An air gun, or an air tube, is a weapon presented in the form of a hollow cylinder made of lightweight materials. Ammunition is set in motion under pressure, which is created by man-blown air. Darts are commonly used as arrows.
Story
The manufacture of such weapons has a thousand-year history. Blowpipes for shooting were invented by residents of regions in which there was no wood suitable for creating high-quality bows. Primitive forms of blowguns are still used by indigenous peoples of South India, Polynesia, Brazil, Peru, and other southern countries as a means for hunting small animals. It is here that a wide variety of poisonous plants and amphibians (frogs, lizards) are found, from which toxic substances can be extracted to impregnate darts.
The most compact and highly effective version of the wind tube is a 50-centimeter weapon of African natives. It uses long darts capable of hitting birds and small mammals at a distance of more than 20 meters.
A more perfect option is the wind pipe of the Indians who inhabited the Amazon. The traditional weapon of these peoples is a 2.5-meter cylinder with a through hole. The modified version is a hollow tree trunk, where a smaller cylinder is placed. Upon impact on the end of the latter, excess pressure is created in the barrel , which leads to the dart flying over a long distance.
Common wind tube options
Among the most famous varieties of traditional blowguns it is worth noting:
- Tomeang - the basis for the manufacture of a durable outer shell and inner channel are bamboo stems, spared from partitions. To improve aerodynamic performance, the wind tube undergoes a thorough scrubbing of the surfaces and their polishing.
- Pukun is a durable lightweight weapon made from a reed stalk. The material is placed in an outer case made of halves of a palm tree trunk. Such a wind tube has an external reinforcing winding in the form of dried viscera of animals or rattan fibers.
- Sarbakan - similar to the previous version, is made from the trunk of a palm tree. The body is strengthened by a winding made of softened plant fibers. Formed semicircular grooves in the inner part of the product form a bed suitable for darts.
- Sumpitan - is made from a monolithic piece of iron tree growing on the island of Borneo. The inside of the case is drilled and polished. For centuries, this windpipe has been used by the inhabitants of the islands of the southern hemisphere to hunt primates.
Dimensions
Professional wind guns are distinguished from traditional weapons of tribal peoples in the first place by their impressive length. In the case of the most powerful products, this indicator sometimes reaches one and a half meters. If desired, a factory-made wind tube can be increased by installing additional removable knees.
Modern wind weapons cannot be called compact. However, only with increased dimensions does accuracy increase. Compared to the traditional - wooden - wind weapons, progress is also noticeable in the range of the darts.
Dart
Currently, there are several varieties of darts for shooting from airguns on the market. Darts with weighting agents at the end are used as a training tool for practicing skills. The lightest - longest - options are used to perform the most aimed, sniper shooting from long distances. Due to the balanced weight and shape, products of this category demonstrate stable movement in space.
As for the shortest options, they are most often equipped with wide blades. Hunting with wind tubes using such darts is possible for small game. In particular, cases of slaughter with the indicated ammunition of ducks and hares were recorded.
How to make a wind tube?
If desired, and the availability of the necessary materials, you can independently produce a fairly practical wind pipe. This will require:
- plastic or aluminum pipe with a diameter of about 2 cm;
- nails
- a piece of thick paper;
- insulating tape;
- scissors;
- hacksaw.
First you need to determine the dimensions of the future weapon, cutting off the unnecessary length with a hacksaw. Next, you can proceed directly to the preparation of ammunition. To do this, it is necessary to wrap the nail with paper in such a way that a product of a conical shape is obtained. To fix the winding, use adhesive tape. It is recommended to wrap the nail with electrical tape until its thickness matches the diameter of the tube.
By inserting the finished dart into such a home-made weapon and gaining more air into the lungs, you can shoot at a distance of more than 15 meters. Naturally, blowing into the tube should go all out. To save yourself from the search for darts in the grass, it is worthwhile to prepare in advance a supply of nails with a winding.
If the efficiency of firing from a homemade wind tube leaves much to be desired, it is worth supplementing the design with a cork wad. The latter can be rolled up from a piece of cotton or a piece of fabric. Putting the wad in the tube will increase the pressure in the barrel and, as a result, increase the starting speed of the projectile. In addition, such a solution eliminates the need for accurate adjustment of the thickness of the darts to the diameter of homemade weapons.
Finally
The wind pipe is primarily a weapon for entertaining shooting, which allows you to have fun while competing in accuracy. At the same time, there are a considerable number of professional products that can be used for hunting small game. However, such a weapon cannot be called effective for fishing in our latitudes.