There are several guys into slingshots I have seen on the web, this guy is very good, and i have seen this before. But don't laugh at slingshots, i use them to hunt squirrels and rabbits. I can drop a squirrel off a branch with a 5/16 hex nut at roughly 20yds. i haven't tried the tarts from a slingshot, but those flew very true. i wonder how much penetration, i could get with needle tips on those, instead of the target tips? I use one like this:
I just thought it was a very crude design but on the other hand a very ingenious one.My problem with it would be the durability of it,wood,cardboard and string.The target has to be to close for my comfort and seems to lack penetration power to me.Some of my fondest memories as a kid was using a slingshot my grandpa made to keep birds out of the fig orchard,and got pretty good with one.I have one like you have and it works great and can come in handy in some situations.
I see no cardboard or string at all in the construction of that device. Wood does have it's limitations, but it can be seals to prevent moisture or decay. The bands and return springs are of replaceable rubber. And while i have no need of this device, I see no reason it could not function for many years. Crude? perhaps, but how polished does it need to be, to function correctly? How crude is a slingshot for that matter? I kill small animals with blunt force trauma, not penetration. As for accuracy, LOL....there are now two pro paintball teams that carry slingshots as back up weapons because of me....
I love slingshots, both for hunting and plinking. Great for young and old alike. I like the chinese small ones. I've set my "backpocket EDC" slingshot up with Saunders Black Mamba bands and shoot .50 muzzleloader balls with it and I have great success with small game within reason. I also have a Marksman that my kid uses most of the time but it's very accurate, one of those.. I think you call them "Starships" in the states?