buying a big shot

hello all.
so i am planning on purchasing a big shot. where do you think i should buy it is there a special website or anything? and how easy are they to use? i know ill practice a lot before i use. and if any one can explain exactly how they work and all that would really be awesome. i looked online and there were many different models and packages what do you think is the basic deal how big what extra parts? i just dont know, thank you so much
adam

Unless you already have fiberglass extension poles, I would recommend buying the big shot head and the two four foot pole sections. These are much easier to transport than an 8 foot pole!

These can be bought as a package at:

Sherrill: www.sherrilltree.com . Their website is kind of a pain to navigate. Search for item "SET1027" and it should come up with the big shot and 2 four foot poles, $114.

or

Wesspur: http://www.wesspur.com/Throw-line/big-shot.html
Their price is a couple dollars more, but depending where you are the shipping may be cheaper, and I really like dealing with the folks at Wesspur. They are very helpful.

Good luck, and remember the Big Shot should NEVER be used to fire golf balls or other such projectiles as this could lead to having way too much fun.

I ordered a couple of extra ferrule sets so I could cut the two four foot poles down into four two foot poles, got the idea from Joe Maher. Very easy to install and it makes the whole rig even easier to transport.

That definitely sounds easier to transport Rod, but it might limit your options if you want to make an adjustable quick release trigger.

I purchased my Big Shot about one year ago. I got the "Basic" from Sherrills Catalog ( Part No. SET1027) It has the 2 (4ft long) poles and the head. I am happy with this set up for my climbing style primarily close to home. I have not taken it on a back packing trip to wilderness or out town treks but overall I am happy with it. It gets me faster into places that I would have to take quite a while to set up a line. ( My trees are short about 75 ft)
I have to work on the aim and installing a trigger as designed by "Treetramp" with the horse panic release connector and prusik loop. It is a fairly inexpesnive set up and it works fine when I saw him using before. (For details of his set up contact Dan directly and he will tell you the details and operation).
Depending on how much climbing of tall trees you do if you are beginner climber you can live without the Big Shoot by practicing the "cradle throw" as presented by Jeff Jepson on his book on page 21.
In Closing if you climb tall trees regularly, do a lot of (air) travel them buy the carrying case and extra goodies, if budget is not a problem. Good luck and Big Shots to You!

I heard that they have recently made the pocket a bit deeper. I'd look for that and I'd go with Wesspur as their shipping on the big shot (with 4 footers) is free.

What is the range of a BigShot?
Thanks

With a 10 oz bag and 1.75mm Zingit I can regularly make shots over 120 feet. Smaller weights and lighter lines will get you even higher.

ALWAYS wear eye protection while using the Big Shot. A misfire can send the weight right back into your face with dangerous force. It happened to me once. I was wearing eye protection and only ended up with a nasty black eye and cuts around the eye protection edges. I had mistakenly lowered my knee onto the top of my throw line. It nearly knocked me out!

Some info on The BigShot. . .

Great for big trees, pain in the butt to carry around.
I seldom use the trigger device but it does work well.
The steel hook attachment is very handy, however it is unpleasantly heavy. Spending extra on the hard-plastic carry-case was worth it. It’s the best way to store the rather clumsy BigShot. NOTE: When hiking I usually stuff the BigShot into the nylon sack that came with my tree boat. It’s a lot less conspicuous than walking around with that gun-case looking thing the BigShot normally stores in.

It has been my experience that bringing a BigShot to group climbs usually perks things up quite a bit. Everybody likes taking turns shooting it!

A lot of the tree climbing gadgets I have spent good money on over the years sit idle in my closet, not so with the BigShot. It works as intended and it’s a fun item to use.

And yes, I have used it to launch water balloons. A blivy takes on a whole new meaning when launched by a two man BigShot crew

Regards,
Electrojake