You have a nerf gun and you like it, but there’s always something about it that makes you want to get more power out of it. And let’s face it. The gun is capable of shooting further but in the interest of safety, Nerf always tones it down. But do you know with a little bit of patience and some tools, you can make the guns more powerful and blow people away… like the one below.

From Beautifying to Range Boosting, These Are The Mods You Can Do

1. Drop in a Stronger Spring

this alone adds the most range

2. Remove the Air Restrictors

every blaster has them

3. Use Better Darts

adds 10-15 feet range

4. Build a Better Barrel

use PVC, PETG, or Brass

5. Paint Job

make it look awesome

6. Higher Voltage

(if your blaster uses batteries)

Start Here: The Best & Most Popular Range Boosting Mods

Replacing the stock spring and removing the air restrictor are popular modifications because they have the most impact on range, and are fairly easy to do with the introduction of Mod Kits. Since everything you need is available in these convenient kits, the only step for you to do is installation. You can learn more about these kits and what blasters they are available for here. I also have a review of OMW’s mod kits.

Why Should You Mod Your Blaster?

Modding accomplishes two major things. For one thing, your range will increase dramatically. Think about the Nerf gun you have. How far does it shoot? Your answer will probably be between 15 and 35 feet Not bad, but imagine that once you have all the power you need in that gun, the darts flying double or even triple that length? It’s not unheard of. Some people have modded guns to shoot well over 100 feet.

The second reason relates to the automatic guns. When you buy an automatic rifle, it can clear a set of 25 rounds in about 7 or 8 seconds. But what would it sound like to have the guns empty the 25 rounds in just 3 seconds? More than 8 rounds per second shooting at a victim. That sounds cool, right?

Some people even take their creations and sell them for a profit on eBay or other auction sites, so if you’re looking to make a few bucks on the side, then it can be accomplished also doing this.

How Do I Mod a Nerf Gun?

It’s actually easier than most think. There are three basic things you can do with almost any gun on the market sold by Nerf. Make the spring stronger, Removing air restrictors or modding the barrel, and replacing it with a brass tube. All three of these are done with the intent of putting more power in your shot so when you fire a dart, it will go further. You also can create your own darts, called “Stefans” to use.

PART 1: Stronger Spring

For this, you will need to unscrew the blaster and be sure not to lose them. In fact, just put them in a yogurt container for safe keeping (trust me they are very easy to lose). Once you unscrew them all the shell, separate the shell halves. the internal nuts and bolts are there. You also will find springs inside the pulling system. In the CS-6 for example, it is in the middle. You can buy several 20 lb. springs that will dramatically increase the power of your shot. You may need to reinforce the gun with PVC pipe afterwards because the kick will make the gun that much more powerful and you don’t want the gun to fall apart. Then you just replace the screws and you’re all set. Finding the spring on your gun is not that difficult.

Higher tension springs can be found easily. There are a lot of sellers now! OrangeModWorks is one, and they have a large selection.

PART 2: Remove Air Restrictors

Air Restrictors are parts of plastic that take roughly half of your energy that you put into the shot and just throw it away. Take a drill, a long bit and a Phillips Head screwdriver. Unscrew the screws on the gun again remembering where they all go. Near the middle of the gun once you remove the trigger on the CS-6 is a blocked space inside of a tube that looks like a turret. The opposite side will have a needle pointing about 2/3 of the way outside the tube. Drill out the needle part and you will have no restrictions on the air, allowing shots further than you ever thought possible. Remember to reassemble the gun.

Every blaster is different so the air restrictor will sometimes be in a different location. In most cases it is easily identified. Here’s a picture to show you the before and after removal of the air restrictor in the Zombie Strike Hammershot.

a direct view of the air restrictor on the Hammershot, with it removed in the right picture. Cool! (Source: nerfscience.blogspot.com)

PART 3: Modding Barrel

This is simple really. Most of the barrels are made of cheap plastic and do not hold in air. By taking a 17/32 inch brass barrel that provides a better fit for your darts, will allow for more buildup of air behind the dart, which generates more force and further shots! Just take out the barrel and replace it with a brass one. This can be done in about 15 minutes.

A brass barrel mod for the Longshot. This was done by modworks.blogspot.com.

While brass is the best, some modders don’t use it. Here are some other materials you can use.

PART 4: Creating Stefans (Homemade Darts)

A nerf dart is usually made out of 1/2″ Foam Backer Rod. Pick up a 20 foot bag at your local hardware store and guess what? You have 20 feet of “darts”, except you need to put a hole in them. So cut proper dart length for each one (you’ll get about 75 in each bag). Cut and straighten them by using a hair dryer and a pillowcase. Let the hair dryer run for 1-2 minutes and shake the pillowcase, and let them cool.

Next, using a glue gun (don’t add any glue yet) carve holes in the top at the center, put a BB in and then glue over the BB to fill it up. In about 30 minutes, you’ll have 75 of these well made.

A pile of homemade darts! Source: blastermodsandmore.blogspot.com

PART 5: Paint it

While some people like the way Nerf guns look all on their own, others want to modify their guns to look futuristic or just customized to their personality. A lot of people are taking to applying decals, paint and other means to customize their Nerf guns. It’s not as common as the performance based hacks but it’s a growing part of the modding community. It’s also the more noticeable ones because some people paint amazing themes!

Here’s one of the many being sold on eBay! The market for them has exploded thanks to cosplay events like comic-con.

PART 6 (if applicable): Higher Voltage

This is another mod but it isn’t as simple as the above one (not even close) that being said it takes a bit of experience but you can do it in an afternoon if you have the resources available. You can take a rapid fire action gun, one that has a chain style loading belt and increase the voltage on the gun by adding larger battery packs (the kind in remote control cars and boats). This requires some wiring experience but once applied it can increase your rounds per minute to up to 500. Be careful though, some people have melted their guns doing this, no kidding!

Ready to Get Started?

Modding Nerf Guns and creating your own darts are quick and easy ways to get the most out of your gun, and whether you want to shoot further or sell them, modded guns are in demand, so either way you win!

The easiest way to get in on this action? A a mod kit! So check out my OMW mod kits review, and see what they are all about.

Have fun!