Nerf N Series Sprinter Review

The first mag-fed N Series blaster, the Pinpoint, isn’t the sharpest tool. What a relief, then, that the second one is an insanely fun powerhouse!

The Nerf N Series Sprinter is my favorite blaster of the line so far, passing even the N Series Infinite. It shoot darts fast and hard, it’s comfortable, and it’s quiet in doing so. As far as the age 8+ range is concerned, this might be the most fun thing I’ve seen since the Double Punch.

Let’s get this review going!

Speeding Along

The Sprinter is a semi-auto flywheel blaster, requiring 6 AA batteries to function. It’s a bullpup design, in a layout reminiscent of the classic Nerf N-Strike Rayven and its various updates. However, it’s slightly bigger than the Rayven…and in this case, that’s a good thing. The proportions feel just about perfect, with a stock that’s large enough to put the main grip at a comfortable distance. The batteries sit in a compartment behind the magazine well, leaving plenty of room for batteries and the pusher mechanism. Even the front “grip” with its thumbhole is large enough for accommodating most hands, should you choose to use this blaster with two hands.

The blaster comes with a 16-dart magazine, and is also compatible with the magazine from the N Series Pinpoint. The magazines have spring-loaded lips that retain the darts until insertion, at which point they’re free to flow into the breech. Pulling the magazine early risks losing a dart or two out of the top…but for the Sprinter, it’s far more likely that you empty the magazine.

It does warrant the question, “Why isn’t Hasbro selling any magazines separately for a blaster that desperately needs it?”

The magazine release lever is easy to manipulate. The triggers are smooth to operate. There’s a jam door just in case, though I have yet to see a jam happen. There’s even a tactical rail on top, in case you really want to use your old Nerf accessories. Really, it’s hard to not like this blaster.

Playtime and Performance

The Sprinter has been so fun to use, even at events with a much higher fps cap. Having cover helps, of course, but it also turns out that this blaster is relatively quiet. There’s a lot to be said for defenders not hearing you rev up the flywheels when compared to so many other modified or pro blasters.

Four darts per second is easily achievable when you really need to spam darts, although velocities will trail off when you do that.

Speaking of velocities, I was averaging 95fps on brand new batteries. That’s insane for a Nerf-made, 8+ blaster.

The one real weakness I’ve had is the lack of available magazines. I would pay money just to buy extra magazines instead of needing to reload during a match.

Internals

Within the Sprinter, we have the expected bits and pieces. The flywheel cage is a bit wider than you’d see in Elite-dart firing blasters, since the darts themselves are bigger. But I fully expect to see new cages made for the blaster at some point, especially since there’s room in here for beefier motors or even a brushless system. I’d be sad if I didn’t see a 200fps Nerf Sprinter at Maryland Foam Tournament next year.

The geared pusher system is quite smooth, and I’m happy they made the blaster that way, without too strong a return spring.

Final Opinion

All thoughts about modding aside, the Nerf N Series Sprinter is the most fun I’ve had with an N Series blaster. It works beautifully, and if you’ve accepted the new ecosystem Nerf is creating, it might be the best blaster yet.

If only it was easy to buy more magazines…