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Blowguns- The Beginner's PrimerAn Authoritative Book Concerning the Details of the

Blowgun's Construction and Usage

Written By Oliver Krystal

Preview Release

Version 1.6
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Prologue:

The young man moves slowly and stealthily from the deep woods toward the edge of the clearing. He is shortand muscular by todays standards, and is dressed in a buckskin shirt, leggings, and moccasins. His jetblackhair falls from beneath a turbanlike headdress, decorated with a few feathers and shells. !n his hands are thelong slender cane blowgun called Tugawesti and several needlesharp wooden darts tufted with "ull #ettle. The

darts are called $itsi. He has prepared himself by singing the hunt song, and shooting one of his darts away. !tis a sort of sacrifice to the spirits of the hunt. His black eyes are intently focused on his %uarry, a flock of birdsfeeding on the &ervice "erries in the low trees by the edge of a stream. They are considered to be a greatdelicacy by the 'herokee. He makes a low hissing sound with his lips to calm and attract the birds.

The 'herokee are his people. He is of the "ird 'lan, known for their prowess with the Tugawesti. He has beenpreoccupied of late with a pretty young woman of the "lue clan, and the birds will make a nice gift for hermother. Hopefully this will work in his favor when the women of the "lue clan consider his initial re%uest to marrythe young woman.

&lowly he loads a dart into the blowgun, and raises it to his lips. (nother dart protrudes upward from his gripping

fingers a few inches in front of his right eye. !t serves as an improvised sight. The young man deliberatelyrela)es his body, seeking to still himself from within. (s in most aspects of his life, this rela)ation techni%ue isspiritual in origin. ( %uick puff of air sends the dart on its deadly mission at nearly *++ feet per second. There isa brief %uiet flutter, and one of the birds falls to the ground. The other birds flit around in the trees, but do not flyaway. The young man slowly loads another dart. therwise he is as still as a statue. (nother dart flies, andanother, and another. -ach time a bird falls. He does not miss. The "ird 'lan members are indeed masters ofthe Tugawesti. hen he has enough he gathers the birds, reverently thanking each one in turn for giving him thegift of its life. He then turns toward the village, and the home of the young womans mother.

!t is a beautiful day in the smoking mountains, the heartland of the 'herokee. The proud young man is full ofhope and dreams of the future. He has no way of knowing that within his lifetime, pale strangers will come:&trangers who will change his way of life and that of his people forever. He strolls slowly along, daydreaming ofthe pretty smiling face of his young woman.

/ess than four hundred years later, the thriving city of (sheville #orth 'arolina engulfs the area of the hunt withtall buildings, paved streets, businesses and shops. The stream has long since been diverted, swallowed up byconcrete, asphalt, and steel. Pale metropolitan people hurry back and forth, living their contemporary lives. !fasked, most would have only a vague notion of what a blowgun is. They will never know how wonderful the birdstaste when rubbed with herbs and roasted on a stick. They will never master the subtle skill of the Tugawesti, orcare to try. !n spite of this, there will be those few who remember. There will be those few who know0


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Welcome to Blowgunning!

Blowgunning is not a well-known hobby. Now, you know of it as well. he !ur!ose of this book is to!rovide a very good grounding !oint for all new blowgunners to start with- so that you could s!end"oney on getting into the hobby and not on literature.

#o"e do !a!er blow darting as an alternative to air soft $Charles #ha!iro%. #o"e hunt rats $Blowgun&oe%, while others hunt rabbit and suirrels. here is also a s!ort version of which you co"!ete for thehighest score. #o"e do all three and "ore.

Although there is a wealth of infor"ation about blowguns on the (nternet, it "ay be confusing sortingthrough it, or getting all of the good links which "ay not be found at first with a )oogle search. IndexAlists *+ blowgunning sites- read through the" $so"e reuire )oogle translator%. Although this bookcontains a wealth of knowledge and is ho!efully a very good starting !oint $as ( intended it to be%, itdoesn't have every thing. ( have tried to get a co"!lete listing of the websites that are available on theweb.

A lot of things are hy!erlinked in this book. ( did that so that ( wouldn't have to co!y !aste a lot ofinfor"ation that isn't "ine or because ( could not find a way to integrate that "aterial into the tet.

( also have various blowgunners fro" the "essage board who would be ha!!y to answer you uestions.hey areneondogblowgunners.co"- Neon Dog, very interested in hel!ing you with ten-"eter

co"!etition.

hey would be ha!!y to hel! you with any !roble"s you "ay encounter. Also, feel free to visit theBlowguns North/est 0essage board.

1ou "ay 2ust find the answer to your !roble" there.3h, one thing. his book is to be given to your friends. (t is available on the (nternet fro" a "yriad ofsites, and should not be charged for. Feel free to freel give it awa for free..

4lease note that this book assu"es you have general knowledge of tools and how to use the". (f yousee a ter" you do not understand, D3N' )(56 U47 #end an advisor an e"ail and he would be ha!!yto hel!.
mailto:[email protected]://groups.msn.com/BlowgunsNorthwestPlayersGroup/_whatsnew.msnwmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://groups.msn.com/BlowgunsNorthwestPlayersGroup/_whatsnew.msnwmailto:[email protected]


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able of Content

s

Chapter 1- A Discourse Concerning Blowgun SafetyChapter 2- History of blowgunningChapter 3- Designing a Blowgun

Chapter 4- Dart DesignChapter 5- arget shooting!Ai"ingChapter #- ASBA Shooting $egulations% Si"plifie&'Chapter (- )oison

Indices

*n&e+ A- ,ist of Blowgunners Ho"e pages*n&e+ B-Blowgun Designs

*n&e+ C- Dart Designs'*n&e+ D- Blowgun Accessories an& How to Buil&*n&e+ .- )ro&uct $e/iewsCre&its- 0es% * ha/e to' *ts where * tell you where * got this stuff'


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Chapter 1- Blowgunning Safety

1ou didn't think that a blowgun book would deserve a !age on safety would you8 /ell, nor"ally (would laugh and say, 9No, it shouldn't.: But, if you've every looked for blowgun videos on 1ou ube,you'll see !lenty of du"b stuff.

/ant to know what a blowgun can really do8 /ell, a ; foot . /ear safety glasses during !a!er dart wars. /hile fun, a dart threw the eye could occur and that

would be the end of your eye- as well as any"ore !a!er dart wars.

(f you follow these rules, you:ll have a fun ti"e !laying with blowguns.


