You can never quite be too old to own a Nerf gun, can you? Well, these non-lethal machines have been there since our childhood, but the modern versions have been improved to make the experience even better. They let you live up to your video game fantasies in real life, let off that extra energy, and most importantly, allow you to channel your inner James Bond, without necessarily committing a crime and ending up in jail.
Since 1969, nerf has been producing these quality form toys, bringing joy and happiness to kids, adults, and sadists alike. The company has continued to grow and advance these toy features, offering more efficient models and themes that bring to life the whole experience. While the term ‘gun’ may seem intimidating, you’d be surprised to know just how consumer-safe these products are. The nerf guns are specially designed to shoot foam darts, which are made to be extremely light. The guns are carefully curated and tested before ultimately being presented to the final consumer.
Whether you intend to buy one for your kids or yourself, choosing a nerf gun among the multitudes in the market can be quite the chore. They come in so many different shapes and sizes that might not necessarily be ideal for your particular needs. To heed to your silent cry, we’ve done our research and assembled 10 of the best toy blasters out there for you.
Top 10 Nerf Guns of 2020 Reviewed
1. Nerf N Strike Elite Strongarm Toy Blaster
- Rapid firing slam fire feature
- Long-distance range of up to 9 feet (27 meters)
- It doesn’t require any batteries
- It is small, hand-sized
- Only allows for six darts at a time
Best Nerf Gun with Rotating Barrel
Coming to you from the N-Strike series, this product is the opportune hand pistol version of nerf guns. With its light and easy-to-hold design, this gun will allow you to rapidly fire at your target, shooting darts to a distance of up to 90 feet. The gun comes with a package that includes six elite darts, although you can add more kits from the N-strike series, which are all made compatible with the gun.
To make the experience even more realistic and cowboy-like, the gun incorporates a slam fire blasting feature which will allow you to fire all six of its darts in a quick blasting wave, by engaging the slide on the edge back and forth while holding the trigger down. It has a flip pen barrel that rotates and easily flips open. With this, you will be able to load your weapon at an instant. The unit is purely hand-powered, meaning that no battery required.
The Nerf N Strike Elite Strongarm Toy Blaster also comes in different colors. These include white, purple, orange, and clear, which you can purchase according to your preference
2. Evader Modulus Nerf Motorized Light-Up Toy Blaster
- Tactical rails for extra accessories
- Lights up in case you need lighting
- Accommodates 12 darts
- Fully relies on batteries
- Front handle grip hole is small for large hands
- The flat bar connecting rear with handle base may feel like it’s on the way of your wrist
Best Motorized Nerf Gun
The Evader is specially optimized to do exactly as its name suggests; seamlessly evade your opponent’s darts. With its light-up feature, the gun helps you move through dimly lit pursuits like a ninja. To activate this, you simply press a button conveniently located near the gun’s handle and value! The whole of the guns transparent housing instantly lights up. On the other hand, this clear housing, in turn, can be turned off, blending with the darkness to allow you to achieve stealth if you don’t want to be seen.
The Evader features a motorized blaster that is fully battery operated, which implies that the shooting is more automated and powerful. With its 12 dart clip, you can be able to easily shoot up to 12 rounds without the need for reload. These darts are made from high-quality foam materials and have a flexible hollow tip, which in turn makes them harmless to the skin.
As if that’s not enough, the machine gun features a barrel extension, which you would attach like in real-life scenarios. It then respectively lights up as well when you turn on the light-up feature. The Evader is included in the Ghost Ops series of the make, which means that you can separately add ChronoBarrel upgrades reflective targeting kit. The unit’s amazing design encompasses tactical rails; with this, you can easily add your own custom accessories.
3. Nerf Zombie Strike Doominator Blaster
- Has the extremely large capacity
- Is easy to load the darts
- It has a unique theme
- Stiffer Darts may get stuck in the gun after a while of use
- Rotating drum is prone to jam
- Smaller kids may find it hard pulling its racket arm back
Best Nerf Gun with 3-Position Handle
This next blaster happens to be the biggest and meanest in the Nerf’z Zombie Strike collection. The action-packed Doominator has not one, not two, but four six-shot cylinders, all blended into one central cylinder to give you a sum total of 24-dart capacity. This makes it by far the largest and most impressive on the list so far. The Doominator is made to look like a collection of workshop spare parts. With its distinct funky green and a grip that looks like it has been wrapped in duct tape, this Nerf gun is themed to fully simulate that zombie experience.
