pneumatic dart gun

[Forum Admin]

I got my airgun built today, no stock yet, but it is functional with a 13" air chamber made of 3/4" type L. The barrel is a 30" length of 3/4" type L. I built a dart today using a 2.5" nail and used an entire sheet of 20 lb paper for the stabilizing cone. Instead of using the plumb bob, I rolled it by hand, adding thin sheets of hot glue as I rolled to keep it together. This allowed me to make a longer cone with less drag. I inserted it into a scrap piece of barrel material and used a brand new razor blade to cut it to the right size. I then added a ball of hot glue right under the head of the nail and inserted it into the cone. A squirt of hot glue into the cone, and the dart was done. It is too dark to chronograph, but the white dart stood out well in the evening light as it flew straight about 40 yards before it embedded high into an oak tree. That shot was at 100 psi and is fairly quiet. I'm off tomorrow so weather permitting I plan to conduct more tests and take pictures of the project.

[Forum Admin]

Here's the airgun with the sch 80 3/4" barrel:



I made the adaptor last night out of a 3/4" to 1/2" reducer and a 3/4" to 1/2" thread adaptor. After soldering them together, I pressed the 1/2" end of the reducer into the PVC barrel before it compeletely cooled. It melted the barrel slightly producing a nice air tight seal. Worked out quite elegant considering I used parts on hand since the hardware stores all closed early.

I've been experimenting with making different darts out of 3" lengths of 1/4" steel rod. Here's what I've built so far:



From left to right, we have a blunt point for delivering shock to small game, a field point for better penetration, and a broadhead for hunting larger game. I really need to get a scale, but if my math was correct they all weigh in over 250 grains a piece. I'm hoping to chronograph them on Sunday and see about finding a small scale to weigh them as well. Knowing what energies I'm producing would be nice.

[BoyntonStu]

Here's the airgun with the sch 80 3/4" barrel:



I made the adaptor last night out of a 3/4" to 1/2" reducer and a 3/4" to 1/2" thread adaptor. After soldering them together, I pressed the 1/2" end of the reducer into the PVC barrel before it compeletely cooled. It melted the barrel slightly producing a nice air tight seal. Worked out quite elegant considering I used parts on hand since the hardware stores all closed early.

I've been experimenting with making different darts out of 3" lengths of 1/4" steel rod. Here's what I've built so far:





From left to right, we have a blunt point for delivering shock to small game, a field point for better penetration, and a broadhead for hunting larger game. I really need to get a scale, but if my math was correct they all weigh in over 250 grains a piece. I'm hoping to chronograph them on Sunday and see about finding a small scale to weigh them as well. Knowing what energies I'm producing would be nice.

Good work!

They look like screwdrivers!

i am eager to see your chrono and weight results.

BoyntonStu