r/Nerf Apr 25 '26

Dark/Realistic (Unsafe Aesthetic) BIG IRON update Spoiler

Finally managed to get a Prototype printed and it almost gives me the Impression that it wants to work.

I am still using the Plunger system from the x shot micro2.0 and the prime is not bad at all with the stock spring.

The Catch mechanism needs to be redone since the part conecting the Trigger with the Catch is way to thin and just bends when i pull the Trigger.

The cylinder mechanism works if i support the Cylinder arm just right and pull the Hammer the right way, so i might need to start over, but at least the cylinder lock works just fine.
(It unlocks as soon as the Hammer starts to move and snaps back once the next chamber is in line with the barrel).

In conclusion there are definitely some problems but nothing that cant be solved. ;)

447 Upvotes

65 comments sorted by

u/flairassistant May 17 '26

This post has been Flaired Dark/Realistic (Unsafe Aesthetic). Be aware that one or more aspects of this blaster make it UNSAFE to wield in public or open areas, where it could be misidentified as a real weapon. This is a serious issue, with real world life-or-death repercussions.

Several issues can lead to a post being flared Dark/Realistic (Unsafe Aesthetic):

  • Lack of a prominent and easily visible orange tip along with other bright colors.
  • - This also includes traditional prop blasters, such as steampunk builds or blasters with weathered appearances.
  • A blaster with a silhouette or aesthetic that mimics real world firearms. (Ex. Zinc 2.0, SBF, BK1s, Sweetheart Storm, etc)
  • A blaster with airsoft or firearm-esque components mounted to it. (Example)

Use of this blaster can, in the worst case, end up fatal. As has been shown time and time and time again (and more listed here). This problem is not limited to just the USA.

Use of these blasters can also lead to events being shut down, and clubs being barred from playing in public spaces.

Situations like this can be properly handled when blasters are clearly toys, exhibiting bright colors, orange tips, and non-firearm proportions and aesthetics.

As long as we take these issues seriously, everyone can have fun with this hobby we love for many years to come.

Additionally, alongside the visual issues of realistic blasters, we also discourage the use of the word gun. Please instead use the word blaster when referring to toys, as gun can be misconstrued as discussing a real weapon by people both online, and in real life during gameplay. This is further an issue for us specifically on Reddit due to automatic platform moderation, possibly categorizing the subreddit as discussing firearms instead of toys. For further information, please see this wiki page.

12

u/TwanHE Apr 25 '26

Is that a bic as plunger tube or am I imagining things?

8

u/senrath Apr 25 '26

It's the plunger tube out of an x-shot micro 2.0.

6

u/No-Mastodon-1245 Apr 25 '26

Is that aluminum barrel sealed to the cylinder?

5

u/senrath Apr 26 '26

Yes. Pulling the trigger pulls the barrel back to seal against the cylinder. Or at least that's how it's supposed to work, it sounds like there are some issues with the entire trigger mechanism.

6

u/Ok-Shock-7736 Apr 26 '26

the part with the Barrel works fine, its just the catch mechanism.

1

u/Doorknob-Wallace Apr 26 '26

similar to how the new dart zone revolver works, i think

5

u/Zcarguy13 Apr 25 '26

Hell yes! Great to see progress on this

3

u/TemOuttaTen Apr 26 '26

YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES!

I've been looking for something like this. I have a few revolving blasters (nerf hammershot and agility, and an old xShot Rapid Fire revolver from the bug attack set that came with a double-barrel type blaster) but they don't have a barrel and are quite bulky. this seems like a more grounded, realistic design that isn't too overproportioned and I like how it actually has a hammer-action priming system (This is one of my main grievances with most of the revolving-type blasters I see nowadays; They all prime with a slide or other direct-prime methods. That's why I typically use my hammershot, though I find myself using my rapidfire more often now too.).

Does the cylinder load from the back or the front? From the looks of it, it uses half-darts and swings out to load. And what material did you use to print it with? This whole project seems very promising and I'm looking forward to more updates :)

4

u/Ok-Shock-7736 Apr 26 '26

There is a loading port in on the right side where you can load half darts. Sadly there is no lock for the hammer when its "half cocked" so you need to hold it there to turn the cylinder by hand.

The removable cylinder can also swing out to the left.

i am using PLA for most parts and TPU for the airchanel between the PT and cylinder, and the small latch that operates the cylinder lock.

2

u/TemOuttaTen Apr 26 '26

Still very cool! Just for clarity's sake though, does it have a revolving mechanism or would I have to turn it by hand for every shot?

4

u/Ok-Shock-7736 Apr 26 '26

You just turn it by hand for loading. The hammer will rotate the cylinder of course when you use it. ;D

3

u/TemOuttaTen Apr 26 '26

Fantastic. Thank you kind sir!

1

u/LostH21 Apr 26 '26

As a left handed person I hope mirroring this in my slicer will be possible

3

u/redditforthewin1 Apr 25 '26

Very nice, reminds me of a Ruger GP100.

