The blowgun or blowpipe has a long history that spans the globe. Many authorities believe it was first invented in Malaysia where it migrated through the Malaysian and Indonesian archipelagos finding its way to the Philippines and as far north as Japan. The blowgun, however, was not just a southeastern weapon; it also surfaced in the western hemisphere in the jungles of South and Central America, moving as far north as the southeastern United States.
Blowguns were originally invented to serve as a hunting weapon(not legal in Sweden). They were used to bag small animals and birds, with small stones or hardened clay pellets being used for ammunition. Eventually, most hunters discovered that they could take much larger animals by the use of thin wooden darts that were laced with lethal poisons. The poison was derived from the sap of specially cultivated vines.
In the early 1960s and 70s, blowguns began to gain a small foothold in the United States. During this period, the Jivaro Blowgun Company ran a myriad of small advertisements for their .38 caliber blowgun. These were featured in the back of many adventure, gun and survival magazines. Eventually, in the late 1980s they faded away.
But the mystique of the blowgun itself did not fade away. Instead, a number of companies quickly jumped into the vacuum that was created by Jivaros demise, and, by the early 90s, the market was flooded with a horde of cheap, poorly constructed blowguns. Most were sold as novelty items, with inefficient, short, 2 and 3 foot tubes made of paper-thin aluminum and firing an insipid .40 caliber dart. The only exception was the J.R. Stupero Company and their successor the J.W. McFarlin Company which sold an authentic hunting grade blowgun that was made of thick, strong Aluminum and was capable of propelling a heavy .625 Magnum dart.
In 1983, Cold Steels President, Lynn C. Thompson, bought the first of the many .625 Magnum blowguns he would eventually own. He became an instant fan and has, over the last two decades, practiced exclusively with it. He has taken it on several hunting trips in the U.S. and has used it on three African Safaris! When the opportunity to acquire the J.W. Mcfarlin Company arose, Lynn purchased it outright, taking title to all of their trademarks and inventory.
Now, after a brief reorganizing period, we hereby inaugurate the birth of our new division; Big Bore Blowguns, home of the .625 Magnum. Big Bore Blowguns will specialize in large blowgun calibers like .625 Magnum because they are capable of shooting darts that are 20% faster and three times heavier then our competition. They offer vastly improved power compared to smaller, .40 caliber darts.
Since we are not interested in selling cheap, shoddy toys, we will concentrate on 4 foot blowguns. For extra accuracy and range, basic models come with a mouthpiece, rubber ferrule, dart quiver, and 36 darts (12 Stun Darts, 12 Mini Broad Head, 6 Hunting Broad Head, and 6 Bamboo).
Large caliber blowguns like our .625 Magnum have an effective range out to 20 yards or more. With practice, a skilled user can hit a two-inch circle at amazing distances, delivering a heavy weight dart. Thats a payload easily capable of penetrating a half-inch sheet of plywood.
Shooting a blowgun is great fun. It is an activity that can be enjoyed indoors or out, in sunny or inclement weather. Try our new Big Bore .625 Magnum and youll soon find yourself addicted to the fun of shooting the worlds most powerful blowgun!