b'BARNETTS BACK!RETURN OF THE KINGAfter twenty years, the legendary big-tube Barnett slingshot is reborn!F mans FB page as we had befriended eachHis dad Bernard started it all. Who recalls irst o, a huge thanks to David Barnett, boss at the legendaryother and there it stayed. Bob Monkhouse? And how about a TV crossbow and slingshot companyUntil, just as Mark had, his cousin David inshow called The Golden Shot? A live TV bearing his name. A Black Countrythe USA pinged a mail through the web- camera pointed down a real crossbows lad who still seems to find itcontact form and after an excited exchangesights while a contestant would instruct startling that he is living in Florida, I wasto and fro, I got to meet him via Skype. their blindfolded fellow competitor as to aim thrilled to hear from him. Especially as I hadDavid Barnett is nothing less thanat a real apple with a small disc on it. If the once been talking to his cousin Mark. slingshot royalty. His family has a richcrossbow bolt bulls-eyed the disc, the apple In issue #2, the editorial was a sad onehistory in archery and crossbows as wellwould explode most satisfyingly and even in about having talked excitedly to Markas slingshots. His own experiences areblack and white it made great TV. Up a bit, Barnett by mail about how he too had foundjust incredible. left a bit, down a bit FIRE!SW magazine and was keen to get involved.When working for the conservationDavids dad Bernard was responsible The column explained that Mark had ideasauthorities in Africa, he shot sixty whitefor the shows very existence. He had met about a new line of low volume high qualityrhinos with tranquilliser-equipped arrows,Bob at a do somewhere, (I think it was at a Barnett slingshots and that there were plansfor tagging and relocating purposes. Hewrap party after making a TV programme) afoot. And then suddenly, he died. I wasmight also have shot more steel balls thanand cooked up the whole format. Barnett stunned. I sent a condolence e-mail o andany man alive. Every weekend, he andprovided the crossbows and bolts and not hearing back, figured that they mustcousin Mark would go out plinking with asthe bloke who loaded the weapons, once have been inundated and anyway, theymuch ammo as their pockets could carry,everything was safe and ready, was called didnt know me from Adam. (Use of saidsay two thousand, until they ran out. EveryBernie The Bolt. But he was not a relation of expression being my uncouth privilege.)week for years. It did help that he had anBernard Barnett.I had briefly oered good wishes on theendless supply of ammo. Back at the start of the whole thing, 043043-045 SSW006 Barnett.indd 43 08/11/2022 17:15'