# Is a .40 or .50 cal more accurate than a .625?



## squirrelslinger (Feb 2, 2014)

Well, I need to know... it depends on whether I shall buy a .50 or .40 or not.


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## treefork (Dec 8, 2012)

I have .62 and .40 calibers. I don't have any .50 calibers. If you are trying to choose between 40 or 50, I would suggest the larger 50 cal. A nice balance of the two.


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## NaturalFork (Dec 7, 2012)

Most, if not all tournament shooters are shooting .40 cals. But I like the .50 cals myself.


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## squirrelslinger (Feb 2, 2014)

OK, so it requires less air.

-less movement, more accuracy.

 .50 it is.


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## NaturalFork (Dec 7, 2012)

squirrelslinger said:


> OK, so it requires less air.
> 
> -less movement, more accuracy.
> 
> .50 it is.


Get the CT .50 from targetzonesports. There is no better .50 cal I know of. Made in the USA.


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## Teach (Dec 30, 2013)

I would suggest to you that there is no really big difference in accuracy potential between those three calibers .40, .50 and .625. The reason for most target shooters using the smaller calibers is you can fit more darts into a smaller space without kicking out darts into the next lower scoring ring by deflection off each other. With BG's, accuracy is far more dependant on the shooters technique and consistency than any small advantage one might gain from one caliber to the next and would be extremely difficult to measure in "real world" use. IE not clamping the blowgun down in a vise so it doesn't move or using compressed air that has been pre measured by volume and pressure levels to produce repeatable shots. But rather taking a blow gun and shooting it by the shooter alone.

.40 cal takes a lot more pressure to push a dart out at speed than .50 cal. and .50 cal takes a lot more pressure than .625. but above .625 cal a lot of people don't have the lung capacity to continue to push that dart all the way through the bore before running out of air and in affect the dart actually starts to slow down before leaving the bore when that happens.

My very first BG was a .40 cal and now it just hangs on a wall and never gets used. 40 cal really isn't much good for anything other than punching holes in paper or insects.

The .50 cal and .625 are fully capable of target shooting accuracy but they also have the added advantage of being able to take small game with the .625 being the best choice for the latter. The .50 and .625 will do everything the .40 cal will. But the .625 is hands down the better choice of these three calibers for taking game.

There are a lot of fellas talking with high praise for the relatively new.55 cal. I've not had the opportunity to shoot a .55 cal but will build one and give it a go.

I won't make a recommendation for the .40 cal as I don't like it and won't use this caliber if I can use something larger. But in the .50 cal the Close Tolerance are hands down the best and the same goes for the .625 from Cold Steel if you are looking to buy a factory made unit.


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## Gigmaster (Feb 28, 2013)

If you're gonna be serious about blowguns, the only one to get is the Cold Steel .625 Magnum (or the Magnum Pro). All the rest are just toys.

Also, don't get one shorter than 5 feet long. Any less, and they really have no power or range at all.

I have a .40 cal that I target shoot with. Both my 40, and my .625 are 7' long. The .40 cal just doesn't have enough power to do anything other punch holes in light targets. It's too small to do enough instant damage to drop an animal in it's tracks (I only do humane instant kills....). Unless you have emphysema, you won't have any trouble supplying enough air for a .625. Anyone with average, or close to it, breath can shoot a .625 very well. I am 55, overweight, and diabetic, and I shoot at 20-30 yards all the time, with 2-1/2" groups.

The thing is, with a .625, you can shoot targets with it forever, but if you ever decide to hunt or fish, you've got the right tool. If you get a .40, or .50 cal, then later decide to hunt or fish, you'll have to buy another blowgun, and new darts. And they shoot way different, so you will need a lot of practice to get used to the .625 before hunting with it. And, if you decide you don't like blowguns, the .625 has a much higher resale value, and you can get most of your money back. .40 and .50 cal blowguns have hardly any resale value at all. You can buy them at flea markets for $5.00.

Just my 2 cents worth. I have both, and I greatly prefer the .625. The .40 hangs on the wall most of the time.


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## NaturalFork (Dec 7, 2012)

You guys are really making me want a CS.

Lets not rule out home made stuff. My half in copper 5 foot long blowgun with nail darts is pretty accurate, and accurate and logner distances too.


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## squirrelslinger (Feb 2, 2014)

the reason I asked was I am trying to get incredibly accurate. aka I want to replicate some match light shots....

actually, I am probably gonna stick with my homemade stuff because it shoots so well. plus a .625 is cheap. very, very cheap.

1/2 inch PVC is exactly .625.


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## NaturalFork (Dec 7, 2012)

squirrelslinger said:


> the reason I asked was I am trying to get incredibly accurate. aka I want to replicate some match light shots....
> 
> actually, I am probably gonna stick with my homemade stuff because it shoots so well. plus a .625 is cheap. very, very cheap.
> 
> 1/2 inch PVC is exactly .625.


I wonder if the CS darts fit in the pvc?


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## Teach (Dec 30, 2013)

NaturalFork said:


> I wonder if the CS darts fit in the pvc?
> 
> the reason I asked was I am trying to get incredibly accurate. aka I want to replicate some match light shots....
> 
> ...


No they don't fit because 1/2 inch PVC is very well known for being larger than 5/8's ID. It's *not *.625 little lone exactly .625. Most comes in closer to .68 or 11/16 ID.