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Chapter 2- History of Blowgunning

0any !eo!le are aware that they were used in the 2ungles, in con2unction with !oison $including theinfa"ous curare, featured in a Co"edy Central sketch% by the !yg"ies- the blowguns of which "ay be;-< ti"es the sie that the !yg"ies are. (t is said that these wielders could hit a hu""ing bird in flightat a hundred !aces. owever, the blowgun was found in "ore !laces than the #outh A"erican 2ungles.

&a!anese nin2as utilied the" to !oison those that they were e"!loyed to assassinate. hey were alsoutilied by the authorities and others in con2unction with !e!!er to blind attackers and unruly citiens.*

Blowgunning also gained firing rituals and such and is still !o!ular today.

owever, a relatively unknown fact $!erha!s even a"ong devoted blow gunners% is that the Cherokee(ndians utilied a blowgun "ade of river cane, and an un-!oisoned wooden dart. hey would select a!iece of river cane +- feet long, bore out the solid 2oints in-between the sections, taking thea!!ro!riate "easures to s"ooth out the inside of the cane. hen, the cane is heated, then dried whileholding the cane straight. Darts are "ade of hardwood, and fletched with thistle down and sinew.hey never utilied !oison on their darts, because they believed $rightly% that it would !oison the rabbit

or another other s"all ani"al they were shooting out.>

&ivaro Blowguns constructed and sold their s"all .;E caliber blowgun in the *+=Fs, @=Fs, and E=Fs.hey did this threw s"all ads in outdoors "againes, shooting "againes, and the like. he fadedaway towards the end of the E=Fs. heir vacuu", of course, was filled by chea! and wasteful things,si"ilar to the blowguns available today fro" 9o"e Defense: sites $a silly idea%. Blowgun &oe hasone of these blowguns and uses it today, >=-


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Chapter 3- Designing and Building a Blowgun

&ust what kind of s!eed can a blowgun achieve8 &anich will have you believe that a blowgun can goabout == feet !er second $f!s%- or "ore. $As will the tables !resented below% ( believe that the casualuser "ay be able to achieve that kind of s!eed, if only on a fluke. A nor"al s!eed is *== f!s. hat'sstill !retty doggone fast.

Blowguns North/est released this table, telling how fast a caliber blowguns you canachieve about >M "ore velocity and distance(

hat "eans that in theory, a = calibers and +> calibers will give you these kinds of velocitiesGUN LENGTH Ve)%"*t+ f%$ , 50 ",)*-e$ Ve)%"*t+ f%$ , 62 ",)*-e$ *& .EET

/ER ECON

24 263 32

36 350 438

48 444 555

Note that the bigger the caliber or the longer the gun, the faster the velocities are. Now !lease stickwith "e here for 2ust a second.

1ou !ut a dart in a blowgun, correct8 1ou have 2ust created a te"!orary $and fairly loose% seal. Now,to get a dart going fast, you si"!ly create an 9e!losion: of air by ehaling uickly into a !i!e. At this

!oint, that burst of air accelerates a dart as fast as it can. he idea is to find the length that allows youto get the dart to "ai"u" acceleration before the air runs out and the dart starts to slow down in the!i!e- say a foot !i!e- because it allows you to get the biggest burst of air behind the !i!e before theseal ends and you can no longer !ut "ore !ressure behind it.

Gro" the table, you should get that a bigger, longer blowgun should go faster. old 3N7 here is ablowgunning rule that li"its how big your blowgun should be. #ince this book is written towardsbeginners !ri"arily, 2ust take a few things into account.


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he **=thrule says that a blowgun should be one-tenth of your lung ca!acity. his is nor"ally about;== cubic inches. his "eans that your )lowgun volumeshould only use u! to ;= cubic inches. hefor"ula for cubic volu"e is

he for"ula co"es out to vO$4iPLQ>%. ( 2ust thought that looked nicer.his "eans that to find the volu"e of a blowgun, take the the dia"eter of your blowgun, divide it by >.#uare that, then "ulti!ly by 4i, or ;.*inches to a foot%. 0ulti!ly this nu"ber by the !revious nu"ber.

An example:

( have a ;' +: $or :% blowgun. (t is a +> caliber. #o, .+> divided by > is .;*. #uare this, and it is.=+*. 0ulti!ly this by 4i, ;.*.+@;++E. 4lentyof breather roo". According to the **=thrule, you're doing 2ust fine.

0outh!ieces A !i!e has two dia"eters (.D. and 3.D. (.D. "eans inner diameter and 3.D. "eansouter diameter. 1ou can "ake a "outh!iece fro" "any things- a co""ercial "odified to fit the 3.D.of your !i!e, tubing that slides on with 2ust enough resistance to "ake it stay on, or a 45C fitting witha screw in it or ta!e wra!!ed around to "ake it stay on. &ust wander around the 45C fittings for a littlebit, sli!!ing the" on and off the !i!e to see which fits the best.

#o"e blowgunners !refer a "outh!iece with a 9bell: that they can fit li!s inside of, so"e !refer one

that they wra! their hands around and then seal by !ressing their li!s to their hands, while still otherdon't even bother with a blow!i!e $Gukiya style%.

Kuivers 1ou can !urchase uivers for you blowgun or you can "ake the" by taking !i!e the sa"e(.D. as you !i!e and folding ta!e into the inside so that it "akes the !i!e s"aller. 1ou can also use as"aller (.D. !iece of !i!e to "ake uivers. 4ersonally, ( wouldn't use the" on a hunting !i!e, unlessthe hunting broadheads are covered for safety.

#tra!s #tra!locks can be "ade by twisting so co!!er wire or using cable ties.

Iight "ounts #ee (nde D for an idea

4orting his is done either to "ake the blowgun look tougher or to "ake the blowgun uieter byre"oving the !o! fro" the end- realie that this dro!s "ule velocity because of the esca!ing air.

#ights Bruce Bell of the A#BA has designed "ulti!le sites for usage. #ee the A#BA ho"e site for!lans.

Lealie that the accessories for a blowgun are only li"ited by your ability to a. build it, or b. describeit.


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Design a blowgun with as "any s!ecifications as !ossible- this will hel! you to create an efficientdesign for that !ur!ose. ake note of any restrictions you "ay have- for instance

rans!ortation Are you walking and carrying the !i!e on your back Liding a bike8 Driving a truck8

a car with no trunk s!ace8 Available "aterials

conduit is heavier and has a bigger bore sie co!!er is lighter but is nicer when done right 45C is usually available anywhere

0onetary issues Conduit is "uch chea!er than conduit co!!er is e!ensive 45C is about as chea! as conduit

Beatings it "ay take co!!er and conduit will both dent 45C will take the blows, but "ay shatter

Available tools Co!!er and conduit will reuire !i!e cutters and deburring 45C can be worked with a hacksaw and a knife.

