My name is Adam, believe it or not, I've got a liking for fishing, shooting and any wild grub I can get my hands on.
I got a copy of Richard Middleton's book "The practical guide to man powered bullets" a while back which has inspired me to build a hunting catapult - I've been laid up for a while with back problems so I don't get as much done per day as I'd like.
The 'design' is evolving all the time, every time I see a good idea I stealpoachnickthieve incorporate it - needless to say it's changed radically since I found this forum!
Pics when I've finished it.
Machiavelli
Sounds great, I'm really looking forward to seeing some of your work!
fish
welcome to the shed mate i like the sound of the book! and ime intregued by the sound of the book!
Adam
Some of the stuff about catapults is really good - particularly about matching draw weight to bullet mass. It's a pity we chucked those Theraband sheets when we moved 18 months ago or I'd be a lot further along than I am - amazing how accurate a science hindsight is eh?
The stuff about low pressure airguns is both hillarious and a bit scary in equal measure - half inch calibre musket balls moving at 400fps and capable of penetrating 10 inches into the end grain of a rotten log - my first thought was "gimme some of that!"
Then I read the warnings about pressure vessel failure and decided a 2m barrel might be a bit unweildy, notwithstanding the fact that an 80 odd footpound airgun wouldn't make me very popular locally and decided a 15 to 20ftlb catapult would be both more legal and easier to fit in my pocket.
Got some ally block coming soon and the loan of a pillar drill and a half inch round bit from a neighbour - some of the ammo I cast in some ply and another in some hardwood blocks turned out ok - if I can work out the banding I need to chuck them at about 180 to 200fps I'll be happy with that - it'll certainly do for rabbits up to about 20 yards provided I can hit 'em.
ISBN is 1-873674-82-1 and I got it for Christmas last year, price on the inside leaf was £20 - well worth it I'd say.
