This Nerf gun combines the functionality of the Swarmfire with the portability of the Sharp Shot, and the end result is a satisfying (but not perfect) experience.

The Speedswarm’s rotating turret barrel can hold up to ten tagger darts, which is awesome for such a small blaster (the Barricade can hold ten darts as well).

The accuracy of this blaster is excellent. You will be hard pressed to find a more consistently precise blaster in any of Nerf’s lineups, and if you’re willing to accept its shortcomings (more on that below), you should be satisfied with your purchase.

How to Load the Nerf Speedswarm

The Speedwarm is a front-loaded blaster. Simply load ten tagger darts into the turret, and you’ll be ready to start blasting. If you’re used to the N-Strike clip systems, this simplicity can be refreshing.

Note: While other types of darts will fit into the turret, I had extremely mixed success. I’d recommend only using the tagger darts with this Nerf gun.

How to Shoot the Nerf Speedswarm

Shooting the Nerf Speedswarm is just as simple as loading it. Hold the trigger down to fire in automatic mode, or tap it to fire in bursts. The trigger feels very responsive, making it very easy to control exactly how many darts you fire in a burst.

Overall, the firing mechanism is very well done, but the rate of fire is a little disappointing when compared to other automatic blasters like the Stampede or Vulcan (my stopwatch tests show that the Speedswarm gets off approximately one shot per second).

The slower rate of fire is a fair trade-off when you consider the size of this blaster (small) with the battery size (AA instead of C), but it is still hard to shake the feeling that it’s slower than it could be.

Younger kids will still be thrilled with the speed, but older Nerfers may be disappointed. It’s all about perspective.

Features

The Speedswarm has spots for a belt clip and a bandolier clip, but aside from that, this is a no-frills blaster. And that’s not a bad thing.

Batteries

All of the Nerf releases these days seem to require batteries, and the Speedswarm is no exception. Six AA batteries are required for operation.

How far does the Nerf Speedswarm Shoot?

My Speedswarm shoots darts between 30-35 feet when held at a slight upward angle.

Is the Nerf Speedwarm Good for Kids?

Yes!

The Speedswarm is one of the best Nerf guns for kids on the market today.

Loading the blaster is really easy, and firing the darts is as easy as pulling the trigger. This is also one of the smaller Nerf blasters out there, making it easy for them to hold and operate.

Conclusion

The Nerf Speedswarm is a great looking blaster that successfully combines automatic firing with a small package.

I would highly recommend this Nerf gun to kids and anybody who is looking for a fun new sidearm.

Nerf Speedload 6 Review

The Speedload 6 is one of the most unique Nerf guns to be released in recent years, both in terms of appearance and functionality. Sort of a hybrid between a pistol and a rifle, I suspect that the Speedload will be one of the 2011 Dart Tag blasters that we will be using for a long time to come.

The Speedload 6 features an integrated clip system with a six dart capacity. The integrated clip is found on the left hand side of the gun, close to the barrel. Given the location of the clip, left handed people may find it a bit awkward to load. But for the rest of us, loading the darts is quick and easy. With a little practice, loading six darts will only take a few seconds.

I have only had the darts jam once when using the Speedload 6, and it was my fault (d’oh). Thankfully, jams are easy to fix by opening the well-placed jam door on the front right side of the blaster.

There are two ways to fire the Speedload 6: slamfire mode and ‘standard’ mode. To activate slamfire mode, just hold down the trigger and repeatedly pump the cocking mechanism. This firing method works well, and I was really surprised  (in a good way) to see this feature on a Nerf handgun.

The stock range on this blaster is 25-30 feet, which is really pretty great for a handgun. I’ve been consistently impressed with its consistency and accuracy.

The Speedload 6 comes with six whistler tagger darts.

Conclusion

The Nerf Speedload 6 is a very versatile blaster that will please most Nerf fans. The slamfire mode is an excellent addition that separates this blaster from others, and the overall design and execution is top notch. I’d recommend this blaster to everyone.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary Speedload 6 from Nerf. While it was an awesome and appreciated gesture, it did not influence my review in any way.

The latest in a long line of single fire Nerf blasters, the Sharp Shot is a good secondary weapon that may become the primary go to pistol in some Nerfer’s arsenals.

The first thing you’ll notice when you take the Sharp Shot out of the box is that this blaster feels really sturdy. I have pretty big hands, and it was still very comfortable to hold. I also gave the Sharp Shot to my daughter to use for awhile (my young test subject), and she said it was comfortable as well. I don’t know what kind of wizardry Nerf is up to, but seriously, keep it up — the quality of these 2011 guns is impeccable so far.

It’s not often that I’ll mention a belt clip in a review, but the one that comes with the Sharp Shot is actually pretty cool. In the past, removing your Nerf blaster from your belt has almost always been pretty awkward. However, this clip is designed in such a way that all you have to do is pull on the blaster and it pops right off. Whether you decide to use the clip is up to you, but it’s a pretty cool design regardless.

