John Paul
The middle part of the dart that you hold near the tip is called the barrel. This is the area where you position your fingers before making a throw. Most amateur players don’t realize this, but barrels tend to have different shapes to them. Some barrels are wider than others. Also, most barrels have rings to make holding them more comfortable.
They will even give you a safer grip on the dart as well. That way, you can increase your chances of throwing your dart straight and hitting the dartboard. You won’t need to worry about losing your grip and having the dart inadvertently hit someone or something around you.
Barrel Materials
Dart barrels are not all made from the same type of material. The three materials typically used to make dart barrels are brass, nickel-tungsten, and copper-tungsten. Out of these three materials, the most common material that you’ll find used is nickel-tungsten. This material is popular because it is heavier and denser.
Darts can be manufactured much narrower if their barrel is made from tungsten. Since professional darts need to be of regulation weight in competition, tungsten barrels balance the weight out if the darts are made thin. This means the darts are faster and easier to grip and control.
Types of Barrels
Now let’s talk about the different types of barrels. Like previously mentioned, the main difference between the various barrel types is their shape and size. Each one has their own particular benefit when playing darts. It is up to the players to decide which type of barrel is suitable for them in each gaming situation.
Straight Barrel
The straight barrel is the standard dart barrels and has a cylindrical shape to it. It is a universal barrel that serves a variety of purposes. It can help you throw the dart straight or group your darts together by hitting them off each other.
Stealth Barrel
The stealth barrel has a thicker backside but a thinner frontside. This design allows darts to fit into tight spaces on the board. And because it has a thicker backside, the weight of the dart will still feel normal.
Tapered Barrel
The tapered barrel is almost like the opposite of a stealth barrel. Tapered barrels have a thick frontside and then gradually becomes thinner near the stem. Any player who uses their thumb more to grip the dart will want to use this barrel.
Scallop Barrel
A scallop barrel could be a bomb barrel or a straight barrel. The only difference is that a scallop barrel has a scallop inside of it to make gripping easier and consistent for the player.
Torpedo Barrel
The torpedo barrel is wide and short, with most of the weight being centralized toward the front. The reason it is called the “torpedo” is that it provides additional force when the dart hits the board. If you can throw straight, you won’t have too many bounce outs with this barrel.
Bomb Barrel
A lot of professional darts players love the bomb barrel because it is suitable for “stacking.” This barrel is much wider than your average barrel, and it is very short too. The shape is very similar to the torpedo barrel’s shape. You can score a lot of points with this barrel.
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Which Barrel is the Best?
The best barrel depends on the type of play you want to make. For instance, if you’re trying to land a bullseye or land the dart in an area with other darts around it, then you’ll want to use the torpedo or bomb barrel. But if you’re trying to hit the other areas on the board, you can use the straight barrel for most of the time. Anyone with gripping problems might want to try the tapered, stealth, or scallop barrel as an alternative.
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