Powerful new dart

[Forum Admin]

I still like fin stabilized darts, so I took some aluminum flashing and cut fins for a new dart. I took a 16d nail and hot glued a 55 grain 3/8" ball bearing to the head. I then hot glued a fauced washer to the nail and added a bit more glue to even the shape out. The fins were then glued on and cut to final shape. A bit of trimming and the fins keep the dart perfectly centered in the barrel. The final product weighs 252 grains and flys 474 fps, making 126 fpe. I've tested three of them at 20 yards, and all demonstrated stable flight at that range. They pack quite a punch, going right through 3/4" particle board and driving the ball bearing through the bark and into the wood of a oak tree. Here's a picture of the final product:

[Forum Admin]

Another interesting thing about this design is that the ball bearing separates upon impact, creating two wound channels. I just shot through some corrugated steel and the entire dart went through. After penetration, the ball bearing separated and went through another layer of steel 6 feet away, the nail penetrated sideways a foot away from the ball bearing. The fins were knocked off, but the washer stayed on. I've been able to collect and reuse many of my washers. This is a good thing, since they run about 15 cents a piece. I'll take some damage pics as soon as I get a chance, its getting too dark for photos now.

[BoyntonStu]

Nice dart.

1>  Any advantage over using a T shirt?

2>  How about using curved aluminum fins to spin it?

3>  I was thinking of hot gluing a glass marble in front of the nail head and shotshell cup.
      Use hot glue to make it more aero.

[Forum Admin]

One advantage over the T shirt is consistency. The metal can be cut and attached in a easily repeatable fashion. It also enables the dart to be perfectly centered in the barrel. This should lead to greater accuracy. The biggest advantage to me is being waterproof, a very important thing when hunting. A wet t shirt tail will have different flight characteristics than a dry one will. I've considered adding a slight spin to it, just havent gotten around to it. The trick is getting just enough spin to keep it on target, but not enough to induce too much drag. I'll have to brush up on arrow design and adapt it to these darts. Another thing I wish to incorporate is a discarding sabot, I'm getting close, your idea of going head first is the key to success. The head keeps the sabot from separating from the dart until it exits the barrel.

These things deliver a death punch. They hit hard like a lead ball, but have potential for greater accuracy without requiring a rifled barrel. Now I need to move to higher pressure and a spring operated pilot, possibly even a homemade valve (QDV) and this thing will be fully capable of taking some serious game. 

[BoyntonStu]

One advantage over the T shirt is consistency. The metal can be cut and attached in a easily repeatable fashion. It also enables the dart to be perfectly centered in the barrel. This should lead to greater accuracy. The biggest advantage to me is being waterproof, a very important thing when hunting. A wet t shirt tail will have different flight characteristics than a dry one will. I've considered adding a slight spin to it, just havent gotten around to it. The trick is getting just enough spin to keep it on target, but not enough to induce too much drag. I'll have to brush up on arrow design and adapt it to these darts. Another thing I wish to incorporate is a discarding sabot, I'm getting close, your idea of going head first is the key to success. The head keeps the sabot from separating from the dart until it exits the barrel.

These things deliver a death punch. They hit hard like a lead ball, but have potential for greater accuracy without requiring a rifled barrel. Now I need to move to higher pressure and a spring operated pilot, possibly even a homemade valve (QDV) and this thing will be fully capable of taking some serious game.  

An alternative to T shirt cotton might be a non absorbing material like rayon or nylon.

I doubt that they would add much weight if rained on.

Perhaps we need a quiver container to keep our tails dry?

Head first nails are very effective hunting ammunition and now that I use it, I wonder why it too me so long to discover it.

I have been doodling a lighter weight cardboard sabot.  

[FighterAce]

Very nice work  I like how you improved upon my design and moved the fins back while increasing mass at the tip.

How consistently can you make the fins out of sheet aluminium? Do you mark each separately or do you have a template?
It would be nice to see some bench rested groupings to see what those darts can deliver.

