BETTER NERF GUN
Build a metal foam-dart gun that blows
away store-bought plastic models.
By Simon Jansen
Like most geek-filled offices, at my workplace we have several
Nerf guns and similar toy weapons floating about. Not impressed
with the performance of my colleague Lester’s Nerf Maverick,
a mainstay of Nerf’s suction-cup-dart-firing “N-Strike” series,
I decided to build a better Nerf gun myself.
Here’s the result: a simple weapon, single
shot only, but with much greater range and
accuracy than the standard toys. Let your
indoor combat foes tremble; with a little practice, one shot is all you need.
I made the pistol from PVC pipe, aluminum extrusion, and aluminum tubing, with
wood for the grip and various pieces of metal
and plastic, mostly from my junk box — and
you can easily adapt the design to use what
you have in yours. A sliding trigger and telescoping plunger keep the pistol short and
compact. You’ll need a small metal lathe to
machine some of the parts, but as there’s
nothing too critical in the design, this is a nice
project to hone your skills.
Simon Jansen is a New Zealander with more than a touch of
the eccentric Englishman. A software engineer by trade, he
likes building all manner of odd inventions and restoring old
cars in his spare time.
SET UP: p. 115
MAKE IT: p. 116
USE IT: p. 122
Gregory Hayes
112 Make: makezine.com/29
