Best Survival Slingshot: 10 Amazing Options for Your Bug-Out Bag

Although modern slingshots differ from the Sheperd’s Slings of old, they are not children’s toys. Instead, they are powerful and accurate survival hunting tools that are easily capable of humanely harvesting small animals such as birds, squirrels, and rabbits. In addition, they are far more compact and significantly lighter than a take-down rifle or bow and, thus, far easier to carry in a backpack. Plus, modern slingshots are capable of firing several different types of ammunition, ranging from clay balls to glass marbles, steel shot, or even lead shots. Therefore, due to their small size and light weight, combined with their accuracy and ease of use, modern slingshots are the perfect stealth survival hunting tools.

WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE A SLINGSHOT FOR SURVIVAL

As mentioned above, slingshots are a must-have tool for anyone who is serious about wilderness survival because they provide a hunter with the perfect means of effectively and efficiently hunting small game without alerting everyone and everything for miles around to their presence.

Carrying a slingshot for survival hunting is a wise idea, because slingshots are highly effective close-range weapons and thus are easily capable of taking down small animals such as birds, squirrels, and rabbits. Plus, they have several other features that make them well suited for survival purposes such as:

Great for hunting small game—Slingshots are excellent survival tools because they are compact and lightweight, while also being simple to use. In addition, they are easily capable of humanely harvesting small game, such as birds, squirrels, and rabbits with the right type and size shot. Thus, every wilderness survivalist should have a slingshot in their bug-out backpack.

Wide range of ammunition—Another advantage of getting one of best slingshots in a survival situation is that ammunition is relatively inexpensive and there are several different types to choose from.

For instance, one choice is to purchase bulk bags of glass marbles in the toy department of almost any department store. On the other hand, most sporting goods departments and sporting goods stores sell round steel shot in both 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch sizes, which are far more lethal than glass marbles due to the fact that stainless steel is far denser than glass.

However, the ultimate choice for slingshot ammo is lead balls and they can be purchased in bulk from reloading suppliers, such as Midway, in sizes ranging from 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch.

Finally, in a survival situation, sometimes it is beneficial to hunt small birds and, in this case, stainless steel BB’s are an excellent choice, since multiple BB’s loaded into a slingshot’s pouch and fired en masse produce a shotgun-like effect, which is very efficient for harvesting small birds.

Stealth– Under certain survival conditions, silence can be the difference between life and death. Having a slingshot in such a situation would be very helpful, because they make very little noise when fired. Thus, a slingshot is the perfect survival hunting tool, because it will not give away your location to other people.

Compact size- Because of their compact size, slingshots are very handy tools to have in a survival situation because they take up very little space and, thus, can be easily packed in a survival kit or bug-out bag.

Light weight- A slingshot is also very light in weight and thus, due to its light weight and efficient design, a slingshot will provide a survivalist with an efficient hunting tool that is very convenient to carry.

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A SURVIVAL SLINGSHOT

When choosing a survival hunting slingshot for your bug-out bag, there are certain features that you need to keep in mind. For instance:

Draw Length—When choosing a slingshot for survival, draw length is of paramount importance because, if the draw length is too short, you will not be able to draw the pouch to your anchor point and/or you may over-stretch the bands and cause them to fatigue prematurely. However, if the draw length is too long, you will not be able to achieve maximum velocity from the power bands. Therefore, it is important to either choose a slingshot with the correct draw length for your stature or remove and trim the bands to the correct length to suit you.

Draw Weight—Draw weight is another important factor when choosing a slingshot for survival because the more draw weight your slingshot has, the more velocity it will impart to the shot. Also, the more velocity the shot has, the more kinetic energy it will deliver to the target and the more humanely it will dispatch a game animal. Therefore, you should choose a slingshot with as much draw weight as you can comfortably draw and shoot.

