Yes, here we are. There are so few new firearms releases thus far in 2021 that we’re talking about Nerf guns. But we’ve spoken about Nerf guns in this forum before. Back in the fall of 2018 there were a handful of Nerf blasters that caught our attention because they featured ammo drums and other goodies that reminded us of guns we use on a daily basis. Well, fast forward to 2021 and we’ve decided to look at the newer Nerf arsenal, which continues to impress with sniper rifles, pump-action shotguns, faux suppressors, and more.

Sniper Rifles, Shotguns & More: Nerf Guns in 2021

Nerf looked very different 30 years ago. The brand started in 1990 with a single blaster that fired three balls. It was essentially a single tube with not much else going for it. Then Nerf expanded with its “Bow ‘n’ Arrow” in 1991. We actually had that one and it was pretty sleek. From there, Nerf released several more blasters in the early ’90s that fired darts, balls, and rockets.

However, the scene in 2021 is much improved. The types of guns evolved in a big way. There are now Nerf sniper rifles, pump-action shotguns, pistols with faux suppressors, and even one that slightly resembles the Mossberg Shockwave. On top of that, Nerf built bipods, scopes, foregrips, and more into its latest designs. Overall, apart from color schemes and the fact that they look like toys, there isn’t much separating these blasters from the guns we hit the range with. Let’s look at a few of them.

Nerf Longstrike Modulus Sniper Rifle

First is the Nerf Longstrike Modulus bolt-action sniper rifle. Nerf didn’t even have this on its website, but we managed to stumble onto it. There’s a fair amount to digest here, especially when it comes to Nerf guns. The first thing you might notice is the bipod. Yeah, Nerf tried to be as realistic to the sniper experience as possible with this rifle. It even included a riflescope. We’re pretty sure the scope doesn’t get you out to a mile like the ones we’ve used from Trijicon and Riton, but it’s nice to see Nerf go to these lengths.

Nerf also includes a barrel extension and three “clips” that hold six darts each. The one thing Nerf needs to work on is its terminology. We won’t get into the clips vs. magazines debate here though — after all, they’re just toys. Reviews of the Longstrike Modulus show it fires the darts at 74 feet-per-second; that’s pretty damn good for something like this. Lastly, MSRP comes in at $51.99 on Amazon.

NERF Ultra Pharaoh Blaster

Next on the list is the GM6 Lynx Anti-Material Bullpup … oh, sorry, this is the Nerf Ultra Pharaoh Blaster. But we get some serious GM6 Lynx vibes from it thanks to that barrel. The Ultra Pharaoh is a bolt-action rifle like the Longstrike Modulus and also features a scope. Gold accents give it a little flair, which we’re all for.

Something different here is a stock with storage for additional darts; that’s some Magpul-esque innovation there (kind of). Meanwhile, the “clip” holds 10 darts, which means it’s legal in California. According to Nerf, the gun uses Nerf Ultra darts, which fly 120 feet — the furthest of any Nerf darts. MSRP comes in at $49.99 on Nerf’s website.

Nerf Ultra One Motorized Blaster

The Nerf Ultra One Motorized Blaster puts those Nerf guns of the early ’90s to shame. We could do without the “high capacity” verbiage, but “motorized” and “drum” certainly drew us in here. It runs using just four C alkaline batteries.

The Ultra One holds 25 darts in its drum magazine. From the looks of it and the batteries, most would probably think it’s full-auto, but that’s not the case. The Ultra One is semi-auto. However, you can blast through 25 darts in about 10 seconds if you try. It also features a rail and even has a sling mount. Lastly, MSRP comes in at $49.99 on Nerf’s website.

NERF Fortnite Pump SG Blaster

We first saw this one and went, “That’s dumb — it looks like a toy.” And then we thought about it and went, “Oh, right.” Nerf created this pump-action shotgun based on the popular video game Fornite.

Unlike the Ultra One, the Fornite Pump SG doesn’t have much as far as capacity goes. It comes with four darts total. It’s also a breech-loader. Shooters load one dart at a time by opening the door on the side and inserting the dart. We just like the concept in a Nerf gun. MSRP comes in at $29.99 on the Nerf website.

Nerf Hyper

Last on the list is a TBD release from Nerf. All the info we have on the Hyper comes from The Verge, which reported on the new line back in February. There are a few reasons this new “high capacity” — again, hate that term — series is a serious upgrade for Nerf.

Firstly, the capacity is impressive. There are three different guns in the Hyper series: The Rush-40, Siege-50, and Mach-100. The Rush-40 is a pistol that holds 40 rounds. Meanwhile, the Siege-50 is a 50-round pump-action shotgun that slam fires. If you hold the trigger and pump, the rounds shoot out. Lastly is the Mach-10, which is a 100-round, full-auto SMG that runs on D batteries.

All three fire foam balls as opposed to the darts in the other guns we’ve mentioned. This leads us to the next reason we like it: The quick reloading. Darts usually take a while to reload, but with an easy-to-load canister at the top of each gun, shooters “can clip on (or carry around) 50 or 100 round canisters to quickly top them up, much like a paintball gun,” The Verge reports.

Lastly, the Hyper series fires the foam balls at 110 feet per second, which is the fastest you’ll see from Nerf. Definitely not a home-defense gun, but it’s still some pretty impressive velocity. MSRPs come in at $30 for the Rush-40, $40 for the Siege-50, and $70 for the Mach-100, according to The Verge.