catapult fans, help needed.

[Siberianfury]

calling in all catapult fans.

Im teaching a lesson in about 2 weeks to 15 adults, the subject of the lesson is catapults.

i have nearly completed the lesson plan but i need some information that i cannot find on the internet.

i need to know, how long have catapults or slingshots as they are known in the US have been around.

when roughly did the black widow catapult appear in the market

and What is the exact law that states the hunting laws with a catapult in the UK.

any help will be much appreciated.

[Turnip]

Hi mate, i dont know the exact legal terms but I hope this helps!

"It is completely legal to shoot rabbits with a catapult with the intention to kill. So if you are looking for dinner you can use a catapult, it is legal.

However you must :
A. Be on your own land or have permission from the landowner to do so first!
B. Be proficient enough to be able to kill, and must use suitable projectiles to ensure this! For example steel / lead balls.
C. Intend to kill.

It is also important to note : The Wild Mammals Protection Act 1996 which makes it an offence to injure, maime, beat with sticks, torment, burn, wild animals etc. etc. In other words not to kill but merely to cause suffering. Therefore if you are seen shooting at a rabbit time and time again without killing or stunning the rabbit only hitting it, this could be seen as contrary to this act, and would need to answer for it, possibly in court. Therefore power, accuracy, using adequate and suitable projectiles, and at a range whereby an accurate shot will kill is vital to be, and be seen to be within the law."

[dwardo]

Pretty sure i read something a while back that said the basic writ braced pult was first seen in the mid 50`s. Will try and search it up again. Remember its a Barnett black widow when googleing, may help.

[lub0]

How interesting. I always presumed it was illegal to shoot quarry with a catapult, just like it is illegal to use bows.
No doubt soon enough this will be made illegal, too.

[Opal]

According Wikipedia, Josh

Slingshots depend on strong elastic materials, typically vulcanizednatural rubber or the equivalent, and thus date back no further than the invention of vulcanized rubber by Charles Goodyear in 1839 (patented in 1844). By 1860, this "new engine" had already established a reputation for juvenile use in vandalism, as well as at least one human death.^[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slingshot

[Shewie]

Didn't that bloke called Dave knock down Golly the giant a couple of thousand years ago?

[mountainm]

Didn't that bloke called Dave knock down Golly the giant a couple of thousand years ago?

AS far as I know that was a sling, not a catty - the twirl it around your head and let go of a string variety. They didn't have theraband then.

[dasy2k1]

Didn't that bloke called Dave knock down Golly the giant a couple of thousand years ago?

Nope that was a sling, something totally different that works by momentum rather than by elastic

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[Shewie]

AS far as I know that was a sling, not a catty - the twirl it around your head and let go of a string variety. They didn't have theraband then.

Nope that was a sling, something totally different that works by momentum rather than by elastic

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Ah sorry, I wasn't around when it happened


What about the Romans then, didn't they have big wooden ones on wheels?

[HillBill]

Nah, they used leather bands and iron/wood combo. pretty much like a giant crossbow. Ballista's and the scorpion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballista
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpio

[Mesquite]

Nah, they used leather bands and iron/wood combo. pretty much like a giant crossbow. Ballista's and the scorpion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballista
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpio

They also used bulls pizzles... apparently they're extremely elastic

[marcelxl]

Didn't that bloke called Dave knock down Golly the giant a couple of thousand years ago?

Nope, knifed him with a cheap chinese bowie knife bought from ebay UK, thats why they are now banned.



Agree with googling Barnett, or even contacting them directly. A quick look around says that they have been around as long as pieces of suitable rubber for the bands has

[bronskimac]

They are a friendly and knowledgeable bunch at http://slingshotforum.com/ Just sign up, introduce yourself and ask your questions. They will appreciate that you are trying to get the right answers rather than making it up as you go like some journalists do.

The Americans call them slingshots, which can cause confusion with slings (David & Goliath). The Brits call them catapults which is also confused with the original catapults or ballista. And to confuse matters even more we refer to a slingshot as the David tool and as a catapult.

My understanding of the rules for hunting are the same as those that apply to air rifles and pistols. Some catapults, allegedly, sling a ball faster than the maximum velocity allowed by law for air rifles. Not really an advantage though, a catapult strong enough to chuck a ball at those speeds is notoriously difficult to get on target.

I bought a catapult/slingshot recently but haven't found anywhere to play with it yet :-(

[santaman2000]

Ah sorry, I wasn't around when it happened


What about the Romans then, didn't they have big wooden ones on wheels?

IIRC those were the "ballistas" that Biker referred to. They use the force from twisted rope rather than elastics.