How to make a slingshot with your own hands

What is important to know before making a slingshot

About device

Due to the ease of manufacture and use, this type of throwing weapon has been known since ancient times and does not lose its relevance to this day. The basis, which simultaneously serves as a handle, is a fork of a branch of a bush or tree. Rods or a bowstring are attached to it, and at their opposite end there is a skin that acts as a bed for the projectile.

When the tensioned rods are released, the stone or ball is thrown forward due to the accumulated energy and is capable of fly a distance of up to 100 or even 200 meters, depending on the bowstring used and the design of the slingshot. You can hit a certain target from a distance of 20–50 m.

About security

Despite the perception of a slingshot as child's play, the thing is still a throwing weapon, which, although not considered lethal, can cause harm and injury.

Regardless of the type of projectile used, never shoot at people, animals or birds. Or better yet, don't even aim at them.

In addition, for your own safety, it is advisable to use protective goggles.

About Suitable Materials

Slingshot

For the base, you can use a variety of materials: from branches to engine connecting rods. A classic is a fork of a branch of hazel, lilac, elder or fruit trees, such as cherry and apple. Often blanks are cut out of plywood to obtain a certain shape, and wire and other improvised materials are also used.

The slingshot must be strong and fit well in the hand. Size is a matter of personal preference. The main thing is the convenience of the grip and the not very large distance between the horns for more accurate aiming.

Traction

For the bowstring, you can use any elastic material made of rubber or latex, which stretches well and with effort, but at the same time quickly returns to its original size. Best suited for medical harnesses (Martens bandage), sports fitness tapes, as well as special rubber tubes for slingshots. From improvised materials, cameras from soccer balls, dielectric gloves, gas masks, bicycle cameras are suitable.

From all this, tapes of the desired size are cut in order to choose the most convenient stretch for themselves in length and effort. Average 20 × 250 mm or so. Professionals use trapezoidal harnesses with a width ratio at different ends of 1: 2 or 2: 3, that is, 15 mm on one side and 30 mm on the other side, or 12 and 18 mm.

The shorter the tape, the stronger the tension and the faster shot, but at the same time, rubber wear is higher. Long rods are distinguished by a slower release of the projectile, but they will last longer. The size is also selected according to the weight of the projectile: if recoil is felt after the shot, then the energy of the rubber is excessive and the length or width can be reduced.

An important point: both parts must be the same size. They must be cut without burrs to avoid cracks when stretched. It is best to use a roller knife (as for pizza), but if this is not the case, then large good scissors, having previously marked the line with a pen or marker under the ruler.

Kozhetok

The projectile bed is made of durable, but soft leather that does not stretch. Suitable piece of old belt or shoe tongue. Rough material can be softened by tapping with a hammer. If there is no skin at hand, then a dense fabric like suede or jeans will fit.

The width of the leather is usually made about 20–30 mm. Ideally, it should be slightly larger than the projectile used. The length of the bed is 60–70 mm and the thickness is about 2 mm to maintain elasticity.

To attach tapes to the part, you can punch holes with a hole punch or make cuts with scissors - the main thing is to leave more space around the edges so that it does not tear. Also, a small additional hole in the middle of the leather for centering the projectile will not hurt.

About shells

The classic version of the “cartridge” for a slingshot is small stones, preferably rounded. In sports shooting and hunting, metal balls of different diameters and weights are used, and sometimes darts and arrows. Crumpled can be used as safer projectiles. paper, U-shaped brackets from the same paper or thin wire, as well as small berries.

How to make a do-it-yourself paper slingshot

The simplest and most secure design to introduce a small child to a slingshot. Despite the primitive materials, this option allows you to conduct aimed shooting at targets like plastic cups right in the apartment.

What you need

• 2 sheets of A4 paper;
• stationery gum;
• scotch;
• glue;
• scissors;
• pencil is optional.

