Nice tactical kilt, I wear a Black Watch tartan myself. Interesting event....#3 seemed to be hardly trying, making a fairly perfunctory throw.
Yes all of my darts have flex to them if they don’t they will not fly very well I mark my nick points so they flex up and down and not side to side
The third guy was new at it using one of my experimental darts with bamboo fletching there were about 45 people throwing in it
Bill Gates must have nightmares about posts like this. An interesting discussion on the finer points of using an atlatl, some very interesting comments on tactical kilts. A good time seemed to be had by all in a beautiful day the woods, and not one app for sale or a buck to be made. I must say, it takes Bishop to "civilize" chelloveck and bring out his finer points. Again I thank you. I had to go back to the slow motion post and see what you meant. It does snake up and down in some harmonic fashion. Do you think that it is a function of the dart or a reaction to the thrust being applied to the end of a long stick? You mentioned that you marked the darts, do you have to "calibrate" each dart? And another mistaken idea about a simple "kids toy" bites the dust. Every time I turn around another primitive weapon or tool turns out to be about as complex as the space shuttle, just at a different level..Brain tanning leather, working with flint to make tools, building long bows and Mongol bows, the atlatl and bolos, etc. So much is on the verge of being lost. One of the largest empire created on Earth is still the one Genghis Khan created by developing the secret weapon of the day, the use of horse mounted archers using powerful compact bows and his version of the pony express for rapid communications. While it is a hijack, the concept of "primitive" weapons is a misnomer. We just don't understand the complexity in their construction and use. Genghis Khan in 1258 had groups attacking in both what is now Vietnam and Lithuania and controlled most of the area in between. That kind of gets lost in your modern history books and their version of empires based upon a single fortified complex and the control of a few hundred square miles of kingdom. What happened after Genghis Khan’s rampage ended?
The physics of atlatl darts and woomera have been well researched. The oscillating flex of the shaft helps with the accuracy of the projectile. https://worldatlatl.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/2006-2-THE-ATLATL.pdf https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/76215892.pdf Terminal Ballistics of Stone-Tipped Atlatl Darts and Arrows: Results From Exploratory Naturalistic Experiments
I do a spine test kind of crude but it works for me . I like long darts over 6,6 or better when I cut the arrow cane river cane or bamboo I cut it long and bundle them big end next to the small end and like that until I have about 10 to 12 in a bundle half going on way the other half going the other way then I put in a hot vehicle for about two weeks rotating every other day or so until dry in Florida it’s about two weeks then I cut to length that I want if I have any major straightening I do it then with a heat gun I glue in a golf tee that I have put a debit it for my nock then a carbon arrow shaft cut to the length I need at the point end glued in place then a fletch using two full length feathers to spine test t pull down on the top of the dart and see which way it want to flex and I mark it crude but it works between the golf tee nock and the spine test is part of the reason I always win the other part is you don’t have to throw hard it’s a nice easy cast like playing catch with your kids in the yard with a follow through
