4th generation slingshot tubing connectors...

R

Ron

Location
Chattanooga
The 1st gens eventually slipped and failed. Well, one did, the second held securely until I had to remove it.

The second gen, similar to the first, faired no better. Then Hunabku sketched out how speargun tubing attaches so I went with that concept to design a 3rd generation - it's the one on the left in the pic with the 2.2 ZingIt in a constrictor hitch.

The 4th gen is on the right and uses a band just like the spearguns do. Both of these are significantly smaller than the gen 1s and 2s. Both of these are working well so far; the left one has significantly more shots on it than the right one. You can see a small gap forming on the left one. I don't know yet if that's just 'take up' or if it's going to continue to creep.

The 4th gen hasn't budged and it looks sooooo much cleaner. I need to change the pin though, it's too long and it slips. I made them out of Nylatron and it looks like that might be a mistake - Nylatron is bearing material and slick. That may be why the tension pin is slipping.

I'll probably replace the Nylatron with black polyethylene and replace the white band with a black band.

slingshottubingadaptor-2.jpg


FWIW, here's what the originals looked like - close up at about the 30 second mark. There's also a good shot of the pistol grip and trigger release at about the 1 minute 20 second mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BfBewgsFz8
 
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hmmm......did you make that pistol grip or did you adapt it from something else? How can I get my hands on one?

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I designed it on AutoCAD and then machined it in my shop.

I'm gonna have to find a way to make it available. I have one project in front of that though, and then I need to start looking at how to speed the construction up. I'm pretty sure I have that figured out though - I just need some time to try it.

I can tell you, the pistol grip and trigger release a makes a huge difference in shooting a line.
 
I've given the pistol grip/trigger idea considerable thought and scribble time. Yours solves (nicely, I might add) the problem of having the trigger on the under side of the pole and the release on the top side. You make your version semi-affordable, and I'm a buyer. I also think an AR-15 buttstock wouldn't be too hard at all to fit to the end of the fiberglass pole. Man, I gotta get me some AutoCAD.
 
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I've given the pistol grip/trigger idea considerable thought and scribble time. Yours solves (nicely, I might add) the problem of having the trigger on the under side of the pole and the release on the top side. You make your version semi-affordable, and I'm a buyer.

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Thanks and I hope it can be affordable.

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...I also think an AR-15 buttstock wouldn't be too hard at all to fit to the end of the fiberglass pole.

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Oooooo!!!! An AR-15 buttstock - I like!!! Actually, a buddy of mine has the only other one in existance and he used an AK-47 pistol grip on his. I think he paid $5 for the grip!

See, now you've got me all excited about this. I presume we'd want the collapable stock?

Also, I have a new, altogether new, as in never been done bofore, design for a slingshot. It's in line waiting too so as soon as I get this one project out of the way (surely by Christmas) I can start looking at the good stuff again!
 
Ron, I am so glad you are still working on this. The things you are trying to improve, once perfected, will make an outstanding tool.
A thought and a question.
On the tube-to-pouch connection it might be worth protecting that area with some clear heat-shrink. This would lock in the pin while allowing easy inspection.
How much stress can the trigger support? For some of the trees I need to set lines in, I need four to five feet of stretch from the Big Shot.

Keep up the good work.

Dave
 
Hey Dave!

The release in the vid is for a recreational version. It's not that rec climbers don't need height too, but the pole a lot of the rec climbers are using, I don't believe are safe for Big Shot pull forces. Hence, I have a housing designed and partly fabricated for a true Big Shot application.

The housing, hook, sear, etc. are more robust to handle the BS forces.

Heat shrink is a good idea! I think though I'm going to go with a pin with a small flange on one end and a clip, I forget the name of it now, it's not the e-clip it's the kind that requres a pin tool to remove. Odd, I don't know why I can't think of the name - it's not like it's hard to remember.

I'm really eagar to get the BS version going!
 
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Also, I have a new, altogether new, as in never been done bofore, design for a slingshot. It's in line waiting too so as soon as I get this one project out of the way (surely by Christmas) I can start looking at the good stuff again!

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Are you talking a wrist rocket set up. What size beanie would you deploy if a hand model like that?

Really looking forward to your model of this type. So much easier to handle than the poles.
 
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Are you talking a wrist rocket set up. What size beanie would you deploy if a hand model like that?

Really looking forward to your model of this type. So much easier to handle than the poles.

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No, that's not even close; it will be a full size unit, fired very much like my pistol grip and trigger release unit, except better (if it works).

I don't want to appear evasive, but if this works, I will be patenting it. Hence, I can't disclose too much about it at this point.
 
Cool. What happens when the throw-line gets wrapped on the end of one of the "Y"s because the line is feeding over instead of under? Looking down the barrel might not be the best place to be? Have you thought of inverting it the way a Big Shot is when correctly used?
 
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Are you talking a wrist rocket set up. What size beanie would you deploy if a hand model like that?

Really looking forward to your model of this type. So much easier to handle than the poles.

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No, that's not even close; it will be a full size unit, fired very much like my pistol grip and trigger release unit, except better (if it works).

I don't want to appear evasive, but if this works, I will be patenting it. Hence, I can't disclose too much about it at this point.