How to do

1. Roll the sheet along the long side into a tight roll. For convenience, you can wind the paper on pencil.

2. Remove the pencil and use glue to attach the edge of the sheet to make a neat tube.

3. In the same way, make another blank.

4. Fold the tubes in an X shape.

5. Bring the bottom ends together and tape them together.

6. Cut the rubber band and attach the ends to the forks with tape.

7. The slingshot is ready! As bullets, use scraps of paper rolled up into a tube, folded in half in the form of brackets.

How to make a slingshot pocketshot with your own hands

A more serious option, different from traditional slingshots, which is well known to everyone whose childhood fell on the 80s and 90s. Small berries serve as bullets - it’s not for nothing that the design is called a rowan arrow. Nevertheless, such weapons should still be handled with extreme caution.

What you need

• Plastic bottle;
• balloon or rubber glove;
• hacksaw for metal;
• sharp knife;
• sanding skin.

How to do

1. Take a bottle of water or juice, preferably with a wider neck.

2. Using a hacksaw or knife, carefully cut the bottle just past the thick plastic after the ring, which separates from the cap when opened.

3. Sand the cut to a smooth state on sandpaper.

4. Remove the ring from the cover by prying with a knife or something thin. Be careful not to damage it - you will need it later.

5. Cut off the narrow part of the balloon with a sharp knife. Pull the resulting pocket over the neck from below and straighten it.

6. Gently put the ring back in place to secure the ball firmly.

7. The weapon is ready, you can start shooting using pieces of paper, balls, berries and other shells.

How to make a do-it-yourself wire slingshot

A fairly simple and quick way to make a slingshot from improvised materials that can shoot paper staples, thin wire or paper clips.

What you need

• Single core wire in insulation;
• stationery gum;
• knife;
• pliers;
• wire cutters.

How to do

1. Take the wire and, stepping back from one edge 7-8 cm, bend it at an angle of 90 degrees with your hands or with the help of pliers. This will be one of the forks of the slingshot.

2. After 2-3 cm, make another right angle and form a half of the handle.

3. Bend the wire parallel to the previous piece to make the second side of the handle. If necessary, squeeze the bend with pliers.

4. Perform the remaining bends to get a symmetrical design.

5. Cut off any excess with pliers.

6. Stepping back from the edges of both horns by about 1 cm, cut the insulation in a circle with a sharp knife.

7. Carefully, so as not to damage, remove the resulting tubes with pliers.

8. Cut the rubber band, insert its ends into pieces of insulation and put them on the horns, thus securing the stretch securely.

9. The slingshot is ready to fire folded paper clips or paper clips.

How to make a classic wooden slingshot with your own hands

A timeless classic with a time-tested design that suits a variety of projectile types. AT skillful hands such a slingshot will become a formidable weapon capable of accurately hitting a target at a distance of up to 50 meters. And therefore requires special care in handling.

What you need

• A branch with a U-shaped fork;
• medical tourniquet;
• threads;
• leather;
• hacksaw;
• scissors;
• knife;
• sandpaper;
• pencil;
• ruler.

How to do

1. Find a suitable branch, measure the length of the horns within 5-7 cm, and the handles - 8-10 cm (or at your discretion).

2. Saw off all excess with a hacksaw and clean off the bark with a knife.

3. Dry the tree for at least a couple of weeks. If there is no time, warm the slingshot several times for a minute in the microwave so that all the moisture comes out of the material.

4. Use a sharpener or sandpaper to smooth out any bumps and knots.

5. Step back from the edge of the horns by 7-10 mm and make marks with a ruler and pencil.

6. With a sharp knife, cut at an angle below the marks to make grooves for attaching the rubber.

7. Mark two ribbons 1.5-3 cm wide and 20-25 cm long on the medical tourniquet with a pen, and then carefully cut with large scissors, being careful not to leave burrs. If there are any, cut them off immediately and trim the edge of the rubber, otherwise cracks will appear when stretched.

8. Cut out the skin, after making a template from plain paper.

9. Attach the ribbons to the horns using threads folded several times, thin strips from the same bundle, or thick nylon thread. You will need an assistant who will pull and hold the parts. Place the free ends outward so that they do not interfere when shooting.

