A Nerf Gun, an Engineer, and Some Free Time.

My brother got a Nerf Longshot for his birthday. Upon looking at this gun, I was quite impressed by the shear size of it... that is until I saw that Nerf really did live up to its name. Despite its looks, the gun packs absolutely no punch and the engineer in me could not stand by and allow my brother to be content with sub-par performance. After a bit of research and hunting, I managed to upgrade his gun to much more impressive (albeit somewhat scary) standards.

I was so pleased by the results that I too decided to purchase a Longshot and put the same mod in it. So, for all those interested, here is how it is done.

Step 1: Take It Apart

I recommend removing the adjustable stock first, it'll have to come off before you can open the main case anyways. Once done, take a pry bar or a claw hammer and pry off one of the orange handles used to cock the gun. It takes a little bit of effort, but do not worry, it will easily snap back together once you are done with no ill effects. After that, remove all of the screws that hold the case together. Don't forget about the five that are (mostly) hidden by the stand.


This is what it looks like when you open the case.

Step 2: Remove the Bolt Assembly

The part that we need to remove is the long cylindrical orange tube in the middle of the gun that is the bolt assembly. To do this, you need to remove the metal pin that holds it into the yellow housing. I was able to do this with a narrow screwdriver and a good amount of pressure behind it.



Once the pin is removed, you should be able to wiggle the bolt assembly out of the housing. Be careful not to be too forceful, not that you're likely to damage it, but rather that there are a lot of little plastic pieces with tiny springs surrounding it that are likely to pop out of place with too much jostling. It helps to push back the spring loaded bolt if you are having some trouble with this step.


This is the bolt assembly when it is removed. Set everything else aside since this is the only portion that we will be working with.

Step 3: Plug the Vent

On the black portion of the loader, you'll notice a small hole. This allows some of your precious air pressure to escape while firing, which we do not want. I used some plastic epoxy to fill the hole and allow to cure over night. Tape would work just as well, just make sure that it isn't too thick so as to prevent it from sliding through the narrow cylinder. I found epoxy to work best since it plugged the hole easily enough and very little excess to get caught as it slides, which is my concern with tape.



Step 4: Remove the Bolt and Improve the Power (optional)

There are two silver screws that hold the bolt into the cylinder, there is nothing tricky about removing them.



This is what the bolt and the stock spring (black) looks like. The silver spring is the one I am adding in order to increase the punch the gun delivers. You don't have to add another spring or replace the stock one, removing the air restrictor and plugging the hole will add a good amount of power in of itself. Replacing springs also can be a bit risky since they can quickly damage your gun if they are too powerful. This one I found at a local hardware store that seemed to be perfect for the job.



At the other end of the bolt is another screw, remove it along with that end of the bolt to allow access to the spring. Put in alternate spring (or combine in this instance) and reassemble.

Step 5: Remove the Air Restrictor

This is the most important step if you wish to add a significant power boost to your gun. Look inside the cylinder (with the bolt removed) and you'll see this:



There is a good amount of shadow in there, but you can just vaguely make out a center circle held into place by three connections. Cut these three connections and that center portion should fall out. It is a little tricky to cut them, I found using a pair of scissors along with some pliers to apply additional force closer to the connection worked out best. Wire cutters will also work very well in this instance, but mine were too bulky to reach that far in there.


This is the air restrictor once you cut it free and let it slide out. Throw it away, we do not want this part.


Inside the cylinder after the air restrictor is removed.

Step 6: Narrow the Choke (optional)

By this, I mean fill in the extra space around where the air restrictor once was. Doing so will narrow the channel of airflow and focus more air pressure behind the dart. I used some foam padding that I had on hand to do this, though pipe insulation can also work if you find the right size. I chose to superglue the padding into place just to make sure that it didn't come loose in the future.



Step 7: Pad the Bolt (suggested if modded the spring)

This isn't required, but it'll certainly improve the durability of the gun if you added a more powerful spring. I used the same foam padding that I did to narrow the choke. If you use rigid padding, you may want to trim it down some so that the bolt will not jut out too far when at rest. You will know that it is too thick if you reassemble it and are unable to cock the gun. The foam I used compressed a lot with relatively little pressure, so that is why it looks so thick in the following image.


Again, just superglue it onto the bolt. The main focus should be the outer ring where it impacts the black circle in the cylinder, but I figured it would be just as easy to cover the entire thing.

Step 8: Reassemble

Reassemble the bolt assembly and slide it back into the yellow housing. Remember to be wary about the various spring loaded tiny plastic pieces that are likely to jump around if you aren't careful. Once in the housing, make sure the orange peg on the assembly finds its way into its slot on the bottom (opposite side from which you can easily see). You will know it is in place when the assembly doesn't move around too much when you wiggle it. Slide the metal pin back into place, finagle the breach cover back into place, make sure the breach cover and the yellow housing are both placed properly on their tracks. You can tell if they are not since the other half of the case will not go on easily and will be popping up in certain places. Screw everything back together, snap the orange loader back into position, and enjoy.

Compare the results:

Before:


After:

Loki, when you become a mad scientist and start plotting to take over the world, get me in on it, alright?

It starts with modifying Nerf guns.

It ends with modifying laser guns.

Weiss wrote:Loki, when you become a mad scientist and start plotting to take over the world, get me in on it, alright?

It starts with modifying Nerf guns.

It ends with modifying laser guns.

I have parts to make a Gauss Rifle back home in Ohio. Seriously. I just haven't gotten around to assembling it yet.

Aw, I wish my degree gave me cool skills like that. I'm only capable of observing bad things in life and being unable to change them