Slinging.org Forum - Primitive Slingshot

Slyngorm

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Primitive Slingshot
May 18^th, 2021 at 11:05am

After years of slings being referred to as 'primitive slingshots' it's time such a device actually came about.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/IlaA45tBWjhi/

Construction
Pretty straightforward. A frame with two torsion engines. The four wooden plugs keeps the engines in tension when the pouch is pulled. The two stoppers inside the frame hinders the arms from twisting to much forward as this makes it difficult to draw the pouch back. The stoppers have to be placed close to the pivot points of the arms otherwise they'll be smashed to pieces when the pouch is released.

Usage
The torsion engines are loaded by twisting the wooden sticks holding the rope. Each must provide equal power. The symmetry of the torsion engines is tested by pulling the pouch and seeing if one of the engines is pulled more easily. Realistically the wooden plugs often don't make sense since one engine has to be loaded a bit more. When used, grip the pouch from side to side. Changing the pouch for a regular string one can fire arrows, making a primitive slingbow.

How is it?
REALLY powerful and accurate. In the video I stood awkwardly to be in frame of the camera so my aim is a little off. Plus the rope of one of the engines had started to break (you see this in the start of the video, which I recorded the last) so it was far less accurate and powerful. Without these constraints I am able to hit the wooden board dead on every time at a very low angel with no more than a few days of practice. It can definitely be used for bird hunting.

Surprisingly easy to make. Made this one on the first try. Took couple of hours making the frame, engines and arms and then some days finishing of the last details that I realized had to be fixed.

Overall, a completely awesome weapon.

Inspired by this guy
https://the-shed-and-beyond.blogspot.com/2014/04/handheld-ballista.html

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TOMBELAINE Funditor Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 814 france Gender:	Re: Primitive Slingshot Reply #1 - May 18^th, 2021 at 11:39am Cool. It's a good idea for bird hunting.
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Morphy Slinging.org Moderator Offline Checkmate Posts: 8134	Re: Primitive Slingshot Reply #2 - May 18^th, 2021 at 11:50am I love this man. I think you should look into making a pellet crossbow too. The cool thing about this though is you can adjust draw weight. Nice job!
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Kick past-moderator Offline Posts: 4451 Finland	Re: Primitive Slingshot Reply #3 - May 18^th, 2021 at 12:30pm That's awesome! I would like to think these have been made in history as well. Surely they must have made mini test models in the ancient world at the height of this technology. Really cool!
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Morphy Slinging.org Moderator Offline Checkmate Posts: 8134	Re: Primitive Slingshot Reply #4 - May 18^th, 2021 at 4:31pm How much power can you get from this if you really crank it up? Any chance we can get a destruction video?
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Slyngorm

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Re: Primitive Slingshot
Reply #5 - May 18^th, 2021 at 5:13pm

Morphy wrote on May 18^th, 2021 at 4:31pm:

How much power can you get from this if you really crank it up?

Surprisingly much!
Try and imagine the biggest of the bows I posted in the pellet bow thread, taking into consideration that it was novice made. Then the slingshot is just as, maybe a little bit more, powerful at its fullest. The wooden board was 15 meters away and I could hit it with the pellet flying at a very low angle. Oddly enough it isn't difficult to draw it back and hold it in place.

Morphy wrote on May 18^th, 2021 at 4:31pm:

Any chance we can get a destruction video?

Maybe...

:

But wont promise.

Morphy wrote on May 18^th, 2021 at 11:50am:

I think you should look into making a pellet crossbow too.

A stonebow?

TOMBELAINE wrote on May 18^th, 2021 at 11:39am:

Cool.
It's a good idea for bird hunting.

Thanks!

Kick wrote on May 18^th, 2021 at 12:30pm:

I would like to think these have been made in history as well. Surely they must have made mini test models in the ancient world at the height of this technology.

Imagine Roman street urchins destroying vases with small primitive slingshots Grin

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czechslinger1.0 Descens Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 193 Gender:	Re: Primitive Slingshot Reply #6 - May 18^th, 2021 at 5:28pm Damn making a pellet crossbow out of this would be super cool. Maybe if I finally start using my time more wisely I can try to make something like that.
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joe_meadmaker Slinging.org Administrator Offline Slinging Ice is Cool! Posts: 3215 PA, USA	Re: Primitive Slingshot Reply #7 - May 18^th, 2021 at 8:56pm A great design and awesome execution! The torsion slingshot!
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Curious Aardvark

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Re: Primitive Slingshot
Reply #8 - May 20^th, 2021 at 11:51am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6Q_mg-4GjA

Joerg made a torsion slingshot about 9 years ago.
The video also has an excellent apache style throw with asling.

The torsion slingshot is about midway through the video.

For the record - no modern material is as good as animal sinew.
Once dried and twisted it outperforms all modern materials and cordage.

There was a program a few years back where a team made a full size mangonel. Hmm NOPE not a mangonel, one of them big crossbow type thingies that fire spears.
If i could remember what they were called, I could probably find the program whistle

Good program.
they did all manner of tests and just could not find anything to match animal sinew.

Got any videos of yours in action slyngorm ?
hard to tell how large it is.

But i might make a 3d printed one using tpu as the cord. It's stupidly strong and really elastic, so should work well.