If I'm going out shooting and I know I'm gonna get wet, I keep my darts in waterproof zip bags and I keep those in my dump pouch on my LBE. If its raining it can be tricky to get one out and into the chamber quickly. Hopefully with my new ammo I'll be able to abandon the paper tails for good.. if it works that is

[Forum Admin]

@stu
Non absorbing fabric would be great for hunting with in wet conditions. The aluminum I've got is pretty cheap, I spent around $20 for a 14"x50' roll of it. You can make a lot of tails with one that size. I actually bought it for another project, but wanted to give the fins another try. I need to test the theory to be sure, but I expect the aluminum fins yielding greater accuracy than t-shirt tails because they center the dart in the barrel and provide a uniform air surface from dart to dart.

@fighterace
Increasing the tip mass really gives them a punch and makes them kick quite a bit. The fins can be made very consistently, you can cut them with aviation snips as easy as paper and scissors. I need to make a template, so far, I've just been eyeballing them. Once I do that, I'll do some groupings and see what kind of accuracy we can get.

[BoyntonStu]

@stu
Non absorbing fabric would be great for hunting with in wet conditions. The aluminum I've got is pretty cheap, I spent around $20 for a 14"x50' roll of it. You can make a lot of tails with one that size. I actually bought it for another project, but wanted to give the fins another try. I need to test the theory to be sure, but I expect the aluminum fins yielding greater accuracy than t-shirt tails because they center the dart in the barrel and provide a uniform air surface from dart to dart.

@fighterace
Increasing the tip mass really gives them a punch and makes them kick quite a bit. The fins can be made very consistently, you can cut them with aviation snips as easy as paper and scissors. I need to make a template, so far, I've just been eyeballing them. Once I do that, I'll do some groupings and see what kind of accuracy we can get.

See my cardboard sabot.

You can add a few near the tail and center the dart in the barrel.

Not necessary in my opinion.

The cardboard seems to be very accurate, albeit a bit slower.

[Forum Admin]

I like the cardboard sabot, I have a never ending supply of cardboard from work. I think, though testing will see for sure, that the fins produce less drag than a t shirt tail. I also plan to incorporate a discarding sabot to minimize drag. If the discarding sabot can keep the dart centered, I'm going to trim more off the fin height. Hopefully this will evolve into a dart capable of retaining lots of energy, even out to 100+ yards. A slight spin should help maintain the accuracy needed to be on target at that range.

[josephlys]

Ok so Ive seen your 'cardboard sabot dart with t-shirt stabalizers', also your 'new powerful dart' is awesome. Gotta try your designs, are they really superior in accuracy to the common 'paper cone dart'? What dart will you recommend with a modded paintballgun, I was thinking 'paper cone darts' but then I saw the new designs and now I wonder which is more suitable for modded paitballgun. If a simple 'paper cone dart' will shoot accurately with a straight trajectory out of a mod paintballgun then I will be more than happy to use the paper cone ones cause they are so easy to make.

[BoyntonStu]

The cardboard dart is not as fast or as accurate as the shotshell or the cork darts.

The cardboard does not seal reliably.

I suggest that you start with cones and work from there.

Shotshell hull darts are easy to make, are self centering, and to date, are the best.

Corks  are easy to come by but are harder to size and to center drill.

OTOH Corks are very promising, easy to aero shape, and perhaps the longest range design.

You need to chrono your shots to see what exactly is happening.

One note:  Removing a point first nail from a plywood target is easy.

                Removing a head first nail is very difficult.

[josephlys]

Ok, well you see shotgun shells are extremely hard to comeby here. Ive exclusively used only cone darts and find them accurate plus they are simple and easy to make. Just have to make them long and streamline. so they fly straight.

[josephlys]

Can you tell me the difference and advantages of a head first nail dart other than it delivers more punch.

[BoyntonStu]

Can you tell me the difference and advantages of a head first nail dart other than it delivers more punch.

1.  The head prevents the barrel sealer from separating from the nail.
     (This is the reason that I tried it and discovered its advantages.)

2.  The head seals better to the shotshell hull,

3. The cg is slightly more forward this way.

[josephlys]

First of, does a reversed naildart have advantage in accuracy? Never tried reverse. Also does a heavier dart have an advantage of stabalizing the flight pattern of a projectile. ( As in not veering off course.) Fired from a paintballgun, which has power to push a 53grain paintball 280-300 fps. Heavier(towards  60-70grain) of course will gain trajectory, but thats ok as long as it does not veer, Im petrified of veering darts. Well it will be best if a 40 grain dart can have no veering, then  i'll have its flat trajectory  and range. Point me towards the right direction plz, thanks so much.