Extreme Slingshot Modification, Part 2: Video Series shows the Repeater Slingshot in Action

and if you haven't already seen it, that earlier hub has a complete how-to, do-it-yourself guide on this easy slingshot modification. The mod changes your slingshot into a repeater with a push-button pellet dispenser/magazine, as shown in the top picture above. You can do the mod for about 10-15 dollars, and it's compatible with a wide variety of round slingshot ammo, including steel pellets, marbles, lead ball, and paintballs. You can load 25 or more pellets at a time, depending on the exact size of the pellets.

Now I'm presenting this "Part Two", because if you want to see the Repeater Slingshot in action, I just finished making a series of short videos that let you do just that...

The videos show shooting the slingshot, operating the push-button dispenser, tips and tricks for speed reloading and some suggestions for further modifications you can make.

The videos are posted with a brief description of each. Each one generally covers more topics than suggested by the brief description, however. There may be some repetitiveness here and there, because I wanted each vid to make as much sense as possible even if someone hadn't seen the others in the series. Hope you enjoy them! (and end up watching them all)

I also hope you'll actually try doing the modification yourself. It's a fun project that's easy to do and affordable, and the repeater action works smoothly and reliably. You can see the complete How To article with step by step instructions and lots of photos by visiting Extreme Slingshot Modification part 1

At right are links to some useful items. The "heart" of the mod is a repeater pellet dispenser. Originally, these units are designed for shooting paintballs out of blowguns. They adapt very nicely for use with slingshots, and for loading other types of ammo such as steel pellets, lead shot, or marbles. You can get the pellet dispensers in either .40 caliber size or .50 caliber size. The modified slingshot I use in the videos is equipped with the .40 caliber pellet feeder, and it works great with 3/8" steel shot. In fact, in one of the videos I show using it with 5/16" steel pellets, and even though the 5/16 pellets are a little bit undersized, they still feed very smoothly out of the repeater action.

By the way: If you are planning to make a Repeater Slingshot specifically to use with Paintballs, I recommend using the .50 caliber pellet repeater rather than the .40 caliber size. The reason is that at typical slingshot velocities, the .50 caliber paintballs burst more easily and reliably than the .40 caliber paintballs. .50 caliber paintballs are very nearly twice as heavy as .40 caliber paintballs, and that extra weight makes them go SPLAT! quite effectively. So if you like to target shoot with paintballs, or even engage in all-out Slingshot Paintball wars, the .50 caliber is just the right size to make a repeater Paintball Slingshot.

And a couple of quick safety tips: ALWAYS wear safety glasses (designed for shooting) when using your slingshot. The video embedded below right graphically depicts why adequate eye protection is essential.

The second safety tip is for anyone planning to use a repeater slingshot in a paintball war, in which you're shooting paintballs at other people: I would strongly recommend using a dedicated paintball feeder/magazine unit that is ONLY to be used for paintballs. Label it "PAINTBALLS ONLY". If you like to shoot other kinds of ammo (besides paintballs) make a separate repeater unit for the other types of ammo. That way you don't have to worry about having a steel ball loaded in with your paintballs when you're in the middle of that paintball war. You wouldn't want to accidentally hit somebody with something other than a paintball (which already sting plenty!!).  

See further below for another safety/health tip when operating the repeater slingshot.

At right I've posted links to some extra paintball feeder units. Notice that you can either buy the dispenser unit by itself, or you can buy it as part of a set with a blowgun. As some of the videos showed, you can use extra components such as the blowgun barrel or blowgun mouthpiece for additional modifications to the Repeater Slingshot, or for special speed loading techniques.

If you buy the pellet repeater unit by itself (without a blowgun) it will cost less than if you buy the unit with a blowgun. However, if you buy the unit with a blowgun, you actually get "two for the price of one", since you can switch the same repeater action back and forth between the blowgun and the slingshot. I show how this works in the "Part 1" video posted above. If you want to do this, it helps to have at least two magazine tubes, although if you're clever you can probably figure out how to manage with just one.

An important safety note: If you decide to switch the same repeater unit back and forth between a slingshot and a blowgun, then I strongly recommend that you do NOT use any kind of lead balls or other lead ammo in the magazine tube. Otherwise, even if you switch to paintballs when using the blowgun, you might end up inhaling or ingesting some residual lead dust when you put the blowgun mouthpiece to your mouth.

Plenty of Ammo is always useful, and even more so when you've got a Repeater Slingshot to load it into. So I've also posted a long list of links to Slingshot Ammo. Some of the links are to packages of 75 to 140 rounds, which are pretty easy to find at local stores. Other links are to Bulk Slingshot Ammo, available in 3 pound and 5 pound sizes, at discount prices. So check them out, shop around a little, and find a deal to your liking.

You'll also see that I've posted a link to some .50 caliber paintballs. In the videos I made, I used a .40 caliber paintball repeater. However, .40 caliber paintballs are too lightweight to use in a slingshot-- instead of bursting when they hit a target, they often just bounce off. On the other hand, .50 caliber paintballs out of a slingshot work quite well, splatting very reliably. In fact, a Guiness World Record was recently set by shooting flying targets with a slingshot, using .50 caliber paintballs. So if you want to use your repeater slingshot for shooting paintballs, get the .50 caliber paintball repeater unit and .50 caliber paintballs for it.

Remember that slingshot ammo is highly reusable, especially if you're target shooting with a catchbox to trap your pellets and make them easy to collect for re-shooting. On the other hand, with the modified Repeater Slingshot, you can keep extra pellets in extra magazine tubes for high speed reloading, so you may still end up going through a lot of pellets in a shooting session.

Don't know how to make a catchbox for your slingshot? A catchbox is simply a backstop that stops slingshot ammo safely, without causing it to bounce or rebound, and preferably without causing damage to the ammo. A lot of catchboxes or backstops are designed to trap and "collect" the pellets you shoot at a target, to make it easier and less time-consuming to gather up the pellets and reload and re-shoot them. (Keep in mind there's always a possibility that a shot may still ricochet or bounce, even when shooting at a catchbox or backstop). A great article that shows several types of catchboxes that are easy to make (and creative too) can be found at this "Slingshots of the World" link. Once at "Slingshots of the World" navigate through the menu to "Making a Slingshot", then to the sub-menu "Making a Backstop". Have fun and shoot safely!

I wanted to include lead balls in my slingshot ammo lineup. A lot of slingshot shooters like to use lead ball for hunting. Although lead may fly a little slower than steel, it hits very hard and seems to deliver more of its energy to the target. You can see pictures here of Chief A.J., who set a Guinness Record in Slingshot Shooting, hunting pheasant on the wing with a slingshot, using lead ball. Using a dog to flush the birds, Chief A.J. used .45 caliber lead balls for quick, clean kills, shooting the pheasants out of the air. Even if you're not a hunter, lead may have some advantages. For one, many shooters say that lead has reduced tendency to ricochet when compared to steel pellets. For another, lead loses speed less quickly, which may be an advantage if you're trying to shoot at extra long ranges. Of course, if using lead ammo, use common sense safety/health precautions: after handling lead, wash your hands before eating or touching your face. When using lead ammo with the repeater, remember that lead deforms more easily than steel. If you are using a soft backstop to trap and catch your ammo, any lead balls will probably stay nice and round and have no problems feeding back through the repeater. However, if the impact with a target flattens the balls out or otherwise deforms them, don't load them into the repeater, since they could cause a jam in the action. Using lead balls that are somewhat undersized (such as .45 caliber balls in a .50 caliber repeater) works fine and may reduce the chance of balls jamming when they have deformed slightly.