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Survival and Preparations Long and short term survival and 'prepping'.

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  #1  
Old 07-28-2022, 2:05 PM
CAshooter57 CAshooter57 is offline
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Default Slingshots/slingbows

What does everyone thinkof slingshots or slingbows? They seem like a good item to have at your disposal for small game.
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  #2  
Old 07-28-2022, 2:07 PM
edgerly779 edgerly779 is online now
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Non hunter I guess. Read dfw code. When you got your hunter safety card before your hunting license did they address methods of take? Here we have a JAFN.
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Old 07-28-2022, 2:22 PM
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It could be a good item to fall back on just need lots of extra elastic as it degrades, wears down and snaps with use. If you are serious about long term though, look into making your own bow and arrows, spears, atlatl and darts, blow guns, throwing sticks, and a simple sling too. Learning to make is great, practicing with them is best
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Old 07-28-2022, 2:42 PM
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Slingshots may only be used to take nongame birds and mammals (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 475). However, the only nongame birds that may be taken by any method are English house sparrows and starlings (FGC, sections 3800(a) and 3801).

https://californiaoutdoors.wordpress...gshot-hunting/

Are Slingbows legal in California?
A: These slingshot-style bows would not be legal because bows are defined only as longbow, recurve or compound bow (under CCR Title 14, section 354(a)). The slingbow falls under the definition of a crossbow (CCR Title 14, section 354(b)) “or cured latex band” and could be used for hunting under crossbow regulations.
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  #5  
Old 07-28-2022, 5:13 PM
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With marbles as ammo, they work very well on wandering pests in the yard.
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  #6  
Old 07-28-2022, 6:50 PM
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Have a lot of slingshot experience from my younger years. Takes a lot of practice and I hated how the bands would snap after prolonged use or age. Would hit my hand a lot when using rocks as ammo, so wearing a glove on your gripping hand would be helpful. Good to have I guess, would prefer an air gun instead as a small pest control item.

Turby
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  #7  
Old 07-28-2022, 7:46 PM
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Op. Get some 12 gauge 1 oz slugs as ammo. You will be amazed what it will do.
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  #8  
Old 07-28-2022, 9:17 PM
WalterJones WalterJones is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Duck Killer View Post
Op. Get some 12 gauge 1 oz slugs as ammo. You will be amazed what it will do.
My go to is .45 lead round ball. .50 is too heavy, IMO. Get a casting set up and ammo is pretty cheap to make. .45 seems to me to be the happy point for weight, speed, and thumping power.

I tried out the sling bow mods and came to the conclusion that a real bow is just hands down better. I get the pros and cons, but I've never found myself in a situation where I was glad I had a sligshot/slingbow in my pack along with some crappy take down arrows.
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  #9  
Old 07-29-2022, 9:35 AM
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IMO using these caveman type tools for killing critters is a reliable way to starve to death.

Even a cross bow would produce better results for putting meat on the table.

Caveman tools as a hobby? I can see that. Should be fun.
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  #10  
Old 07-29-2022, 9:35 AM
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Concerning killing/processing lil meat critters for survival. You need a whole mess of them to get calories.

Consider these recipes if you happen to find squirrels... and kill a few.
https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/sq...ookoff-recipes

Calories/squirrel @1# on the hoof. 1/2 that after processing.
https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-n...quirrel-cooked

Translate that data to rats. Yes rats. Still a popular meal in asia.
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Last edited by FeuerFrei; 07-30-2022 at 10:31 AM..
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  #11  
Old 07-30-2022, 7:42 AM
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Just like firearms; practice is necessary.

FWIW there are affordable decent chi-com made models on amazon. They also offer good prices on bulk materials to shoot as well as back up bands.
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  #12  
Old 07-30-2022, 7:43 AM
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Just like firearms; practice is necessary.

FWIW there are affordable decent chi-com made models on amazon. They also offer good prices on bulk materials to shoot as well as back up bands.
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  #13  
Old 07-30-2022, 3:55 PM
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Don't be so quick to sell slingshots short. With a simple slingshot like a "Simple Shot" (company), you can easily take small game within 40 feet or so. Not to mention they are fun as all get up. A bag of clay slingshot balls, some plastic water bottles and you can practice to your hearts content. Does not take long to get the hang of it. I was amazed at how good you can get in a single day of practice. I bought slingshot fro all my grand sons - they love em! Forget the sling shot arrows.
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Old 07-31-2022, 8:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CAshooter57 View Post
What does everyone thinkof slingshots or slingbows? They seem like a good item to have at your disposal for small game.
Don't let the naysayers discourage you. There is a use for a slingshot - provided you get extra bands and plenty of ammo and lots of practice. If you can pierce both sides of a milk jug filled with water you are generating enough force to kill small game and if you can hit a beer/soda can reliably then you are shooting accurately enough to hunt small game. Should you actually hunt small game or just stop at this point? Well, that is up to you. You should research and know what your laws are and then make your own decision.

As far as investment goes; it's pretty minimal, so why not. You could get a good slingshot, plenty of steel ammo, plenty of clay practice ammo, and a couple spare bands for under a hundred easy. As far as practice; why not, its basically a fun past time.

Normally I would say this would be a useful item, but not high on the priority list, but it is so cheap . . . why not.

In regards to the slingbows - I decided not to bother because I have a compound bow, I could not imagine a scenario where a slingbow would be preferable to a compound bow. If you don't have a bow, then that would likely change that dynamic; a good compound bow is a sizable investment so if you don't have the 3 - 4 K to invest in a bow, a slingbow may be a good choice.
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  #15  
Old 08-10-2022, 6:47 PM
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FWIW, Amazon has inexpensive Chinese crossbows that are fairly accurate and would work well for rabbits and the like. They also require practice. I think they were 45-50 buck?
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Old 08-11-2022, 11:40 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FeuerFrei View Post
IMO using these caveman type tools for killing critters is a reliable way to starve to death.

