Nerf N-Strike Elite: Strongarm Blaster

If you want a Nerf hand gun, nothing beats the Strongarm from the new Nerf Elite line. This 2012/13 update to the venerable Maverick (Nerf N-Strike Maverick - Colors May Vary), build to a much tighter tolerance, the Strongarm improved on almost every aspect that matters.To start, the gun's new orange white blue color scheme is much more striking than the solid yellow or the solid blue scheme the Maverick had. The seams / gaps are smaller, and the two halves of the gun align much better than before. I had to use a dremel to sand out the rough spots on the Maverick (the misalignment was cutting into my palm), didn't have that problem with the Strongarm.The plunger system is redesigned, and it offers a much better seal upon trigger pull, which translates to a more powerful shot. The Strongarm feels like its twice as powerful as the Maverick, and indeed the darts fly out much further (50ft vs 30ft). One of the best attribute of the old Maverick was its accuracy, and the Strongarm retained that aspect. Add the Slam Fire ability (you can hold down the trigger and each cocking of the gun will send out a dart, allowing for chain fire) to the mix, its just piling on.The cylinder of the Strongarm revolver (where you load the bullets) now comes out all the way to facilitate easier reload. In comparison, the Maverick had to be modified to allow for the same ease of use. Granted that mod was one of the easiest out there, but still, it was a hassle. Also the Maverick had six air restrictors build into the cylinder (one for each chamber), where as Strongarm combined it into one and moved it into the body of the gun. This makes modding a bit more trickier, since its harder to get to the AR. On the flip side, you only have to mod 1 AR as oppose to 6, so that's basically a wash. The timing of the cylinder spin has also changed, and this reduced jamming on a gun that didn't jam much to begin with. The Strongarm also has a redesigned cut out on the right hand side of the barrel to allow jammed rounds to rotate out. Over all, jamming is never a problem.The one problem I had with the Strongarm is its overall dimension. The gun is actually about an inch and a half longer than the Maverick, but somehow the grip is only about 3/4 the size, with a sizable portion cut out to accommodate a useless lanyard loop. If you are a child with small hands the grip will work for you but the gun will be front heavy and you'll need to grip it with two hands. And if you are an adult, that grip is going to be just a tad too small for your hands.Pros:Good AccuracyGreat RangeEasier Reload (compare to a stock Maverick)No JamsSlam FirePriming IndicatorBetter build qualityCheaper than MaverickBetter Color SchemeCons:Weirdly sized gripWorse overall balance due to the smaller gripAll in all, if you need a nerf handgun, the Strongarm is the one to get. The two cons are basically nitpicking and does not detract from its many positive attributes. If you've never played with nerf, the Strongarm is also a very good introduction. At only 13 bucks, there's no reason to not try it.

My cat is a furry little douchebag. Honestly thinks he runs the place. Always walking around on the kitchen counters, dipping his dirty paws in whatever dish or drink he sees fit and leaving a snail-trail of hair wherever he walks. We tried yelling at him, waterspray bottles, other various loud noises, giving him treats when he actually gets off the counters at his own leisure (my wife's dumb idea). Nothing seemed to work.I needed to get old-school on him. Thank God whoever is running Hasbro still lives in the 90s. I can say wholeheartedly that this device did the trick.I shot my wife a couple times to make sure the darts don't really hurt. She confirmed they didn't, and soon enough, it was hunting season.I drank half a glass of 2% and left it sitting on the counter, 30 seconds later he came waltzing on in to help himself to some. I crouched behind the dining room table and carefully lined up my shot , I was zeroed in on the spot where his back ends where his tail starts. 3,2,1….POW! I missed by about 18 inches (This thing is wildly inaccurate FYI), but he goes straight into fight or flight wildly looking around at what the noise was. We make eye contact, and I chamber another dart. POW! Missed again. But he saw the dart go flying by and straight up lost it, sprung off the counter and hit the hardwood floor in full sprint. However, the floors are brand new and he couldn’t get any traction, so he was just hilariously running in place like Wile E. Coyote on an oil slick. POW! This one actually connects as he digs in and takes off upstairs. Mission Accomplished.Nowadays, if I ever see him perched about to jump up on the counter, or any other behavior issues for that matter, I reach into the kitchen drawer and pull this badboy out and he immediately falls into line…feline. And I haven’t fired a shot since that fateful day. 10/10 would hunt my cat/wife again.

Now i know what you're thinking: why would i buy a Nerf gun? am i some sort of low entertainment quality plebeian? But let me tell you it's just the opposite.6 years ago my wife had left me for our samba dance instructor Neil in a fit of passion and absinthe based hallucinogens. Since then me and the 3 cats have been taking our time in our lives and trying to live it to the fullest. Since i'm single (see: 3 cats) I haven't had to spend a whole lot besides some various living expenses and occasional night of binge drinking and crying, so i decided "hey, it's 10$ what's the worst that can happen?"Little did i know that 3 days later when it showed up my ex wife would show up at my door a few hours later demanding her alimony paychecks.Now, i'm a fairly passive guy and would normally just have it ready and mailed but due to the massive excitement and excessive bits of crying I've had to do this month i haven't been to the post office like i normally do so she came looking for it. By the look of those blood shot eyes and extended fingernails Ta'Quanda just got off of her shift at the DMV and was in a bad mood."WHERE MY MONEY BITCH" she screamed, pointing her giant multicolored fingernails at me"RIGHT HERE!" I screamed back as I aimed my Nerf gun at herThe story gets a little convoluted from this point, but the moral is get flood insurance because i can't explain to my insurance company that a "tidal wave of pantie droppings" in my neighborhood caused the damage to my home.It's been about 2 weeks now since i got the "Nerf N-Strike Elite Strongarm Blaster" and i cannot tell you how happy i am. Me and Ta'Quanda are back to smoking crack and laughing at dank memes like we used to and the cats couldn't be happier.