Choosing Your Equipment
Should you be a “new” user of remote injection you might be overwhelmed from the choices available to you and have concerns of where to begin. This is my advice to you and how I go about getting people what they need for their particular operation.
Start out by determining the weight of the animals you plan on medicating. Of course, this will vary according to your operation. The cow/calf people will need an array of dart capacities, as they could be medicating everything from a baby calf to a bull weighing a ton. The stocker/feeder needs will be most likely generated from handling cattle in a weight range from 400–900 pounds. If you are a feedlot operator, chances are the cattle will be weighing from 700–1300 pounds. So, the first step is to determine the weight class of your cattle. Make a list of these weights in a column on a piece of paper.The next step is to anticipate the drugs you will be using, the volume of drug required for the size on your animals and for what purposes. Write down afflictions you could be treating. Choose drugs your veterinarian has suggested. Having been in the cattle industry awhile, you should already have an idea of what drugs work for afflictions your cattle have had in the past. Write these drugs down on the same piece of paper, along with the appropriate dosage in milliliters per hundred weight or milligrams per pound; whatever the label or your vet tells you. Take the weight of the cattle multiplied by the dosage required, and you will know the total volume of drug you will need. This can vary from a 2cc dart to administer a vaccination, to a combination of dart capacities required to obtain a sufficient dosage.
The cow weighed around 1200 pounds. My vet suggested I administer ten milligrams per pound of body weight. The math is easily figured as 12,000 milligrams for a total volume of drug for this cow.
With antaplasmosis, stress can certainly kill the animal. Had I roped her and pulled her out of the water in order to treat her, I most likely would have killed her according to my veterinarian. Had I waded out into the water and attempted to give her the medication via hand syringe, she would have most likely killed me! As it turned out, we all survived and she raised her calf.
Next, after determining the capacity of the dart or darts will be to determine the length of the cannula, or needle you will need to meet the requirements of the drugs you will be using. Many of the modern drugs require a one-half inch needle for Sub-Q injections when utilizing darts. Some drugs are best administered with an I.M. (intramuscular injection) which will call for a three-quarter inch or longer needle. Some drugs can be injected in either manner. The drug’s label and your veterinarian will be the best source of information.
The cannula length of your dart can also be dependent upon the size of the animal you are medicating when making an intramuscular injection. If you are using a one inch needle to make an I.M. injection on a baby calf, and a neck shot is your goal, you could possibly hit the jugular vein. As stated more than once elsewhere, the volume content of a dart is injected in a split second, so you run the risk of immediate death to the calf if you make a poor shot and hit the jugular vein. Just a small volume of drug would blow the vein apart upon dart detonation, resulting in immediate death to the animal. A better choice would be to use a three-quarter inch needle. Order darts with needle lengths appropriate for your specific application.
There are two other dart cannula options available on three-quarter inch and longer to take into consideration when placing your order. Both of these options are utilized to spread medications to more tissue than conventional cannulas. A “side-port” needle has one hole drilled in the side that is behind the sharpened opening, allowing drug dispersal to dispense out the end as well as the side. The “tri-port” cannula will have two opposing holes drilled behind the sharpened port. Both of these will spread the drugs to a greater amount of muscle tissue, which allows for faster absorption into the animal’s blood stream.
Remember that when you order your darts to specify type “C” for cartridge fired projectors and type “P” for pneumatic projectors and Type “U” is for any dart 6cc or larger. Note: Type “U” darts automatically include a flight stabilizer. (Reference the “How Darts Work” chapter.)
There is a circumstance when you should use type P darts with flight stabilizers for use in your cartridge fired projector. Flight stabilizers are the rubbery clover leaf shaped fins that are on all darts of a 6cc capacity or larger. This “circumstance” is when you are required to make very close shots with small darts out of your type C cartridge fired projector.
An example of this circumstance would be doctoring a baby calf with a 3cc dart at a distance 20 yards or closer. Here is an explanation of why this circumstance exists: A type C tail piece has a solid plastic tail that engages the rifling of the dart barrel. To overcome the friction generated by putting a “spin” on the dart as it goes down the barrel requires a certain amount of force. This force is adjusted by the power load strength in combination with the power setting on your rifle. When enough “force” is achieve to push the dart out of the barrel with a consistent speed, it is too much force to strike the animal at a close distance without excessive impact trauma. If a brown load with a projector setting 2, (B2), the dart will be sticking out the end of the barrel but has not taken flight. If you turn the power setting up to 3, the dart will strike the target high in elevation and excessively hard at 10 yards.
The solution is to order a few type P darts with flight stabilizers for close work. You must specify this when ordering; otherwise you will end up with normal type P darts. These darts will allow you to utilize brown loads in combination with the 1 and 2 power settings for the closer distances and small capacity darts. The solid tails will still be used on the medium to long range shots as these lightweight darts can be shot further without the stabilizer slowing them from the air drag they generate.
