tinkerfive Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 "line gun" as in like the navy would shoot a line from one ship to another. I want to shoot a safety line up through the upper branches of a tree in order to climb the tree and do some limbing. So Id want to be able to shoot 100' up. Can these line guns be found or does anyone think that I might fabricate a propane powered 'potato-gun' like affair to do the job. I've built a potato gun before and know that hair spray could take a potato 100' up. If anyone has any insight or experience I'd love to hear it. I know that shooting a slug dragging a line would be way different than shooting a potato. I don't want to get as elaborate as the 'punkin chunkin' show just to get a line in a tree. I'd hope to make something shoulder fired from cheap common materials. Tinker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 What about a bow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gun nutty Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 Wouldn't a used bow from a garage sale or pawn shop serve the same purpose? I remember seeing bow fishing rigs that will do almost exactly what you are asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gun nutty Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 FC beat me to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacrat Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 Last year I had similar situation. I used a bow after going to a bunch of arborist sites and supply companies for arborists and browsing. Most of them use crossbow with special arrows. I DIY'd it with an old Pearson 30# target recurve. I made reworked Easton aluminum arrows with fletching removed. For heads I used 2-240 gr 44 cal lead bullets drilled on center and screwed into front of arrow with a long 8-32 machine screw. Fifty yrds of braided dacron 50# fishing line. Line was wound on a large size old Roddy spinning reel, which was mounted on a stake made from a broom handle. The stake/reel was stuck in the ground and pointed in the general direction of arrow flight. Stand next to stake/reel, line up shot and let fly. Be ready with at least 3 or 4 arrows and get accustomed to tying whip stich hitches onto arrows. With the line behind any breeze or miscalculation sends arrow off target. Once you have an arrow over proper limb at proper place. You have to WHIP the line up and down repeatedly to get it to slip over limb a little at a time. Manytimes it will get hung up and you have to cut it off and start over. Once over limb and back to ground untie arrow and tie on braided nylon 3/16 line. Pull that over limb. Then I tied it to a 1/2 braided nylon line. Pull that up and over limb. Tie running bowline loop in one end then run other end throught loop and pull. So now after 2 or 3 days you now have a 1/2 " rope tied to a tree limb 100 ft in the air. It may sound like fun but believe me it is a horrendous PIA. White ash tree 120 ft tall, trunk was 6' in dia., limbs spanned 80 ft. Partially over 2 houses, and 3 sets of 220v service lines. Cheapest bid of 6 arborists was $3,000. And he was unlicensed and had no insurance. High bid was $4,200. Couldn't afford it. If cut by me and it screws up a neighbors house My Homeowners policy would cover it. So I did the DIY thing. That one tree cut and split made 7 cords of wood. Many limbs as high as 40' off the ground were still 12" in dia. NEVER AGAIN. AT 61 I'M TO OLD FOR THIS CRAP TWICE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken98k Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 NEVER AGAIN. AT 61 I'M TO OLD FOR THIS CRAP TWICE. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 Wrist Rocket sling shot from anywhere (wally world, sporting goods, etc.), lead fishing sinker, fishing line. Shoot the sinker over the limb. Play out the fishing line until the sinker comes down. Tie a heavier line to the line, pull it up over the limb. Tie the rope to that line and do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 That's a novel idea Dr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted May 28, 2011 Report Share Posted May 28, 2011 I've put up a few antennas over the decades and that's how I always did it. I probably still have the fishing line, sinkers and sling shot somewhere. I'm thinking of putting up another long wire, but I think I can use the shop for the distal anchor instead of my usual use of a tree. Any of you guys Hams? I just bought an Icom 735, not here yet. de NG6Y. And, incidentally, actual line throwing guns are very, very rarely used in the Merchant Marine. I think the only time I ever saw one used was maybe when UnRep'ing military vessels, and that would have been from the navy ship to us. All other times, a monkey fist was manually thrown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odies dad Posted May 28, 2011 Report Share Posted May 28, 2011 Tie a rope aroung the waist of your 10 year old neighbor kid and squirrel him up the tree. He'd probably pay you for the chance to climb the tree. Other option is to call the power company and tell them that you need a tree removed that is near the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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