0outh!ieces Conduit can use a R: 45C fe"ale threaded fitting 45C can use any !ro!er sied fittings Co!!er "outh!ieces can be "ade out of tubing

Consider uses unting blowguns should be no shorter than feet, unless using a high !owered blowgun,

such as )eeer's. According to his tests, this can shorten the length by u! to a foot. (f co"!eting, a blowgun can be no longer than


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Chapter - Designing and Building a Blow Dart

Index B contains many effective dart designs.

If you do not feel up to the task of designing a dart,or ant to ensure that your dart ill make as clean a kill as possi!le,

you can use one of those dart designs until you are sure of your design.

Before we even get started o insure yourself a continuous flow of cones, learn how to roll a!a!er

dart.,art ,esign ui#elines /via the +aveman's site0

4referred weight of a cal .+> Dart is ;.> gra"s $however darts =. to gra" can be used% Above darts !erfor" best $waggle free% when fired by >.> 0eter Blowgun, fired with a

strong blow -S "ule s!eed about ""% -S for cal .+>

Note on Gins Gleible fins do auto ad2ust during flight $they bend under strea"ing air%and can be used for a wider range of s!eed. wo layers of =.* "" 4olyester $46% Gil" isbest. A cone rolled with ; or < layers of fil" will be etre"ely stiff. 6tre"e stiff $thick%fins do not bend during flight. heir ca!ability for waggle co"!ensation is higher, but the

cone can only be used for a s"aller s!eed range.

hese are the Cave"an's Dart design guidelines. (f you've ever gone to his site, you know that he hasso"e of the best dart designs ever.

Darts "ainly fall under two "ain categories huntingfishing and target darts. unting darts aredesigned to be as deadly as !ossible, while target darts are designed to be accurate and enough to stickin a target.

Lealie that a hu"ane hunter, though he kills, insures that the ani"al suffers as little as !ossible. hus,

we use as deadly a dart as !ossible on !rey that can be sanely killed with a dart. 4rey includes rabbits,suirrels, fish, cockroaches $see Blowgun&oe's site%, and "ice.Vso"eone hel! "e fill this in, !lease7She !ur!ose of a hunting dart is to cut as wide of a blood channel as !ossible, and to strike at vitals.he lung shot kills *==M of the ti"e. Ai" for it. 0ost blowgunners li"it their hunting range to about>= yards $right8% to insure the uick death of the !rey.

('" not going to give infor"ation on how to hunt, because entire volu"es can $and have been% filled onthe sub2ect. Also, Blowgununter'ssite can teach you "ore then ( could. Light now, ( would suggestthat you either use his blow dart, or the hunting dart fro" /his!erss.
http://www.tomshiro.org/pdart/primer.htmlhttp://www.tomshiro.org/pdart/primer.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter/darts.htmlhttp://www.tomshiro.org/pdart/primer.htmlhttp://www.tomshiro.org/pdart/primer.htmlhttp://www.tomshiro.org/pdart/primer.htmlhttp://www.tomshiro.org/pdart/primer.htmlhttp://www.tomshiro.org/pdart/primer.htmlhttp://www.tomshiro.org/pdart/primer.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter/darts.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter/darts.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter/darts.html


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"he &haft he shaft balances the differences of the broad head's weight with the light tail cone. (!refer a shaft *>: long, because ( think that it's a good balance of the accuracy a longer shaft offers,while the shaft isn't to long. #o"e like wire or alu"inu" rod or ba"boo.

3haft 4aterial Pros +ons

Alu"inu" )ood sturdy shaft /eight "ake the dart heavy. 1ou "ay

have to buy it fro" a !lace such as0c0asterCarr. )etting e!ensive

Ba"boo 0aterial that is vary sturdy. Available inthe cooking accessories !art of thegrocery store

3nly available in a few sies- what yourgrocer has. ('" sure you can order onlinethough.

4ine dowel Classic. /hat else is there to say8 3ak is tougher, but e!ensive. Co"es ineither ;' or = grit to finish it. Add a slot with either a hobbysaw, s"all hacksaw, or a scroll saw.

3lot +utter Pros +ons

obby #aw 0akes slots well enough Blade "ay be slightly thicker then an -acto blade.

0ini acksaw 0akes slots well enough he blade is thicker than an -acto blade,

harder to line u! through the center whilecutting

#croll saw 0akes slot uickly and easily, thewidth is 2ust about !erfect

6!ensive. 1ou also have to think aboutwhat kind of blades you're using as thataffects the slot width.

#!litting with a knife Chea!, 2ust get a knife and aha""er $"ade fro" a block ofwood and a dowel%. 4lace in the"iddle and ta!

(f the grain is suirrelly and you give it to"uch of a ta!, its easy to shear off a !ieceof the dowel. 0ay weaken the shaft- fiby wra!!ing with e"broidery thread andsu!er glue.

"he Broad head.

he broad head can really be "ade fro" uite a few different things. ere,('ve rendered two designs a nail that is filed to a !oint at the end, and abroad head to be ground fro" a steel. he broad head is !ut in the slot andsu!er glued in. he nail can be !ut in a s!lit, a slot, or a hole, while alsobeing su!er glued in. he triangular broad head is designed to be deadly,while the nail ti! is designed !ri"arily to stick into a board.
http://www.mcmaster.com/http://www.mcmaster.com/http://www.mcmaster.com/http://www.mcmaster.com/


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Broa# hea# ,esign 3tarter Form Pros +ons

(ail "ip A nail 6asy to "ake, stickswell. Chea! as far as"aterials are concerned

akes a lot of ti"e to build. Not forhunting

)'Acto W-acto blade 6asy to "ake, 2ust sna!

off the end

Not as chea!- also you have to sna! a

raor blade which is a fairly dangerous!rocess if done i"!ro!erly

*tility Blade Utility blade #a"e as above, ece!tthat you get a widerblade and two fro" oneknife blade

#a"e as above. 1ou will have !arts ofa wasted raor blade leftover.

+round Broad head A block ofsteel or whatever

&ust the sha!e youwanted7

6!ensive and "ore e!ensive becauseyou either have to find so"eone whowill tool the" for you or a sho! thatwill, of course for a !rice.

o the Designing7 Now, a target dart has to do several things

*. ave re!eatable results. his "eans that grou!ing $shoot ; darts, draw lines to connect allthree, "ake a circle around the dart furthest away fro" the center, "easure the dia"eter andyou have the grou! sie% should be fairly consistent.

>. 6n2oy the !unish"ent of being shot in a board over and over with out having the ti! affectedgreatly or the re!eatability being di"inished.

;. Not shatter if the ti! hits the backsto! to hard $a !roble" with -actos%.


