In the inevitable Zombie Apocalypse of the future, a machete-shooting crossbow will be as practical and everyday as a Leatherman is today. But right now, it is possibly the most dangerous contraption I have ever seen.

Made by Jörg Sprave, who runs The Slingshot Channel on YouTube, the Machete Slingshot consists of a standard head-lopping machete with a notch cut in the blade near the tip. This notch hooks onto the rubber bands on the crossbow, and the machete is held back, cocked, by a slotted wooden block that stops the handle from moving forward. The trigger lifts the handle over this block, and chaos ensues.

As you'll see when you watch Jörg's video, this isn't something you should try at home. During the testing phase he wore nothing more protective than a T-shirt, and he has the livid, bloody gash on his Popeye-like forearm to prove it. Jörg, I think you'll have to agree, is completely bad-ass.

Keep watching for the bonus video, and the chance to see someone even tougher than Jörg himself: Jörg's cat. Any animal that hangs around when homemade catapults are being tested deserves our undying respect.

Shooting Machetes with the Slingshot [YouTube via CrunchGear]

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