I'll have to look at the exam schedule, I'm pretty sure I've got some stuff to take care of around that time...but I would like to make it to this. We'll see how things go.

Let me start by saying that I am now paintballing much more than I am Nerfing. Yes, it has larger crowds, yes, more people I know do it.

Next, the whole range thing...you would be suprised. A normal paintball gun has trouble getting over 150ft (Flatline excluded...damn, that's a nice thing). I was expecting a lot more the first time I played. Nerf is much closer, more personal. You get to move around a good deal moreso than in paintball...I rarely bunker in Nerf.

Next, the whole "customization" thing. I am seriously looking into doing some light airsmithing (essentially, modding/repairing/customizing paintball markers). Take a look here. Doc has inspired me in many ways...mostly through the whole "Mountain Dew" thing.

Nonetheless, I find it just as adaptable as Nerf, just in a different way...it takes more time and money (in most cases). I can't fix someones regulator with a trip to Lowe's (usually).

But, Nerf will always be my favorite. No matter how much of my money I put into paintball, Nerf is better. I can't shoot from 10' away in PB...now in Nerf, that's cool. Getting into "The Matrix" style dodging, is cool. Messing around with a bunch of friends, shooting each other, period, is cool. Sending me free stuff, again, is cool.

Rags

You see the Nerf/Paintball comparisions all over the net. We've even got one at NHQ...kinda.

Yeah, playing paintball often is equal to setting fire to large amounts of cash. It's a lot like a girlfriend, or maybe eating at a fancy seafood place each night.

Point is, if spending like $80 on paint alone each month is bad, you've got alot more to go through...trust me, if any of you guys are considering paintball, be ready to get pulled into a dark, deep (but very fun) hole.

Arr, you people don't have any Sephy pics! More Final Fantasy! And not just VIII and the movie...some X and VII would be nice...

If I blow the secret will I get banned?

No, you're fine so long as you stick to that 2-posts-a-week quota you set for yourself.

Hm, hm...I wonder...

Unless you're a Crossbow fan, that's great. 60 feet is a good distance, and the fact it was Semi-auto was great. My lone gripes about the BF was the priming order (I always hated the green slide) and the durability. The hoses were very capable of blowing off, and the valves were picky during modding.

Oh, to anyone who has a "new" Blastfire: You can fix the check valve so you can fill it up with glue. Just get one from another BF or a Splitfire, and replace it with that.

I have a one post-per-week quota here on NHQ...

Pardon me, it's one post per week.

I've been listening to the Song of Storms for a good three hours, and I belive my head will soon explode...or possibly implode into itself, destroying reality. Either way, this is some addictive stuff.

No, someone should violate a Light Zapper, and stick the LnL guts in there. Go ahead and put the slide mech on, too.

Well, I threw it onto NHQ under articles...but the Freewebs page may still be up here.

You'd never tell from the outside that it was some part-metal monstrosity. It's not even that bad...but, I have all the most stressed areas pinned down. The only possible parts I see breaking is the actual outer shell, if I were to, like, chew on it, then throw it at someone.

Spring guns, man. The way I see it, with some epoxy and steel plating, I can fix about anything that happens to my spring powered blasters. My Xbow is immortal...from any of the obvious stress problems, anyways.

It's true, though. Guns break all the time. They are just plastic...so, what more can you expect? Even if they were full die-cast steel, they would still break...do you know why?

'Cause people made them.

Goddamit...I can't go...Do you know why? Because school starts the next day. That's right, here, we have school that soon. So while you guys are out losing stefans, I'm sitting here making sure I have everything and that my alarm is set...damn...maybe next go round.

It's either that, or the douche thing, kid. You ain't getting much more at this point. We're a bit behind on technology for that kind of stuff.

I had hooked a Splitfire up with a Co2 system from one of those Brass Eagle paintball guns. Unfortunetly, the gun (dubbed "Lucky", due to it's survival of another one of my early, foolish ideas) blew out it's entire release system. 'Twas quite a mess. I would not reccomend this, due to the fact that no matter how much you regulate, it will never work effeciantly on a Nerf blaster due to the weak inards, and the fact that you are better of with using them as is.

