It was a .40 48in. 2pc predator (avoid) and I don't remember if we were shooting it full length or half size. This was into some dense plywood and they pretty much just bounced out with her. I agree her technique needs work as does mine. She does pretty well though. We'll keep score and most of the time she'll be within 20 points (cold steel target rings) and at times beat me. The new 36 in. single piece is far, far more accurate.
Your point about well... points has logic behind it. If you're shooting game with a blowgun the stun effect of a blunt tip is probably more desirable than a ultra sharp tip. The sharp one may even pass through and tack the game to the tree. The proper tool for the job.
I do notice a difference between 2 lengths of wire darts that I have. I can easily see how ones of varying lengths can affect accuracy. I wonder what the best balance point for a dart is?
Sounds like you are on the right track. Unless all you want to do or be limited to is sticking darts into paper targets I'd move up into a larger caliber. Not only will you find it much easier to blow say a .50 or .55 or .625 but because the darts are generally heavier they hit with much more authority. From a round pointed dart shot from my .625 it is not too difficult to push that dart through 1/2 inch plywood from about 5 yards. So the larger calibers definitely have more power. I started with a .40 cal also but once I moved up to the larger calibers I never looked back at the .40 as anything more than a toy by comparison.
If you make your own BG as most of us on this site have done I would recommend that you stay away from the plastics like PVC pipe for a blowgun if the cost of a metal pipe is not a deterrent. You will have far less sag and the bore diameters will be far far more consistent. PVC is probably the worst offender for inconsistent bore diameter. It works and is better than nothing but for those who can afford to buy a metal pipe of either steel like conduit, copper pipe, or aluminum the latter three are much better options.
RE tips and points. A sharp or dull round dart shaft will never kill as affectively as a dart shaft with sharpened blades. But the problem for me has been that bladed darts seldom fly with the same consistency as a non bladed dart. The blades tend to act like little wings that push the dart off it's intended path as the alignment of these blades when the dart is being built is very hard to achieve accurately and repeatably. The standard plain dart is much more accurate. Now that is not to say that a plain dart has to be anything other than plain. GKU is the first person that comes to mind that builds darts using packing tape for cones and then utilizes a home made tool to trim them all to perfect uniform lengths and he even goes so far as to weigh each dart. And his darts perform extremely well as a result of his painstaking efforts to achieve uniformity.
As you stated above you have already noticed the affects of non-uniformity in dart performance. For example; if you have three darts and each is a different length from the others. All things being equal the shortest of the darts will place higher on a target and the longest dart will place the lowest on the target with the middle dart length landing somewhere on the paper between the shortest dart and the longest dart. That is in a perfect world of course. Mastering your blow - blowing with the same consistent pressure and follow through each and every time is also a huge influence. The more of these outside influences a person can eliminate the better that person's chances are of hitting the same spot each and every time. It is incredibly difficult.
I think that a person would be very well served by not changing from one caliber to another, or going back and forth from a longer BG to a shorter BG. Find a caliber that you like the most.........try them all! Then find the best BG length for your lung capacity and stick with it and nothing else.....to do otherwise brings an inconsistent variable into the mix. Make the most perfect darts that you can and practice practice practice with that one BG. And when you think you have got it.........practice some more. That's my recipe for consistency.
This is what I have found that works best for me in my shooting needs at this point in time.
I only use two different types of darts - blunt tipped dart shafts and stun darts (this does not include the experimentation I do). This minimizes the amount of adjustment I have to make from one dart type to another. .625 is my caliber of choice in a 5 foot length. But honestly here.......I go back and forth still between my Cold Steel 5 foot two piece and my Cold Steel 4 foot Pro. I love the weight and heft of the four foot pro but the diameter is greater than the 5 foot two piece which I find harder to use instinctually with out sights. The five foot two piece is better this way. So since getting these two BG's new just this last winter I have not had the chance to pick my one blowgun from these two. I suspect I will end up choosing the 5 foot two piece simply because it has more versatility when not abused and can be broken down into two shorter lengths making transport much more convenient. The four foot pro is definitely stronger and more robust. But the choice will be based on what I need from either of them for the type of shooting I do, and which one "I" can shoot the best.
GKU has written an excellent account of his experiences in finding the perfect blowgun for him/you/anyone and how to determine which is right for you based on your own lung capacity etc. It's a good read if you can find it on here.