10. When using a thick thread, it is most convenient and most reliable to knit with a boa knot (constrictor), as shown in the video above.

11. In the same way, attach the details to the leatherette. Do not forget: knit should be taut and free ends on the outside.

12. Trim the long ends of the ties and pulls if you left them with a margin - 1 cm will be enough.

13. The slingshot is ready. You can test it in target shooting.

How to make a slingshot from an old brush with your own hands

A modified version of the classic slingshot, in which the handle from an old paint brush is used instead of a branch fork. It is not inferior in convenience and will help out when there is no access to trees or bushes to search for material.

What you need

• Medical tourniquet;
• wide paint brush;
• leather;
• threads;
• screwdriver;
• ring cutter - optional;
• jigsaw;
• knife;
• marker;
• cyanoacrylate glue.

How to do

1. Use a knife or screwdriver to pry the bristle attachment of the brush and remove it, releasing the handle.

2. Mark the center of the handle and drill a hole with an annular cutter. If this is not at hand, you can simply cut a semicircle in the middle with a jigsaw.

3. Draw the desired outline of the future slingshot. When using a small brush, the sides may not need to be cut off.

4. Saw off the excess with a jigsaw or thin hacksaw.

5. Sandpaper all surfaces to remove bumps and sharp edges.

6. Step back from the edges of the horns by about 1 cm and use a knife or skin to grind the wood around to create a hollow for the rubber.

7. To give the wood more strength, saturate its surface with cyanoacrylate glue and let dry.

8. Cut out the ribbons and skins, and then join them together by tying with thread or thin strips of tourniquet. Stretch the rubber and place the parts with the tails out.

9. Attach the rubber to the horns in the same way. Trim the ends and, if the thread is synthetic, burn it.

10. Now the slingshot is completely ready to fire.

How to make a slingshot from a PVC pipe with your own hands

Slingshot of the original design from a piece sewer pipe. In addition to the unusual appearance, it also has a convenient function of storing shells in a compartment hidden in the handle.

What you need

• Cut PVC pipe with a diameter of 32–40 mm;
• plug;
• nail;
• rubber tube for slingshots;
• leather;
• knife;
• rope;
• jigsaw;
• screwdriver;
• Forstner drill - optional;
• building hair dryer - optional;
• wooden block;
• marker;
• sandpaper;
• Super glue.

How to do

1. Take a piece of pipe 12-15 cm long, heat one end of it with a building hair dryer or other heat source, and then squeeze it with a wooden block. You should get a flat piece about 5 cm long.

2. With a marker, draw the outline of the slingshot of the desired shape.

3. At the base of the horseshoe, make a hole with a Forstner drill or an annular cutter, and if there are none, cut the entire outline with a regular jigsaw.

4. Finish the rest of the pieces to get the horns.

5. Sand the cut with a sandpaper, smooth out all the bumps and round the edges of the horns.

6. Warm up the handle and bend it slightly towards you for comfort.

7. Make a loop out of the rope, place the free end along the handle, and then completely wrap the material. For reliability, you can drop superglue on the loop at the junction with the rest.

8. Finish winding, tie off the end, secure with superglue and cut.

9. Fill the inner cavity of the horns with glue as well.

10. Stepping back 5 mm from the edge and drill holes in the horns according to the diameter of the rubber tube.

11. Insert it and thread it through the horns and rope loop so that the free ends are on the side of the skin.

12. Cut out the skin and attach it to the rods, tying it with thread so that the tips of the tubes point outward and do not interfere with shooting.

13. Drill several holes in a row in the plug, and then connect them by moving the drill bit left and right to make a groove 2–2.5 cm long.

14. Put the plug back in place and drill a through hole in the handle at the edge of the slot.

15. Insert a cut nail into it, smeared with superglue as a fixative. After that, the plug should move along the groove.

16. Move it to its extreme position, and then drill another hole below the groove with a diameter slightly larger than the balls used - through it the shells will be loaded into the storage compartment.

17. The slingshot is ready, you can shoot.