Nerf N-Force Longshot CS-6

Nerf N-Force Longshot CS-6

The N-Force line of soft foam dart guns are made by Nerf, famous for their soft foam toy versions of real weapons. The Longshot forms part of the CS-6 Clip System guns and sits in the long range sniper rifle section. The -6 denotes the number of rounds in the clip.

It's recently been superceded by the Longstrike but it's divisive whether or not the Longstrike is a better gun. What is unanimous is that the Longstrike looks WAY better than the longshot. This isn't to say that the Longshot looks bad. It just doesn't look as impressive when strapped to your back.

The first thing you notice about these sniper rifles is just how big the box is. The next thing you notice is that once assembled, the gun actually dwarfs the size of the box it came in.

The Longshot lies over a meter long, but due to the modular nature of the gun, can be shortened to about 55cm. The front half of the gun actually has it's own single shot barrel and trigger and can separate from the main body to produce 2 guns. This is good if you are going to share the gun with a sibling, however one of you will be handicapped with having to reload after each shot.
It also only comes with a single clip and 6 rounds, even though there is a storage area in the stock for a loaded clip.
There is a detachable scope with crosshairs and the reload is bolt-action.
When I picked up this gun, I saw 2 youths eyeing off the boxes on the shelf, one of the kids extolling the many features and awesomeness of said sniper rifle.

Playing with the gun is an absolute joy. I've used other smaller Nerf guns and the range of the Longshot is in a different league. There are numerous modification that can be googled or looked up on YouTube which can increase the distance even further.

The Good:
- Range. This gun outranges all other stock Nerf guns bar the Longstrike. This gun will make you a happy camper.

- Bolt-action. Sliding the bolt back and forth to cock the next round is addictive. Is has a satisfying 'shlunk' sound when the bolt is slid back to the ready position after priming the spring.

- Modular. Being able to modify the size of the gun is handy and having the ability to create 2 guns means you can buy a single toy for 2 kids.

- Size. This thing is intimidating. Awesome!

- Potential. Can be modified for more power/distance. Uses standard phillips head screws. Mods are relatively easy.

- Bipod. The main gun has fold down bipod legs for better prone firing.

- Clip. The clip system on this is very well thought out. It's almost impossible to damage the firing mechanism due to incorrect loading.

- Price. I got my Longshot for $35 at Kmart. Down from $45. This is a pretty good price. You can get a Maverick handgun for $9 on sale. $35 seems about right. For $45 would want a decent magnifying scope, a second clip with rounds, and better fit and finish overall.


The Bad:
- Camoflage. If the land of Nerf is bright yellow and orange you would be hard pressed to spot a sniper using one of these. The good news is you can paint these.

- Reduced power. When the front of the gun is connected, the power and distance are reduced. Accuracy appears to improve though.

- Fit. Some of the parts don't fit snugly. There is a lot of rattling and plastic against plastic.

- Bipod. The bipod legs are quite clunky.

- Scope. The scope on this is terrible. It's also HUGE. At best, it's a tube this attaches to the upper section of the main body and has two clear plastic ends, one with a crosshair painted on it. At worst, it's a useless attachment that doesn't even magnify. My gun doesn't even fire within the angle of view of the scope. Terrible terrible terrible. I will modify this later with an actual magnifying scope that can be adjusted.

- Non-intuitive. I tried playing with this gun without looking at the instructions. Mistake. I almost broke the firing mechanism. RTFM on this one.

Conclusion:
- I got hooked on the Maverick 6-shooter after the first shot. Since then I've been looking up YouTube clips and online posts about some of the modifcations that can be done to them. Some of the paint jobs are sensational. If you look at them as being more than a toy and more of a hobby item that you can modify and paint, then Nerf guns such as the Longshot are great. If you just want shooting fun, then a simple handgun like the Maverick and suction cup rounds will suit, and are really cheap.
There are some bad points about this gun, but all of that pales to the sound og that sweet bolt-action.

Score:
8/10.