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The best Nerf guns and toy guns from X Shot have been a major source of fun for kids (and adults, including one or two at Which?) for years. We couldn't resist putting them to the test to finally put the debate to bed over which toy guns are best. Steel Structure Shot Blasting Machine
Nothing quite beats the thrill of running around the garden and firing little foam darts at your friends and family, so we tested bestselling blasters from Nerf and X Shot to see which has the edge for range, accuracy, power, and more.
As well as testing them on those key specs, we armed a bunch of kids and adults with the toys and set them loose in the garden to see which they found the most fun to play with. Read on for our full test results, and key info on safety tips and equipment you can use to ensure you play with Nerf guns and X Shot toy guns safely.
Compare our results and prices at a glance in our table below or read on for our full reviews.
Date tested: June 2022. Pricing and availability last checked: 4 December 2023.
Size and weight: 18 x 50 x 18cm (HxWxD), 702g
Kids' verdict: Not quite their favourite overall, but the kids loved the quirky design and easy firing mechanism of the Claw Hunter. They found it easy to reload and fire, and the dinosaur eggs that come included make for a fun target practice game, too.
Adults' verdict: A firm favourite among the adults. Along with the kids, adults enjoyed the simplicity of this gun and found its power and accuracy matched all the competition. The Great Value price tag makes it all the more appealing.
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Cheapest price: £19.99 at Smyths Toys (out of stock), also available at Amazon
Size and weight: 22.9 x 35.6 x 8.1cm (HxWxD), 640g
Kids' verdict: The kids flocked to this Minecraft-themed toy and absolutely loved it. They also found it fun to play with as a toy hammer just as much as a Nerf blaster. Plus despite its low capacity and small size it packs a lot of firepower, which the kids enjoyed immensely.
Adults' verdict: Adults found this one a fun novelty that's every bit as good as classic Nerf blasters and X Shot toys. It's not as accurate as the X Shot Dino Attack Claw Hunter but it fires further, so adults can still enjoy a slight competitive edge.
Cheapest price: £5.99 at Smyths Toys also available at Amazon Very
Size and weight: 24.1 x 36.2 x 6.7cm (HxWxD), 550g
Kids' verdict: The kids enjoyed playing with this toy, but it wasn't one of their favourites. Reaching on top of the gun to use the pump action was tricky for some kids, and they were mostly drawn to other more powerful and exciting-looking toys.
Adults' verdict: Not the smoothest to fire, but adults enjoyed the long range, high firepower and pinpoint accuracy of this blaster. At such an appealing price you get plenty of bang for your buck, too.
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Size and weight: 33 x 61 x 8.1cm (HxWxD), 490g
Kids' verdict: This motorised, rapid-fire blaster was a hit with the kids. Although not the most accurate, it has a brilliant range and the kids enjoyed raining foam darts on their foes with little effort or skill needed.
Adults' verdict: Good fun if you want to blow your opponents away in a flurry of foam darts, but the motor is noisy and it's prone to jamming when you try to fire single, controlled shots. Definitely not for stealthy players.
Cheapest price: £19.99 at Smyths Toys , also available at Argos Amazon
Size and weight: 40.6 x 29.8 x 6.6cm (HxWxD), 1,670g
Kids' verdict: Epic, powerful and capable of peppering your friends with foam darts. It can be tricky to pull the handle back to fire for smaller children, but those that can use it will have bags of fun.
Adults' verdict: Great fun. It doesn't have the furthest range, but adults were impressed with how accurately this toy managed to shoot despite its rapid-fire style.
Cheapest price: £19.99 at Hamleys (out of stock), also available at Amazon
Size and weight: 28 x 60 x 12cm (HxWxD), 960g
Kids' verdict: Similar to the X Shot Excel Crusher, the kids loved this high-octane toy for its high capacity and its ability to fire lots of foam darts in quick succession. However, the pump action might be tough to operate for smaller children.
Adults' verdict: Along with the X Shot Dino Attack Claw Hunter, this was the adults' favourite toy overall. It wasn't the most accurate, but the rapid-fire darts still had a solid grouping and adults found it delightfully easy to use.
Cheapest price: £14.99 at Smyths Toys (collect only), also available at Amazon (out of stock)
Size and weight: 24 x 60 x 6cm (HxWxD), 630g
Kids' verdict: Kids were drawn to the exciting design of this toy, especially because of the scope and the exciting pump-action firing mechanism. Some found the single-shot capacity frustrating as they often got hit several times by their friends while reloading.
Adults' verdict: Adults found this a satisfying toy to fire and enjoyed the precise accuracy. But reloading after every shot became tiresome and the adults expected a longer range from a toy that prioritises accuracy over capacity.
Cheapest price: £14.99 at Smyths Toys Amazon , also available at Argos
Size and weight: 30.4 x 67.3 x 7.9cm (HxWxD), 898g
Kids' verdict: Kids found this toy fun for a while, but it didn't quite match up to the appeal of other Nerfs. The short range and repetitive need to pull back the handle to load up another foam dart became tiresome.
Adults' verdict: Impressive rapid fire capabilities were quickly forgotten when our adults became frustrated with knocking their hands against the barrel every time they pulled the handle back to reload. The short range was deemed disappointing, too.
Cheapest price: £14.99 at Smyths Toys (out of stock), also available at Amazon
Size and weight: 27.9 x 55.9 x 7.9cm (HxWxD), 1,200g
Kids' verdict: The exciting look of the Fortnite rocket launcher drew the attention of the kids immediately, but they quickly lost interest. This is mostly because the range is determined by how much force you can apply while firing it, so the kids couldn't shoot very far.
Adults' verdict: All bark and no bite. This rocket launcher-style Nerf may look big and powerful, but adults couldn't get it to fire particularly far even at full force, and the big foam darts lacked power and accuracy.
Only available at Amazon £47.99 (out of stock)
Size and weight: 26 x 76.2 x 6.7cm (HxWxD), 1,400g
Kids' verdict: Kids flocked to this toy thanks to its large size, exciting sniper-rifle design and Fortnite branding. But their interest faltered slightly after discovering its lacklustre performance – and assistance from an adult was often needed for reloading.
Adults' verdict: The exciting design wasn't enough to win over our adults, who found this Nerf gun lacking in range, power and accuracy. It was also tricky to reload, slow to fire and the foam darts got jammed in it several times.
To find the best toy blasters, we bought the bestsellers from leading brands Nerf and X Shot and put them through a string of tough tests to see which ones will give you the edge in your garden battles.
We bought every toy we tested and we don't take gifts so you can be confident that our reviews are neutral and free from bias.
We measured the range of each Nerf and X Shot by firing several full magazines of foam darts and recording the furthest distance they travelled using a measuring wheel. We also judged how easily you could fire several shots in quick succession, and noted how much the toys jammed when firing.
We put up a target and used each toy gun to fire several rounds of foam darts, judging them on how firmly the darts hit the target, and how easily we were able to hit the same spot consistently.
Nobody wants to spend more time fiddling around with their toy gun than playing with it, so we assessed how straightforward each toy was to handle, fire, and reload, and we considered how convenient its capacity was.
Ultimately the most important thing for a toy gun is that it should be fun to play with. After letting our adult and child testers run wild with each of the Nerf and X Shot toy guns, we asked them which were their favourites and which ones they'd want to buy given the choice, irrespective of price.
Keen to see our verdicts on more toys? See our remote control cars reviews and trampolines reviews
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