Sniper Big Bad Bow! (Brass coupler'd BBB with stock)

Let the picture spam begin! (Specs + details to follow!):

First off, the absolutely necessary "Money Shot"!

Look ma! The scope actually works! 

Super cool (and really cheap/flimsy) stock:

Body shot:

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Details and Specs!

-1/2 inch CPVC coupler in the front (it has been E-taped over to match the barrel)

-Dead space removal (17/32" Brass stub surrounded by a sea of hot glue for maximum efficiency!)

-17/32" Brass barrel (K&S Engineering as always- Chicago woot!) nested in 1/2"  PVC (for protection)

-Scope is a fully functional "Daisy" 4X zoom scope I scavenged from a crappy/cheap Walmart BB gun 

-2 Maverick springs integrated in with the stock BBB spring (a single Home Depot spring is too short and rattles about)

-Stock is made of flimsy plastic tubing from an indoor basketball game thing (I really should replace that with some SCH40 PVC)

-The random hole in the top rail (see last picture) was to try to make the blaster accept N-strike clips. 

-Front arrow holder and fore grip removed (waiting for an integration on bottom)

Questions? Comments? Flames? 

~Briguy52 signing out :)

Super Soaker XP 40!

Just recently, I picked up this really neat Super Soaker Xp 40 at a garage sale for $1.

Lucky me, the pump O-ring was sucky and the tank leaked :P  Anyways, I've since replaced the O-ring with one from the Super Soaker Max-D 2000. The actual air tank and trigger mechanism is very similar to that of an Airtech 2000 or Supermaxx 750, but the actual air tank is extremely small (smaller than a golf ball but shaped like an AT2k tank). I'm planning on replacing the vinyl tubing as it's all gunky and dirty and is probably the source of the leak. 


~Briguy52 signing out :)

Good Beginner Blasters

So, perhaps after playing around with a friend's Nerf blaster, you may have gotten all hyped up and interested in starting yourself! Well, this article is here to give you some good recommendations for "start-up" blasters for those just beginning. Note: This article will only recommend currently available in stores blasters as of today (6/14/12). For instance, I will not be recommending a Longshot or even the N-Strike Elite series as neither are currently available in stores.

Here's the 'scale' that I will be rating blasters with:
Name of blaster: Simple 'blurb' describing what it is (TL;DR)
Price: Expected price range (depends on stores)
Mod-ability: How much improvement does modification grant you?
Difficulty: How hard is it to mod it?
Rate of Fire (RoF): How much foam can you fling? (Here at FoamFrenzy, this is always a priority!)
Range: How far can the blaster fire?
Recommended Mods: No explanation necessary :)

Note: All stats (ie Range, RoF, etc. are based on performance after recommended basic mods are completed)
Note: The scale for 'Difficulty' will be: Beginner-Intermediate-Hard-Crazy Hard
Note: The scale for 'RoF', 'Range', and 'Mod-ability' will be: Crap-Okay-Good-Crazy Good-Insanely Good

First, I'll list and categorize the recommended blasters followed by a list of all the current blasters in the market (both good and bad):

Recommended Blasters:

Single Shot Blasters (simple & easy to mod but feature low RoF)
-NiteFinder EX-3 ($8)
-Jolt EX-1 ($5)

Clip System Blasters (more complex but feature fast reloads and good RoF)
-Alpha Trooper CS-18 ($20)
-Raider CS-35 ($30)

Electric/ Battery Powered Blasters (High RoF and good capacity)
-Rayven CS-18 ($30)
-Stampede EBF ($30-50)
-Swarmfire ($15-30)


Note: If you stumble upon some older/ vintage blasters such as the Airtech 2000, Longshot, etc., by all means take advantage of the opportunity (granted you're not being ripped off on Ebay).

