Plywood slingshot template. Slingshot for hunting: an effective weapon

Slingshots are the most versatile weapon of all. If done right, you can even hunt small game with it, although the main use of a slingshot is usually target shooting for fun. So, how to make a slingshot?

How to make a slingshot for shooting outdoors (video tutorial)

Find a suitable "Y" shaped branch. The dimensions of such a branch should be approximately 15-20 cm in length. You can remove the peel from the branch and wrap it with electrical tape to make it more convenient to hold the slingshot.

Dry the branch. To do this, wrap the plucked stick in a towel and put it in. It is necessary to dry the future slingshot when high temperature at intervals of 30 seconds. After all the liquid has come out of the stick, you can proceed to the next step.

Make notches. Using sharp knife make notches on each "finger" of the branch. Notches should be approximately 2.5 cm from the ends of the branch.

Cut off the rubber medical tube. It is best to use a rubber tube with a diameter of approximately 80 mm. First, consider how long you want the pull. When you have decided on the length, double it and cut it off so that you have two tubes of the same length.

Attach the tube to the ends of the stick at the notches. This can be easily done with regular dental floss. Tie tighter so that after the first shot your slingshot does not break.

Make a skin. You can make it yourself or buy a ready-made rectangular piece of leather or any other similar strong fabric. Such a piece should be approximately 10 cm wide and 5 cm high.

Once upon a time, hunting was one of the main human activities. Successful results provided people not only with food, but also with clothes, shoes and even jewelry. Nowadays commercial hunting has practically disappeared, and now it is more of a hobby. Expensive, requiring not only desire, but also certain skills. Weapons and devices have been invented in such quantity and quality that the hunter often only has to aim and pull the trigger. But real professionals do not recognize such tactics. Some of them also disapprove of such a type of weapon as a slingshot for hunting, considering it ineffective. However, this statement is controversial and in order to understand who is right, one should take a closer look at this ancient weapon.

No man needs to be explained what a slingshot looks like. A homemade slingshot, made from improvised materials, was in the hands of almost every boy. But remembering, still does not hurt. Moreover, modern hunting slingshots have undergone some improvements, and manufacturers have long ceased to use forked branches specially looked out for on a certain tree. Although the principle remains unchanged.

So, a slingshot for hunting consists of three main parts:

The base, which simultaneously serves as a handle and a place for attaching the harness.
Harness. From the elasticity and elasticity of which depends on the power and range.
Kozhetok. A specially selected piece of dressed leather in which a projectile is inserted.

Previously, the process of making a slingshot began with the search for a suitable branch. The type of wood also mattered. Oak, ash, cherry or apple tree were best suited for this purpose. A dense forked branch was tied with twine and left for a while so that it took the desired shape. Only after that the blank for the slingshot was cut off. The bark was removed from it, polished and fired.

A multi-layer elastic tourniquet was attached to the upper ends, in the middle of which a skin was fixed - a small piece of dressed leather. Then it was necessary to shoot the slingshot, because it is impossible to make products identical in strength, range, accuracy and lethality.

Modern models use other materials. More durable and flexible.

Shooting principle

A projectile is laid in the skin. The tourniquet is pulled strongly. The distance of the target in this case does not play a role. The projectile must receive the maximum charge kinetic energy. Not only power, but also the accuracy of the shot depends on this. Aiming is carried out. Then the skin is abruptly released, the tourniquet instantly contracts and sends a projectile. At the same time, the speed can reach 70-90 m / s, and the range is 200-250 meters. These indicators are not applicable to all types of slingshots. Everything will depend on the material from which it is made, the design features and the type of projectile.

Ammunition

There isn't much variety here. But after many years and even centuries practical exercises, three types of projectiles for hunting slingshots were chosen:

Plastic balls, various weights and sizes. On the hunt, they are not very effective, or rather, too light, but they are ideal for training.
Metal buckshot and shot. This one is just combat options.
And, of course, small-sized and suitable-shaped pebbles. This type of shells can be easily found right on the spot.

