Air guns are powered by all sorts of sources these days. There are spring, multi-pump, CO₂, Nitrogen, battery and PCP. One other power is supplied by a human—but while actually propelling an object through a bore with air, it’s called a blowgun.

For the first time in Shoot ‘n’ Plink’s history we are going to review and tell how to use a blowgun. The particular unit is Cold Steel’s Big Bore Professional in .625 caliber.

The Big Bore is 4 feet long and weighs around 1.38 pounds. It has a professional, target-style mouthpiece, and the barrel is 3mm thick, which makes it 45 percent heavier—and more accurate—than other models.

It is said to be accurate up to 20 yards. However, this depends on the dart being used, and the user’s experience, which will be covered later in the article.

Included with the blowgun are 15 mini broadhead darts, 15 bamboo darts, 6 stun darts, a dart quiver with guard, rubber ferrule (missing on mine), and mouthpiece. The quiver has places to hold 12 broadhead darts; to fit all 12, you have to stagger them with one up and one down to fit them with their driving cones.

They are available from the Cold Steel website for $47.99, but I was able to find mine on sale for around $28 through MidwayUSA.

Now, let’s start shooting. The first thing is to load it with a dart of choice. I started with the shorter broadhead dart since I was going to fire it at my wooden knife/axe target. Once the dart is inserted, it has to be seated into place by sticking your finger into the mouthpiece and pushing it until it clicks in place. In fact, I had to push it to have it go past the first click and to a second one. The first held the dart to the point where I couldn’t blow it out. The way I did it didn’t hurt the accuracy, as my first shot was a bullseye from 16 feet.

Sighting is done with both eyes open. Look at the target where you want to place the dart, and then blow. When inhaling to take a shot, hold the gun upward and keep your mouth away from the gun. Do not inhale through the barrel, as this is where the dart is seated. Also, do not look down the front of the barrel to see if there is a dart. If it was loaded, the dart can quickly slide down and cause injury to your eye.

Of course, controlling the amount of air being blown through, and the force, is the key to longer shots and accuracy. I’ve hit several center shots from 10 and 20 yards, but moving back to 25 takes a bit more air than this ol’ boy can provide for a good accurate shot.

The metal broadhead darts are most accurate and strongest on penetration. The dart went almost all the way through an aluminum soft drink can, putting a hole large enough for the back cone to go through the front side. With a heavy dog food can, the dart punched a hole in both sides, and penetrated deeply in the wooden and foam target.

The bamboo darts are good for closer range and practice. They will punch through cardboard, aluminum drink cans, and penetrate fairly well into foam packing. So, when using these to practice, use soft targets, and stand closer. While I did hit a cardboard box filled with tree wrap carpeting and foam carpet underlay from 20 yards, I recommend staying within 15 to 30 feet, and perhaps 10 feet for beginners.

Stun darts are a bit odd, but fairly accurate. I fired them at all of the items mentioned as targets, and surprisingly, they penetrated a piece of cardboard, while placing a big dent in a soft drink can.

Just for the heck of it, I got out the Daisy Shatter Blast targets and fired the broadhead darts at them. They shattered, as they do with regular BB and pellet guns, and made for a good challenge of hitting the 2-inch target. There is a video short on the Dan’s Fish ‘n’ Tales/Shoot ‘n’ Plink YouTube channel where this can be seen.

Consider storage and transport of the blowgun and darts, which doesn’t cost that much more. I purchased a 52-inch Allen shotgun case for $16 that fit the gun perfectly, and had enough room left over to store the darts, including 50 spare broadheads that I purchased separately, and a spare mouthpiece. I placed the darts in We the People Holster swag bags that are sent with things ordered from them.

Shooting a blowgun is a lot of fun, as well as being quiet, so it can be done about anywhere. But it is not a toy. Observe all safety practices as with any gun, bow, cross bow, knife or axe. Never use it in an unsafe direction or point it at anything but the target. People should stand behind and away from the shooter, as there can be ricochets.

If you want to see some of the videos that were done with this blowgun, go to the Dan’s Fish ‘n’ Tales/Shoot ‘n’ Plink YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/dansfishntales.