Complete List:

Nerf Blasters 

N-Strike Line

NiteFinder EX-3: A simple and effective single shot pistol (A good choice to start out with)
Price: Expect $6-10
Mod-ability: Crazy good
Difficulty: Beginner
RoF: Crap (single fire)
Range: Good
Recommended Mods: CPVC couper, Spring addition (Ace #49 or Home Depot 'Handyman' spring), barrel replacement, AR removal

Maverick Rev-6: A spiffy 6 shooter (revolver) (Don't buy it if you want to mod things)
Price: Expect $6-10
Mod-ability: Crap (do not attempt unless doing the "Russian Roulette mod")
Difficulty: Intermediate
RoF: Good
Range: Crap
Recommended Mods: None (unless you're doing the RR mod, honestly I have killed off several perfectly good Mavericks doing a bunch of barrel mods that have either made no difference at all or have made it worse- main idea: Keep it stock)


Spectre Rev-5: An even spiffier 5 shooter (revolver) (At the least, get a Recon or clip blaster instead)
Price: $20 (Walmart exclusive, and the price is a big downside when you could buy say an AlphaTrooper)
Mod-ability: Okay
Difficulty: Intermediate
RoF: Good
Range: Okay-Good
Recommended Mods: AR removal perhaps

Recon CS-6: A clip accepting pistol/ rifle (depends on attachments) (Skip for a Raider/ Alpha Trooper)
Price: $20
Mod-ability: Good
Difficulty: Intermediate-Hard (if you're not just taking out Air Restrictors)
RoF: Good
Range: Okay-Good
Recommended Mods: AR removal, Powerstock, purchasing an aftermarket kit (ie Orange Mod Works, Xplorer, etc. if you have the money)

Raider CS-35: A bada*s pump action shotty with slam fire with a 35 round drum  (Great when modded)
Price: $30-35
Mod-ability: Good
Difficulty: Intermediate-Hard
RoF: Crazy Good (if slam-firing)
Range: Okay-Good
Recommended Mods: AR removal, Powerstock, aftermarket kits

Alpha Trooper CS-18: An improved Raider with an 18 round drum (Great when modded)
Price: $20 (Target exclusive)
Everything else: Same as Raider but it has slightly improved performance, reliability, and handling characteristics but lacks the stock and the massive drum

Longstrike CS-6: A spiffy Dragunov-esque sniper rifle that gets Recon ranges (Skip for a Raider/ Alpha Trooper)
Price: $30-35
Mod-ability: Good
Difficulty: Intermediate-Hard
RoF: Okay
Range: Okay-Good
Recommended Mods: AR removal, aftermarket kits

Jolt Ex-1: Compact single shot pistol that packs a "Jolt" of power (sorry bad pun) (Great in stock form)
Price: $5
Mod-ability: Okay-Good (AR removal doesn't increase power much, just dart variety)
Difficulty: Beginner
RoF: Crap (single shot)
Range: Good
Recommended mods: Spring replacement

Stampede ECS: A clip accepting, battery operated monster (Potent when voltage modded)
Price: $30-50 (I got mine on sale for $30 at Toys 'R Us)
Mod-ability: Good
Difficulty: Intermediate-Hard
RoF: Good when stock, much improvement with voltage mods
Range: Good
Recommended mods: Spring replacement, AR removal, voltage increase (via aftermarket batteries)

Rayven CS-18: Glow in the dark flywheel blaster with a bullpup design (A great first electric blaster)
Price: $25-30
Mod-ability: Good
Difficulty: Beginner-Intermediate
RoF: Good-Crazy Good (depends on batteries)
Range: Good
Recommended mods: External voltage increase (you don't even need to open the blaster)

Barricade RV-10: Revolving flywheel blaster (A great first electric blaster)
Price: $10-20
Mod-ability: Good
Difficulty: Beginner-Intermediate
RoF: Good-Crazy Good (depends on batteries), reloading is a hassle with a turret
Range: Good
Recommended mods: Voltage increase (if you're trying to make it clip compatible, just go out and buy a Rayven instead)

