This report covers:
- Today’s report
- Target
- Webley Junior
- Darts
- Everyone
- Bolts?
- Just the start
- Diana model 16
- A lot to consider
- Today’s report
Sometimes a blog is written because I’m following a test rotation. And sometimes someone asks me a question. But sometimes the topic jumps on me and won’t let go. Today I’m discussing airgun darts and the guns that shoot them. This topic pinned me to the floor all weekend — AND some of you guys asked for it!
Before we advance into the report I am forcing those readers who are able to watch a 21-minute video. If you don’t want to watch the entire video, which is a great one by the way, you can stop after the first 31 seconds.
I thank reader Brent for sending all of us the link to this video in last Friday’s report. The point to the video is to see where the dart hits the target. That is what is possible with a good dart and a good gun. If you watch the whole video you will notice that the dart goes to pretty much the same place every time.
Target
The guy in the video made his own target. I am using a commercial dart board that’s made for hand-thrown darts. I shoot at the smooth back because if the darts hit the steel wires that separate the scoring sections on the front the tips are damaged quickly.
I tape a BB-gun target to the back of the dart board. At the close range I shoot, which is 12-13 feet, the bullseye on this target is an ideal size.
My dart board is a high-quality one that costs over seventy dollars new. I bought this one at a pawn shop for about twenty-five dollars, as best as I can remember. I won’t wear it out in my lifetime. And pawn shops are a good place to check for these.
Webley Junior
My new Webley Junior Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Reader RidgeRunner mentioned that he has a Webley Junior air pistol that’s not very powerful. So do I, and the three reports I linked to give the history of my gun and what I have tried to do. I now have a new piston seal on order.
Darts
My Junior is a smoothbore. Does that mean it’s meant for darts instead of pellets? How about yours, RidgeRunner?
My Webley Junior was resigned to the airguns-not-in-service pile. Darts have brought it back!
Everyone
A lot of us may be missing the boat because we’re trying to shoot the wrong ammo in some of our airguns? Do you remember the recent report reader Ian McKee wrote about his Marksman 1010 pistol? Half of you remembered the gun fondly and half hated it. Are we missing something?
Bolts?
In recent years projectiles called bolts have come to the market. I was about to tell you not to bother with them, and then I tried them in my Webley Junior. If you bothered to read Part 2 of the links I provided you’ll see that this pistol was shooting pellets at less than 100 f.p.s. For today’s report I oiled the Junior, but because of the 180-degree bend the air transfer port takes, it will take some time to get the piston seal back up to speed.
Feathered darts on the right and bolts on the left. The bolts shoot faster and stick better in my dartboard.
The Junior sticks feathered darts about half the time but with bolts the success is much better.
The Webley Junior shot bolts fast enough to stick in the target reliably.
Just the start
As I was in my garage shooting at the dart board with my Tyrolean Buglespanner this past weekend I was thinking of all the smoothbore airguns I have owned over the years. That’s when my Webley Junior popped into my head. But there have been many others.
Hy Score 805
The Hy Score model 805 that is another name for the Diana model 16 is a perfect example of a smoothbore airgun that could be used with darts. Another would be the Diana 25 smoothbore that I tested for you years ago. In the case of the latter airgun the power may be too high for good success, but I don’t know that yet — hence the need for testing and a lot of it!
A lot to consider
Ladies and gentlemen, this area of airgunning is wide open to us. I’ll bet several of you readers also have airguns that you don’t shoot for because you think they are too weak. If they are smoothbore, try darts.
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.
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