14/37

Chapter !- "i#ing

An A"using 4ost about a Blowgunning Cyclo!s.

he !icture above relates about blowgun ballistics and flight !aths of a dart. All !ro2ectiles fly in a

!arabolic sha!e. he redlight #athillustrates this. Due to weight, the dart loses altitude, thus youneed to account for the dart dro!!ing as it travels through the air. he gray-ine of &ight!athillustrates this.

Paralla5 iminghere are "any "ethods to the "adness of ai"ing a blowgun. he one that "ost9!rofessional: blowgunners utilie is calledparallaxai"ing. he !icture besiderelates toparallax aiming. A !aralla occurs because you are focusing on thetarget, yet the end of your blow!i!e is still within your field of vision. he tricknow beco"es to utilie this !aralla to ai". As the illustration shows, you take

and 9s!lit the difference: of the !i!es. /ith the 9center: you !lace this 2ust overthe center of the target, then blow.

3na" an# 3hoot2 3tlehis is the sort of shooting that you would benefit the "ost fro" in a !a!er dart war. (t's not accurateenough for the sort of shooting that you would need to do in co"!etition shooting, but it is "uchuicker then !aralla ai"ing.

3hotgun2 3tlehis uses the end of the !i!e as a reference !oint for shooting.

A #arallax


15/37

Chapter $- "SB" %egulations& Si#plified

&ince Im in the *nited &tates, Im underA&BA regs.

I encourage everyone to go to the home page for the !logunning country that you are in,and register to !ecome a mem!er of that group.

A#BA Legulation arget A A#BA Legulation arget B

Target Rules

Utilie one the two targets !ictured above. he center should be +;: fro" floor height.Di"ensions of the rings are

Di"ension Color 5alue

+ c". Circle 1ellow @ !oints

*> c". Led !oints

3uter *E c" Blue ; !oints

he first thing you need to know about a A#BA co"!etition isBlowgun Regulations

Blowgun with calibers larger then +> are not !er"itted. Blowguns longer than caliber darts. 1ou "ay also utilie !lastic cone darts. hird, !lease observe these following "iscellaneous rules

Kuoted 9(o rear'mounted /mouthpiece'side0 sights, no light'emitting sights, no !arrelhandles or other supports are permitted.:

(f you are !hysically unable, ad2ust"ents "ay be "ade to suit you and your disability.

ame Pla 4layers will shoot darts !er round and + rounds !er ga"e, for a total of ;= darts.

1ou "ay shoot one !ractice round of darts only before the co"!etition co""ences. 1ou are reuired to shoot your round in "inutes, with the total ti"e being > "inutes for a

ga"e. Ieft over darts are ero.

1our blowgun and ar"s "ay go over the 9foul line,: but your feet "ay not. Don't cross thefoul line with your feet. Any darts shot with your feet over the line count as ero. (f they can't decide which shot it

was, you lose your highest dart score7 (t is the score kee!er's 2ob to alert you if you cross over the foul line.

1ou "ay fire a new dart in !lace of a dart that rebounded. (f you load two darts into your barreland fire, it counts as two darts.
http://home.att.net/~asba/index6.htmhttp://home.att.net/~asba/index6.htmhttp://home.att.net/~asba/index6.htmhttp://home.att.net/~asba/index6.htmhttp://home.att.net/~asba/index6.htmhttp://home.att.net/~asba/index6.htm


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(f you dro! a dart over the foul line, it counts as ero, unless you can retrieve the dart withoutcrossing the foul line with your feet.

6cess darts fro" the dart li"it are dealt with by subtracting the highest value dart andworking the way down.

/ait until all blowgunners have finished firing before checking your score.

3coring our 3hots Both you and your score kee!er should a!!roach the target when the firing has been co"!leted. Announce your total nu"ber of @'s, 's and ;'s. 1our scorekee!er will check it, and record.

(f you break the dividing line, the dart gets the higher score. (f you have an argu"ent, the 2udge for the event will decide. is decision is final. Lobin hooded darts count for the value that the !ierced dart received. /hen scores are confir"ed, darts "ay be re"oved. /hen all blowgunners have returned to the foul line, shooting "ay begin again.

his is a drawing of what the firing lane should look like fro" the side.


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Chapter '- (oison)

7et me sa this as em"haticall as can.- I do not !elieve in the use of poisons. (n a blowgun, they!resent as "uch danger to the hunter as to the !rey. /hile A"aons have used blowguns for "anyyears- no doubt "any died before the !ro!er !rocedure was discovered. he !ossible ece!tion isca!saicin !oison.

#o so ma*ing no claims a)out the safet usa)ilit or effectiveness.

/hile &anich s!ends a large a"ount of his ti"e etolling the backyard blow gunner about how to "akevarious kinds of darts intended to deliver !oison, he doesn't really talk about how dangerous it is. edoesn't really talk about safety, he 2ust suggests using a !a!er cone to shield the "outh!iece fro" the!oison. ( say that !oison should be left to the !rofessionals, such as veterinarians who can use it tosedate and ani"al. hat's what ( intend to do.

he only !oison infor"ation that ( canwill $take your !ick% offer ishere

Ca!saicin !oison is "ade fro" hot chili !e!!ers. he 9!oison: !art is etracted using *= !roof6verclear- so"ething 2ust short of being *==M alcohol $in actuality, it is M !ure%. 1ou will have tobe over the age of >*- >@ or "ore de!ending on your ho"e state and local laws to !urchase it.4oisoning an ani"al is 2ust not worth it.

wo views fro" !ro"inent blowgunners.From Blowgun 8unter

9( stay far away fro" !oison and have never tried hunting with it. A blowgun is only a s"all ga"ewea!on. #ince ( can kill rabbits and suirrels without !oison, ( don't see the need to risk "essing withit. )oing after anything large enough to reuire !oison see"s like using the wrong wea!on for the 2obto "e. owever, in the book 'A #!orting Chance' by 0anni, the author gets a !er"it to acuire so"e

kind of !oison, then gets s!ecial one-ti"e !er"ission to use it hunting and is successful at killing as"all deer with a !oisoned blowgun dart.:$htt!www.geocities.co"blowgunhunterGAK.ht"l%

From the +aveman

9/hat we do N3 encourage in any for" is the use of !oisons on the darts, a !ractice historically usedto over-co"e the li"ited striking force of the darts by A"aon natives, and often utilied as a assassin'stool in the "ovies. 4oisons are si"!ly too risky to have around any household and have no !lace in oursociety. Nuff said.

$htt!www.!olar-electric.co"BlowgunDartsDisclai"er.ht"l%(ote: I copy1pasted these off of their sites. "hats hy the links are their. If you dont !elieve me, you can find it there.

