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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.
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, in June 2022 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.
Prices and availability last checked: 2 August 2022.
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Our tests found big differences in how far the toy guns could fire, how prone they were to jamming, how easy they were to reload, and how fun kids and adults found them to play with.
Cheapest price: £22.99 at Very , Amazon , Smyths Toys , also available at Argos , Robert Dyas .
Size and weight: 30.4 x 67.3 x 7.9cm (HxWxD), 898g
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Cheapest price: £8.99 at Amazon , also available at Smyths Toys , Very
Size and weight: 24.1 x 36.2 x 6.7cm (HxWxD), 550g
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Cheapest price: £20 at Argos , also available at Amazon , Smyths Toys (out of stock).
Size and weight: 26 x 76.2 x 6.7cm (HxWxD), 1,400g
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Cheapest price: £29.99 at Amazon , Smyths Toys , also available at The Toy Shop , Very
Size and weight: 27.9 x 55.9 x 7.9cm (HxWxD), 1,200g
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Cheapest price: £19.99 at Amazon , Smyths Toys , also available at Robert Dyas , The Toy Shop
Size and weight: 22.9 x 35.6 x 8.1cm (HxWxD), 640g
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Cheapest price: £39.99 at Amazon , Smyths Toys (out of stock), also available at Hamleys , The Toy Shop , Very
Size and weight: 33 x 61 x 8.1cm (HxWxD), 490g
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Cheapest price: £7.95 at Amazon , also available at Argos (out of stock)
Size and weight: 18 x 50 x 18cm (HxWxD), 702g
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Cheapest price: £24.99 at Smyths Toys (out of stock), also available at Amazon , The Toy Shop
Size and weight: 40.6 x 29.8 x 6.6cm (HxWxD), 1,670g
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Cheapest price: £12.80 at Amazon , The Toy Shop , also available at Smyths Toys
Size and weight: 24 x 60 x 6cm (HxWxD), 630g
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Cheapest price: £19.99 at Hamleys , also available at Amazon , Smyths Toys (out of stock)
Size and weight: 40 x 80 x 8cm (HxWxD), 2,190g
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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.
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