Nerf Zombiestrike Sledgefire Review (8/10)

Shellin' out punishment.

I couldn't wait to get my hands on this, the Sledgefire is Nerf's FIRST actual shotgun that's spring powered(Everything else before it was Air and didn't remotely resemble a shotgun.)and it's the first blaster to use shells. Lets see how this bad boy holds up to the apocalypse.

Fit's nicely in your hands.

I found this along with the remaining gear at Target, this by itself is $28 USD which isn't too pricey. It's actually a lot larger than I expected and it's super comfortable. I stock is simple and fits very nicely and the grip is very well molded. I really like the detail that went into the shell on this blaster. The grip is textured like alligator skin and wrapped up in faux athletic tape and there's tally numbers crudely molded into the side of the blaster like someone carved how many kills in with a blade. The blue I could do without but it's nowhere near as obnoxiously fluorescent as it was in the older pictures.

Loading this thing is very simple, just press on the release tab and "break" the blaster in half to prime it, then load your shell in and fire. It primes exactly like a Barrel Break but this one is much easier to prime due to a different mechanism used. Nerf definitely did address Buzz Bee's Double Shot's notable flaw with ejecting shells often causing people to loose them, as result there is no shell ejection and the blaster just ejects it slightly out  so you can pick take it out easily. The stock actually holds the shells in securely using locking tabs so they won't ever fall out which is really nice.

 I don't have exact ranges for this blaster but I estimate it's hitting around 40 to 50 feet with plenty of force and a definite spread which makes the shotgun nature of this blaster that much more deadly. And firing it there is this deep thud so it has a nice strong spring and a good seal. Speaking of seals, there is in fact a rubber seal around the rim of the air restrictors so the plunger to shell seal is great as well. 

I can't be for sure since I didn't open mine but the internals are laid out in a way similar to the Hammershot. I can't really tell if the spring is running through the grip or not but like I said the spring has makes a nice thud so it is probably a good spring in it.

Overall this is very cool and fun blaster. I recommend to pick this one up as a good secondary. For Nerf's first attempt at a shell fed shotgun this is a great blaster and I give the Sledgefire a solid 10 out of 10 for creativity, power, and just overall fun.

The Verdict
Class- Break Action Shotgun

Range- Great, 50 feet with a spread.

Size- About the size of a Retaliator.

Reliability- It can't jam but just don't lose the shells.

RoF- Depends on how fast you can load and fire it.

Ammo- 3 Elite Darts per Shell, 3 Shells.

Modding- Definite potential, can be singled with some nasty potential.
Value- At $28, its a decently valued close quarters weapon, although other may be more practical.

Is It Better Than?

Doubleshot- Yes, the Doubleshot is an absolute piece of shit compared to the Sledgefire. The only innovation this thing had was it was the first break open type blaster on the market and the first to use shells but it fails to use either with an good effectiveness.

Barrel Break IX-2- Yes, the Barrel Break did it better than the Doubleshot by having no shells which is an advantage in itself over the Sledgefire and is more compact, another win. But this blaster lacks power and will get outgunned by the Rough Cut or the Sledgefire easily.

Rough Cut 2x4- Depends, the 2x4 is a great blaster by any means and it holds some advantages over the Sledgefire by being more compact, better ammo capacity and loading speeds, and slightly better ranges. I've had issues with my 2x4 ejecting darts randomly in the middle of firing so that's a downer.

Blastfire DX-500- Depends, this is one of Nerf's most famous blasters for perfecting the semi auto system and being powerful. Ammo capacity and reloading is a downside but the advantage this has is that it can switch between shotgun and semi auto, something the Sledgefire just can't do.