Even a cross bow would produce better results for putting meat on the table.

Caveman tools as a hobby? I can see that. Should be fun.
For me it is about long term use and durability. If you have the most bad adze crossbow, that is great for the first or second year. But what about when the parts start to break down from daily use. Bearings, metal fatique, drops and stumbles, etc. Sure you could have a second or third one as back up or even a connex full of replacement parts. But what about when those break down from the levels of use they would see if they were the main source of calories for a person, family or community? Think five, ten, or twenty years down the road. What if they are stolen or lost?

Now think about if you know how to make a bow, string, and arrows from scratch, you know how to make two bows, or three bows, or one for each person in your party, or some to sell or trade for. You can pass on the knowledge of how to make them to your children and community. You have the knowledge to replace parts or repair them. That cant be lost, stolen or damaged.

There is nothing stopping you from both options above, just don't rule out the solution for the real long term need.
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Old 08-11-2022, 7:44 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheChief View Post
For me it is about long term use and durability. If you have the most bad adze crossbow, that is great for the first or second year. But what about when the parts start to break down from daily use. Bearings, metal fatique, drops and stumbles, etc. Sure you could have a second or third one as back up or even a connex full of replacement parts. But what about when those break down from the levels of use they would see if they were the main source of calories for a person, family or community? Think five, ten, or twenty years down the road. What if they are stolen or lost?

Now think about if you know how to make a bow, string, and arrows from scratch, you know how to make two bows, or three bows, or one for each person in your party, or some to sell or trade for. You can pass on the knowledge of how to make them to your children and community. You have the knowledge to replace parts or repair them. That cant be lost, stolen or damaged.

There is nothing stopping you from both options above, just don't rule out the solution for the real long term need.
Nice try there.

My point was/is that a caveman tool as proposed by the OP is not as good a choice as a crossbow. The crossbow is much easier to learn/shoot than the caveman tool du jour.

Killing tools that throw projectiles just need way more practice to become highly mediocre. Do they work? Sure. Are they efficient at harvesting critters for survival? I think not because there are better choices from off the shelf. Crossbow was used as an example and I have no plans to build/use one. This ain't "The Walking Dead" and I ain't Daryl Dixon.

I am not willing to bet my life on caveman gear and I will not suggest to any living man or woman to do so either.
*I have used/owned recurve, compound bows and a crossbow. Crossbow was the easiest to transition to being so rifle like. Translate that to "easy to hit what you're looking at". Choice of bolt tips also varies depending on what you are hunting. Bonus!

OP's and your opinions are your own. Buy a bunch and turn theory into reality. Collect data points and diy procedures for making surgical tubing substitute or whatever.
*maintaining any weapon will require knowledge and how to repair/replace/manufacture parts for it if no spares are available.

When survival is at stake I will keep my feet firmly planted in reality and not theory. I am just too practical to do otherwise.
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-- Frederick Douglass --

“I didn’t know I was a slave until I found out I couldn’t do the things I wanted.”
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Old 08-11-2022, 7:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FeuerFrei View Post
Nice try there.

My point was/is that a caveman tool as proposed by the OP is not as good a choice as a crossbow. The crossbow is much easier to learn/shoot than the caveman tool du jour.
...
Crossbows have been around for over 2000 years so were made by hand before the modern era. So if your point is that crossbows are the best, cool. However, it seems that your trying to dismiss the benefit of learning how to make these items from scratch. Is that correct?
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Old 08-12-2022, 7:12 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheChief View Post
Crossbows have been around for over 2000 years so were made by hand before the modern era. So if your point is that crossbows are the best, cool. However, it seems that your trying to dismiss the benefit of learning how to make these items from scratch. Is that correct?
I was as clear as possible. Your question is confusing because my points and meaning has been made. I understand your point of wanting to hand make weapons. How you'd go about doing that is unclear to me. I suggest you try it and report back to the whole class with your findings. That would have value.

No pics necessary, just tell me how you did it. What tools and materials were needed and finally your assessment on it's performance/ease of use. Simple.

Maybe investigate medieval weapons as an upgrade to "caveman"?

Priming the info pump...
https://www.medievalwarfare.info/weapons.htm#crossbows

notice crossbows/ballistas
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-- Frederick Douglass --

“I didn’t know I was a slave until I found out I couldn’t do the things I wanted.”
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Old 08-13-2022, 12:44 PM
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The OP seems to have vacated this conversation. I thought OP was referring to a short term SHTF, I gotta get some food for me/the fam. If this is the case, slings and bows seems like a tedious way to go about it.

Things change if you are talking about a EOTWAWKI, what skills can I maximize to be of value; hand making slings and bows make sense.

Different situations require different skill sets.
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Old 08-13-2022, 1:02 PM
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Eucalyptus will make a nice stout "Y" for slingshot.

Used to make them with bike inner-tube strips. Fortunately, straps never broke to snap out my unprotected aiming eye.

I don't think I ever bagged a squirrel or bird but my buddy bagged a bird, after probably several thousand shots with rocks. We'd probably done better aiming off to side.
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Old 08-22-2022, 6:25 PM
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https://sausa.com/product-category/w...t-sling-shots/

I just found some old natural rubber flat bands I got 20 years ago - still perfectly good.

Stock up and sling away!
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Old 08-22-2022, 6:49 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by edgerly779 View Post
Non hunter I guess. Read dfw code. When you got your hunter safety card before your hunting license did they address methods of take? Here we have a JAFN.
This is the SURVIVAL forum.

No Gov Tax needed to survive...
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