Gigmaster; Last winter while down in Mexico I could not find any .625 tubing to make a BG from so I made two BG's from 1/2 copper water pipe which I found out later is 55 cal not 50 cal. I've always adored my .625's for all the same reasons you stated in your post above but after having a full winter to play with the 55 cal I would not be real quick to rule it out for hunting anything up to and including rabbit with a 5 foot length. But would I select it over a .625 if given the chance? No freekin way! The .625 is the hands down winner. Even in the 4 foot length it will outpower a 6 or 7 foot in 50 cal and be a whole lot easier to shoot. The 4 foot CS .625 is still a force to be recon'd with. But like you, I find the 5 foot better. I'm still gonna keep my 4 footer tho LOL.


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## Gigmaster (Feb 28, 2013)

NaturalFork said:


> squirrelslinger said:
> 
> 
> > .625 is .625, no matter what it is on. Thing is, the CS blowguns are so reasonably priced, even the pro models, and the quality is so high (they double as a walking stick, easily, even for a 260 lb. brute like myself....), I don't know why anyone would want to mess with trying to make one yourself. I don't think you could make one of similar quality to the CS for any less than what they sell them for.
> ...


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## Gigmaster (Feb 28, 2013)

Teach said:


> I actually use the 2'extension for a total of 7'. Now, that's a blowgun!!!!!! Up to 30 yards, it hits like a ton of bricks, and I sharpened my old CS large broadheads so they are like razors, and do plenty of instant damage. Someone should make blowgun darts like they do arrows, with screw-in points so you can change them easily. I am sure a 3-bladed broadhead dart could be easily made, maybe from carbon fiber. I wouldn't care if they cost $4.00, or $5.00 a piece, because like arrows, you really only need a few of them. They would be awesome for hunting.
> 
> I wonder if the CS darts fit in the pvc?
> 
> ...


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## craftsman (Sep 24, 2014)

The size of the barrel diameter has no bearing whatsoever on accuracy.

Accuracy (barrel characteristics) has to do with other factors ... barrel straightness, barrel length (longer is better, IF it is perfectly straight), barrel interior being free of: defects, moisture, contaminents (dirt).

Other factors which affect accuracy include distance (gravity), dart weight and length, dart construction (full cone vs tailconed only, metal vs wood, cone material, balance (weight forward, centered, or back), tailcone front proflile (CS Big Bore tailcones suck. Flat as a pancake, aerodynamically, the newer ones are better than the originals), etc.), shooter (aim, steadiness (if you jerk the barrel when you exhale ... refer to barrel wieights, posted elsewhere), power of the shot, external (weather, wind) conditions.


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## NaturalFork (Dec 7, 2012)

craftsman said:


> The size of the barrel diameter has no bearing whatsoever on accuracy.
> 
> Accuracy (barrel characteristics) has to do with other factors ... barrel straightness, barrel length (longer is better, IF it is perfectly straight), barrel interior being free of: defects, moisture, contaminents (dirt).
> 
> Other factors which affect accuracy include distance (gravity), dart weight and length, dart construction (full cone vs tailconed only, metal vs wood, cone material, balance (weight forward, centered, or back), tailcone front proflile (CS Big Bore tailcones suck. Flat as a pancake, aerodynamically, the newer ones are better than the originals), etc.), shooter (aim, steadiness (if you jerk the barrel when you exhale ... refer to barrel wieights, posted elsewhere), power of the shot, external (weather, wind) conditions.


Do you find full cones better than the tailconed only? I have found that the standard wire .50 cal darts I get I am most accurate with.


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## craftsman (Sep 24, 2014)

I have about 100 hand made (by Dr. Higuchi, when he came here from Japan for the 1st International Blowgun competition) full cone darts made from plastic, as a 0.50 cal. dart. They are about 23 cm long (nearly 9 inches), but only weigh about 0.8 gm. Since the darts are all cone, they have a tendency to get lift during flight, if they are shot with enough power. So you have to aim lower than normal for accuracy. Also, if you "robin hood" them, the one hit is ruined. (Sad voice of experience)

They are totally worthless for hunting, as they do not have enough force for much more than skin piercing (rabbit from 12 yards), and annoying the game.


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## craftsman (Sep 24, 2014)

Oh, almost forgot ... accuracy is fine, as the current competition world record, a 208 out of 210, was shot in Japan last year with this style dart. If you learn with a style of dart, generally, that style is what is most accurate for you. There are exceptions, a few of us are "fluent" in 0.40, 0.50, 0.625 and 0.51 (Fukiya plastic cones). I've been target shooting for over 11 years, so I have an excuse! LOL


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## NaturalFork (Dec 7, 2012)

Thanks! I do not hunt with a blowgun really, although I have killed a few pest mice. My main interest is target shooting. Again thanks for the info!


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## craftsman (Sep 24, 2014)

PM me if you'd like to know how to (pardon the pun) "roll your own".


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## Pelletor (Jan 6, 2013)

Great discussion gents, very nice!

I use my homemade .625 Cal x 6 feet long Al tubing blowgun mostly for target practice but have shot a couple of tree rats off the bird feeder over the years using drinking straw darts with 6 penny nail "forged" tips.


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## craftsman (Sep 24, 2014)

I have "nailed" (LOL) a rabbit in my back yard with a 0.51 cal. Fukiya dart, using the Japanese blowgun Dr. Higuchi presented me several years ago. ( I use nailed in quotes, because the tip is a 1" brass brad, point forward, whereas the JSFA darts - "YA" - use the head forward.) Hit him in the thigh from about 40 ft. (fool was digging up my yard). No damage, didn't stick. Ran off next to my too shed. Popped him again, that time it stuck. He did a back-flip about 4 ft. in the air, then lit off through the chainlink fence - removing the dart as he did. We were rabbit free the balance of that year. I've posted some pics in the gallery of those style darts.


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