How to make a slingshot with your own hands from a bottle. Hunting slingshot: shooting technique, tips for choosing, master class on making

Many people associate a slingshot with childhood, so they do not perceive it as a weapon for hunting. But in practice, experienced hunters have proven that this simple device can be effectively used for hunting small and medium-sized animals. Excellent targets for slingshots include birds, jerboas and hares. But with proper use and the skill of the hunter, it can be effectively used for hunting even a small wild boar or fox.

Most often, a slingshot is used as an additional weapon, and not as a main weapon. In addition, it can become a real find if a hunter goes hunting for several days. This device will help you get food in the form of small game without wasting ammunition.

Paper slingshot

The paper version is easy and quick to make. Let's look at a simplified method. You will need paper, tape and a rubber band.

Take two sheets of A4 paper.

The sheets are twisted around the pencil into two tubes. The preparations are made. To prevent the paper from unwinding, glue the edge with tape. Everything is simple and neat. Then both tubes are folded crosswise, in the shape of the letter X. Just below the intersection point, the workpieces are squeezed with fingers and rewound with tape to the very bottom, connecting the two tubes into one whole. All that remains is to tie the ends of the rubber band to the top of the slingshot with the same tape. The shooter is ready.

Shooting is carried out with paper brackets.

To prevent it from bending, you need to rest your thumb on the place where the horns branch. You can make such a slingshot in a few minutes, but the power of the shot leaves much to be desired.

Slingshot from a bottle

A slingshot from a bottle is also made literally in a matter of minutes. To produce it you need:

• plastic bottle,
• stationery knife,
• two rubber bands
• fingertip or balloon.

Use a knife to cut off the neck of the bottle to create a small funnel.

. A fingertip is put on the neck, which tightly clasps the neck at the base. The fingertip needs to be tucked in, positioning it in the middle. Rubber bands are tightened around the neck, tightly securing the ball or fingertip.

After that he turns back

- and the slingshot is ready. You can shoot with plastic or metal balls, small stones, rowan berries or cherry pits.

To do this, the projectile is placed inside and pulled back together with the fingertip, then released and flies out of the funnel of the plastic bottle. It hits quite hard over short distances.

Wooden slingshot

The most traditional method, proven over the years. The popularity of wooden slingshots was at one time very great in all yards.

A suitable branched branch is selected and cut to the appropriate size. It is better to immediately test the wood for strength so that the slingshot does not break at the wrong moment.

Circular depressions are made near the ends so that the elastic does not slip later and stays in the right place.

Then choose an elastic band.

Previously, they used an inner tube from a bicycle tire or a ball, from which a strip of the required size was cut.

Now there are many more options, right down to PVC stretch tape. A nickel is cut out of a piece of the same rubber or leather on which the throwing projectile will rest.

Cuts are made on this piece through which the rubber band is run. To prevent the coin from slipping, you can cut the elastic band and tie it to its holes.

The other two ends are attached to a wooden slingshot. Anything suitable in size is used as charges. But you should not take an object that is too large - a ricochet from the branches of the slingshot can harm the shooter.

Today, many experienced hunters are conflicted about using a slingshot for hunting; it is considered exotic rather than commonplace. There are reasons for this statement, since without studying this type of weapon, it is difficult to imagine its advantages over a gun and a carbine. For example, with the help of a slingshot you can successfully hunt hares, squirrels, otters and muskrats; there have also been cases when a small wild boar was even shot with this weapon. Therefore, in the arsenal of many hunting enthusiasts, a powerful slingshot for hunting occupies a worthy place, ranking alongside crossbows and bows.

Toy or dangerous weapon?

Based on the technical characteristics of such products, it can be understood that a hunting slingshot is a completely reasonable and justified tool. Hunting with a slingshot has some features and is somewhat different from hunting with other types of weapons. The tactic is to lure the animal out of the hole or get closer to it, which turns such a hunt into an exciting training in camouflage and concealment skills. In order to fire an effective shot from a gun, many hunters use it to scare away a marten or squirrel from a nest, or to catch a wounded animal.