Something small to fire bbs would be fun.

I'll add it to my (long) list of projects

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Do All things with Honour and Generosity: Regret Nothing, Envy None, Apologise Seldom and Bow your head to No One - works for me

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Slyngorm

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Re: Primitive Slingshot
Reply #9 - May 20^th, 2021 at 3:57pm

Curious Aardvark wrote on May 20^th, 2021 at 11:51am:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6Q_mg-4GjA

Joerg made a torsion slingshot about 9 years ago.

WELP! I stand corrected. And beaten. By nine years. Grin

However.
Not to try and correct a guy who clearly has more experience in woodworking, weapons and actual slingshots but I disagree with the notion that this thing can't be very powerful and I think he choose a poor design. Tongue

I'm convinced that my slingshot already is pretty powerful, that Joerg's slingshot doesn't seem that much more powerful and that mine could be even more powerful had I used more rope (easy enough).
And his design is needlessly wide and flimsy. Placing the arms facing inwards (with a wider frame) gives a potential for a longer power stroke. But it seems to me difficult to hold and handle and a longer power stroke could be achieved in other ways.
Still cool!

Curious Aardvark wrote on May 20^th, 2021 at 11:51am:

Got any videos of yours in action slyngorm ?

On the bitchute link.

joe_meadmaker wrote on May 18^th, 2021 at 8:56pm:

A great design and awesome execution! The torsion slingshot! Thumbs Up

czechslinger1.0 wrote on May 18^th, 2021 at 5:28pm:

Maybe if I finally start using my time more wisely I can try to make something like that.

Don't we all want to do that? Embarrassed

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Rat Man Slinging.org Administrator Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 13878 New Jersey, USA Gender:	Re: Primitive Slingshot Reply #10 - May 21^st, 2021 at 3:14pm Even though you were beaten by nine years that's still some very creative work. Good job.
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Slyngorm

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Re: Primitive Slingshot
Reply #11 - Jun 23^rd, 2021 at 5:48pm

Tried removing the stoppers inside the frame to increase the power stroke. Turns out that is a pretty dumb idea as one torsion engine will always pull the pouch to one side even if they are equally loaded. Have to place the stoppers so the torsion arms can swing as far forward as possible without making it difficult to pull back the pouch.

When that is fixed I will make a video demonstrating its abilities as a primitive slingbow.

Rat Man wrote on May 21^st, 2021 at 3:14pm:

Even though you were beaten by nine years that's still some very creative work. Good job.

Thanks Rat Man!

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Morphy

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Re: Primitive Slingshot
Reply #12 - Jun 24^th, 2021 at 4:23pm

Ive been thinking about ways to upgrade this. Well, maybe not upgrade since I wasnt exactly thinking of torsion but I think a handheld, non-rubber primitive slingshot is possible.

What about a mini horizontal bow? With a handle perpendicular to the limbs? What say you Slyngorm? Rubber has so many advantages but this is a really interesting problem. I bet theres a good solution to it.

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Slyngorm

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Re: Primitive Slingshot
Reply #13 - Jun 25^th, 2021 at 7:12am

Good you are asking Morphy. Because that is a really good question.

With the mini horizontal bow there comes several distinct issues about which I cannot explain scientifically.

Probably the greatest issue is holding the slingshot in place. The main point is that when pulling the pouch back on a true slingshot, it is easy to hold the slingshot frame still but the pellet still receives a lot of force. On the other hand, my pellet bows were the complete opposite and required great muscle strength to hold the bow in place so you didn't fire to the side of your target. I don't know why but my torsionshot had about the same amount of power as my biggest pellet bow yet was very easy to hold. I think this is an issue related to efficiency ie. how rubber and torsion engines transfers power compared to a bow frame.
However, this might simply be a case of holding the bow horizontally vs vertically. Ei., it's impossible to shoot to the side of your target when holding a slingshot as you do, since you instead will shot higher or lower than intended, instead of to the side like with a pellet bow. Gotta check that out with my torsionshot (by holding it sideways).

Sorry for all these theories that I haven't tested out yet... Tongue

A related issue it simply attaching the handle well. I constantly had to rebind or otherwise tighten the string that bound the handle to my pellet bow. When using a bow as a slingshot type thingy, you hold the bow frame at an angle meaning a huge amount of force it exerted on the handle. Attaching a slingshot-esque handle to a bow will be VERY difficult.

A possible solution would be a flexible reflex bow. I saw a video with an unstrung traditional Korean bow. The type that looks like an "O" with no string. The guy who demonstrated it was able to grab on to a limb and pull it in all sorts of directions using little force before it snapped. Attach a handle in some way and put on a string just short enough that you are able to pull it back.

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« Last Edit: Jun 25^th, 2021 at 10:15am by Slyngorm »

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Morphy Slinging.org Moderator Offline Checkmate Posts: 8134	Re: Primitive Slingshot Reply #14 - Jun 25^th, 2021 at 9:07am Lots of good points Slyng. (Im shortening it to this! I can never remember it otherwise! ) Is it harder to hold and shoot the pellet bow because its wanting to twist in your grip? Ive written this response 3 times lol, each long responses filled with ideas. But let me start here lol...
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