54 replies to this topic

[Snoop Doggy doge]

So you like using full length stock darts? 

This guide will inform you on acronyms and types of darts if you are new, or unaware and want to get into superstock. Which you decide to use is up to you. I reccomend using something optimal, and ordering all variants in small packs if possible to see what works best for you before you buy in bulk. (Or test in your local community) 

 

This is an active WIP post that the community can input info into via PM or comment.

If you have any more info or want to change or edit what you have provided, please PM me what you may have added or changed. 

 

I will not list prices or cheapest available links. Prices change and sellers can go dead, but searches always remain.

 

 

 

GENERAL INFO

 

 

There are many darts available to purchase online. It is generally a good idea to order bulk darts for superstock off of cheaper links online, so you don't need to pay absurd hasbro prices for darts. The design and density of elite darts, kinda sucks in my opinion, but feel free to differ. Darts also go by many acronyms. While those acronyms sound cool and are generally shorter, they usually cannot be found on ebay or taobao by searching the name. This guide plan to solve that, and use eBay links

 

If you haven't bought eBay darts before, do not be afraid because of eBay rumors. I have not heard horror stories of people being ripped off for darts, and the very few instances I have heard from people who got less than they ordered, contacting the shipper usually gets them to promptly send the second batch, sometimes with a bonus to make up for it.
The shipping time on most darts will take a while, but once you settle on a dart type and consistently buy from the same seller, they usually send them to you faster. However, on the current eBay market, sellers keep discounting and cutting prices to remain competitve, bringing dart prices down faster. (Capitalism yo)

 

Also, usually you can get most darts in different colors by using the search term that'll be provided AND linked, along with adding color. Some variants may not have as many options as others however. There are also Glow variants of some of these darts that can be found if you add "glow" to your search
(Pictures below are from sellers, I have used all variants of darts but do not have them all at hand. They come as described)

Look for 7.2 Cm/2.7 inch darts. 6.5 cm/2.5 inch or any other length will not work in a stock blaster with the air restrictor or flywheels. 6.5 cm can feed in mags and in some breech springers, making it annoying for other people to use your darts if you want to be a dick.

 

The search terms (labeled with "quotation marks") will work on Amazon if you desire to search from there. Usually they're more expensive on Amazon but have faster shipping. It depends on the link and you have to do you own research. Also, the orginization on Amazon is different, so when searching for the dart make sure it matches the image in head shape.
(the head of the dart is primarily what differs between all offbrand darts)

 

Notes provided by the community are marked by dashes ( - ) 
Special thanks to CA-99 and Shandsgator8 for their input
 

 

 

DARTS
 

 

 

Rave / USC darts : The name comes from the user Ravetrooper on Nerfhaven who discovered it, but USC stands for Universal Suction Clone. Not sure why or what that means, but that name stuck. My favorite type of dart, in my opinion the best. They fly straight for me and are cheap. Commonly the tip is cut off for aerodynamic purposes, but are fine the way they are.

These darts are not usually banned.

 

- Sometimes they don't work too well in flywheels, but they fly great in springers.

- Works reliably in all stock mags. May require extending the pusher in flywheels. Hopper reliability is somewhat poor (even when trimmed) and requires high powered air blasters to feed. This problem is exacerbated in the cold.

- Thicker dart fit, somewhat under .527 (although works in that barrel as a loose push fit) and works perfect with many stock blasters. (Slightly larger than Elite foam.) Dart head will not work in smaller CPVC barrels.

- Great weight distribution, flies well in low/no wind at 4B velocities. Not as aerodynamic.

-Multi purpose and can be converted into SCS darts, non metal slugs that are easier and faster to make for homemade hopper blasters!

 

Search "Nerf sucker dart"

USC eBay search

USC Amazon search

 

 

 

Koosh darts : The flywheelers favorite. These darts are always commonly reffered to as a koosh darts from youtubers as the head is similar to a koosh ball, and have great popularity with HVZ due to excelled performance in flywheels. The name "koosh dart" became the selling standard now. 

These darts are not usually banned.

The great thing about the youtube popularity, is that you can search for these darts using koosh, because sellers are trying to sell them as they are personal choices of youtubers, so making it easier to find for people.
 

- Works most reliably in flywheels. Reliability in magfed springers varies mainly due to dart fit and excess glue (in older generations). Removing the AR will significantly reduce the likelihood of misfires. Full-length not tested in hoppers, but half length hoppers okay. (Tested with air blasters such as XBZ and 2nd gen 4B.) However, the brushy dimples sometimes get displaced in long barrels, so it's not recommended.

-They work very well with flywheel blasters, except those with relatively long spiral "rifling," like the Rapidstrike. My experience (as well as many others) with using Koosh darts with a Rapidstrike are that every few darts will fishtail/helicopter/wobble really badly. This can be cured by inserting a barrel with straight "rifling" or just sanding away the spiral rifling.

