Darts with airsoft?

by B.B. Pelletier

Here’s a sport I never considered – using airsoft guns to play darts!

Crosman makes the entire package
Take a look at Crosman’s Stinger Challenge. It’s an entire shooting game in a box for less than $50! Most of the time, I punch paper when I shoot airguns indoors. Here is a way to add a little spice. Instead of holes in paper, the Stinger Challenge gives you a dart board with two spring-piston pistols, one red and the other blue.

The two colors keep the shots separate between competitors. The BBs are color-coordinated with the guns, so the target shows whose shots went where. The gel-trap target is 12″ in diameter, so you can back up beyond regulation dart-throwing distance if you want. The Hop-Up in the guns should assure reasonable accuracy out to at least 30 feet.

Catch those BBs!
You’ll want to hang some kind of fabric behind the trap to stop and collect all stray BBs. There’s nothing worse for domestic tranquility than having BBs everywhere! If you slant the fabric toward the firing line and down to the floor, the BBs will run down safely to be automatically gathered in one place when you’re finished shooting. If you go one step further and run the fabric into a cardboard box, the BB-collecting job will be finished when you are!

Darts isn’t the only game
With a color-coordinated set like this, you can have mock “duels.” Both shooters face away from the target while one of them counts to ten aloud. On “ten,” both players turn and fire at the target. Either the player with the highest score wins, or the player whose BB hits the target first wins. There are many ways to play this game. It’s hypnotic when a good competition gets started!

Safety first
The set includes two pairs of safety glasses, but they aren’t adjustable for head sizes. Crosman also makes some that are, so consider who else will need glasses if you buy this outfit. Not only should both shooters wear glasses, all people in the same vicinity should have them, too.

If it’s too easy – back up!
Pick your distance to the target so both shooters are challenged. With some creativity – say, each player in a different room and the target in a third room – you can handicap the match by allowing one shooter to stand closer to the target. This doesn’t just work for dueling; every target match can be handicapped this way.

The pistols reach a velocity of 230 f.p.s., which means they shoot 0.12-gram BBs. When you buy the set, try some other brands of BBs to see which ones shoot most accurately. I’ve found wide differences in brands when I shoot them in different guns.

Good for one shooter or many
Of course, you don’t have to have two shooters to enjoy this set. The big target board alone makes the set worth buying. You can shoot target by yourself when you can’t interest another shooter to compete. Nothing says the limit is two shooters. If you have extra guns and buy a third color BB, why not have three shooters? Or more!

I was just fascinated when I saw this set, so I had to mention it here. I’d like to hear an owner’s opinion.

Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)

Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.

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