Also notable is that the gun is spring powered. It is very easy to assemble, meaning you only need a little amount of time before you can jump into popping your endless supply of darts. You simply click in place two more of its four cylinders and screw in the grip to enhance the pump action. In addition, you can choose between 3 mounting positions. That is, you can either bolt it sticking down, out on the left side or the right.
In general, the Doominator is comfortable to hold. It is nicely stubby and balanced making it really easy to swing back and forth between targets. With this baby, you won’t have the trouble of reloading it by attaching a new cylinder every other time. You can simply switch through cylinders using the knuckle duster-style lever that is intuitively situated at the front of the trigger and grip. The switch is then denoted by a clunk that is both dramatic and satisfying, especially because you’ll definitely have achieved a competitive advantage by then. Overall, for its price and large capacity, the Doominator can be deemed to be ideal for any close-quarter encounters.
4. Nerf Zombie Strike Sidestrike Blaster
- Has a relatively small and decent size
- Has a holster that is sturdy and easy to use
- Can be modified with bigger springs
- Reload time is slow you have to put one at a time
- Extra plastic on the front makes it bulky
- Not accurate for long-distance fires
Best Nerf Gun for Children of all Ages
With this gun, a quick draw is all that stands between you and beating your opponents. The gun is finely crafted, which gives it a slim design that can easily slide into a side holster. This compactness makes it especially suitable to carry during long-distance missions. With this feature, you get to enjoy the full cop experience and look cool while you are at it.
Other than its holster, the Sidestrike Blaster comes with four strike darts, which additionally have their own special storage compartment in the holster. Therefore once you set up the holster on your belt using its belt clip, you are guaranteed maximum mobility. The Sidestrike is spring-powered; however, in the event that you want to add power to this gun, you can add extra strings that are more powerful — making it shoot further.
The Nerf gun is simple to operate as well, made with safe materials which in turn make it suitable for use by children from 8 years and up. Sidestrike blaster’s design is inarguably stylish. With this, both you and your young one can walk around comfortably without feeling embarrassed- well, your small child, at least.
5. Nerf elite titan cs-50 toy blaster
- Has huge 50 dart capacity
- Acceleration trigger lets it shoot extremely fast
- Has quality looking design and appearance
- The gun is rather bulky, hindering ease of movement
- The gun shoots with greater velocity and can be painful to small kids
- It is prone to reject older slightly deformed magazines
Best Nerf Gun with 50 Dart Capacity
At first glance, it becomes immediately apparent how the Elite Titan differs from your average nerf gun. The beast of a machine is built for war. With its near3 feet’s worth of length, The Titan looks like something out of an Arnold Schwarzenegger film.
The gun packs a whopping 50 round drum making it the largest on the list so far, falling second only to one other in the Elite series. What’s impressive about this, though, is that the darn thing can kick out as many as eight darts in a second. With this, you can easily dump the entirety of your drum in very few seconds. As if that’s not enough, the gun features a smaller space that accommodates three extra magazines.
To allow ease of use, the gun is worn with a shoulder strap, included in its package. This, together with its inverted chainsaw-style handles and spinning barrel, gives it that ultimate action movie effect. The Nerf gun is also compatible with most clips in the Elite line; therefore you can have them ready with you if you need extra ammo. It features a tactical rail as well; therefore you can add any accessory that best suits your style.
6. Strongarm Nerf N-Strike Toy Blaster
- The suction cup darts consistently stick on surfaces.
- They are price friendly.
- The toy is tough and robust and can survive a few falls.
- The trigger can be a little hard to pull, especially for small kids.
- Issues of occasional blaster Jammin have been reported.
- Hosts only six darts at a time
Best Nerf Gun with Rotating Bare
Nerf battles have never been better before. The Nerf Strongarm comes with a promise of quick draw and extraordinary speed shooting capabilities that are bound to make you the fastest gun in the West. The barrel flips open on the blaster’s side, making loading easy and efficient. The inside of the rotating barrel is six chambers for your six Nerf Elite darts.
Fire before reloading in an Indiana jones-Esque fashion with its slam-fire action, taking down all your targets at once. All this across distances of up to 90 feet (27 meters)! You might be wondering how this is even possible. Well, these babies are foam-based and hollow-tipped and have been rigorously designed, tested meeting the required performance and quality standards.