In this case, the ammunition is released absolutely silently, and if the attempt is unsuccessful, there is a chance to fire another, more successful shot, since the animal may not hear or notice the first shot. In areas rich in game, hunting for pheasant (especially at the beginning of the season), duck, various waders and even black grouse is famous. As for its direct use, first of all, it is shooting with shot or balls of various diameters at medium-sized game located at a short distance from the hunter.

Today there is a large selection of such products for every taste; the Russian market is filled with “different-sized” and different-quality factory-made products, among which there are models that are quite difficult to pass by. You can also find a lot of information on how to make a slingshot for hunting yourself.

Video

From our video you will learn how to make a slingshot with your own hands at home.

The slingshot is a familiar bully weapon from many boys’ childhoods. Especially those whose childhood passed during the Soviet era. Few people know that a modern powerful slingshot is a fairly serious weapon that is used for hunting small game. A hunting slingshot, which uses special steel slingshot balls as projectiles, easily penetrates a protective construction helmet or motorcycle helmet.

Slingshot made of wood and powerful elastic band

A slingshot is a Y-shaped wooden handle (in the classic version) to which rubber strips are attached. A “projectile” is placed in its central part, the rubber bands are stretched to the maximum, released, the “projectile” flies out and a “shot” is fired. This tool can be easily made independently from any available materials. Homemade slingshots for hunting are a worthy alternative to factory models and meet all the necessary physical characteristics. However, before you make it yourself, you should familiarize yourself with its structure.

The simplest weapon in design consists of only a few elements:

• sling. Used to secure harnesses and to hold the slingshot during a shot or aiming;
• bowstring (harnesses, cords). Strips of rubber, which are used to store potential energy when pulled and quickly release it to the “projectile” during a shot;
• saddle (leather). This is the central part of the slingshot, most often made of leather and serves to capture and hold the “projectile”.

When making a slingshot with your own hands, as a rule, they use natural wood, but you need to take the choice of species very seriously. The tree must have the following qualities:

• hardness;
• elasticity;
• resistance to splitting.

Only deciduous trees are considered the most suitable for this - rowan, apple, walnut, maple, acacia. When choosing a suitable branch for a homemade slingshot, you need to pay attention to the presence on it of two symmetrically located branches of equal thickness. Since rubber bands will be attached to them in the future, they should be almost the same size. After the branch is cut down, it must be thoroughly cleared of bark and dried.

The resulting “semi-finished product” of the handle must be polished and adjusted to the size and proportions depending on your engineering and taste preferences. One of the advantages of homemade slingshots is that they can be made to fit the hunter's hand.

But there are certain logical criteria: the handle should not be too thin and short, and the horns should have the same height.

Also of great importance for homemade weapons is the material for making the bowstring. Previously, rubber medical bandages were used to independently make such devices, but today, when making rubber bands for slingshots, high-quality natural latex is used, which quickly restores its original dimensions. The rods made from it have maximum contraction speed and will last quite a long time.

Improvements in shooting practice have made minor changes to the design. Over time, it became clear that the gun would shoot better if the rods had different thicknesses along the entire length. Well-known manufacturers of sling rubber for hunting or sports make their cords conical or wedge-shaped, and they must taper towards the skin. The leather jacket must also have a certain rigidity:

• medium hardness is ideal;
• a soft leather jacket is more comfortable to hold, but there is a possibility that it may slip out unevenly and this will affect both the strength and accuracy of the shot;
• in a hard leather jacket it is quite difficult to hold the projectile.

A home-made slingshot is quite versatile, and the types of ammunition for it are quite diverse. It can be:

• shot or buckshot made of metal of various sizes;
• small and medium stones;
• plastic balls of various sizes - usually used to practice shooting skills. Multiple uses.

All types of ammunition must be used directly for hunting.

Shells

Round stones are the most accessible projectiles for throwing from a slingshot.