Type of Power Bands—While some hunting slingshots have flat power rubber bands, others have tubular power bands. Also, both flat bands and tubular bands are available in a wide variety of sizes and materials, which is a major factor in their performance. For instance, most shooters agree that flat bands generate higher shot velocities and are more accurate than tubular bands, but they are not as durable and, thus, they must be replaced more often. Plus, flat bands can easily be tapered, which again provides greater shot velocity.

On the other hand, tubular bands are more readily available, and they are more durable. However, they are more difficult to draw and aim, and they generate less shot velocity when shooting an equivalent size shot with equivalent draw weight.

Tapered Bands—Another factor to consider is tapering the power bands, because tapered power bands are both easier to draw and generate higher shot velocities. However, tapered bands should be limited to shooting relatively light weight shot, such as clay balls or glass marbles, because they often lack the power necessary to impart the needed velocity to fire heavier shot, such as stainless steel or lead balls.

Wrist Support—When choosing a slingshot, it is important to choose one with integral wrist support, because doing so will alleviate most of the stress on your wrist when drawing the bands. Having wrist support will drastically improve your accuracy.

Comfortable Grip—There are three basic ways that slingshots can be held when shooting: the pinch grip, the fork-supported grip, and the hammer grip. The slingshot that you choose should fit comfortably in your hand based on the grip style that you prefer. Therefore, for the most accurate results, you should choose a slingshot with an ergonomic grip that feels comfortable to you while you are aiming and shooting.

Sights—Some slingshots feature sights, while others do not. However, sights make aiming easier and your shots more accurate. Thus, when choosing a slingshot for survival, you should choose one with sights.

You might find interesting to read our best survival bows article.

10 BEST SLINGSHOTS FOR WILDERNESS SURVIVAL

 #1 THE COOY SLINGSHOT

Specifications:

Pros:
(+) Speed and power
(+) Flashlight addition
(+) Accurate
Cons:
(-) Not for amateurs
(-) Bands could be made thicker

Many shooters call the COOY Slingshot the next generation of wrist rocket slingshots, because it is significantly more powerful than the average slingshot. For instance, it features 6 tubular power bands, which make it extremely powerful. This is why it’s one of the best slingshots for survival hunting. Plus, the handle and forks of this slingshot are made from machined aluminum and the handle also features a padded grip for increased comfort. Plus, it features an integral magnetic ammunition holder which will keep your stainless steel shot handy for quick reload.

In addition, it comes with an infrared flashlight which can be attached to the bottom of the handle for hunting game at night. It also includes two spare power bands and both hard clay balls and stainless steel shot, along with extra parts, in case something breaks.

However, it is somewhat more expensive than some of the other slingshots listed below and this should be taken into consideration if you are planning on purchasing this slingshot.

 #2 BARNETT OUTDOORS COBRA SLINGSHOT

Specifications:

Pros:
(+) Magnum power bands
(+) Soft-touch grip
(+) Sighting system
Cons:
(-) No size or color variety
(-) Not for sale in certain zip codes

The Barnett Cobra makes our list as the best slingshots you can get for survival because is one of the leading survival slingshots on the market and features soft-touch grip and magnum power bands, combined with a slingshot specific sighting system and a stabilizer to provide shooters with maximum accuracy. In addition, it also comes with an extra pair of power bands, so that you will have a new pair handy, if the original pair breaks.

Although this slingshot is not very compact, it is a very accurate hunting slingshot, which will certainly enable an experienced hunter to keep themselves well supplied with small game in a survival situation.

 #3 THE TORQUE SLINGSHOT

Specifications:

Pros:
(+) Nylon build is glass-filled and near indestructible
(+) Ergonomic ambidextrous shape
(+) Easy to Use
(+) Powerful and lightweight slingshot
Cons:
(-) Not very large
(-) Not ideal for beginners

The Torque slingshot made by SimpleShot is the best small-sized slingshot on the market for survival hunting. Constructed from glass-filled nylon, which makes it nearly indestructible, it is perfectly sized to fit the smallest bug-out bag. Plus, it has an offset handle with an ergonomic design that promotes natural pointing and intuitive shooting and the flat power bands make it extremely accurate. With a relatively inexpensive retail price, it is easily affordable.