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I got it....shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....say no more :-)
 
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Cool. What happens when the throw-line gets wrapped on the end of one of the "Y"s because the line is feeding over instead of under? Looking down the barrel might not be the best place to be? Have you thought of inverting it the way a Big Shot is when correctly used?

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I get that a lot. Here's a pic right out of 2011 Wespur Catalog p. 25 - notice how the 'horns' are oriented!

"Scott Nyuli takes aim with his Big Shot in the final round of the 2010 ISA Puget Sound Regional Tree Climbing Competition."

5618393101_42769c8581.jpg


I bet I have 2000 shots through my horns up configuration. A buddy probably has that many or more and neither one of us has had a problem.

During the time we've been shooting horns up, I've read of two accidents shooting horns down.

I have an occassional problem with the line hanging on a catch on my pole and that's because I didn't orient the line correctly. But even the few times that's happened, it was basically a non-event except for a muffed shot.
 
A possible advantage of horns up with that there is a delay in pulling the line up and out of the cube (or whatever),while the throw weight is stabilizing in flight, as I understand it.

It is like taking the cradle shot without the BS, where the throwline is "doubled" through the throw weight ring.

If I gathered correctly, Dan Kraus' throws his hook shot with this "doubling" threading, but with a single hand.
 
I wish I could claim something like stablization, etc., but as I recall, I made it horns up because....hmmmm, I'm not sure why I did it that way??? But I do like it.

I'm leaning toward horns down on the BS version, but I don't have any real good reasons to do it that way other than that's the way most people shoot it.

I can certainly see the logic behind what southsoundtree about stablization.
 
Snap back in the face is a good reason for horns down.
Remember the movie Deer Hunter "One shot". That is what we all want. Accuracy and consistently.
I think you might find the newer sling basket is better at holding the throw weight when you need to shoot more towards horizontal.
I whip the two sides of the webbing tighly together directly below the pouch so it centres the pull and clamps down on the weight holding it firmly in place till it is fired.
Thanks for all you contribute.
smile.gif

Cheers
 
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Snap back in the face is a good reason for horns down.

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I've had all kinds of misfires, some purposefully induced to see what would happen; I've had multiple tubing failures and of all of those, out of thousands of shots by me personally and even more counting a buddy using the same method, we've never had a snap back in the face.

Yet, I know of two relatively recent incidents where the shooters were injured (face injuries) shooting horns down.

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....I think you might find the newer sling basket is better at holding the throw weight when you need to shoot more towards horizontal...

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I think you'd have to experience my slingshot, including the custom pouch, trigger release, and horns up to appreciate what it can do. I won't say it's more accurate than a BS, but it is more consistently accurate, easier to use, and eliminates some of the human factor.

Bruce Smith, owner of On Rope 1 and co-author of "On Rope" watched as two young men fired my slingshot for the first time they had ever fired a slingshot. They both hit the crotch with one shot.

I tend to think snap back is very much overstated - I'm sure it's possible but the only two I'm aware of that hurt the shooters occurred with the horns down.
 
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Snap back in the face is a good reason for horns down.

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I've had all kinds of misfires, some purposefully induced to see what would happen; I've had multiple tubing failures and of all of those, out of thousands of shots by me personally and even more counting a buddy using the same method, we've never had a snap back in the face.

Yet, I know of two relatively recent incidents where the shooters were injured (face injuries) shooting horns down.

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I tend to think snap back is very much overstated - I'm sure it's possible but the only two I'm aware of that hurt the shooters occurred with the horns down.

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I think it happens more than people admit. Often at a training/workshop when the proper way to use a BS is demonstrated there is a ripple effect through the group as people sort of chuckle and say to each other "ah, so that's why that happened to me..." ;) now, whether or not there was a serous injury is the rest of the story - but it is a valid concern. And I'm not sure I agree that it happens more with the horns down than with the horns up. But that may be the proof in pudding that this style has an advantage over the BS. Hope I get to use one :)
 
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I think it happens more than people admit. Often at a training/workshop when the proper way to use a BS is demonstrated there is a ripple effect through the group as people sort of chuckle and say to each other "ah, so that's why that happened to me..." ;) now, whether or not there was a serous injury is the rest of the story - but it is a valid concern. And I'm not sure I agree that it happens more with the horns down than with the horns up.

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Happened to me once horns down, I dodged the bag by tilting my head, was moving pretty good but most of the force had been absorbed by the "redirect".

What happened was a loop thrown up from my cube snagged one of the horns. The way to prevent is make sure the cube or pile of throwline is far enough out in front of you so the top of the pole leaning forward isn't over the pile. I've snagged the head maybe 6 or 7 times out of many shots usually the bag doesn't come straight back.

The other way it could happen (besides standing on the throwline) is twists in the sling tubes, the pouch flips at the moment of firing and reverses the direction of the bag. It's good to make sure the tubes are "relaxed" before firing.

I still shoot horns down, one less thing to worry about if a sling tube breaks at the head and snaps back

Oh ya, the main reason I shoot horns down is I like to plant the pole on the ground for stability, I usually pull the bag back lower than my head, the horns have to be down to do that.
-AJ
 
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