Has anyone used one of these? http://www.sportingsaint.co.uk/product/1100 I was thinking about buying a starting pistol to do some desensitisation work with Willow over the summer. They are really over-priced here, though, and I was looking on Sporting Saint at theirs, which are far more reasonable, but my problem is, you're not allowed to take them on the Eurotunnel. This device can make a "better" noise, apparently, than a starting pistol, and, if used without a tennis ball is louder, too (for the future, and maybe for Shadow). It says it's a directional noise, which means it should be easier to make quieter if pointed in the opposite direction when working with Willow. The added bonus is the fact it fires tennis balls - I can see me using this for expanding retrieves to include tennis balls (at the moment it's just dummies that get returned), and also for hunting in cover. Thoughts?
I have a Dummy Launcher, which works very well, but they kick quite a lot considering they use a 22 blank (more than my 9mm Beretta 92). Also I have lost a few dummies. I think this is a cool idea, since Tennis balls are virtually free. Doesn't look like it is available in the US. There are several tennis ball launchers available that don't use powder, but they won't have a report either. I have the Hyperdog slingshot type, which is more accurate than a chucker (at least for me). See if your ski patrol has a launcher that you can borrow off season. A lot of areas use them for putting a tag line over the haul rope for chair evacuations.
I'll have to ask the boys - I'm pretty sure we've never have a chair evacuation here. Certainly not in the time I've been here! I'm now considering a dummy launcher. You can get one with a shoulder stock - or just buy a stock to add to a regular hand-held, but it's a big investment for something I'm unsure about. Hmmm.
Be sure to get the shoulder stock. Two reasons: 1. they do kick, much more than you would expect. 2. If you hand hold it, the tendency is to hold it out in front of you, which puts the muzzle blast right at your head level, and they are loud.
If you ever do use a handheld launcher be very careful to hold it properly. Heel of your hand next to the dummy, thumb towards your tummy, bent elbow. Otherwise you can have awful problems with your wrist. Always wear ear defenders too!