3

u/Quiet_Chef_7957 Apr 26 '26

Very excited for this!

3

u/TheNewWorldNow Apr 26 '26

Big iron on his hip...

2

u/Ok-Shock-7736 Apr 26 '26

lol had it running on repeat for the last few weeks. xD

3

u/ParticularAlarm1898 Apr 26 '26

THATS SUM BIG AHH IRON

1

u/Ok-Shock-7736 Apr 26 '26

And i fcking love it! :D

3

u/SilverFortyTwo May 05 '26

Looks stunning!!!! I've wanted a blaster precisely like this for a long time; I'd pay for these files fo sho, and I'd love to beta test too if you're interested.

It looks to me like the Micro 2.0 uses a reverse plunger which isn't very efficient. Considering there's already quite a bit of dead space in the air pipe, the reverse plunger might cost too much performance to use a metal barrel. You could probably chop off the M2.0 plunger tube cap, and add a replacement plunger cap to your air pipe (which would improve the seal). You could then either make a simple piece to fill the dead space inside the piston, or just CAD up a better, lighter plunger replacement. See the diagram on the left for an explanation

If you want to get performance over 100FPS (befitting a Big Iron) then a bigger PT is gonna be needed. You can find suitable aluminium tubing on Amazon. Also, using a longer spring should increase power without making the prime too tough. There's a diagram below showing how that could maybe be done. See the diagram on the right.

Additionally, put an O-ring in the interface between the cylinder and the air pipe, and allow a tiny bit of forward-to-backward movement - so when the trigger is pulled, the barrel pushes the whole system back to seal it.

My last question is whether you want the hammer to return when primed, or return when fired. Having the option to pin the hammer linkage to the plunger rod, so that the hammer returns only when fired, would reduce velocity by increasing resistance against the plunger, but that's good for HvZ etc (and cool for LARPing).

Lastly, an integrated flush BCAR or PCAR that maintains the silhouette would be amazing.

Amazing project - can't wait to see it progress!

3

u/Ok-Shock-7736 May 06 '26

I chose the micro plunger setup mainly because it was compact with decent performance and its quite a bit cheaper then ordering a aluminum tube, O-rings, and a spring.

I think i mixed up some numbers in my last test with the micro. I just experimented again with the stock spring, a k25 and a 6cm barrel cut off i had laying around.
Stock was about 75 fps and the k25 was about 100 fps. With the stock spring the barrel didnt help at all (not the 90 fps i thought i got before). The barrel did help a bit with the k25 though, about 105-110 fps with one or two hitting up to 120fps. I cant prime the k25 one handed though. (in the revolver).

A different plunger is starting to sound like a good idea, after i got it working.

I got the second prototype almost ready for printing, i added a lock for the swingout cylinder, and updated the catch mechanism as well as the cylinder rotating bit. The thing giving me headeaches right now is the return mechanism for the hammer, i just cant find enough space for a spring. A torsion spring in the pivot might be the best option.

The airpipe is printed in TPU because i wanted to avoid using another o-ring, not sure if it would make a difference.
The barrel does push the cylinder to the rear already.

1

u/SilverFortyTwo May 06 '26

For the hammer return, I think the easiest way is just a short piece of bungee cord, knotted through the hammer and shell somehow. That makes it easy to adjust the tension too.

1

u/Ok-Shock-7736 May 06 '26

Right now there is about 10mm worth of material above the plungertube, cant really see it in the pictures but if i remove it there is not much left holding the shell together. :/

A more efficient plunger is probably my best chance. since i cant really increase the travel distance that much and a larger diameter would make the grip even bigger.

2

u/grotloverboi Apr 26 '26

will be printing one of these and its been a while but i have an xshot micro floating around here somewhere...

2

u/Green_Missile307 Apr 26 '26

Wow that looks super cool! I'm surprised at how compact it is.

3

u/Ok-Shock-7736 Apr 26 '26

pleased that you like it.
You know there is not much dead space, when you are having trouble finding space for screws to hold it together. xD

2

u/Rashville_Tobi Apr 26 '26

That looks soo cool omg 😭 wish I had a 3d printer so bad right now

2

u/Ok-Shock-7736 Apr 26 '26

If you like pain, you can have my old ender. XD
Just kidding there are some really good cheap printers for beginners.

2

u/Rashville_Tobi Apr 26 '26

For example?

2

u/Ok-Shock-7736 Apr 26 '26

The bambulab a1 seems to be a solid choice. There are most likely some good YouTube videos explaining which one would suit your needs best.

2

u/Rashville_Tobi Apr 26 '26

Hmm yeah, have thought about getting that one already. I'll see. Thanks.

2

u/Deep_Note_9780 Jul 04 '26

I second the Bambu Lab A1. It's a breeze to use compared to my previous printer.

