NerfN Strike Elite Strongarm Toy Blaster with Rotating Barrel (Amazon Exclusive)

So fun! Using it for teaching my 2 year old firearm safety and target practice. We set up stuffed teddy bears around the house and go on a bear hunt, she absolutely loves it! Would buy again! That written, she's not strong enough to cock it herself which is probably a good thing for now hahahaa

These Elite Strongarms are great beginner Nerf guns. They don't require batteries, they aren't too hard to load and cock, they are relatively inexpensive, and they have been reliable. I have also purchased the Nerf Triad Ex-3 (similar to the Nerf Jolt), and the Nerf Modulus (a battery powered magazine loading gun).Pros:They are inexpensive compared to the battery guns. The Triads were cheaper, but only held 3 shots, and 2 of 3 stopped working after half a year.They have been reliable. I initially bought 2 in 2018 , as in my experience Nerf guns don't always work out of the box. Both are still going strong, and I bought 2 more as gifts last Christmas, both of which also performed great out of the box.No battery needed.No need to wait for the electronics to spool up before firing.Accurate as any unmodded Nerf gun I have used.Cons:To cock the gun, one needs some grip strength (as opposed to a battery gun). A 6yo shouldn't have too much of a problem, but a 4yo probably would not be able to.They only hold six shots, and you reload by inserting the darts in a swing out cylinder, which is kind of slow. So choose your opponents wisely...Other:These are also fun to fiddle with, as they have both a cylinder that releases and flips out, as well as a slide that you can cock. Also, although my Strongarms have been reliable, the swing out cylinder might be a weak point for a child who excels at breaking things.Also, I purchased mine through Amazon, so they came in a generic looking cardboard box. Only important if you want someone to think you spent more money than you actually did... :D

About a year in use. Works well.

Seriously, this is cool to have in any Nerf Arsenal. The reiteration of the legendary pistol blaster, the Nerf Maverick. Behold, the almighty Strongarm. The blaster that helped make "slam-fire" a popular Springer's function today (For slam-fire just hold the trigger down, then pull the slide repeatedly to fire shots in rapid succession). But does it measure up to other comparable blasters in my Chronograph testing? According to the dart velocities measured in FPS (feet per second) with my ProChrono Digital chronograph, it clocked in at highest 75 FPS, and lowest 62 FPS after 6 shots. Compared to it's "sister"-blaster model, the Nerf Rebelle Spylight scored it's highest at 80 FPS, and lowest at 66 FPS. These numbers were consistent after testing several different Strongarms and a few Spylights several times each. But being slightly weaker than a girl's blaster does not take away much from the blaster, for it is not as sloppy and feels more durable than it's sister operation. Most will prefer the appeal of the macho look and size that it offers anyway. As an update, there is this white and blue XD version (that is a blue stripe on a white Strongarm, as opposed to the blue Strongarm with a white stripe) with longer advertised distances. My blue one still performed better on the chronograph using the current wide variety of Nerf Elite darts (they are all able to shoot the blue, green, decorated Rebelle, white, and now orange darts), but the average was not that far off: Averaged velocity of standard Elite- 69 FPS, Averaged velocity of XD- 67 FPS. Average velocity between both... 68 FPS... It is suspected that each blaster has it's own unique quirks, perhaps I just got a lemon XD blaster, but regardless of the circumstances what you are really paying for is the psychological advantage and a crummy paint job (my XD looks cheap and painted by either a novice, or someone in a rush to finish the job). If you are using this as a primary, you are out of luck. There are many other improved versions of the Strongarm on the market today. The first two evolutions of it being the Zombistrike FlipFury (two times bigger with 2-barrel/12 darts) and the Zombiestrike Doominator (four times bigger with 4-barrel/ 24 darts). Otherwise, remember this to be a sidearm. A primary like the Retaliator or Stryfe have the CS (Clip System, which is really a magazine system or "Clipazines") that gives you upwards from 18-round mags to 35-dart drums, all easier to reload when playing and quicker on the fly under pressure. But I digress; buy whatever you feel comfortable with and use what you can afford. The Strongarm has always been a reliable blaster, and can be even stronger with help from an Orange Mod Works "Unleased Solid, Final Stage" upgrade kit at the current market price of $24.99. I know, twice the cost and the shipping, and then the labor of installation, that makes it very not worth the cost of the blaster. But it becomes a beast, so think about that before you buy a Strongarm sidearm.As an update, 1-8-2018 and both of my Strongarms are still working as intended. They have been through many Nerf Wars with inexperienced children and experienced users alike and still shoot a good distance. These Nerf pistols tend to last the test of time more gracefully than their cheaper knockoff counterparts by other brands (Dart Zone, Buzzbee, etc.), in which I must report, have failed and broke shortly after purchasing them. Not like my Strongarm’s, but I will return to report when they too finally kick the bucket, just let it be known that these sidearms are still going strong.