Nerf Mods: A Beginner's Guide

Beginners can be easily repelled from the world of Nerf gun modding by seeing a modification "write-up" that seems complicated. Many modification write-ups do seem confusing at first. However, modding a Nerf gun isn't very hard--It simply takes knowledge of how a Nerf gun works and how a mod should be executed. With this knowledge, modifying Nerf guns is quite simple.

This Instructable will introduce you to the vast world of Nerf gun modifications. It covers basic concepts of Nerf gun modifications written for complete beginners--those who are interested in Nerf guns but unsure of how or where to start.

Step 1: Why Nerf?

Since this question is probably the most common response to hearing about teenagers and adults shooting each other with modified Nerf guns, This will be the very first topic I address. Most people respond to the idea of Nerfing with comments like "Aren't you guys a little too old for Nerf guns?" or "Shouldn't you guys be playing Airsoft or Paintball?" However, I believe that Nerf is a completely different experience than Airsoft or Paintball. One notable aspect is that Nerfing is much cheaper than Airsoft or Paintball. Although Paintball and Airsoft do offer a variety of guns, Nerf offers a different kind of variety: the modification aspect of Nerfing allows for customization of weapons.  For instance, one Nerf gun may be modified to shoot one dart very far or seven darts for a buckshot effect.  Multiple guns may even be combined. For instance, a secondary weapon can be integrated into a primary weapon as a backup shot when you reload your primary.

But, in the end, it is really all a matter of preference.  If you really want to read a more in-depth article about this, here's an article from NerfHaven.com - Nerf Vs. Paintball

Tippmann A-5 image courtesy of sebaraya.com
Nerf Nitefinder EX-3 image courtesy of hasbro.com

Comments

[peyton14]

like nerf better beacuse i can mod esayer and you dont kill people if you hit them right.

[ihaveguitarskills!]

I like when people use correct grammar and spelling.

[rejectameric]

Where do I get O-Rings?

[geek27]

You can find o-rings at most hardware stores. If you're looking to replace the o-ring that came with your Nerf gun, it might be wise to bring the stock o-ring, plunger, and plunger tube with you. That way, you can compare the fit of the stock o-ring to the new o-ring (if it doesn't come in a bag).

If you have any trouble locating the o-rings at your local hardware store, be sure to ask around--I'm sure that one of the employees will be able to help you find them.

Hope it helps!

[minioop]

your link no longer works

[coolkidtn]

Sniperbeast, I agree. Nothing can beat airsoft.

[black hole]

I'm not impressed with the new site layout. The old one was simpler.
Great 'ible, though.

[metalsonic]

Nerf Rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SniperBEAST1515]

of the 2 choices, I choose Airsoft. They are (mostly) cheaper than paintball, ammo is plentiful (and cheap) they pwn nerf guns like nothing, and they are the most realistic of the 3. PLEASE, the most realistic part is debatable, but all speedball pb guns are stupid looking!

[The Red Afternoon]

Dude are you kidding!? Airsoft is so much better, than nerf and paintball.


Airsoft Rules


The Red Afternoon

[BIOhazard_inc]

thanks dude if it weren't for this article i wouldn't be considered the 1st class modder i am today

Trust me I'm a doctor

[superscientist1]

nerf is safer to cause in some cases people have been severly hurt from airsoft in one case a kid and his brother were fighting over an airsoft gun and the one brother accidentily shot his brother in the eye who can now never see out of his right eye again sorry if thats depressing but its true

[guerrilafighter]

who cares if its safer. if those brothers were smart they would have been wearing eye protection and had the gun on safety.

[guerrilafighter]

1 i can buy a quality airsoft rifle for $15.2 i have modded many of my guns to spray and my pistols to shoot farther. and 3 in a pro airsoft war you better have a secondary that you can reach quickely or you die. summary...airsoft owns!

[SteeleWorks]

Airsoft is a way better sport because you don't have to go around picking up darts and the ammo is cheaper, plus it gives you more of an adrenaline rush.

[james4]

Hey, do i see Drac's BBB mod on the bottom left corner at the intro pic?

[geek27]

Hmmm, I'm not familiar with that one!  What I did was a simple variation on a mod by joeyalgr.

[nerf___modder]

are there any mods for recon cs-6?

[airsofterz]

i dont understand. how are you supposed to get to the AR in a night finder. do i drill or something.sorry, im inexperienced and this is my first attempt

[airsofterz]

i got it nvm. i used a hacksaw and then broke it apart, and taped it together after.

