Stephen Bunting Darts: “The Bullet” and the legend of the St Helens toothpicks
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Have you ever tried throwing a single sheet of paper into a letterbox during a proper storm?
That was basically Stephen “The Bullet” Bunting’s old darting life. Madly light darts, ridiculous feel, loads of talent — and at some point the painful question: is pride still helping, or is it quietly wrecking the throw? From 12g toothpicks to Target power, from being laughed at to “Let’s go Bunting Mental”, this is one of the proper comeback stories in modern darts.
Contents
Want to jump straight in? Here are the main stops in the Stephen Bunting story.
- The legend of the 12g toothpicks
- The pain point: pride does not win titles
- From being laughed at to the Titanium machine
- “Titanium” was not a marketing trick
- Why is he called “The Bullet”?
- The night The Bullet fired back
- “Let’s go Bunting Mental”
- The Bullet is not just nostalgia
- Material check: Target Stephen Bunting
- Patty’s Oche Check
- Check Stephen Bunting darts on Amazon UK
- Quick check & availability
- FAQ – Stephen Bunting Edition
- More on Stephen Bunting, Luke Littler, Josh Rock and Target
- Stephen Bunting: profiles, gear and career data
- Official darts bodies & sources
The legend of the 12g toothpicks
While other players were firing 22g to 26g tungsten lumps into the board, Stephen Bunting trusted mad little 12g darts. Proper toothpicks. So light that one tiny mistake in release could send the dart off like it had caught a gust of wind.
But when it worked, it looked beautiful. Quick hand, quick release, smooth rhythm. Bunting could make the board look like it was being hit by darts that barely had any weight at all. That was part of the magic — and part of the problem.
Because the lighter the dart, the less it forgives. If the throw is perfect, lovely. If your timing slips, the dart tells everyone in the room.
Patty’s take: 12g darts sound cool until the throw starts getting shaky. Then they can turn from secret weapon into a nasty little mirror.
The pain point: Bunting learned that pride does not win titles
The old darts became too floaty. His game lost stability. And that is where the story gets proper human. Because changing darts sounds easy when you say it from the sofa. But when your whole identity is tied to those silly-light darts, changing them feels like admitting something hurts.
Bunting had built a reputation with those toothpicks. Fans knew it. Opponents knew it. He knew it. But at some point he had to ask the nasty question: do I want to keep the legend alive, or do I want to win again?
The move towards heavier Target darts was not just a material switch. It was a career reset. More stability, more control, more trust in the dart when the hand gets under pressure.
That is the hard bit: sometimes the thing that made you special earlier becomes the thing that blocks the next version of you. Horrible lesson, but darts does not care about romance.
From being laughed at to the Titanium machine
There are darts stories that sound almost too weird to be true. Imagine walking onto a massive stage, thousands in the hall, and people are not singing with you — they are laughing at the whole thing.
That was part of Bunting’s public image for a while. The walk-on, the Peter Griffin jokes, the crowd treating him more like a meme than a dangerous darts player. That can eat at you. You can laugh along for a while, sure. But at some point you either stay the joke or you change the energy.
And then came “Titanium”. Different feel. Different mood. Suddenly the crowd did not laugh at him. They came with him. That is a massive shift.
Patty’s view: a walk-on is not just music. Sometimes it changes how the whole room treats you before you have even thrown the first dart.
“Titanium” was not a marketing trick
The strong bit about Bunting’s new walk-on is this: it was not some polished agency idea and not a clean little image rebuild from a marketing desk. “Titanium” was his son’s favourite song. And suddenly that private little family thing became a public weapon.
That is why it works. It does not feel fake. The song lifts him, the crowd joins in, and Bunting walks out like a man who has finally got the room on his side.
Some walk-ons are noise. This one became a reset button.
Small thing, big effect: when a player believes in the walk-on, the crowd feels it. And when the crowd feels it, the stage can tilt in your favour before the match even starts.
Why is he called “The Bullet”?
In the pubs around St Helens, the nickname did not come from some marketing lab. It came from speed. Stephen had a rhythm that could make opponents feel dizzy. Pick up, aim, fire. Again. Again. Again.
That is the thing with Bunting. He does not always look dramatic. But when the rhythm is there, the darts come out like little shots. Not wild, not rushed in a messy way — just quick and repeatable.
The nickname fits because his best game has that feeling: sharp release, fast rhythm, and before the opponent has properly settled, another 180 is already sitting there like a little insult.