The convenience of a slingshot as a small weapon lies in the fact that the projectiles used in it are quite accessible and free, since they are sometimes just stones, the shape and size of which are chosen by the shooter for personal reasons and the design of the slingshot itself. To increase firing range, accuracy and dramatically increase stopping power, shooters often use metal projectiles: steel bearing balls, balls for ball mills, lead buckshot, round bullets, chopped lead, as well as glass, eggs, lots - chopped into 6-9 mm pieces lead or steel rod with a diameter of 5-7 mm, brackets - bent pieces of thick wire, nuts. Sand can be used to shoot insects (such as wasps and hornets). In most cases, the shooter prefers the densest material of the projectile and the shape closest to spherical. In addition, there is a type of slingshot that shoots arrows or darts.

Powerful slingshots, which use lead balls weighing from 2 to 7 g, allow you to throw them at 350-400 meters with an average speed of 100-120 m/s and carry out targeted and accurate throwing at a distance of up to 40 meters. Accuracy parameters entirely depend on the shooter’s good vision, the design of the slingshot, the presence of a side wind, the shape and density of the projectile being thrown, and the shooter’s ability to use the slingshot. The lethal force of a slingshot is within wide limits and depends both on the design of the slingshot and the type of projectile used, as well as on the physical strength of the shooter, and is easily adjusted manually by the degree of tension of the throwing harness. In general, the energy imparted to the projectile is small and rarely exceeds 25 joules (which, however, is comparable to high-powered air rifles). This is enough to infect a small animal, pierce thin (0.2-0.5 mm) steel sheet, 3-4 mm multi-layer plywood. A large animal, such as a dog, or a person can be seriously injured, stunned, or even killed by the impact of a projectile fired from a slingshot. Theoretically, a slingshot can be designed in such a way that its design will realize the maximum energy provided by human muscular strength and not inferior to the energy of a bow shot. A special role in this is played by the density and shape of the projectile being thrown, that is, it must be metal and have a streamlined shape, like a firearm bullet. Currently, slingshots are produced that can develop a power of up to 40 J through the use of a shoulder rest and a counterweight, and there are also homemade slingshots capable of developing a shot energy of 100 J (world record 272 J). Similar slingshots were banned in Germany because during riots they were powerful enough to penetrate a police helmet.

Advantages of a slingshot

• compactness and light weight;
• damage radius up to ten meters (there are models with a damage radius of up to 70 meters);
• noiselessness of the shot (often this is important);
• high shot power with minimal noise;
• easy repair or replacement of any part;
• versatility in relation to ammunition;
• noiselessness of the shot (often this is important);
• with good preparation of the hunter, a shot can be fired in an instant;
• an excellent product for training the eye, concealment skills, “silent hunting”, studying the habits of game, understanding the basics of ballistics;
• on the territory of Russia, a slingshot is not considered a weapon and does not require a license, registration or any other legalization;
• a hunting slingshot allows you to hit any target, it can be used in any conditions - fishing or walking;
• low cost of products.

Varieties of darts

Throwing functions are the main ones for darts, and their forms were also different among different peoples at different times. Such weapons were familiar to the Zulus in the form of assegais. Most often it was a poisonous dart for hunting. Chinese biao, flying up to 25 m, weighing 100 grams and had a length of 12 cm. Jerids, Asian darts, were one and a half meters long. The Greek dart was the same length.

Perhaps one of the most famous types of darts are harpoons, the ends of which are equipped with spikes. For example, there are Indian Narcha darts, which have sharp tips sharpened in a special way. Throwing darts of this type led to them becoming firmly stuck in the enemy's shields. Their tip was up to one meter, and the shaft, which was not easily cut, was up to one and a half, two meters long.

All of the above varieties of throwing weapons - darts - demonstrate their most diverse modifications. Ancient "engineers" sought to achieve maximum effectiveness in battles using darts. A wide variety of mechanisms were invented to improve their tactical and technical characteristics, for example, in the form of a rope or an atlatl.

Belts were also used, which made it possible to throw darts over considerable distances, sometimes even up to two hundred meters. On some types, checks were attached so that the rope could be tied conveniently. With ribbons attached to the ends of the darts, darts were thrown more accurately. It is possible that such plumage for darts became the basis for modern designs.

