The sling bow is a survival tool originally publicized by Dave Canterbury. This Thread explains my version of this unique and versatile device.
For background information on the development of the sling bow and its uses here is Dave Canterbury’s original YouTube videos.
Using the Slingshot to Hunt Big Game
Sling Bow Final Modification How To
Sling Bow (Bow Fishing Mod How To)
The sling bow is a modified slingshot that incorporates the use of an arrow rest (usually a whisker biscuit or a key ring) and high performance bands
so that arrows can be shot from it. The concept is that a very small and portable weapon can be used in an emergency to quietly hunt small game (with
conventional shot), large game (with an arrow) or even fish (with a fishing arrow head and spool).
One of the main drawbacks of a sling bow is that once the bands are modified for ergonomically holding an arrow it becomes incapable of holding
regular shot. Another drawback is that when a standard slingshot is used with a whisker biscuit there is a substantial offset between the height of
the bands and the center of the arrow rest. This causes the arrow to shoot low and to the left (for right handed shooters) and a considerable amount
of practice (at least for me) is needed to compensate.
I wanted a modification that addressed these problems and also made field repair and improvisation easy.
This is my sling bow modification
I have removed the standard band mounts (by cutting them off with a hack saw) and replaced them with open ended loops who’s centers are at the same
height as the center of the whisker biscuit.
The main advantage of these loops is that the bands can be instantly swapped out so the standard band used for shot can be changed to a band with a
knock string and release loop for shooting arrows. Any band material can be mounted to the sling by simply forming a loop in the end of the
material.
The band stays in the loop when it is relaxed and can only be taken out by stretching it so that its diameter shrinks enough to allow it to slip
through the loop opening. The loops face forward so that this cannot happen while taking a shot.
How I built this sling bow.
I started with a regular Marksman sling shot.
For the loops I used off the shelf eye screws. I chose zinc plated screws instead of stainless so they could be easily welded. The Marksman forks
are made of ¼ round stock and I chose to go with eye screws that were one standard diameter below that. This is so the welding would be a little more
conformal and also to keep the weight down a bit.
I then made a small gap in the bottom of the loop by removing a bit of the end with a hack saw. I actually put both screws in the vise side by side
and cut them together to keep them as much the same as possible. Any small nick in the sling shot’s rubber banding means disaster so I used a dremel
tool and a small hand file to round the edge around the end of the loop. This also helps to get the band in and out of the mount quickly.
After cutting the loops I used a hammer and bent the shaft of the loops to match the curve of the original Marksman forks.
This is the difficult part. The loop shafts have to be cut to the exact length so that their centers match the height of the center hole of the
whisker biscuit.
Again, I cut both screws together.
Before welding the loops onto the forks of the Marksman I drilled the heads off of the rivets holding the plastic handle to the sling shot’s frame
to remove it so that it would not be melted. I also used a wire brush wheel on a grinder to remove a couple of inches of the paint from the forks so
that it would not contaminate the welds. After welding, I replaced the rivets with 6-32 nuts and bolts. I started with 1 inch bolts and cut them to
length so they would not protrude from the handle. They are two different lengths.
Well that's it. Hope there is some helpful info.
Regards,
DAINOYFB
