tungsten dart

To get around those problems, most tungsten alloy darts are now made of mixtures ranging from 70% to 95% tungsten. Lower density barrels are much cheaper, as they are easier to manufacture with automated machinery Low density darts also wear faster, from skin acid, friction, hitting other darts, falling on floors, etc.

As with most products, tungsten darts are not all the same. Raw tungsten does not melt easily, and is not readily made into machinable shapes. Tungsten is generally ground into a fine powder, which is then blended with a variety of other metals that act as binding agents. In the case of darts, the most common blends contain nickel, with smaller amounts of copper and ferrous compounds. The mixture is heated and compressed to make a solid billet or bar, which can then be machined into darts barrels.