Safety rules during hunting

To prevent you from getting hurt instead of the prey, when shooting from a slingshot you must follow safety precautions:

• when hunting you need to wear safety glasses;
• you always need to see what or who is behind the animal;
• if you are not going to shoot at animals, you should not aim at them;
• do not shoot into the air through buildings and hills if the target is not clearly visible;
• beware of ricochet.

The same rules apply when shooting from a sports slingshot.

After the invention of rubber. Abroad, they use a slingshot to hunt birds and small animals - hares, rabbits and other raccoons.

Those slingshots that are sold in Russia are very weakened and are designed for throwing bait while fishing, in order to bring the slingshot into combat condition, you need to change the rubber band to a more powerful one.

How to make a slingshot with your own hands

Making a homemade slingshot is a very simple task.
We made slingshots when we were 6 year old boys. The simplest slingshot is a homemade wire slingshot.

Here they are in the photo above. Such a slingshot is made from ordinary aluminum wire for electrical wiring, it was taken at a construction site, you don’t need much, and in those days there were countless scraps lying around the construction site.

The wire is bent, the insulation in the upper part is carefully trimmed in a circle, removed, an elastic band pulled from underpants or taken from a rubber motor model is put in, and the insulation is put back.

Slingshot bullets were made from the same aluminum wire using pliers or wire cutters. In the evening it was possible to make a couple of hundred bullets, which were shot in a day.

Homemade slingshot made of wood

The easiest way to make a wooden slingshot is from a Y-shaped fork in a tree. You will need a hacksaw for metal or wood and a knife. The cut part must be cleared of bark and dried. It would be good to dry for about a month, but as children we didn’t bother with this; as soon as the outer part of the slingshot dried out after removing the bark, we put it to use.

What should we do there? Cut the grooves for attaching the elastic and secure the last one, and also put on a leather jacket for shells. Delov for 10 minutes.

You can cut a homemade slingshot from multi-layer plywood; any piece 2-2.5 cm thick will do. You shouldn’t take anything thinner, it may break if the rubber is strong.

Crossbows for tranquilizing animals

“Blow pipes,” however, like pneumatic revolvers or pistols, have one common drawback, so to speak. This is sometimes an insufficient range of destruction. In short-barreled weapons, among other things, you can place charges with extremely small volumes of active substances.

With 4.5mm air rifles, you have the ability to operate at greater distances, but this may not be enough in some situations. Large-caliber air rifles, like firearms, will require a ton of permits. For special cases, in order to successfully use a tranquilizing dart, a crossbow can be used.

Author of the article:

Boguslavsky Sergey

I am a former military man, an officer, and military topics are close to me, I can easily navigate them.

How to shoot with a slingshot

Usually they shoot pebbles from a slingshot; it is advisable to select rounded pellets. Just keep in mind that different weights of pebbles also result in different behavior of the projectile in flight. However, as a child they fired 200-300 rounds every day and from 15 meters they hit a bottle with any stone.

But for accuracy competitions they used balls from bearings. Whoever won the slingshot could go and collect all the balls from the targets, this was the prize, because it was difficult to get balls from the bearings.

We shot with a slingshot and with nuts, they also fly well and predictably to the target, but the balls are still better.

Today you can buy steel balls for shooting from a slingshot and a homemade crossbow in a hunting store. The balls are the same.

Many people complain that it is difficult to shoot from a slingshot and that it is impossible to hit a bottle with it at 10 meters. Laugh in their faces! Shoot 100 shots every day and in a month from 10 meters you will be able to shoot down a matchbox from 10 meters 9 times out of 10 shots!

Where to get rubber for a homemade slingshot

As children, we used rubber from inner tubes of cars and bicycles - we had to carefully, without burrs, cut the harness to the required thickness. It’s not easy, we cut it with scissors, moistening them in a diluted soap solution (it cuts better, less likely to cause a burr).

