Do you olduns Remember catapult's

[KFC]

1 hour ago, martinj said:

What's a pigeon pea gun?

I made pea shooters from a couple of feet of steel tube - great fun with a bag of peas, later on maple peas from Fishing tackle shops.

 

A length of steel conduit and a nail with a paper cone wrapped round the head was pretty lethal

[martinj]

1 minute ago, KFC said:

A length of steel conduit and a nail with a paper cone wrapped round the head was pretty lethal

yeh, I used a variant on that too, what was I thinking about?!

[olly321]

I had that one and the black widow

[owdnorthener]

Quote

Pigeon pea gun was made of hardboard, in the shape of a pistol. The peas were propelled by an elastic band arrangement released by ..... you guessed it .... a hardboard trigger.

 

[Saltings]

as kids y shaped branch bicycle inner tube elastic leather tongue off a boot happy for hours then saved up to but an aluminium catty with square elastics couldn't wait to try it after a 20 mile trip home, first shot thumb split open second shot ok third shot the pain 😭 I know it at the thumb crusher, still make my own to this today 

to throw a curve ball in anyone made a blowpipe with copper tube and glazers putty   hurts like hell

[strimmer_13]

8 hours ago, owdnorthener said:

 

Ah I think I had one free with a beano comic 

[deny essex]

As we have delved so much into our past err...questionable shooting beginnings, brought to my mind the around october/november fire work sales as a lad.

Making bent pipe 1 penny banger guns using dried clay balls as the projectile, was just a piece of domestic half inch water pipe bent at a right angle and plugged on the inner end, quickly drop a lit penny banger down it and a dried clay ball and we had a "musket:

Found a bottom part of a scaffold type tube about 18 inches long with a flattened end , it made a great mortar with a thrupenny banger but was too expensive to run

 

[Ratlegs]

Had this one fo 60 years  Launches poppy seed heads a treat

moves pigeons off the roof with squashy cherry tomatoes

they explode on hitting ridge tiles

[Stimo22]

Find the milnro a bit short on hand so make longer but with top same pattern 

[Stimo22]

We used to run what we called Countrymans Competition at our clay shoot. This was 50 clays sporting layout with some within a hide sitting down , then there was the air rifle stand, then the catty stand and finally a quiz with countryside type questions. This always went down well and the glass engraved tankard prize was always strongly contested

[ditchman]

On 18/07/2019 at 12:44, Stimo22 said:

We used to run what we called Countrymans Competition at our clay shoot. This was 50 clays sporting layout with some within a hide sitting down , then there was the air rifle stand, then the catty stand and finally a quiz with countryside type questions. This always went down well and the glass engraved tankard prize was always strongly contested

that sounds fun............

[McSpredder]

I always liked the idea of owning a catapult gun like these examples from Youngs catalogue (mid 1930s).   Has any PW member actually used one?

[Taileron]

One Xmas Santa got me a black widow AND a Gat gun. Love you Santa.

[henry d]

Wimps, how many of you had a real catty, sorry trebuchet?

[Yellow Bear]

9 minutes ago, henry d said:

Wimps, how many of you had a real catty, sorry trebuchet?

Not a trebuchet but we did build a small ballista, using an old car spring, fitted with a cup to throw shingle over reed beds to "drive" waterfowl

[mel b3]

2 hours ago, McSpredder said:

I always liked the idea of owning a catapult gun like these examples from Youngs catalogue (mid 1930s).   Has any PW member actually used one?

You really have to build one of these Simon, a catapult gun would even out cool your opinel builds👍.

[ditchman]

HHmmmmmmmmmmmm

[williamwansbeck]

Have used a one in the last few years to lift ducks off lake whilst beating,spent many hours as a yungun in the 60s waiting for pigeons to settle in roosting trees ,and yes did hit a few.

 

[mel b3]

5 hours ago, ditchman said:

HHmmmmmmmmmmmm

could i order the first one from the ditchman stable please , and could i also order a spare catapult for two shillings and sixpence please .

[ditchman]

it says on the verbage .........."just the thing to clear your garden of cats and rabbits"...........ooohhh dear

[henry d]

Although I originally used one for rabbits which was successful, I now carry one on my kayak to deter seals from attempting to relieve me of my hard earned catch. There are more and more of them using anglers as an easy touch as people like to feed them but a seal grabbing a fish as you are playing it or worse trying to climb onboard is at best a pest or at worst a liability.

[figgy]

Used to make a rubber band type gun in the 80,s   that fired allmanner of projectiles.

Madrid wood ant the trigger slid in the handle with a bit of wood at the back to hold the projectile.

[Bobba]

13 hours ago, figgy said:

Used to make a rubber band type gun in the 80,s   that fired allmanner of projectiles.

On a similar theme we were by a river outside Luang Prabang, Laos and I was fascinated by the work of a bunch of lads about 10-12 yrs of age. With a machete they fashioned bamboo and with strips of inner tube held it all together to form a speargun and the projectiles were pieces of umbrella wire rods. Very successful.

I wonder how these ideas travel? Or do they? Is that necessity is the mother of invention wherever you live in the world?

[figgy]

I don't think they do travel but are born and refined to what we see.

[Mice!]

4 hours ago, Bobba said:

wonder how these ideas travel? Or do they? Is that necessity is the mother of invention wherever you live in the world?

I imagine those lads eat what they catch and use what's available, I'm sure being hungry will make you a better shot?