Should I use wrap and tuck or a clip system for banding my slingshots?

You may get a little tired of hearing it, but the big picture here is just like many slingshot questions: what works for you is best for you.

Wrap and tuck creates a very slim result. Some love that EDC aspect of wrap and tuck. But clips are easy as pie and great for beginners or those with less dexterity to make the tie-in.

Bottom line: it’s up to you. There’s no “better” or “worse.”

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What happens when my bandset latex is wider than my forktip?

You may be seeing a common theme here, but we’ll keep saying it. 🙂 What’s best for you is the best choice for you. In this case, the technical answer is sure: there’s NO problem using a bandset that is wider than your forktip.

You may lose a HAIR of oomph from the loss of elongation in the width of the bands that is not secured, but even then . . . just fold the band and you’re all set. In the end, if it bothers you, it will affect you, so don’t do it if it’s harming your mindset.

But you will do just fine with wider latex than your forktip. Pro tip: you may not need that wide latex at all! 😮

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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.

Thanks for asking. 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!

Looking for slingshot bands? Get yours here,

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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.

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!

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If you are struggling or have ever struggled with Ocularis plugs, please make sure you watch this…

OK. Here’s a question we get a lot. And frankly, improper Ocularis plug installation is the number one issue we see. We would love to answer this question and we would love for everyone to see this answer.

If you are struggling or have ever struggled with Ocularis plugs, please make sure you watch this.

Simply put, if you are having a problem with your Ocularis plugs popping out for the bearing popping out, you simply have not installed your plugs correctly. A correctly installed Ocularis plug is very difficult to even remove from the slingshot let alone just falling out.

A few important things to remember with Ocularis plugs.

Number one, make sure the ball bearing is seated in the middle of the plug. If you look into the plug from both sides you should see the ball bearing equal distance from both the front and back of the plug. The ball bearing should be pressed halfway through the plug to be completely seated.

If it’s not pushed halfway into the plug and therefore in the middle of the plug then it is not fully seated and yes, you could have it fall out.

Secondly, you need to make sure that your plug is installed correctly. If you are shooting flat bands then the plug needs to be installed from the shooter side. If you are shooting loop tubes, the plug must be installed on the target side. When installed properly, the act of stretching the bands will actually see the plug further!

And if the ball bearing is fully in place, the plug will fit very tightly and will be very hard to remove.

If you are shooting tiny loot tubes, and want to increase the size of the ball bearing since there will be no band between the plug and the frame, that is fine. You can put a larger bearing in to increase the tightness of the plug.

But when installed properly, those plugs are not coming out.

One final note, there are knock-offs of Ocularis frames out there and there are custom-made Ocularis frames.

If you are using an Ocularis frame that is not made by SimpleShot, it is possible that the frame was made incorrectly and the hole is too big on the frame.

If this is the case, you could try to make up for the difference with a larger ball bearing, or if you’re just buying a knock-off from China, throw it away and buy the real thing.

Thanks for asking. 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

What should we do with our old slingshot band sets?

Anyone who shoots consistently starts to accumulate used band sets. The question here is what should we do with all these old band sets?

Well, there are lots of answers in the sense that used been sets have all kinds of household uses. You can get creative with these and find all sorts of things to do with them.

Strictly speaking about slingshot usage, used band sets can be cut up into strips to use for tying in new band sets. This is a great trick so that you will never run out of tie-in material.

Thanks for asking. 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!

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Will water harm my slingshot bands?

“Does putting slingshot bands in water hurt them at all?”

Good news. Water will not harm your slingshot bands at all.

You can take them out hunting in the rain, you can drop your slingshot out of your canoe and fish it out, getting your band sets wet is no problem. What you do want to consider is how water will affect your shot.

If you get your pouch wet, for example, it can start to conform to your ammo in a way that may change your shot. Worst case scenario, your pouch deforms enough to increase your likelihood of a return to sender. Not extremely likely, but it is possible.

