DIY slingshots for hunting. Slingshot: children's fun and professional weapon. Homemade slingshot made of wood

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 most simple slingshot- This is a homemade slingshot made of wire.

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, how will it dry out? outer part the slingshots, after removing the bark, were put into action.

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 multilayer plywood, Any will do a piece 2-2.5 cm thick. You shouldn’t take anything thinner, it may break if the rubber is strong.

Metal slingshot

You can make slingshots from metal, look at the photos of slingshots below - what they are not made from!

The principle of making slingshots is the same - cut out Y figurative form, put on the rubber band and the slingshot is ready to shoot. You can braid it with lace, paracord or soaked leather, soak it so that when it dries, the skin tightens and tightly braids the slingshot.

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 you will be able to shoot down from 10 meters 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.

The use of a slingshot as a hunting weapon is more exotic than the norm. In fact, this is, at first glance, a primitive tool “from childhood”, evoking associations with the sound of a broken window glass and the word “hooligan”, now occupies a very specific niche in the wide range of hunting arsenal, being located next to crossbows, bows and other “ancient” (but by no means primitive) inventions of mankind.

Design and principle of operation

In its traditional classic look- this is a very compact (slightly larger than the palm of your hand) Y-shaped piece of wood (resembling the horns of some representative of ruminants and ungulates), to which flat strips or round rubber bands are attached, with a wider leather strip between them. The projectile is inserted into this part, then the rubber bands are stretched and, taking aim, releasing the leather jacket with the projectile clamped in it, a “shot” is fired.

Contracting sharply, the rubber bands transmit to the projectile kinetic energy, quite sufficient for them to gain speed from 45 to 80 m/sec and a flight range from 50 to 200 meters. The very wide “scatter” of these indicators is explained by numerous options for both designs and materials for making slingshots, and a wide selection of “ammunition” for them.

So, simple in its own way technological device weapon, slingshot consists of several main characteristic parts:

● slingshot, or slingshot – used to attach a rubber band, holding the slingshot when aiming and firing;

● cords, throwing ropes, bowstrings - rubber (latex) strips that serve to accumulate potential energy during stretching (pulling) and quickly release this energy to the projectile at the moment of compression;

● leather jacket (leather jacket, saddle) – the “charging” part, usually made of leather and used to capture and hold the projectile before firing.

Manufacturers of homemade traditional slingshots prefer to use natural wood. The choice of breed is quite serious. Just as in a rifle stock, a combination of such qualities of wood as elasticity, hardness, and resistance to splitting is required.

The best species are traditionally considered deciduous - rowan, walnut, maple, apple, acacia. Usually a young tree branch is selected and tied with a rope, pulling the future “horns” towards each other. Such a branch is left to “grow”, but most often it is cut down immediately if its dimensions already meet the requirements and tastes of the shooter.

An important criterion for choosing a workpiece is the symmetrical arrangement and equal thickness of the two, future working, extensions to which the rubber bands will be attached. After cutting, such a workpiece is cleared of bark and dried for two to three weeks in a dry room.

The resulting “semi-finished product” is processed - polished and reduced to size and proportions, depending on the individual taste and engineering preferences of the master and future owner. Of course, there are general logical criteria: sufficient thickness and length of the handle, equal height of the tops of the horns, the distance between them. Recesses are also made for seats for the rubber band.

The fantasies of craftsmen are limitless - there are slingshots made of steel rod, carved from deer antler, sawn from plastic or from thick multi-layer plywood, with a notch on the handle, decorated with the owner’s initials, with inserted rhinestones and artistic carvings.

There are fans of various technical options and improvements: all kinds of sights, tension “amplifiers”, unusual shapes leather jacket Sometimes, in terms of their ornate shapes, this brings them closer to modern compound bows or crossbows, but more often, it unnecessarily complicates the design and is unlikely to actually improve the “combat” characteristics - after all, the very essence of a slingshot is compactness and intuitive shooting.

It is much more important to choose the “right” material for making cords, which should have sufficient ability to quickly restore its original dimensions. For many years, the most accessible and popular material for this was a rubber medical bandage.

Now “professionals” consider such material natural latex . Rods made from this material last quite a long time and have the highest rates of contraction. Modern king of sling rubber – surgical latex, which enthusiasts obtain in pharmacies or Medtekhnika. A Russian achievement is the Pezzer catheter, produced in several sizes. Particularly advanced shooters use only branded Trumark rubber (USA), red, at a price of $4.95 per set.

Leading manufacturers of slingshot rubber for sports and hunting models make their cords wedge-shaped or conical, tapering towards the skin, which, in turn, should be made of a medium-hard material:

If it is too soft, it is convenient to hold it with your fingers, but it can slip out unevenly when firing, which will certainly affect the accuracy of the shot.
If it is too hard, it is difficult to hold the projectile without feeling it. According to reviews from craftsmen, good leather jackets are made from old belts and shoes, which speaks not only about creative beginning, but also very in an economical way manufacturing weapons of this kind.