Rapid Fire 20: The ultimate bullet hose (Great in stock form)
Price: $20 (Toys 'R Us exclusive)
Mod-ability: Good
Difficulty: Hard
RoF: Insanely Good (until you need to pump it up)
Range: Okay-Good
Recommended mods: None, it's awesome as is, possible barrel replacement, (if you've got multiples, swap-able turrets are handy)

Big Bad Bow: Reliable single shot springer (A really good choice for a springer)
Price: $20 (also available as an 'Avengers' purple edition right now)
Mod-ability: Crazy good (well you're going from arrows to darts...)
Difficulty: Beginner
RoF: Crap (unless you add a speedloader or clip)
Range: Crazy Good
Recommended mods: CPVC coupler/ barrel replacement, spring addition (adding in 2 Maverick springs works great)

Vulcan EBF-25: Belt fed electric blaster (Great when voltage modded)
Price: $30-45 (depends on if store is trying to clear out)
Mod-ability: Good
Difficulty: Intermediate-Hard
RoF: Good (improves a lot once voltage modded)
Range: Good
Recommended mods: Voltage mod

Barrel Break IX-2: Double barrel shotgun (Buy a Rayven or Alpha Trooper instead)
Price: $20 (Toys 'R Us exclusive)
Mod-ability: Okay
Difficulty: Intermediate
RoF: Okay (you only have 2 shots before reloading)
Range: Okay-Good
Recommended mods: Barrel replacement

Hornet AS-6: semi-auto or 'absolver' type 6 shot shotgun (Somewhat gimmicky)
Price: $40 as part of the Unity Power System or $20 by itself (both are Toys 'R Us exclusive)
Mod-ability: Good
Difficulty: Intermediate-Hard
RoF: Good (until you have to pump)
Range: Good
Recommended mods: Pump plug, barrel replacement
Note: After using my friend's Hornet (which was awesome), I went out and got my own. However, usually by the last shot (when going semi-auto) it gives up on me (even when completely pumped) so... some units may be more reliable then others.

Titan AS-V1: The Nerf rocket launcher (Banned in wars unless its shooting balls or rockets)
Price: $40 as part of the Unity Power System
Mod-ability: Good
Difficulty: Intermedate
RoF: Crap (unless you make a hopper or RSCB)
Range: Insanely Good
Recommended mods: You can honestly just slap a coupler onto the front and go have fun shooting holes in cardboard)

Scout IX-3: Sleek looking reverse plunger single shot pistol (Looks/feels great but get a NiteFinder or Sharp Shot instead unless you're already getting the UPS)
Price: $40 as part of the Unity Power System
Mod-ability: Good
Difficulty: Beginner
RoF: Crap (single fire)
Range: Good
Recommended mods: CPVC barrel replacement works great



Dart Tag Line


Note: Make sure to buy the ones with blue triggers if you can as they have been injected with performance enhancing drugs to make them better (actually, better springs :D    )

Swarmfire: A foam flinging monster when voltage modded (Great performance when voltage modded)
Price: $15-30 (some Targets seem to be clearing these out)
Mod-ability: Good
Difficulty: Intermediate-Hard (ranges from AR removal and battery replacement to motor and gear stuff)
RoF: Crazy Good once modded, Good if you just remove ARs
Range: Good
Recommended Mods: AR removal, battery replacement (ie with Trustfires, RC batteries, etc.)