IF YOU FEE L YOU MUST HAVE POSION TO KILL YOUR TARGET, ITS TOO BIG OR YOUARE TOO POOR A SHOT TO BE HUNTING!

"gain& I state* I do not belie+e in the use of poisons)

I a# not responsible for anything that you do with this)
http://home.neb.rr.com/ericsmuse/capsaicin.htmhttp://home.neb.rr.com/ericsmuse/capsaicin.htmhttp://home.neb.rr.com/ericsmuse/capsaicin.htmhttp://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter/FAQ.htmlhttp://www.polar-electric.com/Blowgun/Darts/Disclaimer.htmlhttp://home.neb.rr.com/ericsmuse/capsaicin.htmhttp://home.neb.rr.com/ericsmuse/capsaicin.htmhttp://home.neb.rr.com/ericsmuse/capsaicin.htmhttp://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter/FAQ.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter/FAQ.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter/FAQ.htmlhttp://www.polar-electric.com/Blowgun/Darts/Disclaimer.htmlhttp://www.polar-electric.com/Blowgun/Darts/Disclaimer.htmlhttp://www.polar-electric.com/Blowgun/Darts/Disclaimer.html


18/37

Inde, "- Blowgunning Ho#e pages

Th e s e ar e th e p er s o n a l w e b pa g e s of bl o w gu n n e r s o n th e n et Blowgun &oe- htt!*>.*>.***.++infoblowgun2oeinde.ht"l

Blowgun &oe hunts rats. e has !ictures of kills !osted on his site, but you won't9accidentally: find the". e has infor"ation to "ake a travel blowgun out of co""ercial

!arts, as well as a thorough section on ai"ing. he Cave"anFs o"e!age- www.!olar-electric.co"BlowgunDartsinde.ht"l

he cave"an has very !recise darts. e has thoroughly tested the" and has very goodinfor"ation on flight characteristics and ad2ust"ents of each. ( also used things fro" hissite in "y dart construction cha!ter.

Build a Better Blowgun with Blow)ununter-www.geocities.co"blowgunhunter Blow)ununter has on line instructions for "aking a co"!lete hunting set, fro" blow!i!e,

to darts, to ai"ing, to using you kill. he *sing 2our Killsection is very nice, because itshard to find instructions on how to skin and cook your kill.

as the blowgunning section out ofA &porting $hance available for download he 4a!er Dart #ite- www.to"shiro.org!dartinde.ht"l

ow to roll !a!er cones7 his is the easiest way to "ake a lot of cones for your darts.hey're chea! and easy.

0add DoggFs 4age- www.geocities.co""adddXdogggblowgunintro.ht" 0add Dogg has a very in de!th section on "aking blowguns for a s!ecific lung ca!acity, as

well as the hard core calculations behind it. 3liver 90r.#ou!*>: ?rystal- www.geocites.co""r.sou!*>blowguns.ht"l

his is "y web !age. ( don't have a lot- though ( do have a guide for building a flashlight"ount, a !df of the five best sites $as far as ('" concerned% on the web, and a few otherthings. Also check out the !ortable a!!s section to find out about the co"!uter on a flashdrive.

Iawton Girst Blowgunners Neon Dog- www.blowgunners.co" his is a blowgunning club in a church7

he Blowguns North/est 0essage Board o"e!age-htt!grou!s."sn.co"BlowgunsNorthwest4layers)rou!"essages."snw his is the hottest blowgunning co""unity ( know of. his is were the a lot of

blowgunners can be found. he ybrid Blowguns 0essage Board

htt!grou!s."sn.co"ybrid Blowguns"essages."snw his is "y grou!, hosted by 0#N- this is the !lace to get the newest edition of this book. (f you e"ailed "e about a ty!o, there "ay be a new, revised version. Also check the

"essage boards- ( "ay add a new cha!ter and that's where you'll know. 3ld 6ditions of this Book.

3ld editions of the book are www.geocities.co""r.sou!*>book.ht"l Blowguns North/est o"e!age- www.blowgunsnw.co"

#ince Blowguns North/est s!onsors the blowgunning board, ( thought it only fitting that (listed the". 0ore blowguns for sale can be found on other !laces, but ('" $fairly% sure thatyou'll get good service fro" the".

6ric's 0use- htt!ho"e.neb.rr.co"erics"useblowgun.ht" A !age about ca!saicin !oison and a few other things.

Blogunning Associations
http://12.152.111.66/info/blowgunjoe/index.htmlhttp://www.polar-electric.com/Blowgun/Darts/index.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter/http://www.tomshiro.org/pdart/index.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/maddd_doggg/blowgun/intro.htmhttp://www.geocites.com/mr.soup12http://www.blowgunners.com/http://groups.msn.com/BlowgunsNorthwestPlayersGroup/messages.msnwhttp://groups.msn.com/Hybrid%20Blowguns/messages.msnwhttp://www.geocities.com/mr.soup12/book.htmlhttp://www.blowgunsnw.com/http://home.neb.rr.com/ericsmuse/blowgun.htmhttp://home.neb.rr.com/ericsmuse/blowgun.htmhttp://12.152.111.66/info/blowgunjoe/index.htmlhttp://12.152.111.66/info/blowgunjoe/index.htmlhttp://12.152.111.66/info/blowgunjoe/index.htmlhttp://www.polar-electric.com/Blowgun/Darts/index.htmlhttp://www.polar-electric.com/Blowgun/Darts/index.htmlhttp://www.polar-electric.com/Blowgun/Darts/index.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter/http://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter/http://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter/http://www.tomshiro.org/pdart/index.htmlhttp://www.tomshiro.org/pdart/index.htmlhttp://www.tomshiro.org/pdart/index.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/maddd_doggg/blowgun/intro.htmhttp://www.geocities.com/maddd_doggg/blowgun/intro.htmhttp://www.geocities.com/maddd_doggg/blowgun/intro.htmhttp://www.geocites.com/mr.soup12http://www.geocites.com/mr.soup12http://www.geocites.com/mr.soup12http://www.blowgunners.com/http://www.blowgunners.com/http://www.blowgunners.com/http://groups.msn.com/BlowgunsNorthwestPlayersGroup/messages.msnwhttp://groups.msn.com/BlowgunsNorthwestPlayersGroup/messages.msnwhttp://groups.msn.com/BlowgunsNorthwestPlayersGroup/messages.msnwhttp://groups.msn.com/Hybrid%20Blowguns/messages.msnwhttp://groups.msn.com/Hybrid%20Blowguns/messages.msnwhttp://groups.msn.com/Hybrid%20Blowguns/messages.msnwhttp://www.geocities.com/mr.soup12/book.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/mr.soup12/book.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/mr.soup12/book.htmlhttp://www.blowgunsnw.com/http://www.blowgunsnw.com/http://www.blowgunsnw.com/http://home.neb.rr.com/ericsmuse/blowgun.htmhttp://home.neb.rr.com/ericsmuse/blowgun.htmhttp://home.neb.rr.com/ericsmuse/blowgun.htm


19/37

he A"erican #!ort Blowgun Association-htt!ho"e.att.netYasbainde.ht" A#BA ho"e!age- it has "any targets for use, including a terrorist target #tandard arget here. his will o!en a .!df file in your browser.

he Grench #!ort Blowgun Association-htt!www.fsba.fr8!ageOho"eZhlOus (n Grench, utilie )oogle ranslatorto translate to 6nglish

#!ort Gukiya o"e!age $&a!anese Blowguns%

htt!www.echigo.ne.2!YdhiguchiindeXe.ht"l his is the 6nglish version of the web !age.

