Wooden dowel nail dart tails

[Snipeshot11]

  Maybe the hot glue to hold the nail on has more on one side than the other. or maybe the nail is a little off center.

[Forum Admin]

I had the same problem with some 40 yd shots I was taking earlier. The cork dart did tumble at longer range. I also made a couple with dowel tails, one flew straight, the other tumbled. I think a lot of it is making sure the nail is perfectly centered with the tail. I've lost all my corks, so I wasnt able to try again.   Drilling the back of them to make them even lighter would probably help improve stability as well. I wasnt able to chronograph anything, it is pouring rain outside. The weather hasnt been good for experimenting lately.

[FighterAce]

I think a lot of it is making sure the nail is perfectly centered with the tail.

Nope thats not it, the air doesnt even see the nail. I noticed my tails are too short but when I make em longer they weigh almost as the nail. The wood is too heavy so the drilling thing is not just a good tip, its absolutely necessary to make it fly straight. Usually its the sum of small things that gets me but this time it was 1 stupid mistake and a flaw in the design. The areo start of the wood and centering do help but without drilling the end it doesnt matter because it will fly horrible. I'm gonna get a new drill bit tomorrow and start making some improved ones, see how they fly.

Cut off nail head, drill hole for the nail, glue the nail into the hole, make an areo wooden tip, hollow out the other end AND wrap tape around it so its an air tight seal  darn thats alot of steps and I can tell ya, its gonna take a little longer then the 30 sec mark thats for my paper darts.... a "little" longer heh heh

[Forum Admin]

That's exactly why I've been sticking with the shotgun wads. Just glue them on and let them fly. Cloth tails have been a very close second in performance, a little bit more tweaking and they will be a strong contestant.

The interesting thing about my earlier dowel nail dart test was both had the same length (1.25") solid tail. One flew perfectly straight into a tree at 40 yards, the other, well, he tumbled somewhere else.  My dowels had the same diameter as the nail head (3/8"), and I used a tad bit of hot glue to make them seal well in my .40 barrel.

[FighterAce]

Wood density varies from tree to tree and so does the weight. The wood on the straight shot could have been lighter then on the tumbling one. Also dont forget 1 could have been exposed to moisture so it got wet and heavier and other didnt.

I dont mind a lot of steps but I do mind when I gotta do them in order for each tail. It would be easier to fix them on some rack and drill em all at once, hollow em all at once, etc. I'm hoping a local wood shop could cut a bunch of them clean at 90 degrees at uniform lengths to make mass production a bit easier 
I really like the fact that I can reuse the tails as many times as want and just attach a new nail. I'm not sure you can say the same for the wads and cloth...

[Forum Admin]

The dowel I used is an old dry one that I've had for quite some time. That's why I wondered about balsa wood when you first posted.  It is probably light enough for stable flight as is, though probably cannot be reused. Back in the day, I used to use foam earplugs as stabilizers for darts made of coat hangers. As far as reuseability, cloth is a definite no-go.  Shotgun wads depend on how close I am to the target. Too close, and they smash flat. 
You're right, an assembly line would make things a lot easier, I bet you can come up with a way to do it. I used a cheap plastic mitre box and fine toothed hacksaw to cut mine at 90 degrees. If you have a drill press and center finder, the rest should come easy.

[FighterAce]

I dont have either of that but I'm planning on using some sort of holding piece for the drill and wooden dowel.
The drill and holding piece would not move. In the holding piece there would be a hole thats the same diameter as the wooden dowel. At the bottom there would be the drill bit. Simply insert, hold and push down the wooden dowel to make the hole. The trick will be alining the drill bit with the hole for the dowel.

I'm still not sure weather to use nails with no head and a hole for them inside the dowel or just a regular nail glued onto the end of the dowel. With the nails with the head I wont be able to make that areo transition but they are easier to make. With the nails without the head I'd need longer tails cause the nail rides partially inside and that means less bullets for the buck and the tails fly off when the nail penetrates so its harder to find.

[FighterAce]

I just drilled a hole in the end and it flew straight. I suggest you try the same. The hole ends about 5mm before the nail head. I didnt put the areo tip... seems like it doesnt matter because the nail head is kinda angled.



I took a total of 2 shots at 10 meters. After the first shot the tail flew off, I recovered it, reheated the hot glue and attached a new nail. The 2nd shot was exactly 8mm away from the first one. I was gonna shoot for the 3rd time but I was unable to find the tail. I'm very surprised with the accuracy and stability of these darts. I attached the piston valve to my old vice so it creates a stable shooting platform. For aiming I just looked down the barrel.



Note how the nails are angled. Thats because I shot at 2 different angles so if the dart decides to bounce back, I dont stand in its way 

[BoyntonStu]

I just drilled a hole in the end and it flew straight. I suggest you try the same. The hole ends about 5mm before the nail head. I didnt put the areo tip... seems like it doesnt matter because the nail head is kinda angled.



I took a total of 2 shots at 10 meters. After the first shot the tail flew off, I recovered it, reheated the hot glue and attached a new nail. The 2nd shot was exactly 8mm away from the first one. I was gonna shoot for the 3rd time but I was unable to find the tail. I'm very surprised with the accuracy and stability of these darts. I attached the piston valve to my old vice so it creates a stable shooting platform. For aiming I just looked down the barrel.




Nice work.

Spray the tail white or orange day glow to make it easier to find.

If only we could find some thin walled plastic tubing with just the right diameter.....

Note how the nails are angled. Thats because I shot at 2 different angles so if the dart decides to bounce back, I dont stand in its way 

[FighterAce]

Good idea.. I'll take a look for plastic tubing tomorrow 

[Forum Admin]

Good job, those look pretty deadly  I like the close grouping as well, that is good hunting accuracy. 

[mouz]

hey man i got a lathe..... i'm gonna try makin' some different wooden cones, the hole in the back puts the center of gravity farther forward, which is imperative for long range shots.   

[FighterAce]

Hollowing the back removes minimal amount of material since you cant remove too much. Wood is not that strong when its thin and its not light. If you got a lathe I'd recommend using alternate and lighter materials.

[mouz]

it only turns wood. it might be able to turn soft plastic, but i don't think so.