Are lasers helpful for sling shot shooting or are they just to gimmick?

Easy. They are a gimmick. Here are two reasons why.

First, a laser on a slingshot fork is only one point in the system. The latex and pouch can be moved independently from the frame, so even if your laser is right on target, your pouch and anchor point can move independently.

There is simply no way that a laser can be aware of the entire system.

Secondly, the nature of latex means there’s no way to ever cite in slingshot. Temperature change, band age, and other factors determine so much about every shot that it would be impossible to ever truly sight in a slingshot. Any experienced shooter knows what he has to constantly compensate for during the life of a bandset.

Our verdict: gimmick. Unless something dramatic changes, you will never see a laser on a slingshot from SimpleShot.

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Slingshot Ammo

Band tuning is utterly essential to excellent performance when shooting a slingshot.

We talk about this one a lot. Band tuning is utterly essential to excellent performance when shooting a slingshot.

The process is simple, and just requires a little bit of math. The bottom line is that the latex power lies in its elongation. The further you stretch it the more power it has. So, if you don’t stretch it very far you’re not going to have much power.

Also, the more you stretcher the faster it wears out. So tuning your bands means finding the perfect place for you at your draw length where you have a balance of power and longevity that you want.

For example, if you stretch or bands to only 300% or three times elongation, you will get very little power but your bands will last much longer than if you were shooting at a much higher elongation.

Stretch your bands to 600% or six times elongation, and you will get fantastic speed and power but a shorter band life. The whole range in between is where you can experiment to find the perfect elongation for your shooting style.

The one thing you need to know is your draw length. You must measure the distance from the tip of your fork on your slingshot to your anchor point. This is your draw length.

Your draw length divided by the elongation factor is (at rest) is called your active band length.

For example, if your draw length is 30 inches and do you want to use a 300% elongation, you would want your bands to be 10 inches at rest. This is just an example. Shooting bands this long at only a 30 inch draw will result in very little power. And remember, your active band length does not include the pouch or the latex that is used for tying in or binding your band set to the frame.

A more reasonable example would be: if you have a 30 inch draw and want to shoot at a 5X or 500% elongation, you would want to trim your bands to 6 inches plus whatever bit of latex is needed to bind your band set to the frame. So probably about 6 1/2 inches not counting the pouch.

Knowing how to tune your band set is critical to slingshot performance.
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Slingshot Ammo

Explain how bands are chosen and set up for deferenct slingshots.

Matching your slingshot bands or band sets to your slingshot ammo is critical to excellent performance.

When your bandset is more powerful than needed for your selected ammo, your band set frankly will not last very long. The ammo needs to be significant enough to absorb energy from the bandset, and when the ammo is not large enough to do so, that energy will stay in the bandset. That means the bandset will crash into the frame and be damaged during each shot.

If your vans that is underpowered for your selected ammo, your performance will just be horrible. And underpowered bandset it is likely to result in frustration, boredom, and you’ll probably want to never shoot again.

We’ve made it very easy on our website to choose your bandset based on the ammo you were going to shoot. All our slingshots come with 7/16 steel ammo bandsets which are quite versatile to shoot a wide range of ammo. However, if you were going to shoot very small or a very large ammo, you will need to choose a different bandset.

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Slingshot Ammo

The red and the gold latex… Do we still carry these slingshot elastics that have been so popular in the past?

This is a very common question. And thankfully, it has an easy answer.

Keep your bandsets in places that you would want to be. You would never want to hang out in a hot car and a summers day. Don’t keep your bandsets in a hot car on a summer day. You don’t want to sit out in the blazing sun. Don’t let your bandsets sit out in the blazing sun. And finally, don’t get your bandsets around too much ozone. Printers and other electronic devices are a source of ozone, so keep your band sets away from them.

Also worth noting is that hydrocarbons can break down latex. We have seen people actually recommend putting Vaseline on their band sets and this is about the worst thing you could do. The hydrocarbons in Vaseline will break down latex in no time. Not only that, this idea is particularly nuts because your bands rely on friction for the tying to hold.

