big shot max height

treebing

treebing

Been here much more than a while
Location
Detroit, Mi.
How high can you go with a big shot. With the APTA I'm not getting much better than 120 which is 40 feet higher than I almost ever need to go. I have very limited experience with the big shot.
 
What pressure are you using for 120' ? Is the tire value starting to relieve ?
Throw ball weight ?
Do you have a special "compact" pump w/ a pressure gauge ?
 
I set a line yesterday in 100' pine. Zing it line. I forget the weight of the bag maybe 10-12 oz. That was about the max with my current setup. I gotta play around with bag weights to get a bit more height. Also the temp was freezing and I know that plays a role In the rubber bands.
 
I have a big bike pump that I think I have over pumped. I am just guesstimating 120 with a 10 pound shot with padding and 150 psi more or less.
 
With my APTA I generally get 10' less than the psi with a 12oz bag. I have pulled 200' of line out of the cube shooting straight up with an 10oz bag at 160 psi. The new bike pumps are bad azz.

It was always tough to get that 100' mark consistently with the bigshot.
 
Definitly have not come close to 200 feet. I love my apta though. I need a better durable pump though. I spent good money on it it's a specialized brand name but it doesn't quite go there. I was wondering if anyone has doubled the band's up on the big shot and used mechanical advantage to stretch it, In theory wouldn't it double the shot?
 
treebing said:
Definitly have not come close to 200 feet. I love my apta though. I need a better durable pump though. I spent good money on it it's a specialized brand name but it doesn't quite go there. I was wondering if anyone has doubled the band's up on the big shot and used mechanical advantage to stretch it, In theory wouldn't it double the shot?
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The throw height would not be doubled.
(I have forgotten most of my mechanical physics education.)

The double bands would contract at about the same velocity. Therefore, with the same ball weight, the same height.

However, a much heavier throw ball would be launched farther, than with a single band.
 
treebing said:
Aha, thanks. So would a longer pole and band throw higher?
Click to expand...
Yep
I was just writing that:

Now, if you doubled the length of the bands, used a 20 foot long pole ..........................................

Think rifle versus pistol using the same cartridge.
The same initial velocity, but sustained longer to allow the projectile to reach a higher final speed.
 
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Or you could stretch a single band much more than designed, on a longer pole.

I have a utility cord with mechanical advantage (2:1) rigged on a pole to pull the band.
Then I use a mechanical release.

Be careful if you are exceeding the design pull length !
The failure could be nasty !
 
treebing said:
How high can you go with a big shot. With the APTA I'm not getting much better than 120 which is 40 feet higher than I almost ever need to go. I have very limited experience with the big shot.
Click to expand...
http://treebuzz.com/forum/threads/bigshot-launcher-to-200.27055/#post-378925

I have my bigshot dialed in just right for me. I have used it for redwoods, doug firs and tropical trees some reaching 300'.
Reaching 200' and the kind of weight I use is perfect. Even if I could get a throw bag to those heights, the chance of it coming down would be slim to nil, especially with a regular thowline. What works best for me is a solid hard weight and fishing line, it will bounce around if needed but always comes down. Even if you put a throw bag on fishing line, the soft structure of that bag wants to land on limbs and branches and such and stop with a thud.
 
I've managed heights up to and regularly over 200' with a bigshot, but I use a slightly different technique than Richard. I prefer hand pull rather than trigger release shots, because in side-by-side tests we've seen that the triggers steal energy from the shot. The archery trigger Richard is using is the best kind, but you just don't get the same height as with a hand pull, and I'm not clear on why that is.
Pole length IMO is a crucial factor. 8' pole has great control but won't get you much above 150-160'. 12' will get you WAY up there but with almost no control. A 10' pole works best for me.

Shot weight is also important. If you put a heavy bag in there you won't get the height (same as a hand toss,) but we have have actually seen that too light a bag can cause you to lose height as the bag apparently does not have enough momentum to pull the line up. We've found the a 10oz will go higher than either an 8 or a 12, if you control for other factors. Haven't tried a 9 yet, though I'd like to.

An open reel spooled with 30lb fireline will complete the kit, and don't forget to spool it all the way to the lip of the reel. If you have to cut length off the line, you'll notice that the lip of the reel steals height.

The big shot is a great tool which is capable of far more than most people realize. That said, I've been seeing some folks able to get 250' or more with home-made air launchers. I reckon it's just a matter of time before crossbows are obsolete in the woods, and I'm already saying 'good riddance.'
 
yes I should add I only use an 8 foot pole. I really don't understand the logic between the hand pull and the trigger, that makes no sense. If the pouch is pulled back X number of feet. It actually seems like the quicker release of the trigger would make for a better release but even that would be minuscule.

I have seen people measure the amount of line That comes out and translate that to heights. One must be careful in that measurement as it is not accurate.
 
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