Atlatl Project

[Newanderthal]

Something fun I did one weekend with a friend. We were inspired (by youtube) to make an atlatl and atlatl darts. This was way more fun that it probably should have been.

should have waited until the bamboo was dry so it would be lighter... but I'm impatient

A stone tip and a blunt tip

My girlfriend would NOT let me practice in the house

Getting some distance

I'm accurate enough to hit the ground... in my defense, the Earth is a moving target

The darts were too heavy when first made. After drying they lost about 50% of their weight and flew much farther, much faster, and were far more accurate. After just a little playing around, I can see how, if done right and well-practiced, these things could bring down some critters.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


Making and playing with some are on my bucket list. Some of them can hit with a force of 200-foot-pounds...perhaps even more.

I wonder how they would be classified for hunting. Here in NY, you can't hunt deer (well, not legally) with a 'spear'.

PS: In NY barbed arrowheads are not legal. The arrowhead must be able to be withdrawn from the animal.



Everybody knows something.

 

[ppine]

New,
You have been posting some great stuff lately. What distance can you hit a target accurately? The atyatyl changed everything for early man.

 

[Newanderthal]

I only got to take it out once since the darts dried (they were way to heavy at the time I took these pics) so I haven't been able to do any real target practice. I managed to hit a basketball size target at about 50 feet, but it was 90% luck.

There's definitely potential though. The darts fly straight, so the consistency is there and consistency is the first step to accuracy. I just need to spend more time practicing so that I can figure out how to really aim, get a feel for the tool.

It would also help if the sum total of my knowledge regarding atlatl construction didn't come exclusively from youtube.

I have heard of people hunting turkeys with these things. Currently, I could hunt the frozen variety with about a 25% success rate.

 

[pauldude000]

I only got to take it out once since the darts dried (they were way to heavy at the time I took these pics) so I haven't been able to do any real target practice. I managed to hit a basketball size target at about 50 feet, but it was 90% luck.

There's definitely potential though. The darts fly straight, so the consistency is there and consistency is the first step to accuracy. I just need to spend more time practicing so that I can figure out how to really aim, get a feel for the tool.

It would also help if the sum total of my knowledge regarding atlatl construction didn't come exclusively from youtube.

I have heard of people hunting turkeys with these things. Currently, I could hunt the frozen variety with about a 25% success rate.

About the best shot I have seen with one of these is a guy on youtube by the nick paleoaleo

I will see if I can find a vid... Here are a couple.

Stupid Atlatl Trick Shots - YouTube

Atlatl Accuracy Tips - YouTube

Atlatls In Action - YouTube

As far as I can tell, the guy is not a survivalist. He is however someone who is into primitive tech. He knows his stuff though, make no mistake about that. His channel is worth checking out, as he has tons of info on primitive methods for making atlatls, bows, arrows, atlatl darts, among numerous other things.

 

[Newanderthal]

yeah the thing about the atlatl is that the dart is what makes all the difference. The atlatl itself is just a lever. The dart has to be PERFECT.

 

[pauldude000]

yeah the thing about the atlatl is that the dart is what makes all the difference. The atlatl itself is just a lever. The dart has to be PERFECT.

I used to make them myself, and after finding out how to use them properly was able to hit a milk jug fairly consistently at fifty feet. I can give a few pointers, but you may already know them.

1. The point of the dart must be heavy for impact energy and for it to fly straight.
2. The dart is like an arrow in that you need to spine them.
3. Also like an arrow they need to be fire straightened.
4. If you just cut cane that looked good for a dart then you will need to spine them, and come up with a rating system for spine weight and mark them.
5. Softer dart spine weight throw softer, and vice versa.
6. A weight on the atlatl shaft (not the dart) seems to add energy, but only if small enough. A big weight slows down the throw.

I learned to make and use one as backup for those times when I needed something NOW, as an atlatl is easy and fairly fast to make if you have cane available.

However, a bow is easy to make, and it's arrows are about the same. The only problem with a bow is time and strong enough cordage in a wilderness survival situation for a good bow string. It is also a longer range device.

However the hole left by a big stone point will take out a deer as fast as a 300 win mag... If you can hit it. The indians used it for buffalo and mastodon, so I imagine it could be used on hog. Preferably from a tree. :tinysmile_twink_t2:

 

[ghostdog]

Excellent post and experimentation.

I saw a show on this subject and they said the Atlatl was accurate to two football fields in length and the darts so powerful that they would sail right through an animal many times. They said it is as accurate as the bow and arrow but like today with various things, the bow became all the rage and pretty much displaced it by style.

 

[pauldude000]

Excellent post and experimentation.

I saw a show on this subject and they said the Atlatl was accurate to two football fields in length and the darts so powerful that they would sail right through an animal many times. They said it is as accurate as the bow and arrow but like today with various things, the bow became all the rage and pretty much displaced it by style.

The atlatl has it's place, but accuracy at two football fields is better shooting than by anyone I know of. It might be possible, I don't know. Just like any weapon I suppose, as anyone can fire it, many can shoot, but a few are truly great shots.

The power I would not be surprised at. It is similar to 'power' when viewed in a rifle. Ft/lbs and ft per sec doesn't necessarily mean better penetration. A big slow bullet often penetrates far deeper than a zippy light one even if both are comparable in ft/lbs. Often, the heavy monster slug has a lot less ft/lbs than the smaller grain variety, yet penetrates like a freight train in comparison.

It breaks down to plain physics. The dart for the atlatl has a ton more mass than any arrow, and with a heavy stone point maybe as much as six times the mass or more. The speed of the atlatl dart is much slower, yet the deep penetration would be a product of the combined mass of the dart and it's point.

For hunting, the atlatl has two main detractors. Speed of the dart, and the wide motion of the swing.

Bow hunters already know that a deer can see a much faster arrow coming from a regular recurve or longbow, and can sometimes jump out of the way. It would have that much more time with a slower projectile.

Most large game animals detect danger through sound, smell, and motion. Most predators they must watch out for make very little noise on the hunt, and come up on the animal from downwind. They are highly tuned by necessity to visual motion. A big arm swing will set off their evasive instinct and they may jump before they even see the dart.

For success in hunting, as always quiet as a mouse, downwind with a smoke bath, and wait until the animal turns it's head away to launch the dart.