)er"an #!ort Blowgunning o"e!age $Deutscher Blasrohr #!ort Club%- htt!www.blasrohr-s!ort.de (n )er"an, utilie)oogle ranslatorto translate to 6nglish Blasrohr "eans blowgun. (t's

not the best, but you'll get the general idea.

The one thing that I hav en ' t li st e d . At ti"e of !ublishing, )eeer's Corner was still off-line.A!!arently his web rental la!sed. /e "ourn the loss of his site, and ho!e that it will return. is weblink was- www.geeers-corner.co". ( have scanned !ages of his websitehere. 1ou can also get !lansfor his high !owered blowguns there.

Ot h er n on - I nt er n e t r e s o u r c e s .

Boo* that is availa)le for free #ownloa#

A #!orting Chance $the blowgun section% fro" here.

0irror #ite.

his book. &ust in case you forgot the link.

Boo*s that are not availa)le for free #ownloa#

A #!orting Chance by Danial 0ani- the entire book. 3ut of !rint so you'll !robably s!end a wholelot on it.

Blowguns he Breath of Death by 0ichael &anich. $[*% #!end your "oney on a blowgun, andborrow this fro" a buddy.
http://home.att.net/~asba/index.htmhttp://home.att.net/~asba/index.htmhttp://home.att.net/~asba/forms/asba2006target1.pdfhttp://www.fsba.fr/?page=home&hl=ushttp://www.fsba.fr/?page=home&hl=ushttp://www.google.com/language_toolshttp://www.echigo.ne.jp/~dhiguchi/index_e.htmlhttp://www.echigo.ne.jp/~dhiguchi/index_e.htmlhttp://www.blasrohr-sport.de/http://www.google.com/language_toolshttp://www.google.com/language_toolshttp://www.geezers-corner.com/http://www.esnips.com/web/users/Geezer's-Cornerhttp://www.esnips.com/web/users/Geezer's-Cornerhttp://www.esnips.com/web/users/Geezer's-Cornerhttp://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter7http://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter7http://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter8http://www.geocities.com/mr.soup12/theblowgunningbook.pdfhttp://www.geocities.com/mr.soup12/theblowgunningbook.pdfhttp://home.att.net/~asba/index.htmhttp://home.att.net/~asba/index.htmhttp://home.att.net/~asba/index.htmhttp://home.att.net/~asba/forms/asba2006target1.pdfhttp://home.att.net/~asba/forms/asba2006target1.pdfhttp://home.att.net/~asba/forms/asba2006target1.pdfhttp://www.fsba.fr/?page=home&hl=ushttp://www.fsba.fr/?page=home&hl=ushttp://www.fsba.fr/?page=home&hl=ushttp://www.google.com/language_toolshttp://www.google.com/language_toolshttp://www.google.com/language_toolshttp://www.echigo.ne.jp/~dhiguchi/index_e.htmlhttp://www.blasrohr-sport.de/http://www.blasrohr-sport.de/http://www.blasrohr-sport.de/http://www.google.com/language_toolshttp://www.google.com/language_toolshttp://www.google.com/language_toolshttp://www.geezers-corner.com/http://www.geezers-corner.com/http://www.geezers-corner.com/http://www.esnips.com/web/users/Geezer's-Cornerhttp://www.esnips.com/web/users/Geezer's-Cornerhttp://www.esnips.com/web/users/Geezer's-Cornerhttp://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter7http://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter7http://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter7http://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter8http://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter8http://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter8http://www.geocities.com/mr.soup12/theblowgunningbook.pdfhttp://www.geocities.com/mr.soup12/theblowgunningbook.pdfhttp://www.geocities.com/mr.soup12/theblowgunningbook.pdf


20/37

Inde, B- Blowgun Designs

Note: It is strong s"gge ste # t$%t o" re%# % instr"&tions 'e(ore '"i#ing% 'o)g"n*

Charles Shapiro Style Blowgun

Okay, so youve looked at all this stuff and decided that you ant to !uild a !logun. Well, okay."hese are the instructions for a $harles &hapiro style !logun.

1ou will need*. R: co!!er !i!e. Note that at !rinting this stuff was bloody e!ensive $about [* for a ten-foot

length%, even though the !rice ca"e fro" a !revious high of [>. Iike ( said, bloody e!ensive.1ou "ay be able to have the store that you bought the !i!e at $a s"all store like Do-(t Best% cutand deburr it for you.

>. A "outh!iece. his can be done E (.D. $inner dia"eter% thick wall tubing. Cut it about >:long.

;. A way to deburr the inside of the !i!e. Choices include*. rattail file>. deburring tool $so"eti"es available at the store that you bought your !i!e%;. dre"el stone. /arning, this will really trash your stone after awhile


21/37

My General Use Style(For paper darting and general screw around fun.)

"his !lopipe has a fe accessories, thus its !uild time is longer,

as ell as my instructions

1ou will needhe sa"e "aterials as above, ece!t

*. 1ou will use conduit instead of co!!er $its "uch chea!er%.>. A *>: 45C Ge"ale to Ge"ale connector;. *=->< ta! and corres!onding drill


22/37

Buil#ing :otes

(n "y shooting style, ( wra! "y hand around the "outh!iece, then !ress "y li!s on to! of "y hand.Gor "y !ositioning, ( would have the "outh!iece installed, then wra! it with "y hand like ( would gri!it. ( would allow about * R:- >: of s!acing fro" the to! of the uivers so the to! of the darts have

so"ewhere to go. ( "ark where their going with the "arker, !ut on the stra! locks in about the "iddleof the "arks, wra! the blow!i!e in electrician's ta!e, then !ut on the uivers. Cut out or drill out the!orting holes, then again insure that there are no burrs on the inside of the !i!e.