Designs and models

Moving from the basics and products of folk craftsmen to industrial production this type of throwing weapon, we will see an even greater variety of engineering and technical thought. Nowadays, the market offers a very wide range of companies manufacturing slingshots, for example, such well-known companies, How "Marksman" or "Combow"(USA), producing their products not only in sports and hunting versions, but also fulfilling orders for arming special forces - in the form of a real combat system.

Italian company Advance makes “ordinary” (using the term for hunting weapons) slingshots - with the widest choice models and prices.

Of course, Chinese manufacturers did not stand aside and filled out Russian market countless “different caliber” and different quality products. It is impossible to ignore such model names: “BlackWidow”, “ProDiablo”, “Wrist-RocketPro” or “Dragon”...

Slingshots "Marksman" have quite traditional look, but are produced using modern technologies and materials. For example, the handles are made of impact-resistant plastic of various colors, fliers are pressed into the handle, rubber cords are made in the form of cylindrical hollow cords with special tips for fastening, the leather jacket (heel) is made of synthetics.

As a rule, the surface of the handle has grooves for fingers or grooves. In more advanced models, the design includes a special screw for fastening the flyers on the upper end of the handle, and to it, in turn, is attached magazine for balls (capacity 25 pcs.), made in such a way that it also serves as a support and protection for the shooter’s hand.

For aesthete hunters and sophisticated connoisseurs, slingshots are even available in elite versions. In this case, the handle is made of valuable species wood, flyers - made of high-strength steel with anti-corrosion coating, rubber bands are two-tone, and the heel is made of calfskin. For shooting, the manufacturer recommends and produces steel balls with a diameter 6.5mm, 8mm and 10.5mm.

In some models of the company's slingshots "Combow", in addition to using standard balls, it is also possible to shoot special arrows, which makes them somewhat similar to small crossbow. The kit also includes spare rubber cylindrical bands, a rest for the elbow part of the arm, a holster, a quiver and a set of special hunting (short) arrows.

The slingshot body is made of aluminum alloy and has a noble matte finish, and the vinyl handle is adjustable in length. Interesting feature The design of this sample was a kind of “Hi-Tech innovation”, increasing the effect of the tensile cords on the projectile (as it is positioned in the instructions).

In a regular, average slingshot (without such a device), the rubber band stretches by 460mm, and in the “Combow” slingshot by 740 mm, which makes it possible to accelerate a steel ball with a diameter of 12.7 mm to a speed of 70 m/s, and a hunting arrow weighing 160 g - to more than 60 m/s and an impressive flight range - 137-183 m! The holster and quiver for arrows are attached to the leg or to the waist belt. The price of such a “combat kit” is more than $150.

Some foreign models can also be equipped with some kind of under-barrel flashlight, a laser sight and other similar options for deep experts and virtuosos who value modern achievements of technical progress.

It is also impossible not to mention special hunting models that allow you to use not only a single ball as a projectile (as a prototype bullet), but also, thanks to the shape and material of the leather case, to load the slingshot with shot, which allows you to use it for purely hunting purposes - for shooting against small and, most importantly, moving targets.

Ammunition and shooting

As with firearms, hit accuracy depends on the entire “weapon-ammunition-shooter” complex. And the flight of a projectile fired from any weapon is subject to the same laws of ballistics. Therefore, the lower the resistance of the oncoming air flow, the more uniform and longer the “acceleration”, the more accurate and further the projectile will fly:

● crushed stone, gravel and other improvised objects do not qualify well as ideal ammunition: differences in size, weight and shape will not allow achieving stable shooting results;

● glass balls much better: they are symmetrical and quite heavy. One of the advantages is that the refraction of light makes their flight trajectory clearly visible, which is indispensable for practicing intuitive shooting skills (without the use of sighting devices). Their disadvantages are still insufficient mass and sharp fragments if they hit a solid obstacle;

● hunting lead buckshot is almost perfect. The heaviness of this metal allows the use of balls of a smaller diameter while maintaining quite a respectable weight, so they experience less air resistance and fly faster and further. Buckshot is available - sold in all hunting stores. There is only one drawback - lead oxide is poisonous (for those who care about their own health and the environment environment);

● steel balls are close to perfection. The almost perfect polished surface improves streamlining and reduces air resistance. Environmentally friendly use. The only “but” is that they are lighter than lead ones, therefore, compared to them (of the same diameter), their flight distance will be shorter.

A reliable shooting distance from a slingshot coincides with that of a long-barreled pneumatic weapon: 10-25 meters(although some trained shooters achieve good results at longer (30-35 m) distances. As in archery, uniformity of tension and repeatability (uniformity from shot to shot) of movements are important.

