MikeJackmin
Member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2005
- Messages
- 1,604
On a whim, I picked up one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MNRG1W/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It was only eleven bucks, and shipping was free with Amazon Prime.
For those that can't follow the link, that's a Predator 36", 40 caliber blowgun.
I set up a cardboard box with a 3.5" circle drawn on it, got back about 20 feet and tried my luck. At first I could barely keep the darts on the box, but after two days, I managed this:
For what it is, it's capable of surprising accuracy. The darts are basically four-inch needles with little cups at the end. They will easily perforate an empty soda can and pin it to the backstop for good measure. At closer range it'll be deadly against bugs.
My only complaint is that it was unnecessarily hard to assemble the darts. The trick is as follows:
1) Grasp the shaft of a dart about an inch from the sharp end with a pair of pliers.
2) Allow the cup to sit upright on a piece of scrap wood, and slowly press the sharp end of the dart all the way through the cup to the other side. Try to go in as straight as you can.
3) Pull the cup free, reverse the shaft so your pliers are now an inch or so from the dull end, and force the dull end into the hole you just made until you are just short of coming through the other side. It won't come apart now under normal use, don't be too worried if it's not perfectly straight, it matters less than you probably think.
My current technique is to hold the mid shaft of the blowgun with my right hand, and the mouthpiece with my left. When I stand square to the target and focus on it, I see two images of the front sight. The dart will strike exactly in the middle of those two images. (I've noticed that if I reverse my hand positions, the dart will not longer strike in the middle - I suspect it has to do with eye dominance but I really have no idea).
The first trick is to not move the shaft after blowing the air in. The second trick is to continue to provide breath until the dart exits the muzzle. The third trick is to deliver the same amount of air for each shot. It's fun, but it's not easy. It feels kind of like archery.
Anybody else here play with these things?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MNRG1W/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It was only eleven bucks, and shipping was free with Amazon Prime.
For those that can't follow the link, that's a Predator 36", 40 caliber blowgun.
I set up a cardboard box with a 3.5" circle drawn on it, got back about 20 feet and tried my luck. At first I could barely keep the darts on the box, but after two days, I managed this:
For what it is, it's capable of surprising accuracy. The darts are basically four-inch needles with little cups at the end. They will easily perforate an empty soda can and pin it to the backstop for good measure. At closer range it'll be deadly against bugs.
My only complaint is that it was unnecessarily hard to assemble the darts. The trick is as follows:
1) Grasp the shaft of a dart about an inch from the sharp end with a pair of pliers.
2) Allow the cup to sit upright on a piece of scrap wood, and slowly press the sharp end of the dart all the way through the cup to the other side. Try to go in as straight as you can.
3) Pull the cup free, reverse the shaft so your pliers are now an inch or so from the dull end, and force the dull end into the hole you just made until you are just short of coming through the other side. It won't come apart now under normal use, don't be too worried if it's not perfectly straight, it matters less than you probably think.
My current technique is to hold the mid shaft of the blowgun with my right hand, and the mouthpiece with my left. When I stand square to the target and focus on it, I see two images of the front sight. The dart will strike exactly in the middle of those two images. (I've noticed that if I reverse my hand positions, the dart will not longer strike in the middle - I suspect it has to do with eye dominance but I really have no idea).
The first trick is to not move the shaft after blowing the air in. The second trick is to continue to provide breath until the dart exits the muzzle. The third trick is to deliver the same amount of air for each shot. It's fun, but it's not easy. It feels kind of like archery.
Anybody else here play with these things?