Advantages and disadvantages

The controversy on this topic will never subside. Some consider a slingshot perfect weapon for hunting. Others, on the contrary, do not put it in any comparison with the same bow or hunting crossbow. And there is nothing to say about a good branded gun or carbine. However, not all so simple.

The undeniable advantages of a slingshot:

Possibility of use under any circumstances. Even if you went to the forest for mushrooms or go fishing in the river, you can make an aimed shot at any time.
With certain skills, preparation for a shot takes only a few seconds. Which, coupled with noiselessness, makes it possible for a second attempt to hit the target, if the first one was unsuccessful.
The slingshot is easy to carry and even with a supply of shells is quite light.
Relatively high power. There are slingshots, the lethal force of which reaches 70 meters or more. Of course, it cannot be compared with a gun, but in a dense forest sometimes there are even ten meters left.
Noiselessness.
And last argument- cheapness.

What other arguments can be in favor of a hunting slingshot? They, of course, are, as well as disadvantages:

It takes many days of training to learn how to use a slingshot correctly and successfully for hunting.
Big game is not available for this type of weapon, although wild boar have been reported.
No matter how high-quality the tourniquet is, its service life is very limited.
Not a great aiming range. This point was also noted in the merits, so it all depends on the circumstances in which the slingshot is used.

Having considered both lists and estimating what outweighs the advantages or disadvantages, it remains to make a choice: will you take a slingshot into service and go hunting for hares, squirrels and other medium-sized game. Or you will prefer a more lethal weapon that will provide an opportunity to get a bigger beast.

Proper shooting technique

This concept includes two components: aiming and the hunter's stance. If you do both correctly, you can achieve amazing results. Experienced hunters are able to hit a target that is not standing still. Yes, and shoot yourself while on the move, too, is not uncommon.

In this light, there are two aiming techniques worth considering.

instinctive shooting

This method is based more on imagination and feelings, although it does not change the laws of physics. Aiming is done with both eyes, and the slingshot is controlled by sensations, because it is completely outside the direct gaze. When the hunter feels that the direction of shooting is chosen correctly, by lowering the hand with the leatherette clamped in the fingers, the trajectory and range of the projectile are regulated.

The undoubted advantage of this method of aiming is that the shooter does not care which eye he sees better. But the minuses include two facts:

If the hunter is not good at imagining the trajectory of the projectile, he is unlikely to achieve any success. This is the same imagination on which the method is based.
The second is the fact that after replacing a worn harness, you will have to spend some time zeroing in.

Mastering this method requires a lot of practice. But having mastered it, the hunter is unlikely to leave the forest without trophies.

Aiming with an eyeball

Installing a target on a slingshot for hunting can significantly increase the efficiency and accuracy of shooting even for an inexperienced shooter. But here there are some nuances:

You will have to aim with one eye, the one that is sharper.
The reference point should be set a little to the side, since the hand with the leatherette will be in close proximity to the face, and this fact may adversely affect accuracy.
When choosing an overlay for a landmark, you need to make sure that it matches your individual color sensations.

The essence of aiming with an eye is as follows: three points must be lined up on one line. Eye, sight and target. The flight range is determined in the same way as in the previous method.

A well-made and individually shot eye gauge can be easily used with several types of slingshots, simply by rearranging it from one to another, which can significantly increase hunting results.

Hunter Stance

When hunting with a slingshot, sometimes there is no time left to take the correct stance. Find support for the legs, fall on one knee, or vice versa straighten up. All these movements in the forest, where any movement means danger to the animal, can frighten off the prey, and you will have to spend some more time searching for it. Therefore, the hunter's stance is reduced to two concepts, from which the method of aiming follows.