- Excess glue is not a problem for the newest (gen 3) Kooshes. They have thicker foam

 

Search "Nerf koosh dart"

Koosh eBay search

Koosh Amazon search (You have to scroll to find Koosh with this link)

 

 

FVJ : Another common dart type, with a name I think straight out of Reddit and tacticool kids. FVJ stands for Full Vinyl Jacket (not sure why, I guess it's a parody of FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) cartridges but it's not even covered in Vinyl).

These darts are the hard solid tip darts, they are commonly banned due to the ability to give welts, and for being "more painful" in many wars and HVZ's. The dart search is usually FVJ, and they usally have no hole and look have the elite design.

 

-In some instances, for flyhweel blasters they seem to cause problems due to the solid tip being uncompressible. 

-Not recommended due to the hard hits and how many events and schools have banned them

Fvjs vary highly between area and seller. There are many variants and some are better than others. Do your own testing

 

 

Search for "Nerf dart" or "Nerf solid tip dart" (Usually you can tell it's an FVJ by a shiny head)

FVJ eBay search

FVJ Amazon search (You have to scroll to find FVJs with this link)

 

 

ACC / Nipple : A very limited rare dart type, these darts are a common favorite some people. They get there name ACC from literally being printed on the dart, and the original Mandarin translation on TaoBao was "nipple" dart. With an aerodynamic silicon/rubber like head.

These darts are not usually banned.

 

-These darts only come in black and with the print. Also these can be finicky to find as there's mixed results.

- Good reliability. The squishy dart head might present issues in magfed springers, but I haven't encountered this yet and they currently feed very reliably from initial tests. Sometimes the glue has issues which others have reported. Hoppers well from a few tests, and seems to do better than other darts for feeding through hoppers, but MHA silicone darts still do better. (Again, air blaster is likely required.)

- Thinner dart fit, but still works well in stock blaster barrels.
- Great weight distribution and aerodynamics. Appears to be better than VTN's but more testing is needed to confirm.

 

Search for "Nerf black dart" 

ACC eBay search ( Look for the one in the picture. ACC darts say ACC on them )
ACC Amazon search (You need to scroll and look for the ACCs in the picture)

 

 

Voberry / Glowberry : A full knockoff elite, the Voberry gets its name from the original seller. Glowberry is the term for Glow in the dark Voberry darts. The Voberry dart is very similar to an elite, with the infamous hole in the head, but a stronger rubber making the tip, making it less "squishy". Great if your war only allows nerf brand elite darts, as they pass for them easily (in dark blue variant).

These darts are not usually banned.

 

- Super-reliable in magfed springers, and feed well in flywheels too. Not suitable for hoppers, which require too much power to be able to use these darts.

- Very close dart fit to stock, but seems to be very slightly thicker (or just ages better).

- Extremely poor weight distribution characteristics, with similar inaccuracy to Elites. Not recommended above 100 FPS.

 

Search for "Nerf dart hole"  ( To look for the glow variant, add glow to the search)

Voberry eBay search

Voberry Amazon search 

(Pic from Greencloaks UK)

 

 

VTN / Lily Arms / FVN : More annoying fucking acronyms, but decent darts. The acronym stands for Vinyl Tip Nipple darts. Lily arms is the name of the seller on TaoBao who sells white glow in the dark versions of these. These are a variation of FVJs with a more "aerodynamic" head.

They may be banned as they are also Vinyl darts, because it's a solid tip. 

 

- Very reliable in magfed springers. Unreliable in hoppers (tested at half length), about as poor as USC's at feeding.

- Medium-thick dart fit; should be same as FVJ but the ones I have seem slightly thicker.
- Great weight distribution and aerodynamics, but very easily thrown off into a circle trajectory by wind.

- not recommended due to the hard hits and how many events and schools have banned them

Search for "Nerf accurate darts"
VTN eBay search

VTN Amazon search


Men gun / knockoff Knex : Rubber head darts that kinda seem like knock off knex darts. Mengun darts are labeled Mengun, hard to find legitimate versions.  

-Can hop if cut down, may need wye mods
-Looks like Knex Darts
-They well in stock blasters and the foam is quite dense
Search for "Mengun darts"
MenGun eBay Search (currently unavailable on ebay)
MenGun Amazon Search

 

Waffle darts / Xwaffle : Squishy darts similar to Men Gun darts, but a waffleish xish pattern. There are 2 common patterns, one where the tip are a bit tapered in while some are straight.

-Tapered in versions are more compatible and generally considered better

-A lot of versions have loose glueing, while the Raytheon variants seem to be better glued

-Heavy darts, considered more "accurate"

Search for "Waffle darts"
Waffle eBay Search
Waffle Amazon Search

Edited by Snoop Doggy doge, 19 June 2017 - 05:24 PM.

