5 Best Long-Range Nerf Guns Long For Distance Attacks

There are Nerf Blasters, and then there are long-range Nerf blasters.

In recent years, Nerf, in all its benevolent glory, has seen fit to bestow upon us a whole slew of blasters that can easily fire darts at ranges of 50 feet or more, with the best ones launching darts up to 90 feet!

We’ve taken a look at all of the Nerf blasters that claim these god-like ranges and put the best here in our Top Five Long-Range Nerf Blasters!

Our Top Picks: Best Long-Range Nerf Guns

Over the years, it has sometimes felt as though Nerf has been punishing its customers who want to use a bow.

Monstrosities like this made sure that the only ones who used Nerf bows were those who weren’t using them in Nerf wars - or if they were they were on the losing side.

Thankfully for all the would-be Legolas Jr.’s out there, Nerf finally came through with a bow that packs enough power, range, and ammo capacity to be a real threat against all the blasters––both spring- and flywheel-powered––that have dominated the market and the battlefield for so long.

The Nerf Stratobow is easily the most fun we’ve had in a while when it comes to firing.

This is perhaps the most classic looking Nerf gun on the list.

It’s got the standard orange-and-blue Elite color scheme on top of a Goldeneye-worthy gun body, and as far as design goes, they hit it out of the park.

The batteries are situated in a tray toward the front of the gun - right where you would want to hold the rifle barrel in order to steady your aim.

Because the batteries add extra weight, they couldn’t have been placed more effectively.

Honestly, we can’t say enough good things about this blaster. Go pick one up for yourself and see why!

Pros:

• Amazingly useful transparent clip design makes sure you’re always aware of how many rounds you have left.
• Able to fire in single-shot, burst, or fully automatic capacity
• Compatible with a large variety of Nerf Elite Tactical Rail add-ons
• Able to utilize ammo and clips from any other Nerf Elite blaster.

Cons:

• Needs batteries, which is a bummer
• Some have mentioned occasional jamming issues with this blaster.

The CrossBolt scratches an itch we’ve had for a long time. After all, Nerf has disappointed us time and time again with blasters that only pretend to be crossbows.

That’s not to say that all blasters like the BowStrike are inherently bad; it’s just that we’ve been waiting for a blaster that actually functions like a crossbow, and, thanks to the Crossbolt, we finally get to see what that would look like.

Even better, the CrossBolt is an amazing blaster and not just because it truly functions as a crossbow.

This blaster utilizes a string-firing mechanism that can fire Elite darts up to 90 feet, which is in line with all of the top notch Nerf Elite blasters.

It’s clip fed so it can fire just as quickly as you can prime it (up to 12 shots per magazine––but that’s only with the stock mag). All in all, the CrossBolt was a long-time in coming, but it was well worth the wait.

Pros:

• Compatible with the Nerf Elite darts that most of your blasters probably already use, as well as their respective clips and magazines
• Because it doesn’t use batteries, this blaster is lightweight enough to run around with all day
• The CrossBolt has plenty of room for customization with two strap points and a bottom-mounted tactical rail
• The topside slide primer is a joy to use and moves smoothly enough for nearly any age to use with ease

Cons:

• The wings don’t really fold up on this one unless you make some modifications, which can make storing it a pain
• This blaster is occasionally prone to jamming (although Nerf did include two jam-clearing doors to help fix the problem)
  BUY THIS ONE

You might look at this blaster and think that it’s just a slightly updated version of the (now defunct) Nerf Strongarm, and you’d be right.

But there’s a saying, “If it ain’t broke…” and with the Strongarm no longer available in stores, the Disruptor is a very attractive purchase.

So what makes the Disruptor so awesome?

Two words: Slam Fire.

The Slam Fire feature means that you can hold the trigger while you quickly work the priming mechanism on top of the blaster to rapid fire darts. 

Or you can just prime a single shot and keep the Disruptor ready for action at a moment’s notice. Slam Fire in conjunction with this blaster’s amazing range means that you can control the action at any range and at any tempo.

Pros:

• Another fantastic entry into the Nerf Elite lineup, the Disruptor can (of course!) take advantage of the near-ubiquitous nature of Elite darts
• The long 90-foot firing range gives you control of a wide swath of the battlefield.
• The top-mounted Tactical Rail gives you even more options

Cons:

• The Disruptor is capped at six shots before you are forced to reload because it doesn’t take any of the Elite clips or magazines
• It doesn’t look quite as awesome as its predecessor.