In move. Experienced shooters advise not to try to keep the sight exactly on the target while moving. It is almost impossible to do this, and by and large it is not required. The sight can move along a certain trajectory, the ideal example of which would be the infinity sign - an eight that fell on its side. The junction of the imaginary lines will be the aiming point. As soon as the shooter feels that the movements have converged at this point, and it, in turn, coincided with the target, a shot is fired. "Infinity" is not the only option. The trajectory of the movement of the sight should be selected individually.
Fixed aiming. At first glance, nothing complicated. Aim the sight at the target, make sure that all three points coincide and release the skin. But there are subtleties here too. Learning to hold a stretched slingshot smoothly throughout the entire time of the sight is not easy enough. And one more thing: between the moment when the sight found the target and the shot, the delay should be 5, maximum 7 seconds. In the forest, this method is rarely used for hunting, since you cannot sit in an ambush with a slingshot, so it is more suitable for aiming for sports competitions and shooting.

In general, there are nuances. However, having mastered all these skills, you can safely take a slingshot into service.

How to make a slingshot for hunting with your own hands

A fairly wide selection of slingshots is presented in the hunting equipment store, but remembering childhood and making it yourself is also not difficult. To do this, you will need a very small set of materials and tools:

A suitable piece of branch. Can be replaced with a plastic or metal part.
Rubber or special harness.
A piece of tanned leather.
Jigsaw.
Drill.
Scissors.
Sandpaper.

The algorithm of actions is the same as in a cheerful happy childhood.

A carefully selected horned branch should be cleaned of bark and treated with sandpaper.
On each horn of the sighting part, about two centimeters below the ends, we remove the annular chamfer under the elastic band.
The elastic is wrapped around the horns, tied with knots, and the knots are wrapped with threads.
The center of the gum is measured and cut.
In a piece of leather selected under the skin, holes are made along the edges.
The ends of the elastic are passed through these holes and tied with a knot.

The homemade slingshot is ready and the drawings were not needed. The main thing is that the ends of the elastic bands are the same in length, otherwise the skin will be shifted to one side. It remains to pick up suitable shells and start shooting.

Overview of several popular models

But back to the store. It is rather difficult for an inexperienced person to choose a truly high-quality slingshot for hunting, and even a strong, accurate and durable one. Therefore, here are a couple of the most popular models:

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

The list is far from complete, but the listed models are enough to understand that it will not be difficult to find a slingshot in your hand.

Safety

Shooting, no matter where and from what it is made, is a rather dangerous business. Especially when the review is closed tightly standing trees, a low shrub or a sunbeam peeking out from behind a cloud. Therefore, hunting safety precautions must be observed.

The first danger is ricochet. A projectile from a slingshot flies very fast and can change its trajectory by hitting a stone, a tree trunk, or just a thick branch.
Protective goggles must be worn when shooting from a slingshot.
Carefully monitor what is on the trajectory of the projectile and especially in the immediate vicinity of the target.
And never aim at an animal unless it's going to shoot.

This is where we can finish the review of this familiar and at the same time such an unusual weapon for hunting. Good luck on the fishery.

Slingshots are multifunctional throwing devices of small size. Long years they are used for a variety of purposes, ranging from hunting to shooting games. Slingshots can be different in size and design, as they can be made from a number of various materials. However, all slingshots have common features: strong carcass, rubber bands and projectiles that are sent flying when the elastic is pulled and released.

Steps

Classic wooden slingshot

Find a strong Y-shaped horn. Pay attention to branches lying on the ground that can be broken off or cut to the desired shape. Branches from almost any tree will work for a 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 wooded area. There you will have noticeably more choice among suitable materials.
If you prudently remove exfoliating raw or mossy bark from the horn, you will get a slingshot that will be more convenient to hold in your hands.