In addition to all this, the royal-purple blaster is battery-free. Completely hand-powered. No more takeaway additional costs! The completely mechanical structure and shooting mechanism makes it safe even in the rain. This bundle of fun is suitable for anyone over the age of 3 years.
The Strongarm’s easy-to-open packaging is also worthy of mention. The gun also pays its dues to the environment as it is recyclable. Having seen all it brings to the table, what’s not to love?
7. Nerf N-Strike Elite Rhino-Fire Blaster
- It does not drain batteries quickly.
- Houses a lot of bullets/darts
- It packs a punch
- Damage to the darts means the blaster does not fire as effectively
- Batteries not included in the packaging.
- Slower shots than manual-shooting
Best Nerf Gun with 2 Alternating Barels
The Rhino-fire blaster is the nerf machine gun you didn’t know you wanted but have always needed. It comes with a removable tripod making it equally good for defense; go prone on the ground and fortify your stand against the incoming enemy. Having it removable makes it perfect for offense too. With a shot power of up to 90 feet away, you can truly get them all.
you will outmatch and outclass the competition with a barrage of rounds. The blaster comes with 50 darts, and for the true Nerf-heads, you can always get additional darts on the side. It’s shot power is so fast, making it perfect for high paced play battles.
It is fully human-powered, and with the absence of a power cable, it makes it safe for anyone over the age of 8. It does use six batteries, and to our delighted surprise, they do not run out fast! They are basically used to charge up the electric trigger mechanism. With all its features, this nerf gun is made to bring life to your home, after all, what better tool to use while defending your rights to the remote, right? Not to mention, it’s good exercise.
8. Nerf N-Strike Jolt Blaster
- Shoots farther than bigger guns.
- Very easy to load and operate
- Fits in most pants pockets.
- Good for a beginner ‘Nerfer’
- The trigger is a little hard to pull for smaller kids.
- No provision for storing the second bullet the blaster comes with.4
Best Jolt Blaster Nerf Gun
Hasbro has done it again with the new Nerf N-Strike Jolt Blaster. It is a little pocket Hercules, small enough to fit in your waistband but the shot power to pack a surprisingly powerful punch. This makes it perfect for stealthy, super-spy, sneak missions. For those with a flair for the dramatic, it makes for an easy tuck within the waistband; show your friends up when you are up in a tight corner with a finishing move worthy of Hollywood.
Load the micro-sized blaster with the 2 included Elite Darts, for a macro-sized rescue mission, surveillance on the enemy, or just for the sheer fun of getting your finger on the cocking handle securing the shot and pulling the trigger. Being a two dart gun makes it very fast on the reload. With two of these on either side of your waist, you can make anyone a cowboy or cowgirl raise the flag.
Did we mention it can shoot for a distance of up to 20 feet? If you were looking for a good way of spicing up playtime with your friends, for playfully annoying your older siblings or just bonding time with the family, then this is the perfect gift for the family.
9. Nerf Dog Tennis Ball Blaster
- Shoots reasonably far.
- It has a strong handle capable of more than 50 shots
- Easy to pick up balls
- The balls that come with the blaster have great bounce.
- The rubber bands in the blaster snap after some time.
- The balls that came with the blaster are easily destroyed after a couple of dog bites.
- May be heavy for small kids
Best Tennis Ball Blaster NErf Gun
Everyone loves dogs. Everyone loves playing with dogs. Your ‘good-boy’/’good-girl’ can be part of the Nerf battle scene with the new Nerf Dog blaster. This powerful monster can send your friend’s favorite tennis ball up to 50 feet heavenward. It is especially suitable for play in parks, however with power adjustment capability, how far you can send the ball is up to you. Minimize the range for play in smaller spaces.
Stay in the game with hands-free tennis ball retrieval once your dog brings back the ball. This makes it so convenient and not to mention, at the end of the play session, your hands will probably be slobber free. Having such a powerful blaster brings into the fore questions about safety while using it, and general handling. Don’t you worry — this RPG of Nerf-arms has moving parts, none of which are left exposed. It can be used by anyone for over five years.
It comes with four balls included, and it can be used with any other standard or smaller sized tennis balls. Given its ridiculous shot power, it comes at a little under 3 pounds (1.36 kilograms).
10. NERF Vagabond Doomlands Toy Blaster
- Best for close distance shooting.
- Surprisingly, you can reload the drum as you shoot.
- Very robust.
- The shooting range of the gun is poor.
