Blowguns

The Falcon · Post by **The Falcon** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 8:52 am

I hate things like seat belts that will only be of benefit is something very bad happens.

(same thing with any kind of insurance - paying a lot of money for something that I never want to use)

Vagrant · Post by **Vagrant** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 5:37 pm

Both me and my Girlfriend survived [seperate] accidents that would have killed us if we were wearing seatbelts. I rolled over and the roof over the drivers side was pushed level with the dashboard. I was flipped into the back seat. A semi hit the drivers side of my girlfriends car and entered it, she was pushed into the passengers side, with the passenger. [I walked away from mine, she went to the hosiptal]. Both of us would have died if wearing seatbelts.

Bonzo · Post by **Bonzo** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 8:12 pm

Mr. Vagrant,

Can you believe a few years back a dumbshit politician here wanted to make seat belts mandatory on motorcycles?

Only in CA.

Best Regard's,

Bonz

The Falcon · Post by **The Falcon** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 1:03 am

Bonz,

That seat belts for motorcycles thing was a joke wasn't it? Please tell me it was a gag. We have stupid politicians in CA but not THAT STUPID, do we?

The Falcon · Post by **The Falcon** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 1:04 am

Bonz,

That seat belts for motorcycles thing was a joke wasn't it? Please tell me it was a gag. We have stupid politicians in CA but not THAT STUPID, do we?

missaman · Post by **missaman** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 1:21 am

God I hope it was a joke. I rode for many years, Never laid one down but came close a few times

Vagrant · Post by **Vagrant** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 6:43 am

Sounds dumb enough to be serious. One of the British Ministries developed a padded chest brace for motorcycles to keep the rider from being thrown over the handle bars in a frontal impact. I guess having a caved-in chest was considered better. Since you don't see these very often [how's that for understatement?] apparently they did not become popular.

Bonzo · Post by **Bonzo** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 5:48 pm

Mr. The Falcon,

That bill was sponsered by the same limp dick that authored the helmet law. I forget his name. Yes it is true. The sad part of this bullshit is, we gotta pay this asshole to write it.

Best Regard's,

Bonz

The Falcon · Post by **The Falcon** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 11:17 pm

Recall, recall, recall!

Vagrant · Post by **Vagrant** » Sat Nov 01, 2003 5:34 pm

Back on Topic.
With the flea market shutting down in two weeks I'm making a list for next season. The HOT ITEM so far, an adapter that lets you power the blowgun with CO2. I'm skeptical wheather standard darts can be used but, even if special darts are needed it's still very interesting. [My own experiments with compressed air, black powder, etc. indicate standard darts bend in the middle if accellerated to quickly]. Several sources have mentioned lazer sights but my own experiments indicate very limited usefullness [rainbow trajectory and a straight line lazer don't mix].

Mors Profundis · Post by **Mors Profundis** » Sun Nov 02, 2003 1:26 am

The skirted darts are much better-I had this 20gague blowpipe that would drive it's skirted 6 penny nail darts into wood so deeply you needed pliers to get them out.
Still, that wire was so useful..........

Vagrant · Post by **Vagrant** » Mon Nov 03, 2003 7:46 pm

Mors Profundus wrote:The skirted darts are much better-I had this 20gague blowpipe that would drive it's skirted 6 penny nail darts into wood so deeply you needed pliers to get them out.
Still, that wire was so useful..........

I strongly recomend pliers to anyone shooting at wood. Next season I'm thinking of giving away some cheapo multi-tools with the blowguns to make dart recovery easier.

Mors Profundis · Post by **Mors Profundis** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 7:02 pm

What bore diameter have you found to be most powerful?
Jivaro's were 9mm, and 10mm has become very popular, but that .62 I had really drove them home!
However, I defer to the professional's opinion, as experience is the best teacher.
I had to hide my blowgun, my wife kept trying to shoot the squirrels off the bird feeder with it, so I don't get too much shooting in.
I wasn't that I wanted to spoil her fun, but complications with the game wardens, my fondness for squirrels, and the fact that she kept missing and losing the damned darts made it nesscessary to curb her activities.
Besides, the neighbors hang her up for a Halloween decoration for a week, this time every year, and the blowgun gives her ideas during condo association meetings.
My wife hates squirrels because she's afraid they'll bury her for the winter again, like they did two years ago(why I dug her up is a mystery, except the local children started crying-they didn't see her, and were afraid she'd be under their beds at night, again.).
Her parole officer gets to be a nusience too, not to mention the dwarves singing "Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead" all night.

Vagrant · Post by **Vagrant** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 5:39 am

So far I have no experience with the .62 cal. Although at work once I made one that was about .75 cal and required "shop air" [150 psi] to drive the darts, which were screwdriver blades from an assembly machine. The cones were rubber suction cups from the same machine and over an inch of oak was no problem. The .50 cal seems close to ideal. It hits harder than the .40 cal but doesn't require major lung power.
When I try the .62 cal I may change my mind but I've heard it takes about the maximum pressure lungs can provide and you get tired quickly.

Mors Profundis · Post by **Mors Profundis** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 6:16 pm

Let me know-I ran out of .62 darts years ago, and need some more.
I've never seen a .50 cal blowpipe for sale, and will have to check the next gun show I attend.
In Japan, by the way of a strange fact, youngsters once used a blowpipe with a side mounted mouthpiece to kill small birds for the pot.
Looks like a killer ocarina, and how they aimed it, I don't know-maybe they wanted to give the poor little birds a better chance.
And if you use shop air, it is no longer a blowgun, now it's a pneumatic cannon(hooray!.