Dry the horn. Hang the branch found 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 penknife or a sharp stone and scrape out shallow circular grooves at the ends of the stalk. Each groove should be located at a distance of about 2.5 cm from the ends of the fork. The grooves will provide a secure fastening of the rubber bands (heavyweights) with which you will shoot.
- If you make the grooves too high, then the slingshot may break from the pressure of the stretched elastic band. If you make them too low, then the projectiles you shoot with can constantly cling to the base of the fork.
Cut off the elastic band for the slingshot straps. Any thick springy material you have on hand can be an effective throwing mechanism. Thick elastic bands or strips of latex and even medical harnesses are all great for making a reasonably powerful slingshot. Having picked up the right material, fold it in half and cut it to get two identical strands. Each cord in length should approximately correspond to the length of the fork of the slingshot.
- The exact length of the straps will depend on your preferred shooting style, as well as the materials you are working with. Shorter ropes will allow you to make more powerful shots, but it will be more difficult to pull the slingshot.
- Longer straps will allow you to adjust the slingshot to your liking or even completely redesign it if you make a mistake somewhere.
Attach the straps to the horn. Take one of the two ropes and wrap the end of it around one of the grooves on the slingshot you made earlier. Tie the tie securely in this place. Do the same with the second weight. Trim the tied ends of the tie-rods short so they don't get in the way. Your homemade slingshot is almost ready!
- In order for the slingshot to shoot accurately, make sure that its weights are as uniform as possible in length. Otherwise, your weapon will turn out to be skewed.
- Check the knots of the heavyweights for strength. If one of them is untied at the moment of the shot, the slingshot can whip your hands quite painfully.
Make a skin. Take a piece of durable material and cut out of it a strip about 10 cm long and 5 cm wide. At a distance of about 1.5 cm from the ends of the strip, make holes through which you can pass the free ends of the cords. The resulting skin will serve as a nest for your projectiles, in which they will sit securely until the shot.
- It is best to use a durable material with some resistance, such as leather or thick burlap.
- To make holes in the leatherette, use the tip of a penknife or other similar object. You can also just make cuts in the material, but they can break after a few shots from the slingshot.
Tie the skin to the cords. Insert the free end of one cord into one of the holes on the leatherette. Tie the cord in a knot at the outer edge of the leatherette. Repeat the same with the second weight. Now the trigger mechanism of the slingshot is a single unit and consists of a skin in the center and two cords attached to its ends.

Piston slingshot made of cardboard tubes

Make a longitudinal cut on the cardboard tube from toilet paper. Take scissors and cut the toilet paper tube on one side so that it can be unfolded into a sheet. You only need to make one cut, as the tube must remain a whole piece of sheet metal.
Roll the cardboard into a narrower tube and secure with tape. Lay the ends of the cut cardboard tube over each other, and then roll it up the way people usually roll newspapers. As a result, the tube should be half as large in diameter as before. Wrap a long piece of tape around it to secure it, leaving only 2.5 cm of cardboard sticking out at one end.
- This part will serve as the internal piston of the slingshot with which you will launch the projectiles.
- The inner diameter of the tube should be small enough to hit the projectiles you intend to shoot without letting them slip through. It will be useful to compare the dimensions of these parts before gluing the tube with tape. If it is too wide, twist it a little tighter to get the correct size.
Make two holes on opposite sides of one end of the tube. These two holes should be large enough to fit a pencil through. Position them at one end of the tube exactly opposite each other, not at opposite ends. In order not to warp the holes relative to each other, it will be more convenient to look at the tube from above.
- Use a manual single hole punch to carefully punch holes. But if you do not have such a hole punch, holes can be made with scissors or the tip of a pencil.
Insert a pencil into the holes in the cardboard tube. Insert a pencil into one hole in the piston and out the other. Position the pencil exactly in the middle. To do this, correct it until the ends of the pencil of the same length stick out on both sides of the tube.
- It is best to use a short, thick pencil, as there is less chance of accidentally breaking it.
- Be careful not to damage the holes in the cardboard when inserting the pencil. They should only be large enough to fit a pencil. If one of the holes breaks, rotate the tube and make two new holes in it.
Take the second whole toilet paper tube and make a series of cuts on it. With a pencil, draw two vertical lines 1.5 cm deep from one end of the tube. Leave a finger-width between them. Turn the tube and make two more of the same marks on the opposite side of the same end. Then take scissors and carefully cut the cardboard along the marks.
- This tube will be the outer cylinder of the piston slingshot, containing the thinner piston you made first.
Hook over a banker's rubber band for money on both sides of the tube. Hook the elastic bands on the paired cuts, lowering them to the very base of these cuts. In order for this type of slingshot to shoot normally, you will need to use an elastic band for both sides.
- You will achieve the best results if you take two identical elastic bands. If you don't have special choice, try to check that the rubber bands used are the same size and thickness.