"Do you think that there's any way to get two (Nerfers) to agree on something?"

"Sure, you just have to kill one of them first."

Where's the close button?

Maybe you guys should take this over AIM or IRC, and stop making my eyes bleed. I kinda like to use them for stuff. It's hard to use them when they're covered in body fluids.

I'm sure some of you can tell us all about having body fluids on your face, huh?

Jezus Khrist, that's a mouthfull.

Just show us the final result when you are done.

I'm used to differences like this. You guys have to understand it. Hell, try getting a Woodsballer and a Speedsballer to agree on playing style in Paintball. Try getting guys from MechWarrior 3 to play MW4:Mercs. It ain't gonna happen. While it may seem the same, there are differences. Usually big ones. You just have to find some kind of median. Some people need to take the dicks out of their asses and the jizz out of their eyes to see that.

And take a shower while you're at it.

While I'm not even on the same coast as you guys, and chances are, I'm not coming to this...

Grinch, you'll always want some spares. Whether for a change in situation, to lend some out, or if one breaks, it's a good idea to bring extra blasters with you, along with some repair tools.

Never take any offers to go to some man's car for some lube.

Well, I have to be like the 20th hopeless fucker to say hey to you. Someone remind me to change my avatar later. And are you gonna stay for awhile? If so, don't bother any other forum. They just won't be worth your time, for the most part. A few exeptions in there somewhere.

I'll let someone else tell you the big stuff, but let me tell you this: Don't try using it in a Nerf brand gun. It will blow the release. Trust me. Lost a good SF that way.

Huh...those look like the ends to laser pointers...

Ha. I like.

Okay...too much TT, all the same mod. Each one is just an improvment over the last. leftnut had it first, then me, then grinch. That's enough.

I think just one should be entered. I'm dropping mine out of the contest right now. Otherwise, I'ma really need more time, Caddy. Atticus still hasn't sent that gun. Until I get it, I'm stuck with nothing. So...I say let Spanky take all of the time he wants.

And, lech, good looking gun. How well is that 2K on there?

Well, its good, but not good enough for the contest. I have something else in mind, but it involves a gun that's yet to arrive...my Crossbow. That will blow my last little thing out of the water. Really, all that is is a peice of information for the NIC. I just have to check my PMs at NHQ to see if there's a problem with sending that gun.

Can I go to the bathroom?

Ugh...my gun like, refuses to come in. I'ma blame the UPS on this. You suck, government funded postal service.

Ugh...must...post...same mod for third time!

Some TT action.

So, it's a Crossbow with a SS2 on it...Cool. I think.

Oh, the front part of your foot looks excellent in that big pic, by the way.

Modding Basics

A lot of people have trouble modding. They look at some of the seemingly more structured write-ups, and think "How do they do it that good? Mine looks like crap!" It's really not that hard. There are some simple rules and things you can do to help your modding process out.

First off, the location. You want a hard surface, but something that is okay to get scratched up. If need be, put a block of plywood down or something to protect it. Also, you're going to want a seat, because you may be here for awhile. A light is something good to have, too. If you are doing excessive gluing/painting, you may want to find a well ventilated area to do this. A heater or fan to control temperature is a good idea. You want to be comfortable. Good places for modding are workbenches in your garage or basement, or on a desk.

Materials. There are a couple of key things you will need. One is a Dremel, or other rotary tool. This small power tool will work wonders. Grab some spare parts to it. Also, a hot glue gun with plenty of spare glue. A multi-temp gun is a good investment. A surge protector may be needed for excessive tools. Okay,
onto the list of items: You should get various sizes of screwdrivers, needle nosed pliers, scissors, wire-cutters, duct tape, electrical tape, epoxy, Plumber's Goop, a ruler, spare rags/cloth, rubber bands, and a few knives. Also, keep several kinds of
pipe/tubing on hand. 1/2"schd. 40 PVC, 1/2" CPVC, a few 1/2" PVC couplers, and some vinyl tubing. All of the above is available at a Lowes or Home Depot, or similar hardware store, for low costs. If you can get your hands on it, find some brass tubing. Sold at most hobby stores, get a few feet, as it's sold in foot long intervals for about $2.50. The sizes you are most likely to work with are 17/32" and 9/16".