And yes: “The Bullet” sounds simple, but with Bunting it fits better than some of the overcooked nicknames in darts.
The night The Bullet fired back
2024 was not just some random title. At The Masters, Stephen Bunting beat Michael van Gerwen in the final and won his first big televised PDC title. For a player who had already been through the whole BDO-to-PDC story, doubts, changes and fan noise, that mattered like mad.
This was not nostalgia. This was proof. The Bullet was not only a bloke with a nice walk-on and old stories about 12g darts. He could still stand there, under lights, against one of the biggest names in darts, and finish the job.
Patty’s take: that Masters win did something important. It made Bunting feel dangerous again, not just likeable.
“Let’s go Bunting Mental” – from joke to fan magnet
Earlier, Bunting was for some people the Peter-Griffin-type bloke with the funny walk-on. Today, that has turned into something else. “Let’s go Bunting Mental” is not just a chant anymore. It is part of the show.
The crowd wants him to do well. They do not just tolerate him. They push him. That is a huge difference. And for a player who has had his rough patches, that sort of public backing can change the whole feel around a match.
Bunting has become one of those players where fans almost drag the story with them. The song starts, the chant comes, the phone cameras go up, and suddenly it feels like the whole room wants a Bullet run.
That is rare: plenty of players win matches. Not many become a mood.
The Bullet is not just nostalgia
With Bunting, it is easy to get stuck in the old story: 12g darts, BDO days, Peter Griffin, Titanium, fan chants. But that would be too thin.
At the PDC World Championship 2025, he was back in the semi-final and had to face Luke Littler. That says a lot. The field is horrible now. Younger players are sharper, averages are stupid, and nobody gives you a free leg because you have a good story.
Bunting being back at that stage showed that he is not just a memory from an older darts world. He is still in the mix.
Patty’s view: the comeback matters more because it came in the modern PDC meat grinder. Getting back near the top now is not a soft little fairy tale. It is hard work with teeth.
Target Stephen Bunting: from toothpick to Target power
After moving away from those ultra-light darts, Stephen Bunting’s modern Target setup gives him more stability without killing the feel. That is the important bit. He still needs a dart that flows, but now with more control behind it.
The Target Stephen Bunting G5 SP is built from 95% tungsten, with a front-loaded feel, precision-milled grip and Diamond Pro Swiss Points. That is a long way away from the old toothpick legend, but it makes sense for the player he became.
Bunting comes from the extreme light-dart corner. The modern setup is still feel-based, but more stable and controlled.
Fine, controlled, not a savage hook grip. More feedback than finger punishment.
Built for players who throw fluidly and do not want to rip the dart out of the hand.
Feel players, timing players and anyone who values a clean release more than brute force.
Do Bunting’s weapons fit your own throw?
If you are more of a feel player and you do not need a brutal hook-grip to feel safe, you may really like these darts. They suit players who throw through timing and clean release, not players who want to strangle the barrel into the board.
The interesting part is the fine grip. It gives feedback without making the dart hang at release. If you hate that feeling where the barrel sticks to your fingers a little too long, Bunting-style darts are worth a proper look.
But if you need aggressive grip because your hand slips a lot, this may feel too smooth or too polite. That is not a fault. It is just a different kind of dart.
Patty’s quick verdict: Bunting darts are for clean feel, rhythm and timing. Not for players who want every grip cut to bite like a tiny saw.
Check Stephen Bunting darts on Amazon UK
Target Stephen Bunting 95K Swiss Point 22g
The newer 95% tungsten steel-tip model. Amazon’s G5 Void is a separate generation and is shown only as an alternative.
Amazon carries the G5 Void steel model, not the newer 95K; barrel, grip and supplied setup differ.
If you want to check Stephen Bunting darts on Amazon UK, look carefully at steel tip, weight and generation. Bunting products can show up as steel tip, soft tip, older generations, G5, 95K, flights or accessories. Amazon loves mixing that stuff together.
Important: for a normal steel dartboard, you want steel tip / Swiss Point. Also check the weight. Bunting is strongly linked with 18g, but Amazon may show 18g, 22g, 23g or 25g options depending on stock.
Target Stephen Bunting G5 95% Tungsten Steel Tip Swiss Point Darts →
Direct Amazon UK product page for the Stephen Bunting G5 steel tip darts. Check exact weight, stock and seller before ordering.
Quick check & availability
Amazon UK stock changes all the time. With Stephen Bunting darts, certain weights and generations can vanish quickly, while soft tip versions or accessories still appear in search. That is exactly how people end up buying the wrong thing.
