Hello readers! The first thing I have to say is: the Stampede is AWESOME. I have finally received my boxed set and have to admit it is a fine nerf gun. First of all, the contents of my boxed set:
- Nerf Stampede ECS
- Three 18-Dart Magazines
- One 6-Dart Magazine
- Tactical Shield
- Clip-On Foregrip/Bipod
- 60 Streamline Darts
- Instruction Manual
That includes everything in a boxed set. The Stampede itself takes 6 D Cell Batteries, so it tends to be more than just a bit heavy in the stock. You need a relatively small Phillips head screwdriver to open the two screws on the end of the stock. The "Safety" (on/off switch) is located on the left side of the blaster and is in the top "off" position. It is a good idea to keep it in that "off" position until you need to fire, at which point the switch needs to be pushed down into the "on" position in order to fire. The on/off switch is only built into the left side of the blaster, so lefties might have a hard time quickly switching on the blaster. Firing is relatively simple as all you need to do is insert a magazine(s) into the magazine slot and pull the trigger. You may fire however many shots you like simply by pulling the trigger. Full-auto, semi-auto, and bursts may be fired by holding down the trigger, pulling the trigger until one dart has fired, then releasing it, and holding down the trigger until a designated amount of darts has fired, respectively. To release a magazine, first turn off the blaster, then pull on of the two small clip-release projections in front of the trigger toward you, while simultaneously pulling the magazine out of the blaster. Aiming may be achieved by looking through the top handle, which has a hole in the back that you can look through to the front of the blaster, which has another sight projection. When you line up the back sight with the front one, you have a nifty little iron sight. The heaviness of the D cell batteries makes one-handed firing difficult unless braced using the front bipod which folds up into its own handle for storage. The handle is sturdy and well made, and so far it has only popped out when I have pressed the release button, located on the top. It has also never popped off the tactical rail unless I have pulled it off on purpose. The gun also has six tactical rails which are compatible with any and all n-strike accessories. The rails are solid and very well made. The blaster also has four attachment rings for a shoulder strap: two on the back of the shoulder stock, one on the top, one on the bottom. The two others are built into the forward side and lower forward tactical rail. The jam door is sliding and built into the top of the blaster. The jam door is perforated on top, so I covered the holes with Scotch tape to prevent any rain penetration. The handle also has a bar that connects the bottom of the handle with the middle of the stock. Presumably this feature is to provide extra support to the heavy D cell-battery-laden stock. The nerf gun, when fully loaded with attachments and D batteries, weighs around seven pounds. The six-dart clip is just a generic clip that hold six darts and is good for sniping, which brings us to average ranges. The average range of the Stampede, Parallel to Ground, is thirty feet, while I have reached forty-one feet when holding the gun at a thirty-five degree slant. This ranges are most likely due to the direct plunger system used, which is renowned for its ranges. Of course, the ranges degrade over time, but luckily this can be fixed by a simple addition of new D batteries, which will get those ranges back up in no time. The eighteen-dart clips are a blessing, as with a RoF of three darts per second, the magazines empty fast. These new mags jam much less often than drums, although with old darts (1 year mild use) this may change. All types of nerf clips and drums work with the Stampede, including the standard clips, 18 dart clips, mini 18 dart drums, and 35 dart Raider drum (drums are sold separately). Eighteen dart clips work with the bipod extended, but the bipod works best with standard clips and drums, which may be bigger but are shorter than the mags. The gun is durable, but I would recommend not using it in sandy or watery conditions as this may hurt the blaster, although it can survived drops from heights of four feet or less. However, multiple drops are not good for the blaster and strongly advised against. If your gun does not fire, make sure the jam door is closed and there is a magazine in the blaster, because the Stampede will not fire without a magazine or with the jam door partially or fully open. If the gun still refuses to shoot, check the batteries, or lack thereof. Lastly, be cautious when modding springs or air restrictors, because what may be okay for a manual blaster may not be good for an automatic powered my servos.
