TongtuStainless Steel Takedown Slingshot for Adults Outdoor Hunting Practice with Flat Rubber Bands High Velocity Catapult Slingshots

Beautiful little slingshot, I am impressed.It is small but feels good in the hand, I have adult male long hand with long fingers.I was able to shoot in its tiny little pouch 3/8 inch and even 7/16 inch carbon steel balls.Its not made for these, probably, but it works great with these, too.Obviously the sight system is not useful for where it is located but the slingshot is small and solid, it gives a powerful blow and mounting the bands is quick and easy.

Initial Impressions Review:I have shot this thing around 10 times in total just to test some initial issues I thought I would have with this item. This is not a long term review, and I cannot evaluate the long term use of this product at this time.So, first things first:The item I received was slightly different in appearance with the pictured items. One of the photos shows the screw downs for the elastic band to have a "cut" in the center for a coin or screw driver to tighten further, another does not show this screw. I got a different screw altogether. Mine has the slot in the middle to tighten with a coin/screwdriver but mine also has a rounded top. Not a big deal - I would say that it looks very similar to the photo saying "installation sights" with the multiple small pictures on it - (but mine screws look more... cheaply made). That being said, I did not deduct any stars for this tiny detail. I wanted to be able to tighten with a tool instead of just hand tightening it as I feel it could provide a little more stability in the "hold" for the elastic. I do not have much experience with these slingshots, and I definitely did not want this thing to be snapping off in my eyeballs.My unit came a bit beaten up for some reason. It had scuff marks on it, and weird stains on the metal. Almost like it was second hand. I did not deduct any stars for this as I feel that these cosmetic issues did not violate any integral stability of this toy. I definitely would not have minded if it came new though. Just saying.I did have a minor installation issue with one of the sights. The screws are just not exactly machined, and it took me a while to figure out how to make one of the included sights stay on. I'm not going to embarrass myself here with how long it took me to put everything together, but from the poor machining of the screw, I had to deduct a star here. Lets just say that I've had my fair share of putting things together, and this was... not as smooth as it should have been. Also, you will need to install and burn the fiber optic portions (the little green and red dots) into your sights. I did not have enough fiber optic line included in my package... boo. But I'm sure you can just use colored fishing filament/line to complete the rest of these little sight holes.Now, I purchased this item with some concerns. I'll list them below:1.) Will the elastic bands hold under use with this weird clip-type system? I was concerned that the elastics were going to be under so much pressure, that one side (or both) would just snap out of the "teeth" (because it just didn't grab firmly enough) and fly right into my eyeball. So I wore some ballistic eye protection, and shot around 10 pellets at a tree. So far, the hold on the elastics seem solid. One thing to note here, is that the elastic band is relatively weak. It is not a high strength band. I'm definitely not strong, and I have less strain pulling on this included band than I have with my tubular bands from another well known American brand who also makes these items.2.) The weird little targeting sights at the top of the slingshot that look like sharp teeth... would those tear through the elastic or compromise the integrity of the bands after a while? So far, after 10 shots, I do not see any heavy marking at the base of the elastic. However, there are marks close to the pocket. So at some point, the pocket snaps back into the sights. I'm not sure that the velocity is enough to tear these bands apart, but it is something to note. I can post photos if there is any interest (but its just basically black greasy 'pock marks' on the yellow elastic band). My initial thoughts were that it would tear up the base of the elastic band, but the base doesn't seem to be making contact (there are no pock marks there).3.) I was a little worried that the opening between the bands would be too small, and I would just send a pellet into my thumb or the back of my hand. Luckily, this did not happen (but wear a glove anyway if you are worried about this - it may lessen the impact if you ever do have this unfortunate thing happen).Finally, 2 more tiny "to-be-noted" observations:1.) Regarding the ammo pockets for these bands. They are very small (about 1/2 inch wide). Don't have a ruler? Look at the width of your thumb. It is about half that thickness. It is noticeably smaller than the American brand that I have. I made no star deductions here, but it basically gives you an idea of the size of ammo that you can safely use with this.2.) This sling shot is meant to be held "vertically" - instead of "horizontally" - Americans tend to hold sling shots horizontally (especially in the movies) like a "Y". But the targeting sights are suited for vertical targeting. Meaning, the sling shot will be held like a side ways "Y" - I have found that this is easier to target (when you use the stretched elastic band to point at your target). If you hold it vertically, you need to align it so both elastics are equally above and below each other (so that it basically looks like "one" elastic band from the top). Then you point it in the general direction of the target you want to hit and release. Practice a bit so you can adjust for elevation etc. and get the muscle memory down. Spread this knowledge so we all have safer users out there, and ENJOY!I buy these items with my own pennies. If my review helped you in anyway, please share the love and click on that "helpful" icon (it will also let me know that people are reading these reviews, and I should keep updates in mind)! Remember to always wear eye protection (I would even say include a billed cap - you can never be too safe) when using these type of toys, and have fun shooting out there!