Out of the box, the Sharp Shot shoots about 20-25 feet, which is pretty good for a single shot blaster. Younger kids will be happy with it how it is, and modders can make some simple adjustments to the air restrictor to easily increase the range to 40 feet or more.

The Sharp Shot has storage for four darts: one in the barrel, and three in the reserve slots in the front.

Conclusion

At a retail price of $7.99, the Nerf Sharp Shot is an incredible value for the money. I’d whole heartedly recommend it to Nerf fans of all ages.

If one thing is certain, it’s that Nerf’s 2011 Dart Tag line blows away the Dart Tag lineups from previous years. Combining futuristic design with great performance, I’ve been pretty excited about getting my hands on these blasters, and the Nerf Swarmfire is one of the guns that turned my head when I first heard about. 20 dart capacity? Auto fire? Dart Tag? Sign me up!

Though the Swarmfire isn’t a perfect Nerf gun, it does a lot of things very well. For starters, the overall appearance is awesome. I’d grown a little tired of the orange and green Dart Tag guns from years past, and this new ‘alien’ look is great — I’m a big fan.

The blaster itself is very durable, and will hold up well to extended play. I haven’t experienced any jamming issues, and the autofire works as advertised. As with other automatic Nerf guns, the Swarmfire does require batteries to operate (6 Cs). I don’t know exactly how long you can expect the batteries to last, but I can tell you that I’ve probably put a solid half hour of firing time into mine and it’s still going strong. Considering that you can empty the blaster completely in about 10 seconds, you can expect to get pretty good life out of your batteries.

My only real complaint about the Swarmfire is that I’ve been a little spoiled by the elegance of the clip system, and it feels a little old school to manually reload all 20 darts each time.  If you don’t have a stockpile of darts at your disposal, I’d recommend picking up some extras.  Having more darts will cut down on the time you have to spend cleaning up between sessions. The Swarmfire can fire Dart Tag Darts, Suction Darts, and Whistler Darts.

The Swarmfire is also a little front heavy, but the shoulder stock does a pretty good job of balancing things out, so it’s a very nice blaster to hold.

The best thing I can say about the Swarmfire is that it’s a lot of fun to use. The gun feels good in your hands, and the automatic firing never gets old.

Conclusion

The Nerf Swarmfire is one of the best Dart Tag guns that Nerf has ever made. It may not be a perfect blaster, but it would still make a great addition to any Nerf arsenal.

The capture the flag set comes with two dart tag blasters — one orange and one green — as well as six darts (3 orange and 3 green). It also comes with 2 vests that the velcro dart tag darts stick to, as well as two pairs of safety glasses and an electronic ‘flag.’

The flag is the defining feature of the Capture the Flag set, and it’s really pretty cool. Rather than just drop in a regular flag like you might find in a flag football set, Nerf has created an electronic ‘flag’ that really is more of a beacon. The flag looks something like a small camping lantern, and it supports two modes of play. Each game mode has a separate slot on the sliding button, so it’s very easy to select which game you want to play.

1. Central flag. This is your most traditional version of capture the flag. The objective is to get the flag back to your home base. Whenever the flag is moved, an alarm will sound.

If you are shot while carrying the flag, you have to drop it where you stand. You cannot move or shoot until the count of ten, giving your opponent a chance to pick it up. If you are shot at any other point during the game, you have to freeze for ten seconds.

Whoever gets the flag back to their base is the winner. Games are generally short but very intense.

2. Seek and Disarm. In Seek and Disarm, your objective is to ‘disarm’ the flag before time runs out. The flag is disarmed by holding down the start and stop button until the flag declares you the winner.

This game is generally played with one team playing turtle defense, and the other team playing strategic offense. Ideally, what you want to do is freeze all defenders at the same time so that you can run in and disarm the flag before the timer runs out.

The flag supports both 5 and 15 minute game modes.

In short, if you’re looking for a way to have fun around the house on a rainy day, you won’t regret the Nerf Capture the Flag set. It may not satisfy the most hardcore of Nerfers, but everyone else should be happy with it.

Note to parents: These are among the easiest Nerf guns for little kids to operate, as it doesn’t require a lot of strength to use. However, if you’re giving these to a little kid, I’d recommend that you replace the velcro dart tag darts with suction cup ones. They’re just a little bit safer:)

The Crossfire comes in four different colors (red, orange, green, and blue), and each blaster comes with a shield and goggles.

The Crossfire gets great range right out of the box. I was immediately hitting 30-35 feet with decent accuracy, which is really impressive for a stealth-sized dart blaster like this.

If you’re comparison shopping, the Nite Finder does get a little more range than the Crossfire, but the Nite Finder is a bit larger so there’s a tradeoff decision to make there. Regardless, both are excellent guns and you can’t really go wrong with either selection.