However, this slingshot is not recommended for people with large hands. Also, the small size and offset handle are not well suited for some novice shooters.

 #4 THE SCOUT GENERATION 2 HUNTING SLINGSHOT

Specifications:

Pros:
(+) Shoots any elastic band
(+) Accurate and well-built
(+) Decent price
Cons:
(-) Sharp edges
(-) Can’t shoot small ammo

The Scout Generation 2 Hunting Slingshot made by SimpleShot is an excellent choice if you are looking for the best slingshots to have in a survival scenario. Not only is it well designed and well made, the entire slingshot is constructed from glass-filled nylon. Plus, the grip is designed in such a way that it can accommodate all three grip styles (hammer, pinch, and thumb assisted) and the 3G forks feature flat latex bands and innovatively designed FlipClips that make it easy to change the bands. Therefore, with its many innovations and a relatively inexpensive retail price, the Scout Generation 2 Hunting Slingshot is a good choice for survival hunting.

 #5 THE AXIOM OCULARIS HUNTING SLINGSHOT

Specifications:

Pros:
(+) Flexible and simple design
(+) Well-balanced
(+) Strong and comfortable
Cons:
(-) Bands may deteriorate with extensive use
(-) A bit pricey

The Axiom Ocularis, made by SimpleShot, is one of their best designs to date and is an excellent choice for a survival slingshot, which is underlined by the fact that it is an exact duplicate of the trademarked Ocularis design used by the celebrated competitive slingshot champ and designer, Nathan Masters.

However, the Axiom Ocularis comes with few added features and styling options. For instance, the injection-molded design is made from a proprietary polycarbonate material which enables unmatched reliability and strength. Plus, you can make use of the Ocularis attachment system to shoot tubes, flat bands, and looped tubes. Therefore, this slingshot can be customized to suit any shooting style in any orientation.

Furthermore, the Axiom Ocularis Hunting Slingshot includes a hollow central section in the handle so that you can attach textured, anti-slip grips.  Plus, the full-size grip swell is designed to fill the shooter’s hand for added stability and accuracy.

However, the Axiom Ocularis is slightly more expensive than the other two SimpleShot hunting slingshots listed above.

 #6 THE RAMBONE 2.0 SLINGSHOT

Specifications:

Pros:
(+) Bands are easy to install
(+) Dedicated instruction manual
Cons:
(-) Pricey as compared to other brands
(-) Language in the manual is confusing to some

Yet another SimpleShot design, the Rambone 2.0 is a dedicated “hammer grip” slingshot which was designed by Joerg Sprave who is a German YouTube legend. Thus, the Rambone 2.0 slingshot is manufactured in Germany and is distributed in North America by SimpleShot Shooting Sports.

Also, like the other SimpleShot designs, this slingshot is made from polycarbonate, which gives it unrivaled durability and strength. However, this powerful slingshot has the ability to use the heaviest power bands with ease because of the ultra-ergonomic hammer grip design. Overall, this slingshot is well-balanced, durable, and lightweight.

But, it is also significantly more expensive than the other SimpleShot slingshots listed above.

 #7 AFTERMATH KAVIA ELITE SPORT SLINGSHOT

Specifications:

Pros:
(+) Sturdy
(+) Built-in BB magazine
(+) Easy to use
Cons:
(-) Problems with sight
(-) Heavy

The Aftermath Kavia Elite Sport slingshot is the top model in the Kavia slingshot series and is an excellent choice for a survival hunting slingshot. Featuring an ergonomic, hollow handle design, it incorporates an innovative integral magazine that enables a shooter to load the magazine with .375 in round shot and then use the conveniently located, spring-loaded ammunition port to drop a shot directly into the pouch for quick loading. In addition, it also features round laytex power bands combined with an integral slingshot sight pin and an adjustable brace for ease of aiming and increased accuracy.

