Blowguns are profoundly simple weapons. A tube for darts, powered by the shooter’s lungs, is enough to guide silent projectiles swiftly through the air, embedding a narrow point in wood, concrete or whatever else is on the receiving end.
In February 1939, Popular Science interviewed Walt Wilhelm, a California hunter who used a four-and-a-half-foot long copper blowgun to hunt desert game, with a range of up to 351 feet.
For a more modern take on blowgunning, we can look to Grant Thompson, who built a working blowgun–complete with camouflage coating, multiple sets of darts, and a laser sight–all for under $3 apiece when making them in small batches. His blowgun is two feet long, and has a range of at least 100 feet. Thompson made a variety of darts, all with simple paper cones as a basis. Darts pointed with small nails fly fast, darts with long nails stick deeper into targets, and darts capped with the rounded tops of screws hit hard enough to break glass.
Watch the video instructions below, or read this step-by-step guide.
Achtung! Make sure people are clear from the area when firing, and only aim at inanimate objects. Special exceptions can be made for zombies.
