The Javelin is Red Dragon’s longest-running entry-level tungsten set, built around an 85% tungsten barrel with ring-groove grip and a straight parallel profile. Red Dragon, founded in 1975, positions it as one of its best-selling sets for players moving up from brass or their first pub-board darts.
It comes in seven weights, all sharing the same 54.6mm barrel length, and is sold with Red Dragon’s own Hardcore flights and TRX nylon shafts in the box. Rather than throwing these ourselves, this page pulls together the manufacturer’s published specifications and the reception from verified buyers.
Key Specifications
The 22g version is the listing covered here, with a straight barrel and full-length ring grip.
- Material
- 85% tungsten
- Weights
- 20g, 21g, 22g, 23g, 24g, 25g, 26g (steel tip)
- Barrel length
- 54.6mm (all weights)
- Barrel diameter
- 6.15mm (20g), 6.35mm (22g), 6.5mm (24g), 6.6mm (26g)
- Grip
- Full-length ring grip
- Points
- Fixed steel, 2BA thread
- Shafts
- TRX nylon, medium (48mm)
- Flights
- Hardcore extra-thick standard, 100 micron
- Typical price
- £27-£30 (RRP £29.99)
How They’ve Been Received
Buyers repeatedly single out the barrel’s grip and how it feels for the price, and several mention the darts flying well once they adjust to the weight. The shaft durability complaint is specific and repeated rather than a one-off: multiple separate buyers report the same failure within the first couple of weeks.
What Reviewers Say
One verified buyer, having paired the barrels with a different shaft system entirely, focused on the barrel itself:
“The barrels really good and a nice grip, I paired them with K-FLEX so I cant review the shafts and flights but the rest great, I picked the 22g and the weight is really good, Very good value for money”
Another buyer, using the darts as sold, ran into the shaft issue that recurs across the review pool:
“Great feel and value for money. Unfortunately the stems are very delicate. Within 10 days, 2 had sustained damage and one of the flight entry points had snapped off entirely on one dart.”
What owners consistently praise
- Grip that buyers describe as secure without being uncomfortable
- Strong value for money at the price point, repeated across many reviews
- Slim barrel profile that owners say suits an adjustment period rather than feeling wrong from the start
Common criticisms
- TRX nylon shafts reported as fragile, with several buyers seeing breakages within days to weeks
- Points are fixed rather than replaceable
- Barrel is noticeably lighter and longer than some players expect at a given weight, needing an adjustment period
The Grip: What to Expect
The manufacturer spec image bundled with this listing labels the grip a full-length ring pattern, and that matches what buyers describe: secure without feeling aggressive. One buyer specifically noted needing a short adjustment period after moving from heavier, shorter darts, since the Javelin’s length and grip make it easier to release earlier than expected.
The shaft complaints are worth weighing against the barrel itself. Several buyers who had shaft problems still called the barrel the best part of the set, and swapping to a sturdier aftermarket shaft (as one buyer did with an integrated system) sidesteps the issue entirely.
Who They Suit
The Javelin suits players wanting a genuine tungsten upgrade from brass or a starter set, without paying for a signature name. The long barrel and full weight range make it forgiving for players still working out their preferred setup, and the ring grip is a familiar, moderate texture rather than an aggressive pattern that takes getting used to.
If the shaft complaints are a concern, budget for a set of sturdier replacement shafts from the outset, or look at the Target Artemis, which ships with Target’s own K-Flex integrated flight and shaft option built to avoid the same failure point.
The Consensus
Buyer reviews for this listing are consistently positive on grip and value across a large sample, and the barrel itself draws little criticism. The one thing worth knowing before you buy is that the bundled TRX shafts are the weak point reported most often, not the barrel. Budgeting for a spare set of shafts, or swapping to sturdier ones from day one, addresses the only recurring issue in an otherwise well-reviewed set.
How we compile this page
We don’t throw every dart ourselves. Instead we gather the manufacturer’s published specifications and weigh up the reception from owners and independent reviewers, then flag where they disagree so you can make up your own mind. Where a headline rating comes from manufacturer-hosted reviews, we say so, because those tend to skew positive.