How to Make a Wire Hanger Slingshot

A slingshot can be easily fashioned from an ordinary wire hanger. In fact 2 slingshots can be made from one hanger. This slingshot is surprisingly powerful and accurrate. It can be used to bag small game in a survival situation and takes up little room in a backpack or pocket.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• one wire hanger
• simple wire cutters
• rubber bands
• patch of leather 1 1/2" long by 1/2 inch wide
• small pocket knife

1. Take a wire hanger and cut the top and bottom approximately 8 to 10 inches from one end. Grasp this vee shape in your non-dominate hand and bend to a comfortable grip. Bend the sides out horizontally two inches on either side. Bend the ends upward vertically to form the familiar look of the slingshot. With your wire cutters carefully bend the very tips of each fork forward to form a small tight loop. Do not clamp them completely shut at this time. This is where you will connect the rubber bands.

2. Take the leather piece and bore two small holes near both outer edges taking care not to get the holes too near the edges. Take a two inch thin rubber band and push on end through the hole on the tanned side of the leather strip just enough to loop the rubber band through itself to form a knot. Repeat on the other side. Next get a 3 inch slightly wider rubber band and connect it with a loop knot to one of the smaller rubber bands attached to the leather strip. Repeat on the other side. Take the ends of the bigger rubber bands and slip them under the turned down ends of the slingshot. Close the ends gently with the wirecutters.

3. Create a pouch in the leather piece by molding it about a round pea-sized stone or ball bearing much like creating a pouch in a new baseball glove. Experiment with different sized rubber bands and shapes of the slingshot to conform to your comfort. The best results are had with 2 rubber bands of different thicknesses on each side and no more than 1/4 inch. The result will be a slingshot that is accurrate out to about 10 meters and powerful enough to bag lizards, small birds, frogs, or chipmunks in a survival situation.

4. Ammunition for your new slingshot can be found anywhere there are small round stones therefore it serves its purpose in a survival situation. Ball bearings of the same size can also be used. Besides utilizing this slingshot for survival it also proves to be an inexpensive and pleasuarble way to shoot at targets.

Tips & Warnings

• These slingshots should be used under direct supervision of an adult. they are not toys and can cause physical injury or property damage