Fun fact about me, remember that 1998 Dennis the Menace movie? My mom took me to audition for that as a seven-year-old. Alas, my life was not meant for Hollywood, but it was made for mischief. Even as a kid, I thought slingshots were so much fun. Now as an adult, I still think slingshots are fun. There is something about the ability to turn nearly anything into a fast-moving projectile I enjoy. Imagine my surprise when browsing Walmart, and I came across something called the Pocket Shot on clearance for a mere five bucks.
The Pocket Shot labels itself the future of slingshots, and for the price of a cup of coffee in 2023, I snagged it. The Pocket Shot is a small elastic-looking balloon secured to an orange plastic ring. Pocket Shot is a good name because it fits into your pocket with absolute ease.
How the Pocket Shot Works
The idea is simple. The elastic balloon portion is where you drop your ammo of choice. Drop one in and then grab it from behind and pull it rearward. Let it go, and your ammo of choice flies outward. It’s simple, and the Pocket Shot can be pulled to the rear quite far. The further you pull it back, the further and faster your ammo flies.
Ammo can be the official Pocket Shot ammo or your typical ball bearings. Personally, acorns and small rocks are the most cost-effective for me, and I let plenty of them fly. A front portion threads onto the Pocket Shot to secure the whole setup. This does allow you to carry extra ammo while it’s stored in the pocket.
The whole idea is pretty simple, but is it really the evolution of the slingshot?
Does The Pocket Shot Work?
The idea is simple and does make the slingshot smaller and more compact. I grabbed some plastic slingshot ammo from Daisy to try the thing out. Although, I also shot my fair share of acorns at oak trees. With the purpose-made ammo in hand, I let it fly.
The Pocket Shot can throw these things quite far; in fact, it flew across my yard way further than I thought, and I resigned that round to lose. With a B8 up, I practiced my accuracy. I consistently shot the thing low when I aimed instinctively, so I had to adjust, and I could hit the black most of the time at seven yards or so. It’s pretty tough to aim the Pocket Shot, harder than a slingshot, for sure.
With my son’s slingshot, I can hit a Coke bottle at ten yards consistently and keep it dancing. I can’t do that with the Pocket Shot. Although to be fair, I’ve been a menace with a slingshot since I was tiny, the Pocket Shot is brand new. Also, I don’t think I can launch cherry bombs with the pocket shot.
The Pocket Shot does launch those little balls fast and hard. I was chipping away at a cinder block with it. I also had an old dresser I needed to take to the dump that quickly became a target. In the tradition of mag dumping into trash, I threw some pellets at it. Those fast-moving balls left deep indents, and they are made from plastic. I don’t doubt I could kill the small game with this thing.
The Modular Design
It bears mentioning that the Pocket Shot is dearly modular. The company has tons of models and variations. There are even various additions to make it more sling-shot-like. Hell, you can even launch short arrows from this thing. I’m not sure if I want to spend a hundred bucks for the arrow setup, but it is tempting.
The Pocket Shot is the AR-15 of the slingshot world, apparently. They typically run for 20 bucks. While I got a great deal, I’ve definitely had 20 bucks worth of fun. I also bought two more for my kiddos because they were five bucks. If you want something cheaper than guns to shoot, give it a peek.
