Nerf Fortnite Pump SG Blaster Review

Sometimes, branded blasters are better at the branding than the blasting. Such is the case with the Nerf Fortnite Pump SG. It looks great, but as a blaster it’s unremarkable. $30 for a large, single-shot Mega blaster is quite nuts, especially when the blaster that originated this platform (the Mega Double Breach) fired two darts and cost $5. For a bit more money, you could find a Fortnite TS (and in some places, it’s on sale) for more capacity, or just skip Mega altogether for a Rival Saturn. It’s just as large, but holds more ammo and is more satisfying.

We’ll look closer, but don’t be too excited unless you’re getting it for the cosplay factor.

That’s an Odd Duck

The Nerf Fortnite blasters always have goofy proportions, as part of making everything more toy-like. In the case of the Pump SG, it results in a super-long blaster (over 2.5′) with a decent grip, but unusable sights. Yep, if you tried to line up the sights, the barrel will actually be pointing down! Talk about useless. The blaster has a decent stock length (it’s not going for comfort), and the grip is actually large enough to fit most adult hands.

The blaster is also very…plain. It seems like other Fortnite blasters had more detail or other fun shapes attached to them, while this is just a few really smooth shell pieces put together.

The blaster operates by pulling back the pump grip to prime. Then, you slide open the access door and load a Mega dart. After that, slide the pump forward, and it will bring the access door with it. Press the trigger to fire. Oddly, a slamfire mechanism is present, even though there’s only one dart to fire. The plunger catches even if the trigger is held down, and then releases when the pump is moved forward. Makes for more pretend play for the kids, I guess?

In any case, priming is smooth and easy, and the blaster feels solid like you’d expect from a Nerf blaster.

Performance

The Pump SG averaged 72fps in my testing with the included ammo. Of course, stock Mega darts aren’t that accurate, so good luck hitting the target. Rate of fire, however, is atrocious, given the multiple actions needed to fire one mega dart. At best, I could get one shot every four seconds while firing consistently.

Internals

The insides aren’t anything special. There’s a single plunger tube, a giant priming arm stretching the length of the blaster, and a slamfire mechanism. In theory, you could modify the blaster to have an inline clip of some kind for half-length darts. Then, the slamfire would actually be useful! However, that’s a pretty niche application when there are simply better options out there.

Final Opinion

As a display piece? Sure, the Pump SG is acceptable. But there’s really nothing special about it either. On the blaster side of things, however, it’s a terrible use of money. $30 for a pump action blaster that you have to reload through a breech every time? Just go with another option instead. I’m just happy I found mine on sale instead of full price.