- Pump may break when used in an overly excited way.
- The bullets are hard to remove if they stick in the chamber
Best Doomlands Toy Blaster Nerf Gun
Hasbro has again exceeded every expectation and answered the question of how the lone warrior would fight in a post-apocalyptic, dead-world where only the totters of the best Nerf weapons would have any right to survive. With the NERF Vagabond Doomlands Blaster, you have a better chance than most.
Face the onslaught with 6 of the best foam darts in the market, locked and loaded in the chambers. Shoot six darts in a row to empty the revolving 6-dart barrel, subduing every obstacle on the hero’s path. Now with this new Doomlands Nerf, you can see all the action on the inside of your gun in as it happens in real-time. With a transparent side, you can see a dart leaving the blaster for that extra dose of adrenaline!
Another cool feature on this blaster, in addition to all we have mentioned above, is its pump-action blasting. If you have seen any movie ever, this is basically how a shotgun fires. Slide the pump handle back, then forth to prime the gun, and then pull the trigger to fire. Repeat the motions for any recurrent firing. With slam-firing action, you can shoot all your shots at once like the blaster-slinging antihero we know you can be.
How to Choose The Best Nerf Gun – The Ultimate Buying Guide
Nerf Guns have come a long way since introduction back in the ‘90s by Hasbro. With time, advancement in technology has seen an immense change in these guns, with many of them being designed to shoot disks, foam darts, and even balls.
The newest changes have been implemented, enhancing the precision as well as ease of use of these toys. The brand has seen tremendous growth and popularity, such that many other toy guns coming from different brands have slowly adapted the name Nerf guns.
Nerf guns provide a fun and safe way for kids and adults alike to indulge in shooting contests, mimicking their favorite movie actors and actresses on Hollywood without necessarily harming themselves. However, these contests can even be more fun if you have the right Nerf Gun. We have compiled a few points that will help inform tour decision while picking the best Nerf gun for you or even your kids.
Why don’t you follow through?
Types Of Nerf Guns
Perhaps before you end up purchasing a Nerf gun, you will need to determine what type is necessary and also from where it will be used. These toy guns come in a wide variety, and picking out the best may not be a cup of tea for everyone.
The most common of these toys are the spring-loaded ones, which like most short guns require it to be cocked back each time you are about to pull the trigger. These types of firearms are not only simple and effective, and you don’t have to keep replacing the batteries. However, there are also the battery types that come with their advantages including the fully-automatic fire and even more extended range.
Nerf guns are also themed differently, with each of them coming in with different special darts as well as featuring different design styles. Picking out the best one here will entirely be dependent on the hat interests you and your loved ones.
What’s Your Preferred Playing Style?
Your preferred playing style should be one of the first things to consider before you pick out the best Nerf Guns. This is because most of the other factors will entirely depend on this one. This includes the features of the gun which will keep changing from time to time as you move from one style to another. Should you be picking out a weapon for your little ones, ask them their preferred playing styles. This will help you pick out the best one for them. These playing styles include the following.
- The Offensive: This one is for those who prefer getting onto the battle right from the onset. Those who are willing to take the fight to their enemies. The best gun for this type of style can hold a lot of ammo, shoot quickly and also reload very easily. If you have to get your enemies off-guard, then don’t feel shy to compromise on accuracy; after all, if you are within ten meters from the opponent, then you are well within the perfect range.
- Defensive: This one is for those who like to hunker down at a prominent position while defending it. This type of player will in most cases require heavy and robust ammunition. They will be needed to pull off a swift defensive fire. Such players will require little to no movement to enable them to handle heavy ammunition effortlessness. These kinds of players will require guns, which will not let them down when it comes to delivering prevailing bursts of the foam bullets. For cautious defensive players, mounted machine guns, as well as robust artillery with huge magazines, are the most ideal.
- The Sniper: this one is for those who are playing in vast open spaces which have sufficient cover. With this style, you can opt to take out all your targets from a distance while maintaining protection where your opponents can not be able to see you. This style requires utmost accuracy, and guns with this feature come in handy. If you opt for this style, then you also need to consider a nerf gun with a good range as well as the accuracy part.
- A Little of Everything: Should you be one of those players who don’t like being confined to one style of playing and prefer a much more versatile approach, then you need a gun that will meet all these conditions. You will need a gun that with a good range, convenient reloading, quick-firing, as well as an acceptable amount of ammo foam darts per round.
