How Long Should a Nerf Gun Last? Real Results

By: Jeremy Alden

Knowing what to expect when you’re considering a new a Nerf gun, plays an important role in whether or not you decide to go Nerf or nothin’!

In this guide, we’ll break down which factors contribute to a long Nerf blaster life and how you can make sure your child gets the most from your purchase.

The Truth About Nerf Blasters

10 years is on average the lifespan of a Nerf blaster but there is no distinct lifespan that can illustrate how long your child will have their Nerf blaster. That being said, whether or not their Nerf gun functions for a long time depends on how well they care for it.

Some blasters are extremely easy to break, making it so that just one wrong move can cause it to fall apart.

This means that if you want to make sure your child has their favorite Nerf blaster for as long as possible, you have to take the time to provide them with all the guidance they need to take care of their toys.

How Do I Keep My Child’s Toys In Good Condition?

Now that we’ve established that Nerf blaster care is the main factor in its lifespan, we have to cover some of the key reminders that will help you and your child make sure your Nerf blasters last for years.

Some of the most crucial tips that you should walk away from this guide with include:

1. Practice Care When Storing the Gun (and Avoid Jarring Damage to the Blaster)

A Nerf blaster is still a toy, and most children can be rough with their toys. However, while some blasters are a bit more durable, others can crack or shatter if they’re put down too hard or dropped while playing.

Additionally, storing multiple Nerf blasters in the same box can be a problem if they’re tossing them against each other and running the risk of damage.

Always instruct your child to be gentle with their Nerf blasters when they’re putting them down or away and consider getting them straps or other tools that can keep them from dropping their blasters while they’re in use.

Although it can seem a bit much, it’s better to have a functional blaster than one that doesn’t work anymore!

2. Be Careful If You’re Trying to Modify Weapons

Modding is a great way to take your Nerf gun and enhance its performance, especially for some Nerf blasters that don’t quite operate as advertised.

But what few parents may consider is that the potential for greater performance comes at the risk of messing up the internal components and making the blaster unusable.

If you do plan on modding your child’s blaster, make sure that you know exactly what to do and that you have all the right materials at your disposal.

Otherwise, you may end up having to go out and purchase another blaster instead.

3. Avoid Sun and Solvents

Certain conditions are very unfriendly to Nerf blasters. One such condition is heat. Heat may not only warp the plastic on your blaster but bleach the colors, resulting in a blaster that looks old and faded.

Another thing to avoid is solvents. Some solvents can strip the paint off a blaster and potentially damage the plastic underneath.

As long as it’s indoors and away from any type of chemicals or other liquids that could cause damage to the body of the gun, your Nerf blaster should last a long time.

4. Perform Regular Maintenace

More serious Nerf players will want to take great care of their blasters to ensure that they can continue to perform to their standards.

During your regular maintenance checks, you should try holding your blaster underwater to reveal any cracks that could be affecting its body (you’ll be able to see if there are broken areas if any air bubbles escape).

You should also take this time to grease up the springs so that they can continue to work as expected.

Once everything has been taken care of, make sure that your blaster isn’t primed as this can ruin the spring while it’s not in use.

5. Load Your Blaster Carefully and Always Fire While Loaded

Fooling around with your blaster every now and then is not a problem. However, some children may run out of darts and run around playing pretend until a new batch of darts comes in.

When a Nerf blaster is fired without any darts inside, the spring starts to experience stress that damages it. The pressure of the spring against the inside of the blaster can also cause internal damage that may completely ruin your blaster.

Put simply, you should make sure that your child is carefully loading their blaster and always playing with darts to avoid causing unnecessary damage to their blaster.

6. Only Use High-Quality, Undamaged Darts

Cheap darts allow you to fill your child’s blaster without breaking the bank. The problem? If the darts are low-quality or don’t fit in the blaster properly, it can cause jams, which are extremely hard to fish out if you don’t have a blaster with a jam door.

This can then ruin the weapon if you have leftover dart material inside the blaster that you can’t seem to get out. It’s always best to go with Nerf darts that have been designed specifically for a certain Nerf blaster.

How long should a Nerf gun last?

There is no guaranteed length of life for Nerf blasters. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t extend it with the right actions.

Whether you have a child who’s just starting their Nerf collection or a child that’s building an extensive Nerf collection that they want to treasure for a long time, use the guide above to learn more about what it takes to keep Nerf blasters safe and functional for years down the road.