Rounding out our list we have an outlier, the Magnus. This big and beefy pistol-type blaster is the only one on the list that doesn’t use Nerf Elite ammo, opting instead for Nerf’s Mega Whistling ammo style instead.

Through the trade off, what the Magnus loses in utility it makes up for in sheer intimidation.

Make no mistake: this is an uncomfortable blaster to be staring down. Its barrel’s diameter is roughly double that of the standard Elite blaster, and can look like a regular black hole when you’ve got an opponent pointing it your way.

The way the ammo literally screams through the air as it races toward a target is another point in its favor, causing other Nerf warriors to focus in on the dart itself and not the one firing it.

Unfortunately not everything is sunny in Magnus Land as there are a few design flaws that hold this blaster back from being as amazing as it wants to be.

Pros:

• The Mega darts can fly nearly as far as their Elite brethren - up to 85 feet
• The Magnus benefits from an internal clip that top loads, making reloading a snap
• Includes a Tactical Rail on the bottom of the blaster’s barrel
• The extra large darts are perfect for small hands and are much harder to lose

Cons:

• It’s hard to justify the Tactical Rail’s use for younger Nerf warriors as this blaster is already pretty front heavy
• The internal clip only holds three darts, sacrificing capacity to accommodate the size of the Mega darts

Our Pick : Best Long-Range Nerf Guns

All in all, we’ve got to call Nerf N-Strike Elite CrossBolt Blaster the winner today! It’s a gorgeous blaster that doesn’t skimp on performance, and it’s easy enough for anyone to use.

The Nerf CS-18 N-Strike Elite RapidStrike comes in at a close second. Honestly, the only reason we didn’t give this one first is that it takes batteries, which is something of a mixed bag.

THINGS YOU NEED TO CONSIDER:

Ammo - What you Need to Think About

In our opinion, one of the biggest things to consider when picking a Nerf blaster is the type of ammo that you’re going to be firing.

With the exception of the Magnus, all of the blasters on this list use Nerf Elite darts––and that isn’t an accident.

There are just so many things to recommend about the Elite ammo style. It generally flies farther and truer than any other ammo style on the market at the moment (although Nerf Rival Ammo is giving it a run for it’s money!), and what really makes it a standout is the fact that an absurd amount of contemporary Nerf blasters all use this same style.

What that means is that you’ll often be able to share your Elite ammo across the range of your Nerf arsenal, as well as its attendant clips and magazines.

Ammo capacity is another big factor when picking a Nerf gun, and something like the Stratobow with it’s 15-dart integrated clip (which is also super easy to reload––we can’t get enough of the Stratobow) is going to have a big advantage over a blaster like the Disruptor, which can only use a six-dart built-in drum.

One thing to look for when thinking about capacity is whether or not a blaster is able to make use of clips or magazines.

While the RapidStrike, for example, only fires 18 darts at a time, the fact that you can switch out full clips extra fast makes it feel like that blaster has a much larger capacity than it really does.

Add-Ons, Customization, and Your Options

Another big factor for us is whether or not a Nerf blaster is customizable. Nerf has been introducing plenty of great add-ons that all work with its Tactical Rail system, and it’s gotten to the point where we start to wonder if we’re not able to add anything to a blaster these days.

Certain blasters like the CrossBolt and the Disruptor become excellent secondary weapons with the addition of a simple strap that allows you to keep these larger blasters on you and on hand––although others really make the most of their Tactical Rails (lookin’ at you, Magnus).

Ease of Use

How simple and stress free a Nerf gun is to use always has to be a deciding factor when looking for a new blaster, especially when making a purchase for a young Nerf warrior.

We can say right now that the Stratobow and the RapidStrike are probably the easiest from a straightforward fire and reload perspective, although the Rapidstrike does take batteries and can be a little on the heavy side for very young kids.

Ease of use is definitely one place where the Nerf Magnus stands out. Young kids will have no problem reloading, following, and not losing its extra-large ammo, which is a big plus.

In fact, the Magnus’ small clip actually becomes a blessing when you put this blaster in younger hands, and as long as you don’t add anything to the Magnus’ Tactical Rail (and you shouldn’t. Ever.) the bottom of the barrel is a perfect grip for tiny warriors’ hands.