The "Shooting Stars" of Nell and Bill Herriman are unique in many ways. Most questions about selfmade slingshots concern these, and one quick view is enough to see that these slingshots look different than other wooden models. And a closer look reveals a heap of grat features that are yet to be found on most commercial slingshots. Lets start with the bands. I consider Bill's bands to be superior to every other band I ever tried.Tey are made from two thin tapered latex bands. The soft leather pouch has a mould in the middle to center the pellet every time in the same spot. Next, the "shoot over" design greatly reduces wear on the bands. The rubber rests on the top of the fork ends, the stress is taken away from the attachment. The attachment itself can be rather simple, just a groove with small rubber straps wound around. The extended forks further enhance the pullforce / power ratio and wristbrace adds stability....and, that's the coolest thing, all in a simple, elegant and relatively easy to build design. The following pictures give an interesting insight how the Shooting Star evolved.
The silver wristbraces used in earlier designs are made of aluminium profiles. The wood parts on the bottom of some models act as a stabilisator. Bill and his Shooting Stars had an influence on the development of the Saunders Wrist Rocket Pro, a great slingshot itself.