Also, your grip on the pouch and other dynamics of the shot will change when your bands are wet. So, if you’re out hunting in the rain, make sure that you know how your slingshot performs when wet.

But the short answer is, no problem at all.

Thanks for asking. 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!

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Should I store latex for slingshots in the fridge? What are the best methods of storing slingshot latex?

If cool and dark is the best place to store latex, would it be best to store slingshot latex in the fridge?

Slingshot latex has been a sensitive product until only just the past few years when great strides have been made to make latex more durable and long-lasting. In this video we will go over the best way to store your slingshot latex to make it last as long as possible.

Modern slingshot latex has found a way to work around those inherent weaknesses of latex.

We have exercise bands and Theraband to thank for making great improvements to the longevity of latex. It was largely Thera band that was discovered as an ideal slingshot latex that lasted longer and provided excellent velocity.

1. UV light and heat
2. Ozone
3. Petrochemicals

Since slingshot latex is truly made from a natural product, it actually starts degrading the moment it is made. It continues to degrade continuously, so the goal of slingshot latex storage is to give it an environment which keeps the degradation happening as slowly as possible.

Have you ever put your slingshot on the dashboard of your car on a hot day? If you did (and it had bands on it) you know very well the rapid effects of light and heat on bands!

We keep all our band sets in an amber bag that is both sealed and UV protected. Sending you bands in this way make sure that your slingshot latex is as fresh and powerful as possible when you receive them.

 So the answer to the question of the refrigerator: yes, you can indeed store your slingshot band sets in the fridge! Your refrigerator is unlikely to have Ozone or petrochemical issues. It is always cool. And there is no UV light in your dark refrigerator. So the refrigerator definitely could be a great place for slingshot latex storage for the sake of longevity.

The question at this point really is whether or not you feel like fetching band sets from your refrigerator when you need them. We all need our slingshot band sets in a convenient place because we may need to make a band set change while we are shooting.

So keep in your band sets in the bags in which we send them, keeping them out of sunlight and in the shade is enough. If they remain sealed up in the bag, they are also protected from Ozone and petrochemicals.

FYI, printers and some other electric devices emit ozone. You may be familiar with the smell of ozone that you experience when you are near a printer that is busy. So don’t keep your band sets near your printers! 🙂

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Why not just sell the slingshots with the bandsets already installed on the slingshot frame?

It is actually very important that we do not install the band sets on your slingshot when you buy it from SimpleShot.

In this video we will go over those reasons and we think you will agree that it is best that we send you your frames separate from your band sets.

The number one reason is that one size does not fit all.

Everyone who orders a slingshot from us is a slightly different size. Everyone has a slightly different drawl length. So there is no way we could install bands in a manner that the slingshot would fit everyone.

 Slingshot band sets must be tuned to the draw length of the sling shot shooter. And the shooter of the slingshot is the one who needs to do the tuning. We could get an average length that would suit most slingshot shooters, but those with very long draws would not be able to use the bands!

And the second reason is that we want your band sets to be as fresh as possible when you receive them. To accomplish this, we seal up all the band sets we sell in a UV protected, sealed bag.

So to summarize, we do not pre-install band sets on our slingshots because they would not be tuned to you, and because we want your bands to be as fresh and zippy as possible.

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All bands wear out and degrade over time.

However, if you are seeing nicks and tears in your bands, especially close to the pouch, you are likely having fork strikes and are unaware of it.  Upon release, the band is smashing the elastic against the frame of the slingshot, causing the telltale signs of fork hits.

One very common cause, however, is shooting rocks. If you are shooting stones from a bandset that has a pouch made for spherical projectiles, it is quite easy to ruin a bandset in just one shot!

This problem is actually easy to avoid and until you correct your technique, you will continue to damage your bands prior to wearing them out from use. Check out these videos for lots of info on shooting rocks.

Shooting rocks? We have an entire post on shooting rocks. Check it out particularly if you are seeing band wear and are shooting rocks!

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