Dart Zone Max Stryker 2.0 Review

This is a late review! Life happens, and blaster purchases tend to hit the wayside when you quit your job and spend months looking for a new one. So until I bought a Stryker 2.0 the day of a Nerf war at the end of September, I had only a vague idea of what I’d experience, based on both Youtube blurbs and comments from friends.

Now? I’m seeing that there’s a legitimately hard decision to make between the Stryker 2.0 and the Adventure Force Nexus Pro X. $50 for a primary that hits 200fps, and both of them are amazing? This one really comes down to personal preference.

More Like Tomcat 2.0

Let’s be honest, the Stryker 2.0 nomenclature is a bit of a misnomer. After modders began printing adapters for their Tomcats to allow the use of magazines, Dart Zone took notice. And for their next generation of Target-exclusive pro blasters, Dart Zone decided to add everything in. The Stryker 2.0 comes with a 25-dart drum as well as a 12 dart magazine and adapter. You also have the two sight attachments, a SCAR barrel attachment, darts, adjustable stock, and spare o-rings in case seals fail over time.

The Stryker 2.0 features 40 of Dart Zone’s Nitroshot short darts, a fun blend of the “bamboo” dart style and the weight of normal half-length darts. I need to do more testing, but so far, these darts seem well made and fly accurately out of high-powered dart blasters.

The adjustable stock is quite sturdy and comfortable to use. In addition, the buffer tube mount underneath it serves as the rear spring rest. As is the case with a LOT of pro blasters, the rear cap of the buffer tube can be removed to access the spring rest/guide and the spring itself – Dart Zone offers alternative springs on their website for different target velocities, and other hobbyist web stores like Out of Darts offer their own versions.

The prime on the Stryker 2.0 is quite smooth, and I’ve had no issues even when, in battle and against cover, I’ve had to switch to left-handed shooting in order to make a shot. Blasters being comfortable in your off-hand is always a good sign.

Swapping between the drum and the adapter is simply a matter of priming the blaster to retract the breech and then pressing the release lever with your thumb while pulling the drum out. After that, throw the adapter in place to start using magazines. Note that the Stryker 2.0 uses a “skinny pusher”, so it’s possible to insert or remove a magazine regardless of the breech position.

Performance and Game Testing

The Stryker 2.0 averaged 197fps with the included darts, with very little deviation. That in itself is impressive. But the Stryker 2.0 also features slam-fire, so you can fire off darts as fast as you can prime the blaster and return the forward pump grip. At distance, that feature isn’t the most useful, but at closer range, when you really need to just hit something that’s moving, it’s quite handy. Three darts per second is a reasonable rate of fire when using that feature.

Most importantly, the Stryker 2.0 felt easy to use, aim, and fire, without any real issues when it came to hitting targets. It was a far better experience than some other blasters I tried that day../but we’ll get to those reviews soon enough.

Internals

As stated above, the spring can easily be swapped for weaker or stronger replacements. Mechanically, the blaster’s powerplant and slamfire is the same as that you’d see in the Nexus Pro X. In this case, though, everything is in a straight line, from the plunger to the breech to the barrel up front.

There are already multiple files online from hobbyists making new parts, ranging from barrel collets (for installing longer metal barrels) to various accessories. Google a bit, try to print some, or if you don’t have a printer, consider buying a part.

Also, Joey says hi.

Final Thoughts

It took forever (in blaster release time, at least) for me to even try a Stryker 2.0. Now, I’m not sure if I like this or the Nexus Pro X more. Each is a different flavor of pro, and I like using drum-fed blasters. The choice, perhaps comes down to how far you want to push the platform. If you want even higher fps, the Nexus Pro X has the plunger volume and “moddability” to hit those extreme numbers. If you want a great all around performer with all the parts in a straight line (which does help for aiming, mind you), the Stryker 2.0 is the clear choice.

You’re winning either way.