Man, you scored there with the marbles. I've been thinking of trying some. What size are they? guessing 1/2" (?)
I've been reading about marbles a bit today. (Was way into them as a kid.) Doing a bit of pricing. They're not cheap, but not terrible either. I'm considering a pound (actually 1.1 lb) of these -- roughly 200 for $8. If I like them, 1000 can be had for $38. Not sure about shipping. Be easy to find around targets (with a soft backdrop like a blanket or heavy tarp). I suspect the color would act like a low-tech tracer.
Have you noticed any breaking, or shattering? I assume they'd do fine against something like wood, but imagine they'd shatter if they hit rock or metal.
Especially that one, that looks like he could do well in the MMA. I was partly being tongue in cheek with that comment, but for the serious part, I was thinking more about the small ones -- some species are quite small, yes? And even then, I'm pretty sure a sling bow would be more appropriate. I don't know much about their skin, but assume it's pretty tough.
There are a few glove manufacturers including Hatch that use ‘roo leather. Thin but durable for good protection and dexterity.
Oh, man ... now you got me thinking about making a sling. Haven't owned one since I was ... maybe .. 14 .. 15? Made out of the new synthetic cord -- think paracord in the 60's -- with a pouch made from an old football. Fun, and sometimes I could hit a barn side. BUT, I never used ball ammo, always stones, most of them irregular. (We didn't have flowing streams with pebbles, but muddy ditches and sloughs with mud. So the only rocks available were either from a gravel pit or the ballast supporting rail lines.) So with some smooth, large steel or lead balls ... hmmm. Must try. BBQ Goliath. What cord did you use for that?
Look what I got today: 500 3/8" steel balls (slow-ass delivery from Amazon: 10 days!) and 100 marbles for $2 at a Dollar Tree. The balls shoot significantly better for me: they're smaller (for me = good), totally consistent size (marbles are 1/2" - 5/8"), and are easier to find if dropped; some can be recovered (rotting birch makes a great target; I'm making a backdrop to recover 90%). I've only shot 20 balls and 10 marbles (near sunset in the woods out back), but am amazed how accurate I am with it already. Tall tales later. I think I have promise. Maybe I'll win a world slingshot/catapult competition for my age class someday. I'm already going to upgrade the slingshot. Same company but different s'shot: their Scout. Full about why some other time, but it's mostly about the palm swell and wider forks (for TTF shooting). For now, I've added a crudely constructed palm swell to the s'shot. The Scout has one molded in; this one did not. So I fastened a flattened piece of wood to the handle with some paracord. Makes a HUGE improvement for me; hence, upgrade to the Scout. And they've got a limited edition orange one now. Two images here: the second with flash, first without. Note the one steel ball among the marbles, between the (big 3/4") shooters. That was one I recovered from the "backside" of a 6" birch trunk rotten in the middle; it stuck out the other side, and I dug it out with a knife. Oh, and these images are the slingshot equivalent of pistol/revolver pictures with cartridges scattered around.
..... tail is OK in a stew or soup.... I prefer filet done the BBQ plate, a little seasoning and cooked fast and hot. If you at all overcook it, well, boot leather is better eating. It should be done no more than medium but I really prefer rare.
a cheap method of getting high quality tubing is go down to the truck yards and see if any of the truckers have a few tube bungies they could sell ya, or buy a whole roll from these guys http://www.uscargocontrol.com/Flatbed-Trailer-Products/Rubber-Rope/Rubber-Rope-Solid-Core-3-8-x-150 this stuff has power. I recommend the hollow core. I'm JUST starting the design stage of a compound slingshot rifle, with sealed bearing pulleys on the end.....
i saw that a few months ago.........completely forgot about it. Thanks Dag....its going onto my new years shopping list.
Back on track ... ETA : for reasons that I don't understand, the posts immediately upstream from here were not visible when I posted this. ALL were on track.
Those guys in the UK -- like @nathan shepherd -- seem to have catapults dialed in. I'm thinking it's because they can't own guns, so they adopt the next best thing. (OK, archery -- and that's good an all, but bows don't fit so well in the pack.) Check this out, then make the connection to the link I posted above. Same slingshot.
OK, I've found my next slingshot. For weeks, I've thought it was a Simple Shot Scout. Already loaded it into their cart waiting for payday. Still may get one, but not next; bumped to the back burner. Then, I watched a comparison of it and Pocket Predator's Hathcock Target Sniper by Bill Hayes (the US equivalent of the UK's Gamekeeper John). I started researching the latter, but communication with the company suggested that it was probably too large for my smaller hands. They suggested their Scorpion instead. [I'll still try out a HTS someday, just for grins; but I think the side shooter is best learned with a Scorpion.] Turns out the Scorpion is Bill's favorite slingshot, the one he'd own if he could own just one. It's a dedicated side shooter with TTF (through the forks). Check out this 360 inspection: hand filling, solid polycarbonate. So, I've researched it pretty thoroughly, and am sold. I'll order one tomorrow, and hope to shoot it by week's end. My new avatar tries to reflect it, but regardless of how large or small I make the image, it won't fit: has to be 200 x 200, and I can't get a square image from the company's page. Here it is. I'll get a right hand shooter in matte OD green. $35 shipped with bands and steel balls.