Today you can buy a ready-made rubber cord. Only in hunting stores it is weak. It is better to use a cord to tighten glider models.

You can buy a harness for a slingshot.

6-fold stretch, designed to tighten the airframe to 5 kg. If you fold the harness in half and place it on each side, then 4 “lines” will give a tension that is enough to launch 20 kg to a height of 50 meters :)

The calculation is, of course, very ironic, but my converted slingshot with this rubber easily breaks champagne bottles at a distance of 15 meters. Look at what kind of rubber cord was installed on it normally (the black one is on the bottom) and what coil (10 meters) was left for use in other entertainments!

Just as interesting

.

A hunting slingshot can look exactly like the device everyone knows from childhood, or it can have a modern ergonomic design and additional options, such as a comfortable hand rest and an adjustable handle.

A hunting slingshot differs from any other in several ways:

• convenience and simplicity of design;
• noiselessness of the shot;
• it should make it possible to use special industrially produced balls and any other objects suitable for shooting, such as pebbles;
• the firing speed must be high.

Such a slingshot can be purchased in a store, or you can make it yourself.

What is a homemade slingshot for hunting?

Homemade slingshots for hunting are most often made of wood, plastic and metal and are distinguished by a wide variety of shapes, especially wooden ones.

There are woodcarving craftsmen who can make a real masterpiece.

But it is enough to make a high-quality slingshot and an ordinary branched branch; in the simplest version, the bark is not even removed from it.

A video in which you can watch the process of making a slingshot from wood. Enjoy watching.

How to make a slingshot for hunting

Regardless of the material and manufacturing method, the approximate width between the “horns” should be from 4 to 7 cm, the length of the handle and horns are selected individually, they are not too important for successful shooting, they have a greater influence on the convenience of the shooter

. Therefore, try to imagine what will be more convenient for you, and choose the length and width of the slingshot according to these parameters. But remember that a slingshot cannot be too thin for hunting; it must withstand frequent shooting with heavy projectiles. The horns should be positioned at the same angle to the handle and be as uniform in thickness as possible.

Wooden slingshot. It is best to use walnut, oak, maple or ash. You will need either a naturally forked branch or a piece of board if you want to carve the slingshot yourself. Using a jigsaw, we cut out the slingshot into the desired shape; it is better not to make it flat - a flat slingshot does not lie very comfortably in the hand. If you manage to find a suitable branch, clear it of bark. We sand the workpiece with sandpaper manually or using a grinder.

We are preparing the place for attaching the elastic band. You can attach it in several ways.

We make slits corresponding to the width of the elastic band, at a distance of 1.5 - 2 cm from the ends of the horns. We wrap an elastic band around the horns and tie a knot.

We make slits as described above, place the ends of the elastic band on the horns so that they are not perpendicular to them, as in the 1st point, but serve as a continuation of the horns, and tie them at the slot with a thin elastic band.

We drill holes at the same distance from the ends of the slingshot corresponding to the diameter of the elastic band, thread it through them and tie knots so that the elastic band cannot jump out.

Slingshot made of epoxy glue. Knead "Poxypol" or any other two-component epoxy glue, and mold it into a slingshot of the desired shape. When sculpting a handle, take the epoxy mass in your palm and squeeze it a little, but not too much, as if not squeezing. If you squeeze too tightly, the slingshot will be awkward to hold in your hand when shooting.

After hardening, we follow the papier-mâché principle - we glue the slingshot with 5 - 6 layers of paper using PVA glue. You need to tear the paper by hand; it is better to alternate plain paper and newspaper in layers - this way you will see whether the entire surface has been glued with a new layer. After the last layer has dried, drill holes for the elastic at a distance of 1.5 - 2 cm from the top edge of each horn. You can slightly widen the hole on one side so that the knot does not stick out, but “sits” in the recess.

We sand the product with sandpaper, and then prime it with PVA

, mixed with chalk, or water dispersion. Sand again with fine-grain sandpaper and paint.

This slingshot looks very aesthetically pleasing and is in no way inferior in quality to a traditional wooden one.

