How to test darts forward grip

Take the dart that you want to test and put in your throwing hand. It doesn't need to have a flight on it. Just to simulate the situation of when you throw a dart, hold it as if you were actually going to throw it, and grip it in the exact same manner and with the same finger pressure you would if you again, were going to throw it. Next, take the dart in that frozen position in you hand, and hold the point down against a flat surface, like a table or even a wall. Now, with the same effort that you would use when you would throw a dart, and then attempt to penetrate the dart into that flat surface, much the same way you would press a thumbtack.

You need to pay attention to the feel of what happens to your fingers. One of two things is going to happen. The worse thing is that your fingers are going to slip and move towards the front of your dart. If this happens, this is bad. If the dart slips here, then it is not going to give you the control you need when you are projecting it at your target! Conversely, if your fingers don't slip, then the barrel has passed the test.