Now, you don't need everything above, but having it all will help. If you are going to record your work, you may want to get a paper and pencil to write your process down. If you have one, use a digital camera. Pictures are always nice, and a good set of pictures will always improve your mod write-up.

Onto the actual basics of modifying Nerf blasters. I'll divide it into two sections, air powered and spring powered blasters. Air powered guns have pumps and air tanks that hold the air until you release it by pulling the trigger. Spring guns have springs, plungers, and plunger tubes inside, and compress a spring with the plunger backwards, lock it in place, then release it when you shoot. First, a few basics. After you unscrew the gun, place a towel or cloth over the gun as you remove the case. This way, anything that flies out doesn't go shooting across the room. Hopefully, nothing will happen, and you can either remember the internals or take a picture before going on. It will help as you put it all back together.

Spring blasters are rather simple to modify. The general thing to do is replace the barrel with one more suited to the task. For guns with low air delivery, such as pistols, you most likely want a barrel that is slightly tight for your dart. For guns that deliver air slower but in greater amounts, such as old arrow shooting blasters, a tight fit that telescopes into a looser one works well. For reference, look at Cxwq's Darts and Barrels article on this site. Now, you also want to remove any air restriction that gets in the way of air flow. Make sure that the dart cannot get sucked into the plunger tube, however. If your barrel is directly connected, you may want a piece of brass or plastic at the back to prevent the dart from getting in there. Another common thing to do is either replace the spring with a stronger one or add rubber bands to the cocking handle outside the gun. This way, the plunger snaps forwards faster, generating a faster airflow.

Air guns are likewise easy. Don't be daunted by the seemingly complicated internals or ideas, it's actually quite simple. One of the main mods is to take the pump and fill the hole at the back of the pump handle with hot glue. This hole prevents over-pumping, and reduces the amount you can pump a gun. If you do this, make sure you don't pump it too much. When it starts getting hard, stop. Barrels for air guns should have a neutral fit in most cases with the dart. A fairly long barrel is good, though.

Hopefully, this has helped you understand modding basics and given you some useful hints in your modding process. Remember, we want to see your mods, so make sure you have good descriptions and pictures to match. It will make your mod seem much more professional.

~Ragornocks

I'll tell you now that from my experiance, balls suck. Spherical objects are rarely used as projectiles now as a reason; nothing is more unpredictable than a sphere.

And I'm not sure how many people are gonna "conform" to this here.

But back to physics here...don't even get me started on spin. I've seen some crazy shit before, all pending on everything and nothing. Backspin theory? Yeah, it works. To a degree. Likewise with putting other degrees of spin on a ball. But when you do that, and you're working with something with so little mass, it's gonna be holy hell trying to control that after the barrel of whatever you're using. I've seen balls take some crazy turns of no reason at all; I've seen them also work perfectly fine. But just think back to the ol' days when they used molded lead balls in smoothbore barrels; there's a reason they changed to things like they use today. Now, let's not talk about the mass and velocity on all this shit, but still...balls suck.

Brass has a smoother bore than aluminum, by the way. Or that's what the old farts online say, atleast. I do know that it isn't used in firearms because of it's conductivity of heat, and how soft of a metal it is. Would be terrible for a barrel. Works fine for Nerf, though.

And if you want reusable paintballs, for any reason, use ReBalls. All other ones that are marketed suck, don't even try with them. ReBalls might cost a lot, but it's a quality product that's great to use.

If you're going ahead anyways, go for the CPVC. It's more availible (to the blind kids who can't seem to navigate a hardware store, atleast...), easier to work with, and easier to adapt to existing mods, ideally.

That's just my cynical take on the matter...carry on now.