The holes and slots for the rubber bands in any version of the slingshot must be sanded as best as possible, otherwise the rubber band will quickly wear out.

The slingshot saddle (the part in which the projectile is placed) is best made from a piece of thick leather 3 cm wide and 5 cm long. We make small holes along the edges, thread an elastic band through them, and tie a knot.

The choice of elastic band is perhaps most important for the killing power of a slingshot.

. The best indicator of elongation is 80% of the length in a “quiet” state. The fastest contracting, and therefore the most powerful, will be flat latex. The manufacturer most loved by slingshots is Thera band, but you can purchase other types of rubber if you can’t find it. You can buy this latex in sports stores; it is used by athletes for training. From it you will need to cut a strip 1.5 to 2 cm wide.

You can also use a round rubber band - for example, a latex catheter purchased at a pharmacy. You can also buy a special rubber band for slingshots, but as a rule, it is not very easy to find.

The length of the elastic is determined individually

— it depends on the length of the shooter’s arm and on how well the rubber stretches. To choose the optimal length, you need to try to “shoot” the slingshot with different elastic lengths.

Steps

Classic wooden slingshot

Find a strong Y-shaped spear.

Pay attention to the branches lying on the ground that can be broken off or trimmed to the desired shape. Branches from almost any tree will work for your slingshot, as long as they are strong enough to hold their shape when you pull your slingshot. However, for convenience and simplicity, it is best to use a spear about 15–20 cm long with branches 2.5–5 cm thick.

• Look for branches on the ground in a wooded area. There you will have a noticeably greater choice among suitable materials.
• If you prudently remove the flaking raw or mossy bark from the slingshot, you will get a slingshot that will be more convenient to hold in your hands.

• Dry the spear.

  Hang the found branch over a heat source, such as a fire or burner, and turn it over periodically. Dry the branch for several hours. As it warms up, excess moisture will gradually come out of the branch. This is necessary so that the slingshot bends less at the time of the shot.

  Make grooves at both ends of the fork.

  Take a pocketknife or a sharp stone and scrape out shallow circular grooves at the ends of the spear. Each groove should be located about 2.5 cm from the ends of the forks. The grooves will ensure reliable fastening of the rubber bands (weights) with which you will shoot.

• If you make the grooves too high, the pressure of the tensioned rubber band may cause the slingshot to break. If you make them too low, then the shells you shoot may constantly cling to the base of the fork.

Difficulty level: Easy

Who can you hunt with a slingshot?

They use a slingshot to kill small animals and birds. The slingshot performs best when hunting game that rises almost from under your feet - great snipe, woodcock, partridge, hazel grouse, pheasant. Those who like to experiment can also hunt blackbirds, larks, buntings, bullfinches, waxwings - in traditional Russian cuisine these birds were often used both as an independent dish and as an additive to pates and sauces.

When shooting at long distances, the effectiveness of the device decreases sharply, so, for example, you can shoot a duck, but it will be much more difficult.

Before you go after your prey with a slingshot, you should take the time to train, choose the best position for shooting, and adjust the length of the elastic band of the slingshot. If you have not had this experience before, you will most likely not hit the target very accurately at first. But over time, with practice, you will be able to successfully use a slingshot while hunting.

Below you can see photos on the topic of slingshots for hunting. Enjoy watching.

Review of several popular models

But let's go back to the store. Choosing a truly high-quality slingshot for hunting, and even a strong, accurate and durable one, is quite difficult for an inexperienced person. Therefore, here are a couple of the most popular models:

• Model FS-1 from Truemark. Very light. The kit includes a clip for shells. Removable hand rest. Designed almost 50 years ago, it is still one of the best-selling models.
• Survival Slingshot Archer Complete. Purely hunting model. The kit includes a flashlight. Arrows can be used.
• The so-called fighting slingshot. Collapsible model made of anodized aluminum. There is a large scatter when shooting, since the sighting part is too wide.
• The base is made of aircraft aluminum, which makes it lightweight. Due to thin rubber, the accuracy of hitting the target is increased.