I purchased the Pro-X almost six months ago after reading about it in Slingshot World Magazine. After an initial issue I experienced upon receipt of my order, I was blown away with how quickly Saunders was to, not only respond to my frustrated emails, but how fast they were to make things right. Now that I have had the time to shoot the Pro-X a while, I believe I can give it an accurate customer review. I own like 30-40 other catapults and I think the Pro-X best resembles a “star-craft” style shooter. I instantly fell in love upon first shots. I grew up in the Boy Scouts of America, shooting archery long before ever taking a slingshot seriously. However, once I discovered the true marksmanship qualities in catapults, I also realized my childhood archery fundamentals drastically minimized any learning curves related to achieving consistency and accuracy when shooting slingshots. That being said, shooting the Pro-X feels closest to a bow’s shot routine, compared to all my other frames. It makes shooting heavy caliber ammo/bands comfortable, REPEATABLE, and most importantly accurate, especially at longer distances. Don’t get me wrong, I’m capable of shooting some heavy .80 anit-cold bands and 1/2″ steel with a Scout from SimpleShot, but I would have never expected to put a grouping on target at 30 – 40 meters. That’s right, accuracy with 7/16″-1/2″ steel at that distance is achievable with the Pro-X! That is where this masterpiece shines. Everything else: The way the Pro-X folds up makes it more portable than any other of its size/caliber. The hard pouch design is revolutionary, in my opinion, allowing just about anyone to pick it up a shoot without having to worry about the perfect pouch release that plagues many new shooters. The fiber optics “Pipper Sight” puts any other attempts at a slingshot sight system to shame with how bright the military grade fiber optics are to how useful the little liquid level is for newer shooters. I love how versatile it is by having the ability to configure the sight on either fork tip depending on the distance of target. Having the ability and knowledge to tune the Pro-X to hit a target like 60 meters away really separates it from any competition. The Clod Poppers I got with my order are awesome, they are the same size as any 7/16″ steel ammo I shoot and unlike some other clay ammo brands I’ve tried, the Clod Poppers I received were all the same size and they were all perfectly round! I even found that their weight were all within 0.1-0.2 grams (1.45g – 1.65g with MOST right around 1.60g) which allows for repeatable results.
The only negatives I’ve experienced so far (A) With the Pipper Sight installed, the Pro-X won’t fully collapse. The little level is in the way from allowing the arm to click into it’s closed position. (B) Latex wears out no matter what, and I find a correlation that seems to follow the rule: the more fun you’re having, the faster they wear! With the Pro-X, Specialty band sets are required for replacement and being a shooter who cuts and makes his own replacement band sets, this is frustrating.
In conclusion, don’t buy this if you want to shoot indoors or even in tight-quarter backyard spaces. The Pro-X is DEFINITELY not a 1/4″ steel “plinker”. This tool provides power and accuracy at distances that can’t be touched by any other catapult, In my opinion, and should be used as such. I felt good doing business with Saunders, a family business, knowing that my Pro-X was made in the USA. If you are on the fence about buying, rest assured you will be getting a quality product that comes with even better customer service.
Thanks again Chuck, for the awesome Saunders experience!