EDIT: Oh, before I forget...don't bother with trying to cut grooves in the barrel or anything. None of that stuff is going to work at these velocities, trust me. Doesn't work in paintball, it's not going to work here.

Hm...tell ya what man, hurry up. I've heard a few good things about this gun, and I'm going to Toys'R'Us this weekend. So if noone else gets those mods up, expect my version soon. While it doesn't seem to have a place in my hand on the field, it'll make a nice 'nother addition to the Lanard Collection.

Looks good...about how long is the pump? It doesn't seem too long by the picture.

I'm snowed in...but, I did find an Expand'a'Blast, and another blaster I'm going to work on soon. Ah, the wonders of Ebay.

Yeah, this was a lucky find for the most part. Nerf guns are very scarce, and most stores are stipped clean. So you guys know, I'm an East Coaster...Coast-er...Coast-living-person.

Due to requests (mostely from you Aussie guys), if I grab more of these, I will probably start selling them. I'm keeping the few I have now for myself.

Indoors, the gun is incredibly accurate. I can nail just about anything. Of course, this is due to the light, but I'm good enough with the gun now to know how it fires. However, in serious outdoor Nerfing, I doubt that any range over 40' is going to be accurate to the spot. Which is why scopes and lights are ineffective on Nerf guns, because they are not that accurate in the ranges we use them in.

I'm looking forewards to a rifle-like weapon from this spring line. I think it's the time for Nerf to pull out a decent main single-shot, if there ever was one. I don't know if there are any others out yet. Only the TT is on the "previews and other blasters" on the back, and this was all my Wal-Mart had.

I kept the stock light in because I like it to play around with in the dark of my room, and I'm too cheap to buy a laser pointer. The gun has potential for integration, but the thing is just a side-arm pistol, in my eyes. If anything, I'd remove the light, but keep the extra casing that housed it for the looks.

The darts are micro darts, and look pretty good. I stick just stick these in, it's a perfect fit. I blow stefans down.

The trigger spring is pretty good, already, and I doubt it needs replacement. A silencer of that kind probably won't actually have any performance-improving use, because the noise is generated by the spring, not the air releasing. However, it could be used for looks, like you said.

EDIT TO POST BELOW: Alex, they're very much like the Airjets with a reversed color scheme. They have small tips, and are made of the slick foam.

Okay, I'm guessing Nerf just released this gun. Here is the link to my mod and small review of the gun. Have fun with it.

EDIT: Changed the link to the NH one. Thanks again, cxwq.

Sorry about the bandwidth problems. I'm looking into buying more, and getting a domain for my site due to the increased number of visitors. I have no idea when, but expext atleast a small boost to the bandwidth by the end of the week, hopefully.

Happy to see the gun is not just around where I am. Good luck, Wask.

If someone with a good deal of bandwidth would email or PM me, I'd like to see if you wouldn't mind doing atleast some pic hosting until Freewebs verifies my transaction. I would like for this mod, or atleast pictures of the gun, to be availible for all the poor kids out there.

With rubber bands, the gun is getting a few more feet. My Wal-Mart is out of stock, so anyone who wants to buy will have to wait awhile.

Okay, the bandwidth resets on the 11th, but I gave cxwq the pics and the mod. Dunno what he'll do with it, but if you guys just hold onto your panties until either he sticks them up, or my bandwidth resets (which will have a gig afterwards).

Groove, I'll email you a few pics, because you obviously have a problem with your under-doos.

EDIT: Erm...what's your email addy?

I could put 'em up on FF. We don't get many hits any more, and the bandwidth resests daily.

Great, lemme just find the floppy I had the pics on, and I'll send the mod/pics your way. And neonerfer, if that doesn't work out, I'll give you a PM back.

SS, there it is now.

Thanks for the hosting, c. The only thing more comfortable is the Crossbow, and not by too much. It finally outperformed my Lock'n'Load, mostly due to the fact that I started using hunting shot (slingshot ammo). Get some, the stuff is ungodly. And, grab a Nite Finder. Good Nerfing, and good night.

EDIT: Cool, rawray7's Xbow mod is back. Linkage-with-my-modage!