4 replies to this topic

[ComradeSch]

So, way, way back when the Vulcan had just came out, I had an idea. I don't promise a good idea, just an idea.

I thought perhaps a smaller-diameter foam dart might enhance performance, sort of like how you get a higher velocity out of 5.56 than 7.62 NATO, and I thought that it might be worth trying, say, a .30" dart in a specially modified Rainbow to see how that performs.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this, and I'd especially love to hear if anyone's tried a dart smaller than .50".

[snakerbot]

Way back in the day (like 15+ years ago) Some people experimented with 3/8" darts but they never came to anything.

[ComradeSch]

Way back in the day (like 15+ years ago) Some people experimented with 3/8" darts but they never came to anything.

Do you remember how they made/sourced the 3/8" darts? Or what they used as barrels?

[snakerbot]

Do you remember how they made/sourced the 3/8" darts? Or what they used as barrels?

Same way we used to make any other darts: foam backer rod. Just in 3/8" diameter instead of 1/2". This was back in the glue dome days. No idea what people used for barrels. Probably brass, but PEX may have been considered also. IIRC, 1/2" PEX has ~3/8" ID.

[Daniel Beaver]

For reference 3/8" darts were referred to as "nanos". Not much ever came of them. One major issue is that the dimensional tolerances of FBR seem to be consistent across sizes, which makes the barrel fit very inconsistent on small sizes.

 

It's definitely possible to make practical small darts, but you need to use different materials and construction methods than is typical for stefans. Boomco's straw darts, for example, are 0.4" in diameter, and do perform well.

Edited by Daniel Beaver, 14 March 2020 - 09:45 AM.