(f you have so"e fairly thick string you can use that, as well as a gun stra!, a carry case stra!, a ca"erabag stra!. Anything that will fit on the stra! locks can be used.

T e c h n i c a l Re ad - Out Len gt h 3' 12

Calib e r 1 - # o w nl oa d +aila bl e at &ySite or Ca e % a n ' s Site

&aterial 4&T Con duit- fairly ru st pro of Con si d er h ow w or n yo ur t ap e is 4le ctrici an 's tap e isfai rly w at e r pr o o f bu t d o n 't pu s h it

Co % % e n t s 5airly h ea y - its gal a ni $e d st ee l aft e r all 3' 12 len gt h i s a c o% p r o %i s e b et w e e n a sh ortg o o d all- ro u n d 3' an d th e hi g h e r po w e r e d an d % o r e a c c u r at e ' bl o w g u n 6a s s tr a p l oc / s s o th at y ou c a n a tt a c h a st ra p t o c ar ry w it h 4l ec tri ci a n 's ta p e w ra plo w e r s i si bi lit y at ni g ht

ses *ap er d artin g or tar g et s h o o ti n g (+S,+re g ul ati o n s st at e th at a bl o wg u n % ay b e anyle n gt h up to a n d in cl u di n g ') Th at ' s a b o u t all .ts far to sh o rt a n d lo w p o w e r e d to ta / eh unt ing

Oth e r d e s i g nC o % % e n t s

*ortin g o n th e e n d % a y re d uc e th e % u $$ l e el o ci ty h o w e e r du ri ng a ni gh t p a p er d artg a % e w h e r e si le n c e c a n % a / e or br e a / yo ur st r at e g y it % a y b e a w o rt h it

Note that you could forgo the uivers and stra! locks andadd the" in later. &ust a thought.


23/37

Geezer's Beginner Pipe(For HUNTING!.)

Although +ee4ers e!site is no currently off line,

I made print outs of parts of his !logun design !efore the site as shut don.

"his as1is his easy !eginners pipe.

T e c h n i c a l Re ad - Out Len gt h !'

Calib e r 1 - # o w nl oa d +aila bl e at &ySite or Ca e % a n ' s Site

&aterial *7C pip e alu %i n u % c h an n el tap e- Rust pro of t ho u gh pr o b a b l y n ot th e % o st w at erpr o of

Co % % e nt s 0e e r h ai n g % ad e or us ed o n e . c a n 't s a y % u ch 6ow e er th e a b u nd a n t u se of tap e% a y d et er u se

ses *ap er d artin g tar g et s h o o ti ng (cut sh ort t o ' to % e e t +S,+re gul ati on s) a n d hu ntin g

Oth e r d e s i g nC o % % e n t s

0one


24/37


25/37

Inde, C- Dart Designs

The Oliver Krystal Dart Designhis is the dart ( designed. ( designed to be several things.*. 6asy- ( wanted to be able to build it in about * "inutes, with !ro!er tools.>. Accurate- at least enough that it would hit "y target "ore often then not.

;. 0ediu" weight- #!eaks for it self. Iight weights fly far, but donFt !enetrate as well, heavy weights !enetrate,but donFt fly far.==>- drafting software.


26/37

wo different shots. he first one $4revious !age, left hand side% is of the darts. Notice that the shaftis s!lit, the nail inserted, and then su!er glued. he net one $right side% is of a 9robin hood: that ( shotwithout su!!ort. (ts not a true robin hood because it went threw the side of the flight. he net one hasa nickel in between the two darts. he last is another 9robin hood: again, not a true because it ca"eout the side of the flight.

8ow to )uil#ools that you need

*.A "ill file, bastard cut- donFt laugh>.A "allet- ( "ade "ine.;.Utility knife


27/37

Dave hisperss! DesignW hi s p e r s s s e n t m e th e foll owi ng s e t of in str uc ti o n s via e m a il.

Man y th an k s .

My not e s ar e in Bold

he first set of instructions for "y favorite broad head.1ou need the following "aterials

*. *>T ba"boo skewers>. >lbs test fishing line $heavier will work u! to about *=lbs test, 2ust use less of it%;. ]> W-AC3 blades $]**'s will work too%


28/37

"eet the shar!ened !art of the blade. (f the s!lit is not dee! enough, use the utility knife todee!en it.

E. Le"ove the utility knife and center the W-AC3 blade onto the shaft, then su!er glue into!lace.

. /hile that dries, cut a length of fishing line $length varies as to how "uch you want on theshaft% around +-E inches long. Iay a s"all stri! of glue right u! near the base of the blade $give

it about a *T sections. Before s!litting

the shaft in !re!aration for blade installation, slide a section of tubing u! the shaft and out of the way.(nsert and glue the blade as instructed.

Now, instead of wra!!ing the shaft with fishing line, slide the tubing u! as close to the blade asyou can and gently cri"! both ends so that the tubing will not "ove. A!!ly glue to the ends of thetubing for added security.

Both will work but ( have found the fishing line to be "uch chea!er and since ( fish anyway, ( have asteady su!!ly of it E-% Any !referred cone will work instead of the one ( offered.

-Dave /his!erss


29/37

Illustration 6: Attached Broadhead

Illustration 7: #ony Bead #lacement

Illustration 8: Attaching Broadhead

Illustration 9: 5aterials (eeded

Illustration : inished %artIllustration ;: Wrapping "ip


30/37

STU" D#$TS o m e tim e s yo u m ay w ant a si mpl e e a sy to m ak e dart to s c ar e s o m e t hi ng a wa y or giv e it a

littl e m o r e p un c h . Thi s is s t un d art t hat c a n ! e u s e d f or t ha t pu rp o s e .

his dart uses "y dart downloads. 1ou could also use a Charles #ha!iro #tyle cone, as well as theCave"an's cones.

Note that the shaft of this dart is *E: Alu"inu" +=+*. /hile you could use a ba"boo shaft or dowel,the heavier weight of the alu"inu" gives it "ore !ower. his alu"inu" rod is fairly chea!- !robablyno "ore than [ fro"0c0aster Carr.6n2oy

)ather*. Alu"inu" +=+* *E: rod or co"!arable.>. 4i!e cutter. Although !ri"arily a !i!e cutter, it is very effective for this use.;. A cone


31/37

Inde, D- B owgun "ccessories

Pa"er ,art 9uiverso "ake a uiver, you can !urchase a co""ercial uiver $if you utilie co""ercial uivers% or "akeyour own by doing the following

ake a !iece of !i!e, !referably the sa"e sie as your blowgun. /ra! with electrician's ta!e fro" oneedge to the end. Continue wra!!ing about a half width of ta!e !ast the edge. Cut slits in the end thatshanging off the end. Gold this inside of the !i!e, than attach to your !i!e $with "ore ta!e%. #tore dartsin it this way

4lace a dart threw the rear of the uiver towards the front. hen !lace the other dart in. (t is acce!tablefor the end of the other dart to !oke threw.

