Big Bore blowguns

[Schmidty25]

I just was searching around cabelas the other day and I had a $50 gift certificate.  so I decided to buy one of these.  It's 5 ft long.  pretty neat.    It's powerful enough to take down small game within 60 feet.  It's alot of fun!  Has anyone else bought one or had a blowgun?  I'm going to start making my own tips.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0064063229652a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&QueryText=blowgun&sort=all&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23

[chortdraw]

I have used blow guns for a few years. It is surprising just how accurate they are. Have even killed a couple of ground squirrels with it. Made some small hammered out broadheads for it that worked out pretty good.  

[michael90t]

been playing with blowguns for well... long as I can remember LOL... yes they can be AMAZINGLY accurate with some practice but I would not suggest hunting with them.... unless you have some heavy broadheads or the like... the needle darts and even the bought broadheads you can get for them are pretty useless.... hell you would be better off hitting them with a roundball of the correct caliber and crushing their heads....

 worst kill of my life was with a blowgun on a ground squirrel.... had one about 20 yards out in the grass when I took my shot and ran it through side to side right behind the eyes.... perfect brain shot didn't even phase the damned thing... it ran up to one of the pine trees in my g-mas yard so I got closer and put another one right through the head literally pinning it to the tree..... still didn't drop the critter.... it started doing summersaults around the spike pinning its head to the tree until the dart finally came out of the tree... hit the ground running with 2 darts straight through its head.... it ran off a short distance and stopped and I put another one right through the back of its head pinning it to the ground and guess what.... thing still didn't die.... I had enough at this point and picked up a big piece of river rock in the yard for decoration and smashed it into a pancake..... Never felt so bad about killing something in my life... was a completely inhuman kill have never since even thought of taking game with a blowgun... and my skill with them was VERY good at that time... me and pops could hit small pellet tin sized targets at ranges of 30+ yards with relative ease hell bottle tops where not that hard could usually get them at least one out of 3..

All that being said blow guns are GREAT fun for target practice... start out close and keep working your way back and you will be amazed with a few month practice what you can achieve.... just remember.... even societies that rely on blowguns for food don't rely on the dart to do the kill.. they rely on the poison that dart was tipped in to do the job.....

[chortdraw]

Darn...now you have to go and find one of those blue and yellow frogs.

[daveshoot]

I have a 5 footer camo from about 25 years ago. It has the orange beads on a string. You heat the wire up with a Bic and sink it into the bead.

Amazingly accurate. Useless for hunting (without poison, darn game laws) but I could peg the crest on a Coors can very reliably at 40 ft. I have a secret aiming technique that I will not reveal until blowgun FT is an accepted discipline.

I shot two critters with it, a grackle anda chipmunk. Both horrible experiences. I have never had blowgun broadheads but I can't imagine they would fare much better. The "two bead" option was considered viable on fish- never tried that. Not interested.

This is not a hunting weapon, as far as I can tell, but it sure was fun. Don't point it at critters and you will have a riot with it. I whiled away many hours with blowgun and it was an entertaining and accurate shooter.

[crowpopper]

i have a 40 cal and have nailed a few tree rats
i have steel broadheads for it and aim for the brain both rats dropped dead in tracks

[djmyers]

I've got one almost identicle to that one. They are fun as he'll. Only killed 1 bird with it. Managed to pin his wing to his side then had to spear him about 9 more times. It is very quiet. If you take the end cap off the exit end you can shoot thumb tacks. Those are fun for parties when somebody is running their mouth. Little thumb tack in the neck shuts them up quick. Better be faster then hey are.  Lol as far as shooting animals with it, not anymore unless it's with the hard plastic thumper dart to scare stuff but that's about it.

The scewers are good and the thumper darts are fun. The broad head act like fins on the front and cause misses sometimes. Cheap fun though.

[Big_Bill]

I'm glad that I am not alone, shooting darts from a long aluminum tube.

I have bin playing with blow guns for over 30 years, after seeing an add for one piece 48 and 36 inch blow guns, and darts !!!!

I have taken out many "bird feeder rats" with these two beauties ! And while they may not be fast killers no matter how great you make your broad head darts,it can't be denied that they are quiet !!!!! I have made a few darts with ball bearings epoxied on the front of a dowel, using a cork for the tail. These knock these pests out with head shots, but leave youto dispatch the unconscious vermin

The first chapter in the First Book Air Gun Digest, is all about the first air gun, titled "A Bit of Blow" It has a few good ideas on the construction of darts !

Since this all began, I have bought a 24 inch Blow Gun for basement target shooting. And if you think it's FUN to shoot toy soldiers with a B.B. gun, just wait until you run a dart through one !!!

I have also made broad head dart using razor blades, they work as well as arrow broad heads, but due to the fast reflexes of the "rats" they do travel, even with the perfect heart and lung shot !

It is good to know that if I am nuts, that I'm not alone

Bill

[jay morgan]

I'd have too agree with All that's been said here,but even with broadhead's just not a clean killing weapon,I've even gave a run at syringies & wieghted plunger!?! In a survival,I'd use one, you can alway's pin them & dispatch whatever it is & for over 30 year's it has keep me having a ball with my two(no moveing part's yahooo!!)

[StrawHat]

I just used yellow wire nuts and 1/2" conduit to shoot the other electricians, most of the time it left a bruse and yes you better be faster.

[michael90t]

Strawhat... borrow some plumbers putty from a plumber on the job site and make up a ball from that and launch it.... hehehe just do NOT shoot anyone in the head or any seriouse place... that stuff has ALOT of kinetic energy had will hurt like Heck!!!! dunno why I know such things... would never do that on a job site.....

[StrawHat]

I would never engage in horseplay at the jobsite........Okay I would never admit to horseplay at the jobsite............Okay, okay I did it.