How to make a paper slingshot

In everyday life you can find an innumerable number of functional and useful materials to create homemade products and the most affordable of them is paper. It would seem that the canvas invented in the darkness of centuries for transmitting information can no longer surprise with something new and unusual, but one should not forget about its high plasticity and pliability. We offer to feel like a schoolboy again, and we will help you learn how to make a slingshot out of paper.

How to make a paper slingshot

AT youth practically every boy thought about how to make himself a tool for applying local fun. The question "what can a slingshot be made of?" disturbed everyone who had the idea of creating, if not too formidable, but their own arsenal. At first glance, the slingshot is a simple and unsightly tool. However, few people know what a long way passed this adaptation before becoming habitual and easily recognizable. The distant ancestor of the weapon was a throwing sling made from animal veins and a piece of leather that served as a special pocket to hold the projectile before launch (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Throwing sling options

Handling a sling required special skill: swinging a gun over his head, the shooter corrected the trajectory of the projectile with his own hand. It was quite laborious, and the process itself was considered unsafe, since the risk of missing and hitting oneself was too high. However, the high coefficient of danger did not stop warriors and game hunters. Unlike spears, swords and bows, the sling was the cheapest weapon available even to the poorest inhabitants. That is why over time there was a modernization ancient weapons, a more reliable wooden frame was added. It allowed for accurate and well-aimed fire without the risk of a lethal miss.

Despite the simplicity in creation, the ancient slingshots had great strength strike and with excellent dexterity were able to pierce the head of the enemy or game.

Warriors long time did not delete it from their arsenal (Figure 2) until the creation of strengthened and more accurate weapons became available. Over time, slings ceased to be used for military purposes and became an integral attribute of travelers, yard boys, hooligans and rebellious population.
Figure 2. Combat slingshots of the twentieth century

Consider what you can make a slingshot from (Figure 3):

Stainless steel. Not a very common material for creating a slingshot, due to the complexity of processing at home. Of the positive qualities, strength and durability can be distinguished: steel does not rust, does not rot, is resistant to any mechanical stress, withstands the load limits for wooden analogues. Availability lathe and nozzles for working with metal - the best option. In other cases, it is not recommended to consider stainless steel as a base;
Wood. The output is a classic slingshot, "no bells and whistles." Used since the invention of the design. Most often it is carved from a single piece using a lathe or an ordinary household knife. More primitive whole dry branches with the bark removed are also used;
Plastic. For fans of modern trends, plastic slings can be painted in a techno style and shoot balls of paint from them. Most often, this material refers to the manufacture of PVC pipes. Compared to steel and wood, plastic (or any other polymer) is somewhere in between in terms of processing complexity. In this context, both melting and gluing and bolting are meant;
exotic materials. Ice, clay, bone, tin, lead, frozen wood shavings, developing LEGO constructor. All these materials can really be called exotic, and as a result, interesting author's products are obtained;
Paper. At first glance, this is the most insane option. However, with a decrease in technical characteristics, it has a number of advantages. The main positive quality is the speed of production, which no other basis can boast of. And with ubiquitous availability, it will be very easy to replace a damaged sample in minutes.

Figure 3. Variants of slingshots from different materials

Despite the huge variety of materials for execution, wood and, quite unexpectedly, paper remain the most popular. There are many varieties of paper: rice, bamboo, or even from animal skins. Each of them has its own merits and vulnerabilities. For reasons of practicality and resource consumption, we will consider instructions on how to make a slingshot from A4 stationery paper. Regardless of the type of canvas used, you can create a slingshot even from colored cardboard or gift wrapping - it all depends on the tastes and preferences of the user. Although the amount of momentum of a paper gun will not allow you to shoot down a bird, you will definitely succeed in arranging a fun shootout with friends.