My tip: if the link shows out of stock, check another weight or come back later. Sometimes the whole product is not gone — only one exact weight has disappeared for a bit.
If you spot an outdated link, send us a quick message and I will clean it up.
FAQ – Stephen Bunting Edition
What darts does Stephen Bunting play?
Stephen Bunting is a Target player. His modern Target Stephen Bunting G5 SP darts use 95% tungsten, Swiss Point and a fine grip layout made for feel, timing and clean release.
Why are Stephen Bunting’s old 12g darts so famous?
Because they were ridiculously light for top-level darts. That made his old setup very special, but also less forgiving when timing or release started to slip.
Why is Stephen Bunting called “The Bullet”?
The nickname fits his rhythm. At his best, Bunting throws quickly, smoothly and with a repeated firing motion that makes the name feel natural.
What is special about Stephen Bunting G5 darts?
The G5 SP uses 95% tungsten, a front-loaded design, precision-milled grip and Diamond Pro Swiss Points. It is a modern feel-player setup, not a rough brute-force barrel.
Are Stephen Bunting darts good for beginners?
They can work, but they are more interesting for players who already have some feel in the throw. If your release changes every session, you may want a more forgiving beginner dart first.
Why did “Titanium” become such a big walk-on for Bunting?
Because it changed the room around him. Instead of being treated like a joke, Bunting turned the walk-on into a fan moment. Now the crowd often comes with him before the first dart is thrown.
Did Stephen Bunting win a big PDC title?
Yes. In 2024, Stephen Bunting won The Masters by beating Michael van Gerwen in the final. That was his first big televised PDC title and a huge comeback moment.
What should I check before buying Stephen Bunting darts?
Check steel tip, Swiss Point, generation and weight. Bunting products can appear as G5, 95K, soft tip, steel tip, flights or accessories, so do not click blindly.
More on Stephen Bunting, Luke Littler, Josh Rock and Target
If you want to dig deeper, these are the next useful reads on Stephen Bunting, Luke Littler, Josh Rock and the whole Target brand world.
- New generation Luke Littler: “The Nuke” and Target power → The young player Bunting had to face near the very top again — and the face of a new Target era.
- Next generation Josh Rock: power, talent and Target setup → Another name from the modern Target world if young power players and fast scoring interest you.
- Brand check Target Darts Pro Check: all pro series at a glance → Stephen Bunting, Luke Littler, Rob Cross, Phil Taylor and more Target players in one big pro setup check.
- Stars & legends Darts Stars & Legends on DartWorldHub → Back to the big names, old heroes and new faces around the oche.
Stephen Bunting: profiles, gear and career data
Here are the places I would use first for Stephen Bunting’s player profile, Target gear and career data. Not random shop noise — proper reference points.
- Official profile PDC: Stephen Bunting player profile → Official PDC profile with player information, ranking, tournament data and career overview.
- Target profile Target Darts: Stephen “The Bullet” Bunting → Official Target page for Stephen Bunting, his career notes and the Target range built around him.
- Target gear Target Stephen Bunting G5 SP → Official Target product page with 95% tungsten, Swiss Point, precision-milled grip and setup details.
- Career data Darts Database: results, history and player info → Archive with results, tournament history, titles and statistical data for Stephen Bunting.
- Titles & records Mastercaller: match data, titles and records → Player profile with walk-on, used darts, statistics and career overview.
- More stats Darts Orakel: profile and extra statistics → Additional data, match details and statistics around Stephen Bunting.
Official darts bodies & sources
If you want to look beyond one player and into the official darts world, these are useful organisations for pro darts, national darts and the wider game.
- Professional darts Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) → Official PDC site with news, tournaments, players, rankings and the modern pro tour around players like Stephen Bunting.
- World federation World Darts Federation (WDF) → International darts body with events, member nations, competitions and worldwide darts information.
- England England Darts → Official governing body for darts in England, covering national teams, events and grassroots darts.
- Scotland Scottish Darts Association → National darts organisation for Scotland with event, team and competition information.
- Wales Welsh Darts Organisation → Welsh darts body with national darts information, competitions and official updates.
- Ireland Irish National Darts Organisation → Irish darts organisation with information around national competitions and organised darts in Ireland.
- USA American Darts Organization (ADO) → US darts organisation with rankings, events and national darts information.
- North America Championship Darts Corporation (CDC) → North American pro darts organisation and a useful source for the wider English-speaking darts scene.