Slingshot and biodegradeable amo

[vanbrat]

My son gave me a slingshot for Christmas this year as I had played with some toy ones for a few years and now I have a 'real' one. I hate to leave glass or metal amo all over the place so now I am making my own out of playdough. It just melts away or critters eat it as it is just salt and flour. I have taken it with me camping before just for fun and as a way to get critters away from my table. Hard playdough hurts but does not injure. Anyone else play with slingshots.

 

[user 423]

It's been years but i used to have a Wrist Rocket. How about using plain old rocks for ammo?

 

[ckelly78z]

Walk into your local stream/river and reach down. There is an abundance of smoothly shaped small stones that can be carried along with your sling shot, and fired without guilt.....FREE !

 

[highdesertranger]

x2, yes water worn gravel makes excellent ammo. while you are looking for the perfect ones who knows you might find a nugget. highdesertranger

 

[Parkedinavan]

I have a Simple Shot slingshot that I play with. I normally use rocks but the play dough idea is intriguing.

 

[maki2]

If ingesting the Borax in Play Doh kills a few small animals no one will object as long as it is a rat or a mouse rather than a rabbit.

Play Doh is not made just with flour and salt, unless you are making it yourself. You were relying on information from an urban myth rather than taking 20 seconds to look up the ingredients of the commercial product. The commercial product obviously won't sell if it gets moldy so they add Borax to it as a preservative to prevent mold.

"Borax, a naturally occurring mineral, has been an ingredient in cleaning products for decades. It is not safe to ingest. Some people also use it to make children's toys, such as homemade slime. Borax can be harmful and may cause many serious side effects." Wikipedia

So now you have joined the very long list of people who spread urban myths via writing postings in forums without first doing some fact checking. That simply means you are very much a normal kind of person, fairly trusting, rather than a true skeptic.

Either make your own safe to ingest salt and flour dough in small batches if you are serious about protecting small animals from harm or throw stones with a slingshot like I just did. Sorry about that, hope it did not hurt too much

 

[vanbrat]

I always make my own playdough. I'm a retired preschool teacher. We are to cheap to buy that toxic stuff. 

I use the playdough because if a lawnmower hits small rocks or metal balls or glass it can be dangerous. So unless I know no mower is around I use playdough. Though for really young shooter's, I taught with tiny fir cones, they don't hurt as much and they don't go as far or get me in trouble with licensing people.  The older kids 'job' was to keep the rabbits out of the garden.
Sounds fun huh.

 

[vanbrat]

Has anyone had any trouble from park rangers or anything? I don't want to get into trouble. Or encourage any one else to get in trouble? I want to carry some fun hang up targets and stuff, but worry it might not be accepted. I don't generally care if something is 'acceptable' trend or fashion wise, but don't want to be asked to leave or anything. As you can tell I love teaching kidos some of the old skills. I guess if it is a problem I will just put it away. Anyway something to think about

 

[maki2]

A lot a places that list weapons restrictions include slingshots in the list along with firearms and bows and arrows. So the place to look is in the list of restrictions, including those about hunting, for the land you are staying on. If it says no hunting then you will also see a list of what type of weapons are not permitted.

 

[MrNoodly]

How about wooden beads? Or adobe (clay/grass mixture)?

 

[hugemoth]

Dried chickpeas?

 

[pure_mahem]

What about a trap...I know they make them for 22 plinking. I dont see why one of those wouldnt work for this. Then you could use whatever ammo you wanted to and it would collect in the trap behind the target.

 

[Dingfelder]

Dried chickpeas?

That is an excellent idea! Dirt cheap, especially in bulk.

 

[gsfish]

Here is a link to many options, homemade and commercial.
https://www.google.com/search?clien...oAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdperABCsgBCMABAQ&sclient=psy-ab

Guy

 

[vanbrat]

Thank you. I am taking along a few of these ideas this week just to try a few. Along with a net trap/catching thing....

 

[desert_sailing]

bees

 

[vanbrat]

bees

How do you catch the little buggers? Or do you shoot at them? I know I can't hit that small of a target! D@#$m deer that are eating my apples and the D#$%m bunnies that ate my garden OK... They are what got me into sling shots in the first place.

 

[maki2]

Buy a bag of dried beans. At least the critters you miss will have some dinner to eat.

 

[nature lover]

But if a large bean stauk grows do not try to climb it. It’s been done before. Not very successfully.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I have a Notch throwline launcher, I've used it several times to hang wire antennas...it's essentially a huge slingshot mounted on the end of an 8 foot fiberglass pole. It has a locking trigger, so its a bit like cocking a crossbow...not the same, but similar.


It will launch an egg-sized rock to altitudes past 200 feet up....I have no idea what it could do when shot horizontally at something....and I don't want to find out...