DanKung Aliens Weapon POM
For almost 10 years now I have been shooting slingshots using only the popular thumb brace and index finger hook. The unique DanKung Aliens Weapon is my first acceptation. I’m not sure why this frame first caught my eye but the shapely contours were likely the main reason. The dark coffee color with the beige and cream patterns throughout were just oo much to resist. I drink my coffee black but this creamy coffee frame looks great.
DanKung refers to this chubby slingshot as “the aliens weapon POM hunting slingshot”. If we break down the name we should be able to call this frame the aliens weapon or maybe just alien. The “POM” part of the title is simply the name for the polymer used to manufacture the frame. I previously reviewed the DanKung POM X6 slingshot where I included research on the POM material. Below is a copy & paste of this information.
The internet has a wealth of information on POM so I dove in and summarized what was useful for the review. Polyoxymethylene (POM) is a light-weight engineering polymer known for high strength, low friction, good performance in cold temperatures, and resistance to impact and fatigue. It was first developed in the late 1950s and is commonly known as Acetal. Hundreds of different grades are available for different applications. Dupont developed a well known grade, marketed as ‘Delrin’. The durability and stiffness of this thermoplastic make it very suitable for slingshot applications.
Under magnification there are visible seam lines around the perimeter of this frame. The lines are easy to see in the throat of the frame but are faint and quite difficult to find on the outside of the fork and down the handle. These lines lead me to believe the frame is injection molded. However it’s made, the hard shiny surface has no visible pock marks, craters or wiggly casting lines.
The frame is well contoured for comfort but this characteristic takes away from pocketability. It’s not designed for back pant pocket carry but its small enough that you could easily tuck it into a loose cargo pocket or jacket pocket.
I found the aliens weapon to be very comfortable to hold and accurate to shoot. It’s currently one of my most accurate BB shooters from of a collection of many dozens of frames. From 20 yards I was able to nail a hanging pop can 9/10 times to set a personal best twice in one day. The frame seems to mold right into my hand and shooting is done without the usual wrist flip that I have been accustom to using. After shooting several hundred shots I still haven’t experienced a single hand slap. This frame is sweet!
Frame Measurements
Overall length = 4 7/8”
Width across frame = 3 1/16”
Width between forks (at widest) = 1 9/16”
Fork width = 3/4”
Handle width at narrowest = 1 1/16”
Total weight without bands = 4.4 oz
Handle
The handle on the aliens weapon is different than anything I have ever shot before. It’s definitely not a thumb brace frame. It’s like a cross between a hammer grip and pinch grip shooter. Your lower 3 fingers wrap around the handle like a hammer grip with the web of your hand in full contact with the frame contour around the base of the forks. The frame shoots well with having the index finger and thumb floating in a natural relaxed position out front. The thumb and index finger sit in dished out areas that are perfectly positioned for my average size hand. Maybe it could be called a semi-hammer grip since you wouldn’t hold a real hammer with only 3 fingers. I would refer to it as a pinch grip but there is no thumb or index finger pinching needed to hold the frame.
The forward curved handle is quite nice with a contour that fits the natural cup in the palm of your hand. The base of the handle is flared for comfort and securing your hold. It’s almost like the designer molded his lightly closed hand in putty and used the contours to make this frame. That’s how comfortable I find it.
Top Slots & Flatbands
The low profile forks on this frame are very thick through the base and taper upwards to the top slots. When the frame is in my hand the tips are only 5/8” above my finger and thumb. Even so, I have had no hand or fork hits after shooting well over 500 shots.
The top slots have some pros and cons to be aware of and some shooters just don’t get along with them. The slots on this frame are ¾” wide which limits your band width to about 7/8”. A .030” band thickness installs securely when wrapped around a short ¾” section of 1632 tubing. The band and tube are stretched and slipped into the slot with an audible snap sound when they are home. It takes a bit of pulling and pushing to get them to click into the bottom of the slot but I find it quite manageable. After more than 150 shots with 7/8” x 7 ½” flatbands I had no slippage at all. The fit is tight enough to create ample contact friction inside the fork. You can see the compressed 1632 tube with black .030” flats in one of the pics that I posted.
I spent a lot of time shooting thin .016” (.40 mm) Precise Apple Green bands and found that they slipped a little when only using the 1632 to secure. The thinner band wasn’t quite tight enough and I noticed the tag end on one side getting shorter after some shooting. To remedy the problem I slipped a ¾” length of a regular finishing nail into the hole in each 1632 tube. This was done after the bands were mounted. A few drops of rubbing alcohol for lubricant allows the cut nail or other thin rod to easily slip completely into the tube hole. The alcohol evaporates quickly afterwards. The added tension from the .073” diameter nail inside the slot grooves prevents slippage with the thin flats. To remove the flatbands a firm sideways tug slides them out the slots.
Another mounting option that I have heard is to roll the end of the band to get the desired thickness for the top slot groove (without 1632 tube). This just seemed too difficult with .030” flats and I already knew that the short tube method worked.
A band width of ¾” is ideal for this frame. A width much more than 7/8” would stick out the slots quite a bit and narrow down the already small fork gap. A 5/8” or 1/2” wide flatband could likely be installed with some extra stretching to get it secured into the slots.
I haven’t yet figured out how to use OTT tubes on this frame but maybe a gypsy tab rig would work. Full tube loops or pseudo-tapers could be popped into the slots for a through-the-fork configuration if you are comfortable with the narrow fork width.
The main issue with top slots is having the physical ability to stretch the bands before installing into the slots. Someone with arthritis or a hand injury would struggle to keep the sideways stretch while pushing into the slots. The skinny tube is inside the wrapped flatband so the stretch can be a bit much for someone with a disability.
Overall Opinion
This attractive frame is a wonderful design for accuracy and comfort. It’s a nice change for my shooting collection. My only complaint so far is that I have to be careful not to accidentally flip when shooting or my shots go a bit wild. A steady sideways frame hold and full draw with elbow back seems to drill the shots right where I want. It has become one of my favorite shooters for .177cal BBs using ¾” x ½” x 8” Precise Apple Green bands. The top slots seem to keep the bands above the frame and this might be the reason why I don’t experience hand slaps even though no wrist flip is used. Now for the great part..... the price is only $15 USd!