The technique is individual: some shooters hold the slingshot vertically, others almost horizontally, and others at a certain angle. The main thing here is to make it convenient and effective. That's why it arises here term "intuitive shooting", which means an instinctive correction (developed with practice) for distance, trajectory, target movement, wind strength and direction and other factors.

It is difficult to give advice here due to the unpredictability various situations while hunting, but the “father of the slingshot thought,” the mighty old man Jack Koechler, tried to collect them in the immortal work “Slingshot Shooting,” after reading which, it becomes clear that with persistent training it is possible to achieve a confident hit in the left compound eye of a flying tsetse fly.

Slingshot and hunting

Based technical characteristics one can understand that using a slingshot for hunting is quite reasonable and justified. Many hunters use a slingshot to scare a squirrel or marten out of a nest, so that they can then fire an effective shot from a gun. To catch a wounded animal (for example, a duck on the water) so as not to waste extra ammunition - in these cases, the help of a slingshot is very much in demand.

As for direct, hunting use, then, first of all, it is shooting at small game that is at a close distance from the hunter. This could be a hazel grouse that flew up to the whistle of a decoy and landed on the nearest branch, partridges that flew up from under your feet (yours or your dog’s), a woodcock on the spring draft in a low forest (in these cases, when shooting at flying game, it is of course better to use shot as a projectile), small animals (squirrel, marten, muskrat, ferret, hare) - here balls of various diameters are quite suitable.

The slingshot forces the hunter to get as close as possible to the prey, which turns such a hunt into an excellent and exciting training in concealment and camouflage. The noiselessness of the shot is also important - often the game does not disappear after the first miss and allows you to make a second shot.

In areas rich in game, it is quite possible to shoot various waders and even black grouse (especially at the beginning of the season, in broods) and ducks. Although you need to be aware that it will never be as effective as with a gun.

So, the pros and cons of this simple but unique invention in relation to hunting:

● compactness and low weight;

● “omnivorousness” in relation to ammunition, up to the use of random ammunition that is at hand;

● noiselessness of the shot (often this is important);

● “issue price” - the cost ranges from 130 rubles. up to 13,000 rub. Product domestic production– much cheaper, not to mention the author’s homemade copies;

● easy repair or replacement of any failed part;

● in Russia it is not considered a weapon and does not require registration, a license or any other legalization (although do not forget the articles of the Criminal Code on hooliganism, poaching and causing bodily harm of varying severity);

● an excellent product for training the eye, understanding the basics of ballistics, concealment skills, studying the habits of game, “quiet hunting”, which hardly disturbs the ecology and tranquility of wildlife;

● the effectiveness (preyability) of hunting with a slingshot leaves much to be desired, but in terms of excitement and physical activity quite comparable to rifle hunting.

We all made slingshots as children. First, you find a suitable branch on a tree, break it off and attach an elastic band “from your panties”. Such stags were not powerful and very primitive, but this was enough for us. We will make a compact and strong enough steel slingshot, it can be good entertainment for you.

As I already said, the basis for the slingshot will not be wood, but steel. I took a thick hardened wire several millimeters thick (3-4). It is very rigid and it is not so easy to give it the desired shape. In the pictures you see how to make a slingshot from a straight rod, step by step. In this case, only two tools were used - a hammer and pliers. At the bending point, the cylindrical wire may break, and to prevent this from happening, you need to heat the bending place until red with something, for example, gas burner or on “kitchen gas”.

The photo shows what I got. To make it more comfortable to hold the slingshot, wrap the lower part with electrical tape or make a handle out of wood.

If the slingshot is powerful, then your hand will get tired when shooting, and significant pressure from the thin handle will feel unpleasant. This can be partially solved by using a rest, thanks to it you can aim better, your hand will hardly shake, and there will be no strong “dents” left after the hunt.

All potential energy stored in the elastic band that we tighten before shooting. IN modern world There are countless materials that are perfect for slingshots. You can buy a good and high-quality tourniquet at the pharmacy, yes, don’t be surprised, they sell various medical supplies that we can use as a throwing tourniquet. Here is a list of those that are best suited for our purposes:

 Martens bandage (medical rubber bandage)
 Pezzer catheter
 Latex surgical rubber

Also, some people use basketball rubber, rubber from a gas mask or diving suit - all this also shows excellent results when shooting. My goal was not a super powerful slingshot, so I used rubber, which is used by fishermen for donk fishing. There is another option to buy a harness for slingshots that is already on sale. We remember that everything does not last forever and sooner or later the tourniquet will break and it will need to be changed, so do not overload it too much.