I grew up using hand made slingshots, and thought once I got that first wrist rocket i was set. This little slingshot blows the others I have used away. Compact size great for a backpack, pocket, or small pouch. Sturdy "full tang" construction with nice wood handles. Sights are new to me so I am still getting used to them. Thank you Sharky your comment helped with the filaments. Not sure how long the bands will last as I just purchased it. So far no problems. Highly recommend it for fun and target shooting.

The attention to detail and heavy duty feel makes it very accurate. I upgrading from a heavy wrist rocket and realized right away the Tongtu is much more advanced as well as accurate. However, you may want to wear a glove until you get better because you will hit the forks and your hand many times until you learn how to shoot properly.I found that the sights were useless for me because I pull the band beyond my ear and no part of the sightings line up with my anchor point.Also, I've shot over 1,000 rounds and the band has yet to break.Overall well worth the $20 and it is

Do yourself a favor if you order this slingshot and buy extra bands immediately. The construction of the slingshot is solid, but the bands are absolute trash.The first band set I was able to get approx. 100 shots off before one side snapped at the pocket end. After shortening the opposite side and struggling to re-tie everything back together, I probably got another 50 shots off before it broke again. Having wasted most of my available time repairing the bands, I went ahead and put the second included pair on the slingshot. The VERY FIRST DRAW it broke at the exact same spot as the first set of bands.Most of the included sights that came with mine were bent up but I had no intention of using them anyway so that didn't matter to me. The steel ball ammo is decent and easily recoverable with a magnet. I use a large circular magnet wrapped in a shop rag to quickly collect all the ammo from my catch box and then pluck one ball at a time off the magnet when shooting.Also, one thing you're going to want to do immediately after receiving the slingshot is to tear it apart and clean it. You'll also want to have a file on hand to knock off any sharp edges and points you find. As others have mentioned, the jaw area on mine was filthy with bits of machined metal and had razor sharp edges across the top. I got all the metal out with q-tips and alcohol and rounded the sharp edges off with the diamond file on my Leatherman Wave.The slingshot itself is pretty nice looking, and I like the wooden handles. I ended up having to remove the wood handles after attempting to tighten them and discovered that they don't screw directly into the frame, but rather into brass threaded inserts pressed into the frame. This wouldn't be a problem if the inserts were tight, but in my case, they would just spin inside the frame and keep you from tightening them down. I ended up gluing the inserts into the frame with super glue and then was able to get everything tight again. I have no clue why they didn't just drill and tap the frame itself for the screws, but maybe it was an extra manufacturing step that was cut to save cost.If you're lucky and get a kit with good bands, I think it's a decent buy. However, if you end up like me with two sets of garbage bands, you'll spend most of your time doing repairs vs shooting. The last time I used this, the bands snapped twice in 15 minutes and I gave up completely. Re-tying the pockets back on is not an easy task without a dedicated jig or a second set of hands, so either be prepared ahead of time or just buy extra bands right away.