If you’re in the market for an automatic disc shooter, you won’t be disappointed with what it has to offer.

How to Load the Nitron

The Nitron uses a removable clip system. The clip that comes with the blaster holds 20 discs, which is the largest capacity of any of the Vortex guns.

As with all large capacity clips, there are some trade offs. First, it takes a lot of time to round up all your discs after emptying a clip. Second, it can take a lot of time to reload. Thankfully, Nerf has done their best to address both of these problems by including a space in the stock of the blaster where you can store an extra (not included) pre-filled clip. This is a huge time-saver, and a smart use of space.

How to Shoot the Nitron

The Nitron operates with a flywheel mechanism that fires the darts from the chamber. To activate the flywheel, you have to hold down an ‘acceleration trigger’ found on the trigger handle. This will cause the flywheel to spin, which produces a steady humming sound (if you have the Barricade, the sounds are similar if not identical).

To fire the discs in automatic mode, you just have to hold down the trigger while the acceleration trigger is depressed. To fire single shots, just pump the trigger rather than holding it down.

In fully automatic mode, you can fire approximately 1.5 discs per second. For the sake of comparison, the Stampede fires 3 darts per second.

The Nitron is a very sturdy Nerf gun, and it’s comfortable to hold. The shoulder stock fits nicely against my shoulder, and the overall weight of the gun feels very evenly distributed.

Features

The Nitron has a tactical rail, making it compatible with accessories you may have picked up from other blasters in the Vortex or N-Strike lineups.

The blaster also comes with a unique scope that has some cool visual effects. It’s comprised of three clear plastic plates, and each plate can be lit up with green LED lights. The effect is pretty cool, and it can be controlled by pushing a button on the side of the scope.

Batteries

As with all automatic Nerf guns, the Nitron requires batteries to operate. Six C batteries are required to operate the blaster.

If you want to activate the lit scope, you’ll need two additional AAA batteries as well.

How Far Does the Nitron Shoot?

As with the other Vortex blasters, the Nitron shoots discs between 55-65 feet.

Is the Nitron Good for Kids?

The short answer: it depends.

Younger kids will have an impossible time with this Nerf gun. It will be difficult for them to hold, and operating the dual-trigger system while holding the blaster may require more strength and coordination than they have.

I would recommend the Nitron for children 8 years of age and older. For younger kids, I would recommend the Proton instead.

Conclusion

If you just want an automatic Nerf gun and don’t care what kind of ammo it shoots, you’d probably be better off with the Stampede. The Stampede’s higher rate of fire and superior level of accuracy make it a better all around blaster.

With that said, the if an automatic Vortex blaster is something that you’ve been looking forward to, then you will love the Nitron. It’s a quality Nerf weapon, and a lot of fun to play with.

The decision is yours.

The Proton is the smallest blaster in the new Vortex line, and it makes excellent use of the new disc ammo. All of the Vortex blasters are fun, but for some reason I find that the discs are just more fun to shoot when they’re coming out of a smaller blaster like this one.

The Proton is the first legitimate Nerf sidearm we’ve seen in years, and I can easily recommend it to Nerfers of all ages.

How to Load the Proton

To load the Proton, you simply have to pull open a tray on the back end of the blaster and insert a single disc. Flipping a small switch on either side of the blaster (by the trigger area) will close the tray and load the disc into the chamber.

Loading the Proton is a quick and fun process (when was the last time you could say that reloading is fun?).

With some practice, you will be able to load a new disc in 2-3 seconds.

How Far Does the Proton Shoot?

The Nerf Proton has a really impressive range for such a small blaster. Out of the box, you can expect it to shoot 55-65 feet.

Features

The Proton has a belt clip (making it the perfect sidearm), and its loading and firing mechanism is designed to be equally easy for righties and lefties.

The blaster also includes a tactical rail system, so all of your N-Strike and Vortex tactical rail accessories are compatible with it.

Is the Proton Good for Kids?

The Proton is one of the easiest Nerf guns to operate, and any kid 5 or older should be able to use it with no trouble. Reloading and firing is really simple, and the blaster is well suited for small hands.

If you want to buy a Nerf gun for a young kid, this is probably the best one on the market.

Conclusion

Nerf clearly put a lot of thought into the mechanics of the Proton, because it is one of the most intuitive and fun to use Nerf guns I’ve ever had the pleasure of owning.

If you are looking for a blaster for a young kid or want a small single shot blaster for yourself, the Proton is as good as it gets.

Like the other Vortex blasters, the Vigilon features a tactical rail that makes it compatible with most N-Strike accessories.

The Vigilon features a five disc internal clip system. The clip opens easily enough, thanks to a spring loaded mechanism that you control by flipping a little switch on the side of the blaster.

Loading the discs is simple, but it can cause some headaches at times. The experience reminds me of loading a Pez dispenser — sometimes you’ll have to fight a little bit to get the discs laying flat instead of on their sides. This is a minor problem, but it’s worth mentioning.

To prime the Vigilon, simply slide the top-mounted slider backwards and then push it forward again. Once primed, pull the trigger to fire.

These new Vortex blasters pack quite an impressive range out of the box, and the Vigilon is no exception. Expect it to fire between 55-65 feet when held at a slight upward angle.

Complete with a tactical rail and removable shoulder stock, you can mix and match most of the N-Strike accessories you’ve acquired over the years with those that come with the Vortex. Though most accessories are simply cosmetic, they do look cool — and it’s definitely nice that Nerf releases backwards compatible weaponry.

The Nerf Praxis makes use of a removable 10 disc clip, which seems to be the perfect capacity for these new Nerf disc guns.

If you want a larger disc capacity, the Nitron has a 20 disc clip — but for me, the 10 disc clip is a nice tradeoff between capacity and load time.

Firing the Praxis is easy, even for little hands. Simply prime the blaster once using the nice grip that’s found just below the front of the barrel, and pull the trigger to fire a disc.

Out of the box, you can expect to shoot discs between 55-65 feet. In my opinion, this is pretty incredible — I don’t remember the last time that Nerf released a blaster that had that ability out of the box. Sure, these are discs and not darts, but that doesn’t make it any less satisfying to shoot a target a long way away.

I was highly skeptical of the discs at first after becoming so accustomed to Nerf darts, but I have to say that I’m now a big fan. They may not be as accurate as darts, but they’re way more fun.