It is very important to secure the rubber band well on the slingshot so that it is comfortable to shoot and does not tear. We will do this using a thin tube. (If you have a catheter, then simply pull it over the horns after processing them). The horns came out thick for my pipe

(for me this is insulation from a thick wire) and in order to tighten it I processed the ends with a file, do not overdo it, you need to make a diameter at which the insulation is pushed on with force and holds tightly without additional fasteners. This can also be done with an abrasive stone; we make smooth edges so that the rubber does not tear. We string two pieces several centimeters long onto the ends. For greater reliability, you can pre-apply a little glue.

And we insert the tourniquet (in my case, a combination of several thin rubber bands) into the other, remaining end and secure it well with thin wire or nylon thread, making sure that the sharp ends do not stick out.

A pocket slingshot is not a bow and we need to make a special saddle, which is also called a skin, into which the launched projectile will be placed. It can be made from any suitable fabric, but the best choice- this is undoubtedly not thick skin. I took this one out of the case of an old Soviet radio. Cutting leather with scissors is difficult, but doable. In the picture below you see the approximate shape of our heel (another name). We make small holes, otherwise they may expand and tear completely.

It is also convenient to shoot from nylon skins, which do not come apart when singed (backpack straps are usually made from this material). To attach the throwing rubber, insert one end through the hole and tie it well with nylon thread.

As with any weapon of this type, a lot of training is required to accurately hit the target. Hitting the target accurately over long distances is not so easy, and you have to practice a lot, then muscle memory will gradually develop. For beginners, you can make a simple sight from thin wire, this is what it looks like. And don’t forget to wear glasses (or better yet, a mask)), otherwise the projectile will ricochet.

What to shoot with? These are standard small stones that are always lying around under your feet, nuts, rowan trees, they will not fly so far and will not hit the target hard, and the best projectiles are metal balls (bearings). These balls have an ideal shape for firing from this type of weapon and are heavy, as a result of which the projectile flies very far, with sufficient energy applied to it. Almost anything can be used as a projectile, and this is a huge plus of a slingshot.

Almost all boys approach their fathers or older brothers with the question: how to make a slingshot? You can make it at home from all sorts of materials. There are options for plastic, wire, and wooden slingshots. You can even make a slingshot from a plastic bottle.

“Slingshot” made from elastic on fingers

This is the most ordinary and simple slingshot, which only requires an elastic band. Make a loop at each end and place it on the middle and index fingers of your non-dominant hand (for left-handers - on the right, for right-handers - on the left). Now just take the dowels made of paper, fold them in half, place the fold on the elastic, pull and release. Here's how to make a slingshot at home in a few seconds. It is convenient because you can take it off your fingers and put it on at any second. This is great for those cases when parents are looking for the one who misbehaved...

A slingshot from a branch at home?

To make it, you need to find a twig that is shaped like the letter Y. Use sandpaper to remove any bumps and nicks so as not to damage your hand while shooting. Then fasten the elastic band to the upper corners of the spear. To make it more convenient, you can make grooves in the attachment points so that the elastic does not slip off. Or you can make holes and secure the elastic by threading it through the holes. Most convenient slingshot is considered to be the one that has a piece of skin in the middle of the elastic band. It is needed to hold a ball or pebble.

There is a “gift version” of the slingshot, in other words, a souvenir version. It can be made stationary, in other words, with a stand. In this case, you need to think about a stand. Basic distinctive feature of this type of slingshot is that the backbone has original form. This could be a bunny whose ears are used to attach an elastic band, or the face of a bear cub whose paws are raised up. Or you can do everything from an ordinary rolling pin with handles. It is only necessary to saw off a part about 15 centimeters long from it, carve a notch in the thick end (opposite from the handle), a pebble or dowel will fly out through it, and at the end, make holes in the protrusions on which the elastic will be attached.

How to make a slingshot from wire at home?

You can use a solid wire frame as the backbone. In this case, there is no need to make the branches Y-shaped. The metal needs to be bent in steps at a right angle, then folded in half and a symmetrical second part made. Bottom part, in the place where the wire is connected, wrap it with electrical tape, and at the diverging upper ends make loops in which an elastic band is attached.

How to make a slingshot from a plastic bottle?

You can use an ordinary pharmacy fingertip or a balloon and plastic bottle. Remove the cap from the bottle, measure 7 centimeters from the neck and cut it off. Pull a fingertip or ball over the neck and secure it well with wire or thread. From this device you can shoot an even piece of a branch, a pencil, a pen, a mountain ash, pebbles, etc., inserted into the neck. Hold what you are shooting through the rubber band of your fingertip or ball, pull the rubber band back and release it sharply.

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

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.

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.

Metal slingshot

You can make slingshots from metal, look at the photos of slingshots below - what they are not made from!

The principle of making slingshots is the same - cut out a Y shape, put on an elastic band and the slingshot is ready to shoot. You can braid it with lace, paracord or soaked leather, soak it so that when it dries, the skin tightens and tightly braids the slingshot.

How to shoot with a slingshot

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

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.

Just as interesting.