You cannot use a type P dart without a flight stabilizer in a cartridge fired projector. Without flight stabilizers they just flop around in the barrel, and will fall out of the barrel if it is tilted downward. You cannot use type C darts in a pneumatic or CO2 rifle. The tails are too large to go down the barrel. You can use any type P dart in a cartridge fired projector as long as it has the flight stabilizer and you have made a trajectory chart noting the flight of this type.
At this point in time, you have written on paper the size of an animal and the sickness you have experienced with the cattle in the past. You choose the drug to treat anything you anticipate doctoring. You have read the label of your medication chosen and know how many cc or milliliters to give per hundred weight; (or how many milligrams per pound). You should always be advised by your veterinarian. He or she will most likely tell you off the top of their head what drug to use, what dosage to give and how it should be administered. Most of the drugs that work these days are usually by prescription from your veterinarian.
Next, you will have to determine which dart gun to pick, or “projector” being the proper name, to get the “flying syringe” to deliver the drugs.
When purchasing a projector, the old adage “you get what you pay for” certainly holds true. The mid-priced cartridge fired projectors seem to retain their value. Used dart projectors for sale are next to being nonexistent. Having experienced the convenience and cost savings of owning one, people are reluctant to do without one. If the gun is cared for, it’s likely your grandkids could be using it someday. I have seen a couple of model 196’s sell at auction at “farm sales” or estate sales when a rancher is retiring or has deceased. If the projectors are in good condition, they virtually bring the same amount as what a new gun would cost.
Pneu-Dart manufactures four different types of projectors. Those being air activated, ungauged CO2, gauged CO2, and cartridge fired. No federal firearms license (FFL) is required to acquire any of the air or CO2 models. All cartridge type projectors must be obtained through an FFL dealer.
I have shot and used all the models I am about to describe. The following text will be brief descriptions of what I feel are the attributes and shortcomings of each projector.
AIR ACTIVATED AND UNGAUGED CO2 PROJECTORS
The model 179B is a CO2 pistol that utilizes a 12 gram “bottle” of gas similar to those used in BB guns and pellet rifles. This projector is basically for small capacity darts for use at short ranges. It is smooth bored, which puts no spin on the dart as it is fired. A type “P” dart must be used. It is capable of delivering a 3cc dart to a distance of 30 yards. I have shot 5cc darts out of it to 15 yard distances by use of “holdover”. The power control positioned on the rear of the dart bolt is of a crude nature. It consists of a knob that turns a screw which will open or restrict the amount of gas allowed to enter the dart barrel. An accurate count of how many times it has been fired during use is mandatory, for being ungauged, you won’t know when there is an insufficient amount of gas left in the cylinder to shoot the projectile the required distance. Due to the nature of CO2, this projector will shoot harder in the summer when ambient temperatures are warm and softer in cold weather. 
The 190B is an air-activated pistol having the same features as the 179B. The exception being that it is a pump up. I personally prefer this pistol over the CO2 version. You don’t have to depend on having CO2 cylinders with you and you can better control the dart velocities, (distance and impact), by the number of times you pump it. Also, in getting away from the ungauged CO2, it will shoot the same no matter what the ambient temperature is.
The model 176B is a long gun version of the model 179B pistol. It is smooth bored and uses CO2 cylinders. It was actually in production for three years before the pistol. It can handle the larger capacity darts, although you will still be restricted in usable distances as compared to a cartridge fired model. Temperature issues and a count of the number of times it is fired on a per cylinder basis is still required.
The model 178B is a long gun version of the 190B air activated pistol. It is smooth bored with no rifling. It was in production twelve years before the 190B, and is still one of the company’s best sellers due to the relative cost for an “occasional user”. If you have very many cattle to doctor, it will wear you out pumping it! The more strokes required pumping it, the harder it is to pump. I would not recommend this model for elderly people. If in an ice storm, I would much rather work the bolt on a .22 cartridge model and crack the window of the truck to shoot the calf, than get out in the weather to pump it up. If after pumping the rifle up to maximum and the animal moves closer to you, you will have to know how to restrict the air flow with the crude bolt knob in order to take the shot. I put a Tasco reflex sight on mine obtained from Pneu-Dart, which is a battery powered optical aiming point. This extended the range at which I was able to use the projector. With the gun set up in this manner, I could shoot a 10cc dart to 20 yards with 9 pumps. It’s a nice little projector capable of expelling any capacity of dart for an occasional user on a limited budget.
CARTRIDGE FIRED PROJECTORS
Most farmers and ranchers choose to use cartridge fired projectors. The CCI blanks you order need to correspond to the dart capacities and distances the darts will be used. Generally, brown loads, which have the least amount of powder in them, are for small capacity darts. They can be used on medium to large capacity darts for extremely close shots, say a 6cc dart at 5 or 10 yards. Green loads are “medium”, and contain more gun powder than the brown loads, but not as much powder as the yellow loads. The yellow loads or “blanks” are considered at the high power end. The majority of people use a combination of green and yellow loads to utilize mid to large size darts. Being a cartridge fired projector, type “C” darts are required.
