Looks nothing like the maple crotch, mail bands, and shoe tongues we used as kids. Just like guns, synthetics have taken over the slingshot industry. Ah, the simpler days of wood, rubber, and leather.

O'do I remember my Wrist Rocket! Loved to hunt with it using 32 cal Buck Shot I loaded myself. Didn't kill any coyotes with it, but it sure put them into gear! After a couple months, I started to get the blame for windows shot so my Dad tossed the Wrist Rocket into the trash and handed me the key to the Gun Case. I remember that day like it was yesterday, just a couple of steps from my yard when I got stopped by a Tucson Cop walking home from a friend’s house with my rifle on my shoulders. Cop looked at me very perplexed way and asked if I was Clay Cooper? Yes! A lady down the street said she stood in the window and watched you shoot her window out! No Sir I didn’t I responded with a smile. What? What caliber rifle is that? 30-06 Sir and I’m shooting 130 grain Hornadys! Is it loaded? No Sir and the bolt is in my front pocket and I’m walking home from a friend’s house because he was running late and couldn’t give me a ride home. The Officer instantly got mad as hell, his face turned red and swooped back towards the ladies house and read her the riot act about calling in a false complaint and that was the end to all the false accusations. A couple of weeks later they caught the culprits shooting the windows out, a couple High School kids!

Never had a wrist rocket, but did manage a few bullfrogs cottontails and a squirrel or two with a bodark fork, cut up inner tubes and a piece of leather. Steel ball bearings were my load of choice.
Mr. Ellenburg's weapon looks interesting.

I wonder whats the maximum poundage?

I noticed on the "BAT", the surgical rubbers are a different color than the old yellow ones.

By the way, those 32 cal lead balls I molded worked fantastic on Dove,Quail, cotton tails and jack rabbits including a few stray dogs!

I still own a Wrist Rocket, I may even have two. I had one of the original wrist rockets, that were just a single piece of bent steel rod. I used to work at a bakery where I shot a big ole rat with one in the loading bay. Took it to the office and demanded a $5 "rat bounty" which was promptly paid (but the boss suggested that, having taken care of the rat problem, I not bring the sling to work any more.)
About a decade ago I got a newer model, one of the folding ones at a yard sale for 3 bucks. I still plink with it occasionally. How can a person have a complete collection of historic projectile throwing devices without a Wrist Rocket! It fits right in with my catapult, my crossbow and my cannons!

No stray cat, rabbit or squirrel was safe in our back yard when my wrist rocket was handy. Didn't buy ammo, marbles worked quite well, and didn't penetrate but sure made them jump! Unfortunately put lots of dents in the garage siding too.
I probably had one of his original models, being in the 1950's.
Wish I still had it, but threw it away when surgical tubes wore out, or maybe it was the leather pouch that finally gave out. Those things could sting like a bad bow if you held it wrong. Now I have to go get another one just for fun.
Norfolk, NE (on the "North Fork" of the Elkhorn River, which is why it's pronounced both ways) famous for being the hometown of Johnny Carson, the Hall brothers (founders of Hallmark cards), now Mr. Ellenburg (who I never realized was from there) and ME.

My son's introduction to marksmanship began at age 6, when he was still too young to bring his Wrist Rocket to full draw but able to hit balloons and cans with the slingshot. We spent many hours of quality time on the Tualatin River, popping balloons anchored in the water by string. The transition to firearms, to a single-shot .22 rimfire, seemed much easier with the pre-existing awareness of safe handling of a slingshot, what NOT to shoot at, how to hold fire until he was certain of his target and his backstop. It's a fine way to bring a youngster along, and I enjoyed using mine very much!

Always have had a slingshot or two since a kid. The first wrist rocket I used was from my dad like 30 years ago.Have not hunted anything with one yet but they sure are fun.Right now have 1 trumark FS-1, two marksman and was thinking to get me a Saunders Wrist Roket with flat bands, which are favored by the slingshot snobs.

By the way, I know Wrist Rocket is a trademark of Saunders Archery, but who came up with the name in the first place, Saunders or Trumark?

That story of Clay cooper and the cop reminded me of when I was questioned by a Federal Highway Policeman as he was passing by my house when I was scaring magpies away from the front yard trees using a tronadora or banger, consisting of an old Guillete handle, a nail, a cord and lots of match heads. He suddenly stopped and reversed, and asked me why was I shooting firearms. I showed him the gizmo, he laughed and got away.

i still have my slingshot that i got when i was 8 it was my first hunting weapon, though i never got anything with it, i tore up a couple sheets of plywood with it, and the tubung wore out, and i never replaced it, now may be the time though

I stil have my wrist Rockets and with a few steel shots in the handle ready for some action!

Bella, that movie would be "Savages". And yes indeed, it is the best slingshot-related movie yet.

About the wristrocket question, nevermind. I found about it. Yes, it was invented by Ellenburg, named wrist-locker, and distributed sometime by Saunders with the wristrocket name.
Here is a very interesting page with lots of information about old and new slingshots around the world, where I found this. Look in Historic Slingshots>WristRocket Company
http://melchiormenzel.de/index.html

Admittedly the contraption in the picture seems to break the kiss rule, looks awful kludgy. The old original was SO simple, it practically illustrates the kiss rule. Sights? Why? I could always hit without 'em.