You need a gun that will work well in every kind of situation. One that will strike a balance between features for all styles. Be sure to look out for simple trigger mechanisms.
The most intriguing thing about these guns is, as much as they are recommended for versatile players, they work best for beginners as well. This is primarily because they don’t have a specific playing style the same case to the beginners who are still trying to discover their preferential playing style.
Gun Specifications
So, you have now discovered you’re playing style and have a rough idea of what kind of gun to buy. Its now time to get down to the specifics. What size of the arm will work for you? Should you be playing the aggressive style, you will most likely be running a lot while shooting at targets.
For defensive players, you will not be moving a lot. You will be holding your position. For this reason, you will need a gun that can hold enough ammo per round. This consequently calls for robust nerf guns. This will enable you to hail attack on your targets.
What’s more, the gun should also be able to fire quickly. Be warned though. You will most like have to dig deeper into your pockets for a little more cash. These guns cost a little more than the rest due to their bulk size. So be sure of your style before you make any investment.
For snipers, you will also be required to hold your position requiring fewer movements here and there. Therefore, provided the gup has adequate accuracy levels and a good range as well, size and weight may not be so relevant. For versatile players, any of these guns go. However, for the young novices, it is recommended they get lighter as well as one that can be wielded easily.
How Much Do You Need To Spend?
The amount you can spend on a nerf gun is entirely dependent on your budget. However, we don’t think you need to pump a lot of cash in these glamorous toys. While starting your collection, you can start from as low as $10 with the cheapest ones falling just a little under that price, and the fancier ones going for less than $20.
Should you feel the need to go for extra fancy ones, then, of course, you will get better features including a better range.
Most of these Nerf guns will come with their darts, or even balls include in the package. That’s good. However, we do recommend you to get a few extra ones for a refill. You never know when they need my rise especially at the climax of the game when the few you have ended up on your opponent’s side.
Ammunition
Before we get down to details, it is worth noting that the darts used by these guns can cripple their functionality. Yes! That’s just how bad they are when used with the wrong models. You should, therefore, strive to make sure you get the right kind of ammunition for the appropriate guns.
The kind of gun that you pick out should be able to carry enough ammo for shooting without having to break for a while. This also applies to the defensive players who will also be laying it all out on the targets as they defend their positions. They will also require a gun that will accommodate sufficient ammo for a fightback as they will be stationary all through.
Snipers for this matter will require less amount of ammunition. This is because they have the luxury of time to aim and shoot accurately. However, the burden of accuracy rests on them as every shot made counts. For this reason, players in this category can opt for more posh bullets. While selecting the appropriate ammunition, keep in mind that it has a significant impact on your gaming success. So, choose wisely!
Safety
When it comes to safety, you can never be too sure about the security of your loved ones while playing with Nerf guns. The more reason why you should be very keen while picking out the best of these toys. While these toys are generally safe, safer than even BB guns, they do come with age requirements and instructions of use.
It is advised that you check through the requirements twice before you buy the toy to avoid incidents of children hurting themselves while operating them.
Again, while most of these toys are design to fire lightweight foam darts, which may not cause any harm to the skin after hitting the intended targets, adult supervision can never be overemphasized.
Accessories
There are many varieties of nerf gun accessories that you can add to your collection for a more enhanced experience. This includes bipods, ammo refill packs, bandoliers, protective goggles and also scopes for the refill packs. We advise you do some research on the compatibility of these ammo packs with your nerf gun so that your dent ends up purchasing the wrong ones.
Things To Avoid Or Pay Special Attention To
When buying the Nerf Gun, children will require less powerful blasters compared to teens and also adults.
Whenever the gun is not in use, much like the real guns, the gun barrel should always face down. The fingers should be lifted off the trigger. It should also not be loaded for safety measures.
Conclusion
Nerf guns are fun. They bring the world of movies into the reality where kids and adults alike can play a role as either a defender, sniper or even taking the offensive part just like it happens in movies. As much as Nerf guns are toys, their features have to be carefully considered for the game to become a success. One wrong move could mean a poor gaming experience.
These guns are safety assured and are made from user-friendly materials, which cannot cause harm to human health. However, precautionary measures have to made to maintain the safety of the gamers. Choosing the right Nerf gun does not have to be another traumatic experience so long as you have the correct information and you understand well what works for you. Follow through all the points that we have covered, and you might land yourself the best Nerf Gun.