Nerfers and Nerf Modders have gotten some (arguably) bad press lately, and the reaction has been, for the most part, “That’s what you get for talking to the press.”  This is a sentiment that I can totally get behind.  However, the attitude that certain people have expressed compels me to remind everyone that it’s not us that are doing something wrong, it’s the media.

Unfortunately for our community, the press has everything to gain by pandering to outraged parents, and nothing to loose by upsetting outraged nerfers. For that reason alone you should never do anything to entice anyone from the mainstream media to focus on your nerf war, or your modifications, or your website.  They will find the one one thing which, when taken out of context, can leave you with your pants down.

At the same time it’s important to remember that we really haven’t got anything to hide.  Anyone who looks at that CBS piece with a critical eye will see that a caring mother took time out of her day to express to that reporter how proud she is of a son who’s taking part in a really great hobby.  As futile an effort as that may have been, I think it’s far more telling than any youtube video of some moronic teenager doing something irresponsible in their basement.  So if you came to this site or to NerfHaven looking for more dirt on the evil scourge of Nerf Modification, feel free to take a look around.  All you’ll find is a tight community of people who are involved in a hobby that’s about half as dangerous as high school football, with about ten times the benefit. (more…)

Update – 1/5/11 – Photos of the new proof of concept at the bottom of this post.

I’ve been trying to put together a catch mechanism that can sit behind the spring, like the rainbow, so that I can make a pumpsnap where the pump doesn’t have to stick out in front of the gun. I had some ideas about using a 1/2″ flat endcap as a catch plate, but a post from PVC Arsenal 17 got me thinking about using a simple clothespin trigger on the plunger rod itself, and just using narrower pipe behind the spring to eliminate the space in between, to prevent the pin from being able to wiggle free. What I came up with is surprisingly simple.

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