Speedswarm: 'Nerfed down' version of the Swarmfire (hahaha) (Buy a Swarmfire instead)
Price: $20
Everything else: More or less a Swarmy with 1/2 the capacity and lower RoF

Quick-16: The 'Raider' of the Dart Tag Line featuring a built in clip (Buy a Raider/Alpha Trooper instead)
Price: $15-25
Mod-ability: Okay
Difficulty: Intermediate
RoF: Good
Range: Okay
Recommended Mods: AR removal, avoid this blaster, it jams like it was designed to


Speedload-6: Compact version of the Quick-16 but with a 6 round clip (Buy a Raider/Alpha Trooper instead)
Price: $10-15
Everything else: Same as above

Sharpshot: Dart Tag version of the Scout IX-3 (Buy a NiteFinder instead)
Price: $5-10

Mod-ability: Good
Difficulty: Beginner
RoF: Crap (single fire)
Range: Good
Recommended mods: CPVC barrel replacement works great

Vortex Blasters

Praxis: The rapid fire Raider of the Vortex line

Price: $25

Beginner's Guide to Barrel Material

What's up people! A very common Nerf modification involves replacing the stock barrels (i.e. what the blaster came with) with your own more efficient barrels. Note: I will have in-depth guides to each barrel material coming up! This is just a general overview to get you accustomed to the various methods of replacing your barrel to increase the effectiveness of your blaster!

Air Restrictor Removal- You're basically changing the barrels by removing all the plastic and springs that hamper the efficiency of the barrel. Oftentimes, this involves ripping/drilling out the barrel post and assorted other items inside the stock barrel by using a Dremel, power drill, or simply needle-nose pliers.

-Good for: Any blaster

-Pros: No actual barrel material needed

-Cons: Oftentimes, you don't gain much more than 5-10 feet in terms of range 

-Find it: In your blaster

Crayola/Rose Art- Basically, you just need to gut out a marker until it can accommodate a dart!

-Good for: Air powered blasters (ie ones with a pump)

-Pros: Easily available (who can't find some markers to gut out around their house?)

-Cons: A tad bit too loose for springers (such as the NiteFinder) 

-Find it: Walmart, your siblings' pencil box (not saying you should steal...), Target, Walgreens, etc.

CPVC- One of the cheapest and easily available barrel materials and highly recommended! 

-Good for: Springers (generally require a tight barrel fit to build up pressure behind the dart)

-Pros: Really cheap (~$3-4 for 10 feet), can fit in couplers which gives you a ton of versatility

-Cons: Not that good with air blasters

-Find it: Home Depot, Ace, Menards, Lowes, etc.

Brass (17/32 inch diameter)- A really good barrel material, make sure you get the "K&S engineering" brand (woot Chicago!)

-Good for: Muzzle loading stock darts (i.e. taggers, streamlines, micros, etc.) into springers

-Pros: Very exact measurements (so you can make breeches), really low friction

-Cons: Expensive (~$3-4 for 1 foot), Will dent if you bang it into walls (so make PVC sleeves around it!)

-Find it: Hobby stores (my local 'Venture Hobbies' has it to make train tracks or something for model trains),  You can also order brass online

Brass (9/16 inch diameter)- Same as before

-Good for: Long barrels for air blasters

-Everything else is same as above

PETG- A really good clear barrel material, similar to 9/16 brass but a lot cheaper

-Good for: Springers or Air blasters (not as exact diameter wise as brass, some suppliers have thinner or thicker PETG)

-Pros: Very cheap, it is clear so you can see if you have a dart in the barrel!, you can cut it with scissors

-Cons: May possibly dent

-Find it: Online at 'McMaster-Carr' http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/118/1561/=hz3d8n (not the actual PETG you get when you search PETG on their website) Note: The part number you want is: 2044T43 (under the plastic tubes, not cardboard :) )

-Briguy52  :]

Hello everyone! You have stumbled upon my humble and newly formed Nerf blog on the inter-webs. I plan on updating this blog with fresh Nerf intel and info about upcoming Nerf events, blasters, etc. in addition to catching up with the assorted blasters and modifications I have completed in the past. I have been into Nerf now for at least 4-5 years now and I have completed quite a lot of successful (and not so successful) modifications and have plenty of tips and "heads ups" to give out to everyone! Thanks for visiting, and feel free to take a look around! -Briguy52