However, be aware that although this is a true hunting slingshot design, the design of the wrist brace prevents it from being easily removed. Thus, this slingshot would be inconvenient to carry in a backpack.

 #8 MARKSMAN 3061 ADJUSTABLE SLINGSHOT

Specifications:

Pros:
(+) Adjustable
(+) Collapses easily for transport
(+) Built for large hands
Cons:
(-) Bands can be smaller in diameter on the right side as compared to the left one
(-) Issues with durability after 50 pulls

One of the unique features of the Marksman 3061 Adjustable Slingshot is that it has both an adjustable yoke to accommodate different draw lengths designed to accommodate different sized shooters. In addition, it also features a hand-filling molded plastic handle with molded finger grooves for a more comfortable grip. Plus, it also features round, tapered hyper-velocity power bands, which are specifically engineered to produce 30 percent more power than standard power bands. Thus, you can easily use this powerful hunting slingshot to bring down small birds, squirrels, and rabbits.

However, it should be noted that some shooters have reported a problem with the power bands on this slingshot after the first 50 shots. Thus, you may need to replace the bands rather quickly, if you use this slingshot often.

 #9 MARKSMAN 3030 TRADITIONAL SLINGSHOT

Specifications:

Pros:
(+) Budget-friendly
(+) Magnetic pouch
(+) Rugged steel yoke
Cons:
(-) Long rubber bands do not allow for force with shorter draw
(-) Quality could be better

If you are looking for an ultra-compact, but also very sturdy, survival hunting slingshot, then the Marksman 3030 Traditional Slingshot is an excellent choice. Well designed and simply made with steel forks and a comfortable, molded plastic handle, the Marksman Traditional Slingshot is both compact and rugged. Plus, it also features Marksmans’s tapered hyper-velocity power bands which generate 30 percent more power than standard power rubber bands, combined with a Talon Grip magnetic leather pouch to aid in holding 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch stainless steel shot.

Although this slingshot is very compact and easy to carry, some shooters may find that the lack of a wrist brace makes it difficult to shoot this slingshot accurately.

 #10 DAISY B52 SLINGSHOT

Specifications:

Pros:
(+) High-quality release pouch
(+) Wrist support
(+) Small size
Cons:
(-) Not for professionals
(-) Not accurate during windy conditions

A simple, no-frills, folding survival slingshot, the Daisy B52 slingshot is a very popular slingshot among wilderness survivalists due to its portable nature and simple, yet ergonomic, design, combined with a very moderate price.

Featuring tubular power bands and simple steel forks with a molded plastic handle, the Daisy B52 provides you with everything you need in a hunting slingshot and nothing that you don’t. Thus, it makes an excellent addition to your bug-out backpack.

SLINGSHOT HUNTING LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

While having a slingshot that is capable of humanely harvesting small game species is certainly a useful tool to have along with you in a survival situation, not all U.S. states allow their use. In fact, while there are presently 32 U.S. states that do not have any regulations restricting or prohibiting the use of slingshots for hunting, other states, such as New York, classify doing so as a Class 4 misdemeanor. So, before you choose the best slingshot for survival hunting, be certain to check the hunting regulations in your individual state because the regulations can drastically differ from state to state.

FINAL THOUGHTS

WINNER: The COOY Slingshot

RUNNER-UP: The Torque Slingshot

If you ever find yourself in a survival situation, food will quickly become of paramount importance to you. However, while using a firearm to harvest game animals is certainly far more efficient than using a slingshot, a firearm is also very loud when fired and can be heard from miles away, which will announce your presence to anyone within hearing range.

A slingshot, on the other hand, is both very stealthy and a very efficient hunting tool, because they are easily capable of taking down small game animals such as birds, squirrels, and rabbits with the right type and size shot. In addition, both slingshots and slingshot ammunition are relatively light weight and relatively compact and are, therefore, easy to carry in a backpack.

Thus, by combining a high degree of stealth with a high degree of accuracy and a lightweight, compact design, slingshots are an excellent choice for wilderness survivalists and are an item that all survivalists should have.