Medi-Dart needle #5 (MDN5)

Details

The #5 is the needle most crossbow kits have shipped with over the years, so it is the one a lot of outfits are already set up around and the obvious replacement when the original finally wears out. It sits near the rough end of the Medi-Dart ridge scale, which is what you want when you are treating mature cattle at distance and the dart has to stay seated until the barrel is empty. Being an IM needle, it delivers through the solid tip. Where the #5 differs from the lighter grades in day to day use is the wingnut. Medi-Dart pairs it with the 13 mm (1/2 in) wingnut for cows and bulls and the 9.5 mm (3/8 in) wingnut for younger cattle up to yearlings, and that choice changes how the dart sits and how cleanly it comes away. Both sizes are sold separately and either will work with the #5. Treat it as a reusable part rather than a consumable. Medi-Dart puts it at around thirty injections used on the crossbow and around fifty on the extension pole syringe, and a file will bring the point back more than once before the needle is finished. It fits the crossbow dart and the extension pole syringe alike. If you are considering moving up to the newer #6, note that the #6 brings a half-moon push rod requirement with it as well as the wingnut, so it is not a straight swap. Route and dosing decisions stay with your veterinarian and the label.