The bottom line, keep them out of heat, sun, away from ozone, and don’t mix them with chemicals.

All of our band sets ship in a UV-protected, sealed bag which is a perfect place for you to keep your bands. Don’t throw those bags away. Keep them for band storage and you’ll see your band life go up.

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Slingshot Ammo

Whether it’s in use and on its way to the destination or when it’s not in use and only in storage?

Good question, and one with a simple answer. You do not have to be extraordinarily careful about how you store your slingshot, you will just want to keep it in a place where the environment does not have anything in it that would be harmful to your slingshot.

And this means you would want to keep your slingshot away from lots of UV light, heat, and Ozan. These three things will break down the latex in your band set and will ruin your shooting.

Just treat slingshot like he would any quality tool. Be careful with it but don’t rob yourself of the joy of shooting by being overly concerned with how you store your slingshot. If you understand that you were going to be replacing your bandsets regularly, you won’t be worried about it at all.

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Slingshot Ammo

How do you load a slingshot with one hand?

Well, you asked for it, you got it.

Here is a video showing how Nathan loads his slingshot with one hand from a fistful of steel ammo.

This is a skill that simply takes practice, but now you can at least see how it’s done.

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What about super-light ammo?

Is it alright to dry fire a slingshot? Will it damage the bands?

Great question. Unlike a compound bow, dry firing a slingshot will not put you at risk. That said, it is safe for you but it will cause premature end of life for your bands. When there is insufficient ammo, the bands will slam into the frame (and your hand in the recoil if you’re shooting OTT), and the latex will bruise. This will lead to premature band failure.

That said, if shooting with no ammo helps you tune in your shooting, go for it. The cost of a replacement bandset is well worth it if shooting without ammo is good practice for you.

Bottom line: shooting with no ammo or very light ammo (when your bands are overpowered) will cause early band failure, but won’t put you at risk. It’s safe for you, but not great for your bands.

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Looking for slingshot bands? Get yours here,

Slingshot Ammo

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What are the best tarps / fabrics for a slingshot backdrop?

What are the best tarps/fabrics for a slingshot backdrop?

When you are looking to set up a range for shooting slingshots, it is a great idea to have a large backstop that will catch any shot. There are a few simple tricks to choosing the right fabric and you’ll be all set.

First, make sure the fabric that you use is not too stiff. If you use something like a tarp, you’ll end up shooting through it in no time.

Second and related to the first is to make sure that your backstop flows freely. It is this free-flowing nature of the backstop that is able to absorb the energy from your shot and bring it safely to the ground without puncturing the backstop.

That’s it. Old bed sheets or even a light blanket are great. Just make sure when you hang them up they flow freely so that they can absorb the energy from the shot and you will be just fine.

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What if I’m in the middle?

Question: Are there any disadvantages to mounting the Axiom Ocularis bands between OTT and TTF, and should we choose one over the other, rather than in between?

The beauty of the Axiom Ocularis is the fact that you can mount the bands anywhere between OTT and TTF. In fact, that’s the way I shoot it. I set up my top band in the 45-degree position and I set up my bottom band in the TTF position. Why? That’s how I’ve done it for a long time. It works for me. I also really like shooting natural slingshots that are cut at a bias 90 degrees to the angle of growth – which puts them in about that 45-degree position.

So neither is right or wrong. Shoot which one works best for you. If you’re an aimer, you might find the ttf a little bit more accommodating to a sight picture, similar to a square-cornered slingshot – like the Scout LT or Scout XT.

Really, it comes down to personal preference. So if you want to mount them in between over the top, or anywhere in-between really, just mount them correctly. If you don’t understand how to mount them correctly, check out all of our videos on that.

Thanks for the question. Stay tuned! We are answering about 50 questions this season, so make sure you subscribe to the SimpleShot Youtube Channel and ring the bell for notifications!

Slingshot Ammo