Nerf Strongarm

Nerf N-Strike Elite Strongarm

This pistol is all business. Hasbro decided exactly what they wanted to make, and then made it exactly right. They designed virtually the perfect Nerf war sidearm. The pitch on the box claims it was "designed for quick draws and fast firing… When speed and mobility are essential, this is the ultimate blaster." I was honestly expecting that to just be a bunch of meaningless hype when I bought it. Boy was I wrong.

I don't want to spark a debate about Strongarm vs. Hammershot (yet), but the Strongarm was literally built for Nerf warring. And it does a great job with that. Here's my analysis of the pros and cons.


Good:

• Purpose-built. See rant above.
• Compact. The Strongarm isn't as small as, say, the Doublestrike, but Hasbro didn't waste any space here. And heck, it holds three times as much ammo as the Doublestrike.
• Capacity. Speaking of that, six darts is a nice number for a sidearm.
• Holster-built. The nose of the Strongarm is practically asking for a holster. It was designed to be

  

  Strongarm in
  a holster

  straight and smooth to fit nicely into most generic holsters. And even with limited skill, you could probably build a useable holster for it.
• Quickdraw. If you have it in a holster, it's very easy to grab onto and pull out. The handle easily manipulates your hand into just the right position for a grip.
• Slam-fire. I personally wouldn't use this feature in a war, but I know many people who would. It's nice to know that in a pinch, you can lob darts nice and quick.
• Priming handle. It's very grippy and easy to pull, even with an upgraded spring.
• Ranges. This pistol gets regular Elite ranges, which is pretty good for a pistol. Most pistols sacrifice range for small size. This one doesn't.
• Rotation mechanism. I was initially skeptical about a revolver that rotates, not on the prime or the trigger-pull, but right after firing. Such a system, I theorized, would surely be unreliable under demanding use. But so far, it has continued to operate smoothly, in spite of me dishing out the hardest scenarios I can come up with.
• Sling mounts. They're in a great place, allowing you to intuitively sling the blaster over your shoulder for easily accessible storage.

Bad:

• Handle. I would not recommend this blaster for Nerfers with small hands, as the handle is very large and difficult/uncomfortable to grip with small hands.
• Handle "spike". For those who look closely, there is a small cosmetic bonus, a "spike" at the bottom of the handle. Though not sharp, it could pose a safety hazard in the hands of inexperienced or reckless users.
• A slightly lamentable lack of a tac-rail on the bottom of the front end of the blaster. Not a big deal, but I would have liked to see one there.
• XD claims. I have no idea where Hasbro came up with the idea to repaint a few Elite guns and jack up the range claims, but the whole XD thing is bogus. At least they don't cost any more than the regular Elite guns, but literally the only difference is the paint job.

In summary, I would strongly recommend the N-Strike Elite Strongarm for any Nerfer who would use it for Nerf battles. It's purpose-built and very reliable, with the ability to slam-fire up to six darts, making it nearly the perfect war-practical sidearm. It's also a very fun toy to just play around with, though the handle size can be somewhat alienating to younger Nerfers.

Now for some Tacticool Tips to get more out of your Nerf Strongarm:

Tacticool Tip: For a shotgun-esque double-dart burst, prime Strongarm as usual. Keep grip on priming handle. Pull and hold trigger to fire first dart, then immediately pull priming handle back to slam-fire off a second dart.

Tacticool Tip: If you use it with a sling, you can prime the Srongarm by simply pushing it away from you while the sling is still looped over your shoulder.



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Nerf Zombie Strike Crossfire

Nerf Zombie Strike Crossfire

Hasbro seems to have finally acknowledged the foremost authority on zombie-fighting: AMC's The Walking Dead. In the apocalyptic television show, currently in its sixth season, a main character wields a crossbow against the zombie hordes. And now you can too! Nerf's version is called the Crossfire, and although it's not strictly a crossbow, it has some really cool crossbow styling.

Who wouldn't love that silhouette?

Even better, it looks really sci-fi without the crossbow arms. Since it is fully capable of function with or without the crosspiece attached, you get two choices for what you want your Crossfire to look like -- sci-fi sidearm, or Walking Dead wannabe.

Space-gun vs. zombies.

Good:

• Looks. This is a SWEEEET shell for a nerf gun. It would also make for some awesome cosmetic mods, due to the fact that the shell comes apart into several separate pieces. And that amazing hand-guard, too!
• Sling mounts. You may not want to use a sling with the Crossfire if you use it as a crossbow, but if you've ditched the bow arms, it might be a great candidate. After all, it has two convenient points to attach a sling.
• Handle size. It may look slightly cramped, but it was "just about perfect" for several test subjects who all had different sizes of hands.
• No "cloth wrap".  I rather dislike the fake cloth wrap that is so prevalent in the Zombie Strike line, so I'm happy that the Crossfire doesn't have it.
• Ranges. I was unable to test this particular model, but generally Crossfires do get about 75-90 feet, typical elite ranges.
• Snappy performance. The prime is simple, short, and snappy.
• No locks. I couldn't believe this one, even after playing with it for a while. So I took it apart to check and there are NO LOCKS ANYWHERE! It's just a simple catch-and-release system.

Bad:

• Trigger. It needs some lubrication; it feels rather sticky.
• Handle. It's comfy and grippy, but not quite ergonomic. And since the gun is heavily balanced toward the front, this can be quite a problem.
• Priming handle. To be frank, it's just too small. It's difficult to grab onto. In addition, it's attached to the plunger mech in an inherently weak way, which means it might break if you even slightly increased the spring load.
• Stock attachment. To date, this is the only Zombie strike gun that features this. And it looks really cool with a stock attached. Which is sad, because the attachment point has a very loose fit, making it almost useless. And I got my hopes up, too!
• Capacity. It only holds four darts. Then again, who actually buys this gun to have a practical foam-flinging weapon? So capacity's no big issue.

The Crossfire may not be a practical primary or sidearm because of its limited rate of fire and capacity. And it's risky to modify it because of the priming system. But that doesn't mean it's not a fun, cool-looking toy. And it's got reliable, snappy performance, meaning it'll be a blast to play with. (Get it?)

Stare that down, if you dare.   No really, I dare you.

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One final note: Hasbro's quality control team seems to be slipping up. I have found several minor flaws and blemishes in recent guns I've bought, ranging from a slightly botched paint job to a very crooked dart. And a Nerf YouTuber whom I follow recently reviewed a new blaster that broke the first time he used it. So just look closely before you buy.