The Wham-O Sportsman marks a milestone in slingshot history. Made in the 60's by the famous toy producer Wham-O, it was made in a time when the popularity of slingshots reached a heigh that could never reached again. The National Slingshot Association made tournaments and tons of small enterprises sold their different inventions, most often without wristbrace and with flat gum rubber bands. It makes one wonder why the Wham-O was, in terms of sheer ubiquity, such a popular model, others looked almost exactly the same. Yet, these all disappeared, while the Wham-O became sought-after collectors item which still is on sale on ebay and other places. As far as I know, it was advertised by the National Slingshot Association itself, maybe this is the reason. The introduction of modern wristbraced catapults like the Trumark Wr-1 slowly put Wham-O out of the catapult business. By the way, the name "Wham-O" is derived from the sound a slingshot makes when it hits a target.
The Slingshot itself is a simple straightforward design. It has a sawed-out hardwood frame with two slits on each limb to hold a flat rubber band. It was said to be quite powerful, and was often used for hunting. The large cowhide pouch could be used to shoot several pellets shotgun-style, although I doubt that this approach to increase hit probability was a big success. It was also possible to add a steel wire arrow rest to the fork, making it possible to fire arrows.
Complete Wham-O shopping box with ammo and spare bands.