What's The Best Boilie Catapult?

The carp market is awash with a vast range of catapults, from ultra-heavy elastic models to those with neat handguards. But which one is worthy of your hard-earned cash? Which one offers the perfect mix of range and precision without causing armache after five minutes of use? Here are the results from the five we tested…

How We Tested:
Thanks to our friends at Mainline Baits, we fired our way through 5kgs of their new ISO Fish boilies, in both 15 and 18mm. We tested for accuracy, both at short-range and at their maximum distance, with individual baits and groups. Comfort, for both short- and long-term use, elastic twisting and ‘hand slap’ were all critiqued. 

Korda Katapult Light
The lowdown: Like many of the catapults tested, Korda’s redesigned ‘Katapults’ come in several models under one umbrella: Heavy (black), Medium (green, and the one we tested) and Light (brown). Key features include 10 ball-bearing swivels to prevent tangles, a robust nylon frame, and an ergonomic handle.
Looks: The Katapult has a wide frame, is lightweight, & features a large pouch with soft elastics.
Performance: It was hard to find any faults with this catapult. It didn’t whack your hands or knuckles and felt comfortable to hold. Thanks to the combination of soft elastics and a lightweight frame, you could use it for prolonged periods without fatigue. It grouped baits well and fired individual baits great distances with incredible accuracy. Another big plus was the bearing swivels, which really work: it never tangled and was always ready to go with the next pouchful of boilies. Impressive.

Fox Slik Powerguard Multi Pouch
The lowdown: This catapult boasts plenty of unique features, starting with a patented knuckle defender, making it the only catapult on test with such a device. ‘Swing Head’ fixings are designed to prevent the elastic from twisting, and it comes with a deeper, cone-shaped pouch, making it ideal for a wide variety of baits.
Looks: It features sculptured finger grips for greater comfort and semi-stiff elastics.
Performance: The knuckle defender works (although the pouch only hit it once), and it effectively grouped the boilies tightly together. In terms of distance, it comfortably matched that of the Korda Katapult. However, because the elastics are slightly thicker (which should mean they last longer) than Korda’s, it wasn’t as comfortable to use for the same length of time. Another big difference with this catapult is that it has only two connection points, not four, reducing the places where the elastics can slip or snap.

Trakker Boilie-Pult
The lowdown: Three models in the range (Multi, Mega and Boilie, which we’re testing) and all feature what is probably the most robust frame on test. They have a soft-touch handle, Velcro pouch grip, and the ‘Boilie’ version features the softest elastics out of the three.
Looks: Matt black with a chunky thumb slot for grip.
Performance: As with all five catapults in the test, the Boilie-Pult delivered good ranges. However, this model was the best for distance (both with individual bait and a pouchful) and for tight, closer-range grouping. It was very impressive and likely benefited from the slightly thicker, stronger elastics. However, those elastics did twist quite a bit, requiring ‘straightening’ them out each or every other ‘shot’. If swivels or rotating pins, like those used on Korda’s and ESP’s, had been implemented, this problem could have been avoided.

Gardner UltraPult Mini
The lowdown: Another collection of three ‘pults, all featuring the same anti-twist elastic attachment at the frame. Made from a strong, reinforced moulded frame that is both rigid and lightweight, they have the thinnest handle of all the catapults on test, making them easier to hold for prolonged periods.
Looks: Extremely strong, high-quality latex elastic.
Performance: While the UltraPult Mini (as the name suggests) is the smallest catapult on test, it certainly didn’t lack power. With a single bait, it matched all the others in outright distance. The spread of boilies when firing groups of bait was marginally wider than the others. The elastics on this pult were by far the strongest, suggesting they would outlast the others. However, the downside is that it was harder to pull back, leading to fatigue setting in earlier when putting out large volumes of bait.

ESP Big Shot Medium
The lowdown: Available in Medium and Large models, the ‘Big Shots’ are the result of input from Dave Ellyatt and Terry Hearn. Similar to Korda’s Katapult, these feature a wide frame with angled forks to help create the perfect firing position. The frame is moulded in super-strong glass-filled nylon, making it light and comfortable to hold.
Looks: A lovely carpy green with machined stainless steel rotation pins.
Performance: In two words: almost faultless! Supremely comfortable to hold for long periods. Insanely accurate—we were landing each bait inside the first ring of the previous one at 50 yards with utter ease. No hand slap, and the combination of the soft elastics, wide frame, and angled forks meant it just felt (and sounded) right each time you released the pouch, and the accuracy was proof of that. Everything was more fluid with the Big Shot. The only fault we could find was that even with those rotation pins, we still experienced some twist.

Conclusion
It’s very clear that the catapults with softer elastics are easier to use—both in terms of accuracy and longevity. Putting out 2kgs of 18-millers with a catapult that has soft elastic would be a lot easier than one with really thick, stiff elastics. However, we haven’t tested these over a long period, so we can’t comment on how the former will perform and whether they will deteriorate with use.

It was extremely tough to pick a winner between the Korda Katapult and ESP’s Big Shot. Both are fabulous catapults and very similar in design. But the Big Shot just marginally edged it for us, mainly because it excelled (again, only just) when it came to accuracy.