Homemade Survival Knife Modifications

I made this knife out of an old lawn mower blade. After finishing it I began to wonder how I could incorporate the hole and slots that were in the center of the blade. After a bit of thought I decided I could add a sling shot system that can shoot arrows. I have seen sling shots being converted for this purpose and figured I could do something that would accomplish the task.

I thought it would be simple, but it actually took me 2 days before I finally came up with the idea that you see in the video and photos. 

Materials used:

1. Black sling shot band with ammo patch already attached. (The black rubber tubing has the greatest pull than the yellow or red tubes.)
2. Two 1/16 inch U-bolts (2 inch x 3/4 inch)
3. Four 1/16 inch nuts
4. Four 1/16 inch flat washers
5. Two 1/16 inch locking washer (if you use lock nuts you will not need lock washers)

On the U-bolts you will need to cut off the threaded part of one of the shafts where the smooth shaft meets the threads. So, on each U-bolt you will have one long shaft and one short smooth shaft. Sand off the burrs from where you made the cuts so that they will not cut into the rubber tubing when you slide the assembly onto them.

When applying the tubing, wet the smooth shafts with a small amount of rubbing alcohol and slid the tubing onto the shaft and stop at the top where the shaft just begins to bend. Let this dry for 30 minutes before attempting to apply any force to the tubing.

When sliding the tubing onto the shaft, make sure the ammo pouch is in line with the direction of aim and is not twisted out of shape.

Take about a 4 inch piece of para chord and remove the inner white string leaving you with the outer sheath. Feed the para chord through the holes in the ammo pouch where the rubber tubing goes thru.  Go thru one hole and then across and thru to the other hole. Tie a knot at the end of the para chord.  This will give you a loop. The opening in the para chord should be wide enough to put a finger through for pulling the tubing back and holding the arrow.

This system has about a 30 pound pull and maybe more depending on how far back you pull the tubing. I am pretty sure that it will kill small game at 25-35 feet. With a good broad-head on the end, you can take down feral hogs with this set up, but you have to be close. Make sure you have an alternate means of protecting yourself in the event the hog does not die quickly and decides to attack you.

This was a fun project for me. It allowed me to think while working on it. I will attempt to put down some game animals with this system and to video the event to certify this set up for survival purposes. I was given an idea by a subscriber to add a fishing reel set up attached to the butt of the handle so that you can fish with this system. I need to go to the drawing board and do some calculating. I will post a follow up if come up with a solution. So stay tuned and wish me luck. Come back soon!

Stay Prepared! Stay Alive!

Charlie