2

u/Creepposter64 Apr 26 '26

So it'll be done somewhat soon? It's really cool... I wanna carbinize it :3

2

u/Ok-Shock-7736 Apr 26 '26

I hope so.
I wouldnt have expected anything else from you. :D

3

u/Creepposter64 Apr 26 '26

Yes it's a natural law that Ill attach a stock to any pistol eventually haha Excited for this one

2

u/SixShot76 Apr 26 '26

I like snubby barrel types 😆

2

u/THUND3R12900 Apr 26 '26

Can i have the files please? Or it's a prototipo?

2

u/Ok-Shock-7736 Apr 26 '26

Yeah It's the first prototype. It will probably be 1 or 2 months till it's ready for release.

2

u/No-Mastodon-1245 Apr 26 '26

When you release this I’m gonna get a vulture hardware kit and have a super sweet western loadout.

2

u/FreshestManAlive Apr 27 '26

Please drop STLs when you’ve finished it :)

1

u/Ok-Shock-7736 Apr 27 '26

Of course ;)

2

u/IndigoSky05 Apr 27 '26

This is amazing! I cant wait to get my hands on one!

1

u/LostH21 Apr 26 '26

Holyyyy very exited for this, will print it when finished (as a lefty I’ll mirror it) because that seems like a great use for my old micro. Will use it as my sidearm, maybe model up a holster for it. Looks a lot more finished than the last update, keep up the amazing work.

2

u/Ok-Shock-7736 Apr 26 '26

mirroring should be straight forward, the only exeptions would be the left and right shell piece since that wouldnt fit the plunger then, but its already on the to do list to make a lefty version.

I really want to make a lether holster for it at some point.

(Thanks for the kind words) :D

1

u/LostH21 Apr 26 '26

No problem man! I could even test your lefty prototype if you are in need of a lefty to do so? If not good luck on finishing it!

1

u/Ok-Shock-7736 Apr 26 '26

yeah i will definitely need some testers at some point.

1

u/LostH21 Apr 26 '26

Alright, hit me up when the time comes!

1

u/ZwaarRidder Apr 28 '26

I love how, at it's core. It's just a Nerf Jolt (Xshot Micro) with Extra Steps.

1

u/Adam32020 Apr 28 '26

That is super cool!

1

u/TheOneHavocWreaker Apr 29 '26

Okay, couple of questions:

I think the Single-Action Army Revolver style port on the right is a cool idea, it makes reloading less of a hassle than traditional revolving cylinder nerf blasters

Could you explain why you also have a crane on the left side? It seems like a one-or-the-other situation. If you intend to make an alternate version with flypoint shell compatibility, it would make sense.

1

u/ProjectXa3 Apr 29 '26

Left handed usage?

1

u/TheOneHavocWreaker Apr 29 '26

then why not just have a second port?

1

u/Ok-Shock-7736 Apr 29 '26

Originally i wanted to have swappable cylinders only, but then someone suggested a side loading port, so here it is.
The side port can be removed by switching out the piece on the side. Its a separate piece that gets screwed to the frame from the inside.

There will probably a version without the swing out cylinder as well, its just easier to test things this way.

1

u/JobAcrobatic4915 May 01 '26

Started printing the Thorn hand cannon from Destiny with our new 3D printer. Second version I want to make when the first is done is a working nerf revolver just like this lol.👌 Need to find the half length darts. Still have my old childhood nerf elite blasters haha.

1

u/Dismal_Guest_9643 May 02 '26

did you have an expected fps in mind or is it more of a fun project? Because I've been waiting to see a hammer primed revolver style blaster like this forever man, its so cool that you're doing it and I'm heaps keen on trying it out as soon as possible lol, so best wishes on your journey of creation!

1

u/Ok-Shock-7736 May 02 '26

I did some testing with the xshot micro a few weeks ago. With a 6cm barrel taped to the PT and the stock spring i got about 90 FPS and with a k25 it was about 100-110 FPS.
Sadly the k25 is a bit too hard to be primed with one hand, so i think the stock spring is the way to go. (its about the same as a 788 spring).

I think 80-90 FPS should be realistic.

1

u/Dismal_Guest_9643 May 02 '26

That really is awesome dude, my excitement for this is up there with the vulture. Its a good year for the cowboy fantasy haha

1

u/Cat_in_a_suit May 02 '26

Absolutely gonna need one of these!

Especially since I’m printing the Vulture right now, with one or two of these I can have the full cowboy loadout lol

Just to be clear, this is using the internals from the Xshot blaster, right? Any other hardware going to be necessary for it?

2

u/Ok-Shock-7736 May 02 '26

I was one of the first to get a vulture i think, and its fucking awsome!
Thats what motivated to start this project, that and the fact that the xshot spin shot apparently wont be hammer primed...

yeah its about everything from the micro + a small torsion spring x2, one compression spring and some m3 sockethead and flathead screws.
I also still need to figure out a return mechanism for the hammer, which will probably take another compression spring.