So, you say you want a Nerf gun for your kids. Yes, they are active nerfers and want something that packs a punch. Semi-automatic if possible.

No, I shouldn't worry about the heavy machinery and give you something lightweight?

Oh, you say the kids love Fortnite? I know just the Nerf Blaster for you. Come take a look at the Nerf Fortnite AR-L Elite Dart Blaster.

Features:

A crossover gun if there ever was one, the Nerf Fortnite AR-L is a blaster to dream of. 

Its design was inspired by the legendary Fortnite assault rifle and its existence offers something of wonder and pleasure to dedicated members of both the nerfing community and the Fortnite community.

In truth, this blaster appears to be just a reskin of the Stryfe with a few modifications thrown in, and, from a certain point of view, that is true.

However, this point of view cannot accommodate the joy you feel holding a fantasy, the unreal made real in your hands. Why it is reason sufficient enough to break out the Fortnite dancing moves.

The Nerf Fortnite AR-L is a semiautomatic, flywheel powered blaster that uses batteries. It shoots your average Elite darts and closes in on 70 fps with each shot.

This is not a bad score for darts which are not usually as fast as other forms of ammo.

A semiautomatic blaster is truly a wonder to behold and the Nerf Fortnite AR-L is not an exception to that rule.

The ability to hit the trigger many times in quick succession and spam multiple bullets all over the battlefield is at worst challenging, and at best totally unplayable!

In such a scenario where there is an imbalance of play (avoid this scenario by getting two Nerf Fortnite AR-Ls), the best counter-strategy may be to wait out the Fortnite blaster user until he begins to tire and feel the weight of the unwieldy blaster.

But this plan almost always never works. The Nerf Fortnite AR-L is very light. Deceptively so. Look at a few images of the blaster. It looks quite heavy. In truth, it is only about half that heavy or less.

This messes up the waiting game of the opponent as he may begin to tire while the Fortnite blaster user hasn't even broken a sweat.

Okay, let's take a closer look at the Nerf Fortnite AR-L. I'll walk you through the components of the blaster, step by step.

After this tour, you should have come to a conclusion as to whether this blaster is worth your money or not.

Components:

The package of the Nerf Fortnite AR-L contains Tha blaster itself (all in one piece, no assembly required), a magazine, some darts, and the instruction manual. Okay, let's take it one after the other.

Stock: The Nerf Fortnite AR-L has a short stock. This stock is not removable or detachable. It mainly serves to improve the aesthetics of the blaster. The stock also helps to improve the balance and accuracy of the Fortnite blaster

I find myself liking this stock as it is quite comfortable to wield. It does not dig into your shoulder like some other stocks. Instead, it hangs free, allowing you to shoot from the hip.

Grip: The grip of the Nerf Fortnite AR-L was not designed with ergonomics in mind. It doesn't have any sharp surfaces or tight angles that could cramp your hand.

However, the entire size of the grip is small. This makes it something of a hassle for you to properly wrap your fingers around the grip.

In truth, the shape of the grip is not really a problem. The blaster is light enough that ergonomics ceases to be a considering factor.

There is almost no weight to rest on an uncomfortable part of your finger and cause cramps, so you can basically hold the blaster in any position you want without experiencing the cramps that come with poor positioning.

Barrel: The barrel of the Nerf Fortnite AR-L is very well designed. It has this quirky look that is appropriate for something that was lifted from a battle royale game.

You won't be able to use barrel attachments, but I don't think you will need to. The muzzle of the barrel is slightly elongated and looks really neat. On top of the barrel, you can find two flip-up sights and a tactical rail.

Flip-up sights: There a two flip-up sights located on the top of the barrel, a front flip-up sight, and a rear one.

Blasters that use Nerf Elite darts are notoriously prone to inaccuracy and this is Nerf's way of righting that wrong. To aim, just make sure the target lines up with both the front and the rear sights, then fire.

Note that using the flip-up sights has a way of diminishing your side vision.

Alternatively, in case you prefer a traditional scope attachment, or you prefer to do your sightings down the top of the barrel or around its sides, or you do not give a hoot about the sighting and prefer to shoot from the hip, you can choose not to use the flip-up sights.

Just press them downwards until they are parallel to the length of the barrel.

Tactical rail: The tactical rail is also located on the top of the barrel. A strange-looking tactical rail. It angles slightly upwards and does not run parallel to the barrel.

Just like any other tactical rail, you can use this to attach Nerf accessories which you already own.

Battery compartment: The Nerf Fortnite AR-L has a battery compartment on the right side of the barrel. It can contain four alkaline AA batteries which are required to power the flywheel.

Magazine: The magazine of the Nerf Fortnite AR-L can hold up to ten darts. You insert the magazine by jamming it into a slot on the underside of the barrel.

Magazine release button: This is located on the forward side of the trigger guard. Pressing it causes the magazine to fall out of you wish to reload it.

At first, I was not so sold on the idea of another button crowding out space in the trigger guard. But now, I think it's a pretty neat and time-saving ability to be able to release your magazine with the same finger that you shoot with.

Trigger: The trigger is located on the backward side of the trigger guard just in front of the grip.

Like any standard battery-powered semiautomatic blaster, all you need to do is to pull the trigger to release darts. However, this only works if you have already revved up the flywheel.

Rev trigger: This button allows you to rev the flywheel. You have to do this before you pull the trigger.

Access door: This is also located on the side of the barrel. In the case of a jam (though the probability of that happening is next to nothing, believe me), you can slide open the access door and manually clear out the jam.

How to use this blaster:

First, insert 4 alkaline AA batteries into the battery compartment. You will need to unscrew the compartment first with a Phillips screwdriver before inserting the batteries.

Next step, load the magazine with ten standard Elite darts and jam it into the underside of the blaster.

Take a comfortable stance and aim your blaster at the target. Press down and hold the rev trigger to power up the flywheel.

Then, pull the trigger to release a bullet. Pull it many times in quick succession to release multiple bullets almost immediately.

When the magazine is empty, click the magazine release button to eject it. Reload the magazine with ten Elite darts, jam it back into the blaster and continue blasting. See here for video details on how to use this blaster.

Special Features:

Magazine: In case you are not comfortable with the kinda goofy appearance of the original Nerf Fortnite AR-L magazine, you can swap it for other standard Nerf mags and it will work just as fine.

Rev timing is key: For better performance, you should make sure you hold the rev trigger down a few seconds before you start shooting.

Conclusion

I have a thing for semiautomatic blasters and this one did not disappoint. Its looks may not be pleasing to everyone, but if you're cool with the appearance, I think you should absolutely go for this blaster.