheers ... Charles


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## philly (Jun 13, 2010)

Good shooting man. Stick with it.
Philly


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

Well done! You should try the trumark RRT tubes on that barnett.


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## HungaJungaESQ (Jan 4, 2012)

Maybe in the future... though I have 4 more sets of this kind to get through, hehe.

Once my Thera-band length gets here, I'll probably work on a multiplex panther and use that for my fast shooting.

-Bob


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

HungaJungaESQ said:


> Maybe in the future... though I have 4 more sets of this kind to get through, hehe.
> 
> Once my Thera-band length gets here, I'll probably work on a multiplex panther and use that for my fast shooting.
> 
> -Bob


Sweet. How does the barnett shoot for you? I own most commercial slingshots but barnett is one that I do not own. I need to get one.


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## HungaJungaESQ (Jan 4, 2012)

NaturalFork said:


> Maybe in the future... though I have 4 more sets of this kind to get through, hehe.
> 
> Once my Thera-band length gets here, I'll probably work on a multiplex panther and use that for my fast shooting.
> 
> -Bob


Sweet. How does the barnett shoot for you? I own most commercial slingshots but barnett is one that I do not own. I need to get one.
[/quote]

It feels great! Very comfy to hold. Good weight. The wrist support helps with the stronger tubes. Definitely a good buy at 9 bucks on Amazon. =D

-Bob


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## bbshooter (Jun 3, 2010)

HungaJungaESQ said:


> This setup shoots a little high, just like the last office banded shooter I used. I wonder why that is.... anyway, I just aimed below my target did just fine.
> 
> View attachment 14736


IMO, your leather tabs are too short and that is what is causing you to hit high on your target. If you add 2 inches to the overall length of your tab you will probably hit low. If so, trim 1/4 inch off of the new tab until you have "walked" onto your target. I am using a slightly different setup and found that a tab that goes 3/4 inch beyond the fork was my trim/tie length. I shoot horizontal and my problem was a left/right one rather than high/low.


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## Rayshot (Feb 1, 2010)

bbshooter said:


> This setup shoots a little high, just like the last office banded shooter I used. I wonder why that is.... anyway, I just aimed below my target did just fine.
> 
> View attachment 14736


IMO, your leather tabs are too short and that is what is causing you to hit high on your target. If you add 2 inches to the overall length of your tab you will probably hit low. If so, trim 1/4 inch off of the new tab until you have "walked" onto your target. I am using a slightly different setup and found that a tab that goes 3/4 inch beyond the fork was my trim/tie length. I shoot horizontal and my problem was a left/right one rather than high/low.
[/quote]

I haven't tried tabs yet but this is something I will keep in mind bbshooter.


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## HungaJungaESQ (Jan 4, 2012)

bbshooter said:


> This setup shoots a little high, just like the last office banded shooter I used. I wonder why that is.... anyway, I just aimed below my target did just fine.
> 
> View attachment 14736


IMO, your leather tabs are too short and that is what is causing you to hit high on your target. If you add 2 inches to the overall length of your tab you will probably hit low. If so, trim 1/4 inch off of the new tab until you have "walked" onto your target. I am using a slightly different setup and found that a tab that goes 3/4 inch beyond the fork was my trim/tie length. I shoot horizontal and my problem was a left/right one rather than high/low.
[/quote]

Interesting. By "horizontal" do you mean forks facing right/left? I shoot holding the slingshot sideways and I aim over the top of the left/top fork. I'm not sure how tab length would affect the height of my projectiles unless one was longer than the other, but I'll sure investigate.

-Bob


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## bbshooter (Jun 3, 2010)

Yes, by horizontal I meant sideways. I was shooting 1745 tubes, OTT, with paracord tabs. After a period of time of aiming to the left of my target I finally saw that my problem was the length of the tabs. I changed the length of the tab and now I look down the tubes when aiming.


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## HungaJungaESQ (Jan 4, 2012)

I've determined it might be my grip... I might let the top of the slingshot (where my finger is) pull back a little further than my thumb side. Will have to work on it.


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## HungaJungaESQ (Jan 4, 2012)

Well, I started pushing my finger side a little more forward and now the corner of my fork is almost exactly where the ammo will go. I am now at the level where using entire pop cans seems a little too big a target. I try to shoot across the middle (over the words on the can) to cut the can in half. Anything not on a letter I consider a miss. Once it is in half (usually 25 to 30 shots), I use the top half as my new target and still aim for specific bits hanging down or sticking out.

My shooting has definitely improved about 100% since Monday. Also had my first band break on my braided 64s. Took about 35 seconds to fix, thanks both to the braided method and the acorn nuts I used to attach the gypsy tabs (Thanks to Charles). I replaced the broken band, and the corresponding band on the other side. No loss in accuracy and the rest of the bands have no visible wear on them. I -did- dust them in baby powder before I attached them the first time, and did it again this time. I really think it helps. If it doesn't, at least it smells fresh and clean every time I shoot. Hehehe.

I'm having a blast.

-Bob


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

You are doing really well! Your accuracy and consistency are better than many attain even after shooting much longer. And I bet it feels great to be doing it with something you made yourself!!!

Cheers ..... Charles


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## HungaJungaESQ (Jan 4, 2012)

It really, really, really does! I'm not sure I'll use my Barnett again until something catastrophic happens to this Patriot. Hehe. Thanks for all of your help Charles.

-Bob


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## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

Sounds like some good shooting!
What wood is your patriot made of? It looks in the pics like some sort of pine. Might want to be careful with it given how narrow the area that connects the handle to the forks is. It seems like it would be pretty easy to snap off one of the forks along the grain line.
If it's something else then I beg your pardon, just trying to look out for my fellow slingshooters.


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## HungaJungaESQ (Jan 4, 2012)

It's birch. I did some strength/stress tests before I started shooting this one. It seems the linseed oil (having cured) is really adding a lot of strength. The fact that I shoot with my finger and thumb on the fork really takes a lot of the stress off of that thin part. I've dropped it a few times and it didn't get a scratch. I have a plywood one drying now, and may switch, but this one feels so good!

Thanks for your concern though, I -did- switch wood at the advice of others, but seeing as it's made already, I'll use it. Hehe.
-Bob

P.S. Tried shooting through the mouth in the top of a can today. I think I got it 3 or 4 times out of 50. But hit the surrounding part nearly every time. =D


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