The "V" slingshot still is one of my most popular designs. The one-piece rubber, the pulley based draw entension and the self-centering truly are clear advantages over other designs.
But there are drawbacks. Especially the ergonomics are a problem. I had 50 units made about a year ago, and sold them at cost to fellow enthusiasts. Many of them liked it (and by now own a valuable collector's item), but several people expressed justified critizism regarding the ergonomics.
My big, meaty hands have a natural "padding" so for me it is not hard to hold the V, but I can see how others don't like it as much as I do.
Also, several people reported fork hits, not uncommon when you shoot slingshots with narrow forks. Just a little canting, to subtle for the shooter's eye to see, and bang! A precious pulley is dead, the metal permanently deformed.
I solved the nasty fork hit issue with the rotating handle of the "W", another advanced design that I like very much. The round, smooth and self centering of the "W" makes it my favorite slingshot right now. But of course the "W" has no draw length increase and also no one-piece, self centering rubber.
So the idea is to combine both designs. I have been thinking hard about that and I feel I have a viable idea. Why not attach the rotating steel handle to the "V"?
But of course the "V" has to be out of the way of the shooter's fist. So you have to attach it out front, in order to allow free rotation. Problem is that the fork tips have to be level with the shooter's hand, or else the slingshot would inevitably rotate TOWARDS the shooter.
The solution is to attach the "V" with an angle. This way the laws of physics work!
Can't wait for the weekend to test this idea. Stay tuned for another video.
Very cool! I think this could also work well with your W design, since it could give it more draw length.
ReplyDeletenow all you need to do is affix a laser sight! slingshot of the 21st century for sure!
ReplyDeleteHi All , My name is Robert Blair and I made a V slingshot about 30 years ago ! It was for short hooked arrows only ! It is in my patent drawings # 4458658 mainly for my Com Bow Sling tm .
ReplyDeleteThe Great You Tube Slingshot King Joerg Sprave once called me a master ! Well hardly I think a bit differently and try many things and some of them work and some very well !
Been working on a newer V and it is for full length arrows too ! Know it won't replace Bows but could make inroads into the Slingbows ! I need someone or some Company to get involved to get things going !
Thanks all for this opportunity to have a say ! Robert Blair ( combowslingguy )
I forgot to mention that the V, I made had a handle and a brace . It was designed to be shot at an angle so as, the band would get out of the way to let the arrow pass unhindered ! It really did seem to hold true as the Com Bow Sling shot short arrows very well anyway !
ReplyDeleteI go back many years as, I had a Slingthing tm in the late s 60 's ! It was my patent that Break Free used for the Linear Bow ! Which could out perform compound cross bows of that day. But it was ill-fated as I don't think that they had the know how in the retail field !
Kent Shepard the great guy in the slingshot field .He has the largest slingshot collection and put on Slingshot Tournaments ! Probably has 700 or more by now ! He helped to keep me interested as, he bought about every model I made from about 50 years ago . Beeman helped to get Com Bow Slings out for a while. There was a chance to get about 60 vintage Com Bows out again ! I am not sure that it will really happen as, the one that ordered the anodize of the fork and that firm that anodized them made a real mess of them ! Don't know if they can be salvaged and for how much !
If anyone would be interested in getting involved with any of my creations ,I have a web site www.combowslingguy.com/index.html and e mail addresses combowslingguy@msn.com
Thanks again. Robert Blair