What you need to make a paper slingshot

Before moving on to the algorithm of how to make a slingshot at home out of paper, you need to pick up the tools. The force of impact and the durability of the slingshot directly depend on how carefully the author approaches the creation of the tool.

Figure 4. Before starting work, assemble all necessary material

To do this, you will need (Figure 4):

Quality canvas. When choosing, keep in mind that specifications will depend very much on the type of canvas used. Perfect for office and stationery sheets. Notebook sheets can also be used, but the quality will drop significantly. Cardboard, at first glance, seems to be the most reliable solution, but you should take into account the fact that it cannot be processed without first softening in a liquid. Two-layer cardboard can be immediately excluded due to its non-plasticity;
Sharp scissors. Needed to form parts of the structure. In some cases, there is no need for them, but it is better to have this tool at hand anyway;
Stationery knife. A very useful tool that helps you instantly cut off extra pieces or quickly cut a fragment from a whole sheet. Requires careful handling, since the most sharpened blade easily cuts through the skin;
Ruler. Connoisseurs of accuracy and strict symmetry will find it difficult to do without a universal ruler for determining sizes. It should be taken into account that when measuring "by eye" you can completely ruin all the work. It is best to choose steel models that bend well, do not rub and are able to withstand mechanical stress;
Tape or glue. Depending on the selected assembly algorithm, the parts of the mechanism should be connected to each other. Suitable PVA or stationery tape (sometimes thin double-sided);
Office gum. Most important element designs. Thin elastic bands are quickly torn, replacing them is quite laborious. For this reason, it is necessary to select high-quality rubber bands. In order not to make a mistake in choosing, pay attention to the density, quality of the color of the material. The density should be high, and the application of paint should be uniform, without white cracks when stretched;
Additional elements. These may include toilet paper rolls or pencils needed to reinforce the structure.

How to assemble paper slingshot blanks

There are several assembly algorithms.

Option one:

We take one sheet, put it in a horizontal position and wrap it around a thin pencil. In the end, you should get a dense thin tube;
The edges of the tubes are fixed with adhesive tape so that the design is enough for more than one hit;
The finished tubes are folded in half each, then crosswise in the shape of the letter "X";
Just below the intersection point, it is necessary to press the material with your fingers and connect it to each other, then finally wrap it with tape. Get the letter "Y";
The rubber band is cut in half. Each of the resulting segments is threaded under the bend of the tubes and fixed on the tops of the "Y";
The free ends are wound several times to a folded rectangular sheet, forming a place for the projectile. For reliability, they are also fixed with adhesive tape;
To strengthen the structure, wrap it completely with tape;
The shell is made of thin and long strips folded in the form of a roll. This method considered one of the easiest and fastest ways to make a good paper slingshot.

Option two. You will need an unnecessary pencil, a sleeve from a roll of toilet paper or napkins, an elastic band, scissors and electrical tape. This method will tell you how to properly make a powerful paper slingshot, which has a relatively high strength hit.

Scheme of the second option:

Cut the sleeve in half with scissors;
One half must be folded several times and wrapped with electrical tape, leaving about 15 millimeters unwound from the edge. Thus, we will get the basis. Since the sleeves are made of thick cardboard, folded several times, it does not bend and is resistant to many mechanical stresses;
A cut of 15 millimeters is needed in order to thread a pencil. To do this, make holes equal to the diameter of the pencil in opposite side walls of the cardboard tube;
The pencil is threaded into the holes and fixed with electrical tape. The output is the letter "T";
The second half of the sleeve is cut, and a place for the projectile is made from it. The dimensions of the leatherette are selected at the request of the creator;
In the leatherette, a hole is made on each side. Halves of a cut clerical rubber ring are pushed into them;
The loose ends are tied in a knot and finally fixed with electrical tape at the edges of the "T".

You can learn more details about the creation process by watching the video on how to make a paper slingshot. Also, instead of a sleeve, you can use A4 sheets folded several times.