Nerf Gun Guide for Humans Vs. Zombies

I'm sure some of you are familiar with the game played on college campuses around the United States, called Humans Vs. Zombies. To those unfamiliar with this game, basically there are two teams, the Human Resistance and the Zombie Horde. If a player from the Horde tags the Resistance player's armband, the Human turns into a Zombie. The only defense the Humans have are Nerf weapons, beit dart guns or foam swords (for safety purposes). If the Zombie is shot twice or struck once, they are stunned for a predetermined period of time based on the rules of that particular club.  Here, I will review the best possible weapons to use against the mindless horde.

The Maverick

      The Maverick is a powerful, well balanced blaster which can take every dart (although my personal recommendation is to avoid the Velcro tipped Dart Tag darts) in its six chamber rotating barrel, which is a godsend when in the middle of a dart battlefield, where you can pick up and use any darts you find. This blaster comes with a respectable range and accuracy for a respectable price (around $10 - $12 at most retailers). 

       Why would I recommend this blaster? Well it has a very decent range, anywhere between 20 to 30 feet under optimal conditions, and has a very little spread. It is a good blaster to carry around with you, and is good for stopping one or two zombies in most situations. It is very durable, and does not jam very often, though I have found when you are frantically trying to belt out as many rounds as possible in a short amount of time, you'll get a misfire, which will require you to do anything from reload and try again to completely rotate the barrel and re-prime the gun. Overall, in a jam, it is very quick to fix.

      My gripes with it? Well, despite the fact it works with every dart, it is a front loading barrel, and when you need to reload it is not as simple as the quick clip system Nerf has implemented in their newer weapons. This means you need to take longer to reload your blaster, and when facing a zombie horde, the longer you are without effective (legal) weaponry, the more vulnerable you leave yourself.

Raider CS-35

 

The CS-35  was the gun to debut the drum for the quick clip system, and is a quick clip only blaster. It requires two hands to operate, but with skill, can be the fastest firing Nerf blaster on the market. It is by no means automatic; it requires a pump before every shot. However, the pump is ergonomically and efficiently designed that a skilled user could get 3 rounds a second out, and with its smooth sliding, I have found this gun to jam rarely. The barrel it comes with holds 35 streamline darts, which is considerable, though it can only be reloaded with streamline darts.
This blaster should be used in close range combat, due to the gun's enormous spread at 15 feet, making it effectively innacurate against one opponent at mid-range and a completely ineffective gun at long range. The range on the CS-35 is also stunted compared to other blasters, and in some cases, has a range less than a Recon with a barrel. So, if you have multiple zombies closing in, and they are grouped, let loose with this blaster as fast as you can, and you should do well, and this gun can be reloaded with any quick clip magazines.

CS-6 Deploy

The Deploy is a lightweight, compact two handed blaster which became a complete surprise to me. Nerf designed this to be a torch, until you pressed a button and the stock extended, the grip and trigger deploy and the magazine feed fell 90 degrees, opening a pseudo sight. When it is deployed, it seems like it would be a little flimsy, and while the grip and trigger move about a centimeter if wiggled around, the blaster is surprisingly solid. Also surprising, is that it deploys from a little larger than the Maverick to about the size of the Raider. 

But, if properly maintained, it boasts an extraordinary range for its size with very little spread. However, if the gun is stored in the cocked position, the power will quickly be reduced to that of the Recon. I have gotten ranges up to 40 feet with this blaster, with very little spread. 

However, if you attempt to rapid fire with this blaster, it will get jammed. 

Overall, this is my favorite two handed Nerf blaster, but keep in mind it will only keep its phenominal range if kept very well maintained, unlike the other guns, which don't require such attention.

Out of every model I have tested, I have preference for these three blasters, and if you've yet to find the blaster to suit your style, I would recommend starting with these.