[geek27]

Well, I know that the barrel assembly on the Nitefinder (it includes the wide orange plunger tube and the barrel) used to come apart if you pulled on the parts. That is, if you pulled, the barrel would come off the plunger tube and so would the air restrictor that is located in the barrel. Nerf does this sometimes, but they might have started gluing these parts together, so your barrel would be glued to the other pieces. In that case, using a hacksaw might have been the right thing, as long as you didn't cut where it would have damaged the pieces beyond function.

But, it seems like what you have is working. However, I can't imagine that the tape will hold for very long. You may want to try a glue, like epoxy.

[Football viking boy]

spring pistols for airsoft are a lot cheaper than nerf

[SaltyNerfer]

Hey, i want to mod my long shot. I already removed the ars, and im going to replace the spring and o ring. Should i do the barrel, too?

[geek27]

Well, doing a barrel replacement on the Longshot really isn't an easy thing. If you wanted to do a barrel replacement for your Longshot and keep the six-shot clip mechanism, you'd probably have to make a complicated breech system, like Forsaken_angel24's mod.  But, that's certainly not an easy modification...

Another, easier option would be to create a simpler breech system that would "single" the Longshot.  In other words, if you make this type of breech, you won't be able to use clips and you'll have to put a dart in manually between shots.  There are a couple of these, like this mod.

You could also just leave it like it is, with the stock breech setup.  Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

[SaltyNerfer]

Thanks for the help.

[ace1423]

AIRSOFT

[Boneshaker]

I just used your guide to modify a Nerf Sharp Shot, fires 50' with stock darts instead of the out of box 25'. 1st of many Nerf mods to come, thanks for posting.

[64bitgenius]

i got my nitefinder to shoot 100', but due to the spring power, the entire thing blew into pieces :( My hand really hurt from the shock after shooting it.

[geek27]

:-)

[mjames-books]

do you have to use the stefans or can you just use normal stock darts will the fit in some mods????

[geek27]

That's a good question. Honestly, if you're modding a gun to have barrels made for stefans, you will be able to fit stock darts in the barrels. However, stock darts work better with some mods and some blasters than others. For example, if you mod a Nitefinder to use a fairly short barrel (like Gengar003's mod, which calls for a 4" barrel), it will be able to shoot both stock darts and stefans.  However, since you're able to rear-load stefans, you can get better range with them.  I'm guessing that stefans would go about 40-50 feet flat on the modded Nitefinder and stock darts would go 25-35 feet.

But, if you have something that calls for a longer barrel, chances are that it won't shoot stock darts very well at all.  The barrel is long so that the stefan will fly a far distance and have a stable flight.  If you front-load a stock dart, the gun will probably fire it and cause the stock dart to spin out of control.  Longer barrels are generally used for more powerful guns, and if the dart doesn't have a long barrel to travel down (stock darts don't because they're loaded in the front of the barrel), the dart will spin out of control.  So, if you are modding a Nitefinder or similar weaker gun, stock darts will probably work just fine.

[puppetmaker77]

What kinds of O-rings do you usually use for these different methods for a Nite Finder? Like what size? The ones on HomeDepot.com seem to be categorized by some sort of number system.

[Arvex]

Probably varies by which Nerf blaster's plunger you have.

[jumpingcat]

can you help me please ... i just modded my raider and the priming handle gets stuck HELP

[SteampunkManiac]

do you have a good way to mod a Deploy CS-6?

[geek27]

Sorry, but I don't know any good ones off the top of my head. There is always NerfHaven though (but that'll require a bit of searching around)!

[meman111]

how would i make a strong barrel setup for the nite finder?

[64bitgenius]

two words, hot, and glue.

[~Z~]

3 words, Hot, Glue, and Fails.

Epoxy+Goop+CA Glue(Super glue)

[Revan_Taros]

i found a use for the air restrictors. take a dart of your choice (i recommend the purple/yellow buzz-bee darts) and take the tip off and set it aside. take an airsoft BB (of your weight) and place it in the hole of the dart. take the AR and push it down onto the side of the dart that has the BB in it. i tested this on a couple of my guns. it works quite well in them, but i have not tested it in a stock gun. for use in front loading guns (scout, nitefinder, hornet etc.) you can leave the prongs on. for use in CS guns, simply break or cut the prongs off. i might make a you tube video of this. let me know how this works.