Not everything has to be a “rifle”. Flinging projectiles at friends takes many forms, and sometimes you just want to dump in some rounds and go. That’s what the SRB 375M is for.
It doesn’t have the capacity of larger, magazine-fed blasters. Instead, the SRB 375M is the “machine pistol” of the Splatrball lineup, dumping rounds from a hopper. Is it as viable as other blasters in the line? Depends on how close you can get. Is it still lots of fun? Of course!
Are You Sure That’s a Blaster?
The 375M is surprisingly comfortable to hold, and light as well. The trigger is responsive with a short pull, and ridges at the front are enough for gripping with your off-hand. Of course, without any iron sights, you’re simply spraying in the general area, even when using both hands. Note that there is no semi-auto to speak of. There’s only off and full-auto, as the switch above the trigger shows.
The blaster loads via a port on top of the shell (in the orange area); that’s what the included funnel is for. The nominal capacity is 375 (who could have guessed?), though over 400 is possible. However, overstuffing can lead to feeding issues until the capacity is used up a bit. Stick with the recommended amount.
The battery for the 375M is smaller than those of other Splatrball products. Granted, you’re running a single motor, and the spring load isn’t quite as demanding. Still, a 500mAh 2s battery means you have a limit to how much blasting you can do before a recharge is needed. When you notice the rate of fire slowing down, it’s time to recharge, and that will depend on how trigger-happy you’ve been.
Performance
The SRB 375M exceeded box claims by a decent margin (135fps and 7 rounds per second, for reference). In my testing, I ended up averaging 144fps and 8 rounds per second, using the included ammo (after hydrating for four hours, of course). There was a decent amount of variability, however, with shots ranging from 118fps to 156fps. Even so, for a blaster designed for simply spraying ammo, it’s acceptable.
There was accuracy in the form of “a cloud going this direction” as opposed to being on target. Some misfeeds did happen, either when the hopper is overfilled, or the ammo level has dropped and the blaster is being held at an angle. That makes it harder for the gel balls to roll into place for feeding, it seems.
Internals
Note the rather shallow angles of the bottom of the hopper. Depending on how much ammo remains, misfeeds can become possible when pointing the blaster slightly up or down. Keep that in mind if you’ve expelled plenty of pellets already.
Final Opinion
The Splatrball SRB 375M is a fun, full-auto option for the collection, especially for the $45 promo price (MSRP is $50). If using a gel blaster in a war, I’d feel better with a slightly more expensive and robust model. Even so, it’s fun for what it is and extremely easy to operate. Especially for the latter reason, it’s a good blaster to hand off to a new player dipping their toes in the water.