The Thunderbird Atlatl staff is back in Candor, New York in full force and ready for spring! We look forward to working with you in providing you high quality atlatl equipment. We pride ourselves on our customer service so please give us a call if you have any questions or need some assistance in deciding on what equipment will work best for you. Owner. atlatl and dart designer Bob Berg recently sat down and took a few moments to explain differences between darts produced at the Thunderbird shop.

Why the differences between atlatl darts? At Thunderbird Atlatl we make atlatl darts for lots of different purposes.

Five foot, 5 ounce ash darts may not interest someone who wants to compete in the International Standard Accuracy Contest but when it comes to summer camp or scouts with groups of 8 to 12 year old participants nothing works better. They are both durable and affordable. Our 6 foot, six ounce ash darts likewise are great for the younger set and more mature beginning atlatlists for some of the same reasons. These are the dart shafts that are included in our Thunderbird Atlatl Kits™ that we have been selling the last 16 years.

The 3 to 5 ounce bamboo darts that we make are anywhere from about 5 to 8 feet or longer with conical copper points. They are fantastic for competition because they fly straight and true. I don’t think there is a natural material better than the Yadake Bamboo we use for making these world class competition darts. Our formula for building these bamboo darts originated from adapting methods developed by Japanese arrow makers. The copper points we use originated from a study of artifacts of the Old Copper Culture of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. While eclectic in traditional but cross culture themes, these darts really perform. Some of the highest scores on the International Accuracy Contest have been achieved with bamboo darts.

We make lighter 7 foot darts from Engelman Spruce and Douglas Fir from British Columbia for better accuracy at longer distances but they are not as good for penetration. We have been testing these darts lately to see if they indeed hold up to rigorous use on the range. So far they have done well

We make darts that are as short as 4 feet and weigh less than an ounce for distance throwing for those who want to try their hand at an interesting aspect of the atlatl sport.

It is therefore important to consider what your goals are when you purchase your Thunderbird Atlatl™ atlatls and darts.

Our 5 foot darts at 5 ounces are designed for younger beginning atlatlists.

The 6 foot 6 ounce ash darts are a good all around dart for practice and stump shooting. The 6 foot darts have been used successfully for hunting by younger or smaller atlatlists.

The principle is that longer darts are more accurate, heavier darts are better for penetration and lighter, smaller darts are good for distance. Longer, lighter darts are good for target shooting.

We have taken another step forward in the manufacture of our popular tapered darts! Along with our high quality standard wooden Ash darts and bamboo darts, we now produce quality wooden tapered darts. Our tapered darts provide high quality flight characteristics. Our tapered darts are available in straight grained Ash that we mill ourselves from veneer quality logs as well as Spruce and Douglas fir. Seven foot tapered ash darts weigh in at 7 ounces which is excellent for hunting. The seven foot spruce and fir darts are great target darts rivaling the flight characteristics of the more expensive bamboo darts that we also make.

Thunderbird Atlatl started producing quality tapered darts early in our twenty years of business. Our original method was cumbersome and labor intensive so Bob Berg designed and built a more efficient method of tapered dart production. This milestone has made it easier for us to provide the high quality tapered darts that we are now offering to our customers without a long wait. If you would like to add tapered darts to your atlatl set the process adds a dollar each to each dart.

Thunderbird Atlatl Dart Shafts
Here at Thunderbird Atlatl we produce premium quality ash shafts made entirely with our own equipment from harvesting logs to sawing them at our own sawmill. We take the time to set the saw to cut precisely along the grain of the log. After a rigorous grading process the wood goes on to milling then fine sanding. The darts are then sorted for grain, color and spine and bundled to help keep them straight during the seasoning process. Bob’s 40 years of wood working experience comes into play when selecting just the right timber for your darts. All this extra care in selecting and handling our raw material pays off by producing the highest possible quality dart shaft. Many of the logs come from our own property. Our new storage methods and packaging have recently been improved to get your darts to you in the best possible condition. We control the whole process so you can be assured of the best quality. Couple that with our no-questions-asked return policy and our low prices and you can’t get better value. We have had 100% positive feedback on ebay for almost a decade.

Below: Darts from Thunderbird Atlatl

Tapered Shafts are Available Again
In addition to our quality round pole shafts, we offer top quality tapered shafts. These premium darts are tapered in the back to stabilize quickly and fly just right. There is a small taper in the front to give the darts that aerodynamic barrel shape. They have some of the same flight characteristics as bamboo darts but still retain the penetration qualities of wooden shafts, so they are outstanding for hunting as well as target shooting. All of our ash shafts are fine sanded. Our darts are designed to be compatible with traditional archery broad heads and field points so it is easy to repair or upgrade your darts with gear you can get at your local archery shop. Bob conducted his research on tapered darts over 12 years ago. We offered tapered darts for a while in our catalog but the process Bob used was cumbersome and wore out expensive sanding belts. Now, with new equipment he is able to manufacture tapered darts efficiently, with the process adding a dollar to the cost of a dart.

Keweenau Copper Points™
Bob has had the opportunity to inspect hundreds of copper artifacts from the Keweenaw region Old Copper Culture in Michigan. He has selected some examples of conical copper points which he replicates. The Old Copper Culture lasted from about 8000 years ago to about 3000 ago. Bob has an example of an OCC point that is original that looks just like the ones he makes except for the deep patina. .Some of the darts fitted with Bob’s replica copper points have been shot more that 400 times and are still in perfect shape. Keweenaw Copper Points™ are available on any of Thunderbird Atlatl’s full line of darts. They can also be purchased separately and put on your own darts.

Copper Points from Thunderbird Atlatl

Wind Powered Shop
Bob’s shop has gone green. He has replaced his original electricity supplier with one that produces power with the wind.

Call or email us for a free new catalog (color with centerfold) 1 800 836 4520
contact@thunderbirdatlatl.com

You also can download the pdf version of the catalog in the menu on the home page.

Our traditional Hiawatha Atlatls are perfect for the person looking for an authentic looking atlatl. The Hiawatha Atlatl has a classic primitive design. In our web catalog, we show our painted version of the Hiawatha. We have several other choices. In the photo below are some of our Hiawathas with boat stone weights. We also have traditional Hiawathas without the weight and with or without the loop handle. Prices for Hiawathas range from $20 to $130.

The traditional atlatls below are $100 each. Our Hiawathas are available in Hickory, Ash or Osage Orange with a bone or antler tine, natural fiber or leather finger loops, rubbed oil finish and natural fiber lacing which holds the antler tine in place and provides added grip at the handle. Some of our pieces are slightly charred and oiled, which would have been a surface treatment well within the grasp of hunter gatherers.

Interested in one of our traditonal atlatls, give us a call at 800-836-4520 or email us at contact@thunderbirdatlatl.com You can also try to reach us on our cell phone at 607-743-4379.