The model 196 is a cartridge fired projector utilizing CCI .22 blanks as a generated source of gas to propel the darts. It has a rifled barrel and is a moderately priced projector. I have used and still do use one of these for 16 years. It’s hard telling how many cattle I’ve doctored and sedated with my 196. This model features five power control settings. The selection of three power loads, (blanks), gives you a wide choice of settings to use virtually any capacity dart. I am comfortable doctoring cattle out to thirty five yards with 10cc darts if that is what is required. My 196 rifle is equipped with a red dot optical sight to give a precise aiming point. The following will most likely not pertain to you as different projectors even of the same model number will not shoot exactly the same. How the rifle is zeroed at a closer range has significant effect from one person’s projector to another person’s; but here is just an example of mine: Using a 10cc dart at 30 yards, I use a yellow load on power setting 4. This shot will require me to “hold” the point of aim 9 inches above the point I want my dart to strike. On a cow at this distance, my red dot will appear three inches above the crown of the animal’s neck, and the dart will implant 6 inches below the top of the neck. With a 5cc dart using the same power load and setting, I can hit the animal at 45 yards using a 7 inch hold over.
The model 389 is a modified 196. This is also a moderately priced projector. In this model, the power control adjustment has been moved to the rear of the rifle. As a result, it allows for a scope that will be mounted on this version when you purchase it. I’ve used one of these off and on for the last 4 years, and it’s a fine shooter. One advantage of having the scope as opposed to the red dot on the 196 is that you don’t have to remember to turn it off when the shooting session is over.
Another cartridge fire projector manufactured by Pneu-Dart is the model 193. This rifle has a “side toggle” system with the power control incorporated into it. You can only load up to a 6cc or smaller dart into the barrel. It’s OK for a “tranquilizing gun,” but has limited uses to doctor cattle.
GAUGED CO2 PROJECTORS
The X-Caliber is a gauged CO2 projector that is, in my opinion, the Cadillac of any projector manufactured by anyone, anywhere, even at higher prices. But still, this rifle bears a pretty hefty price tag. I have used one of these for about 3 years, and naturally it is the best dart gun I have ever had. It has the longest rifled barrel of any projector produced by Pneu-Dart. The butt plate is pulled rearward and turns ninety degrees in order to load your dart. The barrel actually starts at the back of the rifle. This projector is very easy to maintain. It requires no FFL to acquire, even though it looks similar to an assault rifle. You can check it just as baggage on an airline since it is not considered to be a “firearm”.
Here are the attributes of having a gauge: you have infinite adjustment, even more so than the cartridge fired models, but without having to mess with having the proper blank on the proper setting. I can tranquilize a kitty cat a few feet away with a one-half cc dart, then turn around and doctor a ton bull forty yards away with a 10cc dart without having to change anything other than the pressure I’m using. This is accomplished by rotating an “acorn knob” just behind the fore end of the rifle. When this knob is turned counter-clockwise pressure builds up. If you go past the gauge setting required, you simply rotate the knob counter-clockwise to bleed excess gas off. All this can be done while still keeping the animal in the scope. If the animal moves further away from you, you just add pressure. If it starts moving closer, you just lessen the pressure. If you are low on gas you will know it, for the gauge will stop inclining. The projector retains this gas as you remove the empty gas source and install a fresh one. The gun shoots the same winter or summer. You will have the same amount of pressure pushing your dart, and get away from just a simple chamber full of gas that is utilized on non-gauged CO2 projectors.
This projector is low maintenance. By getting away from gun powder, there is no brushing and swabbing of powder solvents anywhere on the projector. What appears to be the muzzle of the barrel is actually a barrel retainer. When this is unscrewed, the actual stainless steel rifled barrel can be easily removed, brushed, cleaned, very lightly oiled and replaced. It just takes a matter of minutes.
This projector is milled from solid blocks of aluminum. It comes with a custom fitted hard case, a 12 gram CO2 adaptor, a 3.5 oz bulk tank which can be refilled, detachable sling loops, a 3X9 mounted scope, and a lifetime warranty.
It’s quite a machine.
Additional items include 3.5 ounce CO2 bulk tanks, CO2 filling stations, a laser sight with or without a flashlight and a sling all can be purchased separately.
Lastly, there is the X-2. This projector is the pistol version of the X-Caliber, having a pressure gauge as to where CO 2 can be adjusted to specific settings.
I had the opportunity to play with one of these while still in the prototype stage period. I shot this pistol off of sand bags, and ruined many small practice darts by stacking the shots on top of each other in the target. It is a good projector for shooting smaller darts moderate distances, but regrettably, the larger capacity darts could only be fired minimal distances. I have been whining around for the company to invent and manufacture a cattle version of this type pistol that would reliably shoot a 10CC dart at least 20 yards, easily. Given all the stuff I have in my truck cab, having a dart gun I could just lay in the seat beside me would be a plus. I believe my request has been heard, and I expect to see a new model of this type to be available to ranchers in the near future. One that will be capable of shooting a 10CC dart reliably for at least 20 yards.
The X-2 comes in a custom hard case with a holographic sight mounted on the top, and utilizes the 12 gram CO2 type cylinders only. Laser sights are optional.