Author Topic: What is the highest speed homemade nail dart?  (Read 337 times)

Offline BoyntonStu

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What is the highest speed homemade nail dart?
« on: May 27, 2010, 07:27:45 AM »
Question: What is the highest speed homemade nail dart that you know of that flies straight? What speed?

Offline Forum Admin

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Re: What is the highest speed homemade nail dart?
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2010, 12:16:39 PM »
The fastest one I have made that I have data for is 645.9 fps. That is with a .545" diameter 186 grain nail dart that used a 3/4" long hot glue ring to seal and a small t shirt tail to stabilize it. It had stable flight all the way to 40 yards where it remains buried nearly to the head in a oak tree.  ;D

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Re: What is the highest speed homemade nail dart?
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2010, 08:01:38 PM »
BTW Stu, have you tried fin stabilization on your darts? If you look at anti tank and anti personnel darts that the military uses, all use fin stablization and are capable of very good accuracy at supersonic speeds. The challenge there from my experience is making a good sabot that holds up under the blast of high pressure air. Hot glue sabots work well, but have too much weight for my taste. I've achieved several 40 yard stable shots with fin stabilized darts pushed with a hot glue sabot. High density foam is blown around the dart and the dart usually just drops a few feet from the muzzle.  >:( Check this one out: http://www.steyr-aug.com/acr2002.htm. The darts only weigh 9.85 grains, but they travel at a whopping 4757 fps.  ;D Here's a video that has a good image of how the shell is configured: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3PmwET2GE0. Here's another ACR that fired fletchettes for more inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJCwC2MBrx4&feature=related.
« Last Edit: May 28, 2010, 08:24:09 PM by Forum Admin »