[Nerfguy2002]

How often do the FVGS jam up in the flywheels. I want to get a 600 pack but I don't spend the money on koosh, I now I am a real cheapskat.

[Snoop Doggy doge]

In stock flywheels, badly. It's mixed for modified ones in my experience. You could buy a sample pack (10-100) 
Koosh darts are the most optimal for flywheels, you can just get those. Get darts that would be most optimal, otherwise you're really not saving money.

 

Worst case scenario, try and return them or see if your local community wants them and sell it to them (same price, or a bit more expensive because they don't have to wait shipping)

[Nerfguy2002]

Then I will probably try the suction or the Voberry darts, thanks.

[jboynerf345]

Could you add what you know about how these darts work in hoppers when cut to size, how they fly out of a 250-280 fps homemade, etc. (if you know anything about it). To summarize, how do different darts play a role in the NIC community? 

 

To lazy to make my own darts, and I'm sure a lot of people are, so if these fly as well as slugs I would really like to know. 

 

EDIT: I know that different pieces of info are out there, but it would be nice to have a compilation of comparisons and data.

Edited by jboynerf345, 28 February 2016 - 09:42 AM.

[Langley]

I think the ebay links for the Voberry darts and possibly the VTNs are incorrect? 

 

This looks great, with all the nicknames people have for the different knockoff darts it's been tough to navigate. 

 

One thing I might add is that the Koosh darts are not actually koosh brand, and are only called that because of the dimples.  Before the sellers adopted the 'koosh' nickname how did you find these things?

[Snoop Doggy doge]

Koosh were just "nerf darts" and sold as safer I think?
Not sure since everyone used the same buyer "Beautiful Woman 22" and "Yu-toys" but now they sell as koosh. 

[C-A 99]

^ IIRC, the Koosh darts weren't labeled in any particular way, similar to how ACC's are not labeled right now.

Some info that Van forgot:
- Reliability/functionality in various mechanisms (magfed springers, hoppers, etc.)

- Flight performance at medium or high velocities

- Dart fit
 

I'll add this info in by dart type:
USC: 
- Works reliably in all stock mags. May require extending the pusher in flywheels. Hopper reliability is somewhat poor (even when trimmed) and requires high powered air blasters to feed. This problem is exacerbated in the cold.

- Thicker dart fit, somewhat under .527 (although works in that barrel as a loose push fit) and works perfect with many stock blasters. (Slightly larger than Elite foam.) Dart head will not work in smaller CPVC barrels.

- Great weight distribution, flies well in low/no wind at 4B velocities. Not as aerodynamic.
 

Koosh: 
- Works most reliably in flywheels. Reliability in magfed springers varies mainly due to dart fit and excess glue. Removing the AR will significantly reduce the likelihood of misfires. Full-length not tested in hoppers, but half length hoppers okay. (Tested with air blasters such as XBZ and 2nd gen 4B.) However, the brushy dimples sometimes get displaced in long barrels, so it's not recommended.
- Thinner dart fit. Foam diameter barely smaller than stock Elites, but the dart head will not work in long barrels smaller than .500.

- Great weight distribution, aerodynamics are better than other darts.
 

FVJ: 
- Reliability varies. Many FVJ's are too short to be seriously reliable in most blasters, and they tend to act up with magfed springers even without the air restrictor in place. For flywheels, the tips can get burned out easily. For hoppers, they require a lot of power to feed (2nd gen 4B), but do so slightly better than USC's.
- Medium dart fit (exception: White FVJ foam is thicker, close to USC thickness.) that works in most CPVC. Fresh FVJ's are very close to stock Elite fit.

- Okay weight distribution, not sure on aerodynamics. While they're certainly not Elites or Voberries, they tumble in mid-flight more than the other darts.
 

ACC: 
- Good reliability. The squishy dart head might present issues in magfed springers, but I haven't encountered this yet and they currently feed very reliably from initial tests. Sometimes the glue has issues which others have reported. Hoppers well from a few tests, and seems to do better than other darts for feeding through hoppers, but MHA silicone darts still do better. (Again, air blaster is likely required.)
- Thinner dart fit, but still works well in stock blaster barrels.
- Great weight distribution and aerodynamics. Appears to be better than VTN's but more testing is needed to confirm.

Voberry:
- Super-reliable in magfed springers, and feed well in flywheels too. Not suitable for hoppers, which require too much power to be able to use these darts.
- Very close dart fit to stock, but seems to be very slightly thicker (or just ages better).

- Extremely poor weight distribution characteristics, with similar inaccuracy to Elites. Not recommended above 100 FPS.
 