Broa#hea# ,art 9uivers

3tra" loc*s

+arr +ase0any blowgunners have discovered that a fly rod case works very well for this a!!lication. Alternate,you can hand stitch a case fro" 2ean "aterial. &ust "ake it long enough for you to have the to! closeso"ehow- ( have used velcro and elastic.

4outh"ieces( have used \ fe"ale to \ fe"ale !vc connectors, drilled and ta!!ed on one end for "y conduitblow!i!es. ( like these, although others have a bigger flare where the "outh goes.

3i>ing Tu)es

Targets

,art cases

Porting


32/37

4u>>le )ra*eshow to "akehow to insure straightness

Bi "o#s?Any other ideas8


33/37

Woo#en 4allet

0allets are available fro" a variety of sources. owever, they are costly to !urchase. his wooden"allet can be "ade in about *= "inutes with the !ro!er tools.1ou will need

DrillAnother ha""er $don't ask "e how the first ha""er was "ade% and

$>%


34/37

Inde, - (roduct %e+iews

>ust a general note: If you can afford the commercial guns, the smoothness of the !ore makes it orth

it. Otherise, copper pipe is a good su!stitute.

@62 A +ali)er Terminator Blowgun

Where to get it:his is the basic blowgun that 2ust about every blowgun co"!any has for sale. Cabela's has it, so doesBlowguns North/estWhat it can do:

he caliber can sink the nail darts about *>: to E: of inch into a!iece of *E."he ?-o'%on@:

his is the biggest blowgun co""ercially available. (t uses the Boarog !i!e, the sa"e as theBigBore used by Cold #teel, or so says Blow)uns North/est. ('ve had trouble in getting the foa"hand gri! on, but otherwise, ('" very ha!!y with the blowgun.

A +ali)er +a" ,artsWhere to get it:Co"e fro" the "akers of the er"inator Blowgun. Blow)uns North/est has the"What it can do:

0ake a very loud !o!ing noise that will blow your socks off"he ?-o'%on@:

)ood fun, but basically worthless. 1ou could !robably "odify the darts to fit other calibers by cutting

u! cones and glueing the" in.


35/37

-pilogue

(n old man sits in his cabin, rela)ing in his favorite chair. His long hair is tied back and falls down to the centerof his back. !ts color is a mi)ture of silver and jet. He is dressed in a calico shirt, with woolen breeches, and softmoccasins. He absently puffs on a corncob pipe. ithout thinking, he waves the curling smoke back over hisface and hair in an ancient gesture from a time when pipe smoking was a sacrament. These days, he smokesfrom force of habit.

His plump pleasant wife brings his supper, prepared in a cast iron skillet. The skillet is her most pri1edpossession. &he is dressed in a floorlength calico dress and moccasins decorated with colored glass beads.Her hair is twisted up in a bun atop her head. !t too shows streaks of silver. ( tiny gold cross hangs from adelicate chain around her neck. &he pats his hand as she turns back toward the fireplace.

( bright eyed boy perhaps si) years of age bursts in, all energy, e)citement, and motion. !n his hands are ashort blowgun and two darts. His uncle has made the Tugawesti and $itsi for him, boring the cane joint sectionsout with a long steel drill to form a uniform tube. The process took perhaps half an hour, much less tedious than

the old way.

The boy begs the old man to show him how to shoot the Tugawesti, and tell him the stories of long ago. 2oungas he is, he has heard them all a hundred times. They tell of how his grandpa was once the greatest blowgunmaster of all time. -veryone in the village knows them by heart.

&lowly the old man rises, and limps out into the yard. His wife follows, and watches from the doorway. ( smalls%uash about the si1e of an apple is hanging by a string from a tree limb a few yards away. The old man s%uintsto see it clearly. &lowly he loads a dart into the blowgun. !mmediately his aged body goes into the %uieting ritualwhich is the secret of mastering the Tugawesti. He takes a deep painful breath, and the dart flies with surprising

speed from the short slender blowgun. !t strikes the s%uash just below the center, causing it to spin and sway onits string. 3or an instant, the old man is propelled back in time. He is in the woods near a clearing by a stream,and the s%uash becomes a flitting bird. He sends the second dart toward the swaying target, timing it perfectly. !tstrikes the s%uash less than half an inch away from the first. The old man is overcome by a fit of coughing. Hehands the short Tugawesti back to his grandson, and waves him away. The boy races off to get a closer look atthe skewered s%uash. He s%ueals in delight at the sheer improbability of the shot. hen the old man recovershis breath, he looks toward the cabin, and sees his wife smiling at him from the doorway. !t is the same smileshe wore the day he brought the birds to her mother.


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Credits

pilogue and#rologue he wo ugawesti #tories- #trange Gat"an- 3riginally A!!earinghere and here.

o 0any thanks- they are the !reface and end #tory, after all

he two blowguns for the cover- !ictures 9courtesy: Blowguns North /est

o +> Caliber B() B3L6 Broad head Darts- the orange oneso


37/37

(nde C- Blowgun Designso Charles #ha!iro is, of course fro" his web site.

o 0y design is "y design and it's currently not on line.

o )eeer's design fro" his offline web!age. #cans here

o Again, renderings by "e in Cad

(nde D- Blowgun Accessories

o Lenderings by "e.

"his !ook as produced primarily on Open Office 7.C Write #orta!le' a +(* solution to 5icrosoft Office Word,

hich I as using, until I got this. I also utili4ed Open Office 5ath. &creenshots from the *ltima Online &creen&hot

*tility and ast&tone $apture #orta!le. "hree'% draing produced in $A%. #ainting in 5& #aint.

"his !ook as produced as a non'for'profit text to help others !egin !logunning. Although I intended the primary

method of transmission to !e digital /.pdf format0, it as also created ith copying and printing in mind. "hat is hy

some of my fonts and such are messed ith' so the text fits on a certain num!er of pages.

Thin* ou foun# a t"o? ;mail corrections to )oo*t"osEh)ri#)lowguns.com

can )e emaile# at mr.sou"1%Eh)ri#)lowguns.com
http://www.esnips.com/web/users/Geezers-Cornermailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.esnips.com/web/users/Geezers-Cornerhttp://www.esnips.com/web/users/Geezers-Cornerhttp://www.esnips.com/web/users/Geezers-Cornermailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

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