VTN: 
- Very reliable in magfed springers. Unreliable in hoppers (tested at half length), about as poor as USC's at feeding.
- Medium-thick dart fit; should be same as FVJ but the ones I have seem slightly thicker.
- Great weight distribution and aerodynamics, but very easily thrown off into a circle trajectory by wind.

That's all I have for now. I haven't battle tested many of these under many conditions; the results are mostly from observed testing under controlled situations.

[shandsgator8]

[pmed] OP

Edited by shandsgator8, 28 February 2016 - 09:19 PM.

[Snoop Doggy doge]

If you have any more info or want to change or edit what you have provided, please PM me what you may have added or changed. 

[Shadowslayer1924]

There's a typo in the first bullet point in the Fvj section but other than that this will help a lot of people good job

[Langley]

It's been reported that FVJ darts with "A.C.C. v5.0" printed on the side are higher quality and more consistent than other 'FVJ's.  Unfortunately they don't appear to be available on eBay or Amazon, and most people seem to be getting them from taobao.

http://world.taobao....m?fromSite=main

[CCBall]

It's been reported that FVJ darts with "A.C.C. v5.0" printed on the side are higher quality and more consistent than other 'FVJ's.  Unfortunately they don't appear to be available on eBay or Amazon, and most people seem to be getting them from taobao.

http://world.taobao....m?fromSite=main

Found 'em.

http://www.buychina....mb-xxupmmoqmpnk

[The2ndBluesBro]

Found 'em.

http://www.buychina....mb-xxupmmoqmpnk

That's still taobao, just through an english agent. Easier to read the listing, though.

[Snoop Doggy doge]

I won't add the TaoBao links as it takes a lot and may be too confusing for some people

I am also thinking about adding dart info into a seperate thread so you only see buy links here, than you can read about the community inputted info and buy links would be here. 

[The2ndBluesBro]

I won't add the TaoBao links as it takes a lot and may be too confusing for some people
I am also thinking about adding dart info into a seperate thread so you only see buy links here, than you can read about the community inputted info and buy links would be here. 

Could you add the links to the taobao link directory? Just put them into a reply and I'll copy paste them into the main post.

[Darkdragon]

Whats the seller's name on amazon for the USC's? I want to make sure I buy from the right one.

Edit:
Im just going to assume the ones labeled SUCKER are the correct ones. Theyre 3.19$, even if its wrong its not even 5$ lost.

Edited by Darkdragon, 04 May 2016 - 01:11 PM.

[Maniacal Coyote]

I found ACC darts on wish.com: https://www.wish.com...lack nerf darts

[Snoop Doggy doge]

The pictures are there for reference.
I did not link one seller because prices can change and links will expire. You can use the picture for reference and what you want to find. 

[SolarFusion]

I just finally got curious enough to check this infamous guide you've been linking all over the place.

Nice job, I've been hesitant to try anything else other than the hundred-odd Kooshes I have lying around because I didn't care to buy the wrong thing by mistake and these were doing the job okay for me. Thanks for taking your time to do this for the community.

Edited by SolarFusion, 13 May 2016 - 05:40 PM.

[Pineapplepies]

At ice nines request here is a link for buying those new artifact darts that have started popping up in different places and are basically cut down ACCs in larger and cheaper amounts(darts sold here have been confirmed to be the artifact darts and I'm not sure if this link will ever go away unless production stops) http://www.buychina....ad-wtvqtuoqlhjm

Edit:not sure if this is considered a taobao link since what is above is the url from taobao on buychina.com but it is translated so it should be less confusing plus these can be shipped to places like Canada too

Edited by Pineapplepies, 16 May 2016 - 07:44 AM.

[The2ndBluesBro]

Interesting note is ACC darts are actually Artifact's first product (explaining the similarity with artifact darts). At this point, some people say cut down ACCs are better than artifact darts, although artifact is apparently fixing the issues with the first gen of his darts so they may be easier and better eventually.

[Maniacal Coyote]

Another thing about ACC darts is that they don't always feed reliably in flywheel blasters.

[Pineapplepies]

Another thing about ACC darts is that they don't always feed reliably in flywheel blasters.

Yeah not sure if you know this or not but that has been known ever since they were first found as "chunlin" darts. If I remember correctly I was sadly one of the first to find that ACCs don't like flywheels the hard way after my demolisher decided to fling the head about 15 feet while the foam was still stuck in the magazine.

Edited by Pineapplepies, 01 June 2016 - 07:41 AM.

[DjOnslaught]

Yeah not sure if you know this or not but that has been known ever since they were first found as "chunlin" darts. If I remember correctly I was sadly one of the first to find that ACCs don't like flywheels the hard way after my demolisher decided to fling the head about 15 feet while the foam was still stuck in the magazine.

That's definitely a dislike lol. Is there a best flywheel blaster dart for the rayven?