Blee's DECREE
What’s in a name? A Longshot by any other name would shoot just as straight. So who cares if it’s not Elite internally? The paint job is super sweet and a bonafide Elite paint job if ever I’ve seen one. Pop open the hood, sneak a peak, and then drop in an Orange Mod Works or OzNerfNerd mod kit and you’re good to go. That right there brings the Longshot into Elite class power and range. But that’s also just the tip of the iceberg on what you can do with a healthy modding imagination and a basic tinkerers mind. If those aspects appeal to you, or if you’re just a collector or completionist, or if it’s for a kid who plays a lot indoors or in small yards — I wholeheartedly recommend a purchase of this blaster! I gave it around a 3.6 – 4.0 in my review, but that’s just the stock blaster. With the right mods, the Longshot easily becomes a 4.5 – 5.0 blaster.
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Nerf Nation! After many years, Nerf has given us, the members of the NIC, what we’ve been asking for (kind of)! Introducing the…
Nerf Longshot CS-6 (Elite)
For years, we’ve been asking Nerf for an Elite Longshot upgrade. And for years there was nothing. Some people resorted to making their own version of an Elite Longshot. Others just dealt with the old flavors of Longshot blaster and modded and/or threw mod kits inside that old Longshot shell. Well, Nerf Nation, I’m here to tell you that Nerf has finally (sort of) delivered! Here today, we will be taking a look at the brand new “Elite” Nerf Longshot CS-6!
As always, if you’re the TL;DR type, you can click the video link at the top of the page and watch a video review of the Elite Nerf Longshot CS-6 on my YouTube channel.
Elite Nerf Longshot CS-6 Blaster Naming Conventions.:
When I first heard the name of the Nerf Longshot CS-6, Elite or otherwise, a couple of things ran through my head. Is it called the Longshot because of how “long” the blaster is, or is the name supposed to reference how far the blaster can shoot? Both? When the Nerf Longshot CS-6 first came out, it was the most powerful stock blaster on the lineup, which was composed of the original yellow N-Strike line of blasters. So it could be either way.
In advertising and even on the box, Nerf pointed out that it was “the longest Nerf blaster,” so I suppose the naming convention is evident in this case. No matter the origin of the name, though, it sounds cool and I definitely approve.
The Elite Nerf Longshot CS-6, Inside and Out.:
Usually, I’d take my own blaster apart and show you how it looks inside, but — I really don’t feel like prying my bolt off and disassembling my own Nerf Longshot CS-6 right now. I’ll save that for when I release my Nerf Longshot CS-6 Mod Guide. Besides, I couldn’t have taken a better picture than the one up above, which is color coded and perfectly labeled. Photo credit goes to CaptainSlug from NerfHaven.
Nerf Longshot CS-6 — Elite Design.:
This is functionally the same Longshot that we all know and love, but — It has never looked like this before. It has never looked this good before! Unlike the recent ZED Squad Longshot CS-12 that was released recently, the Elite Longshot CS-6 comes with a fully functional bipod and the entire Longshot Front Gun blaster barrel attachment.
This, to me, is the best looking paint job that the Nerf Longshot CS-6 has ever seen. Sporting the classic Elite blues, with the signature white stripe and the orange and dark gray accents? Pure brilliance. I love it! Other than the new color scheme, this Longshot is very much the same as before, with its extra large, battle rifle-esque design. All good stuff here!
Outside of the looks of this blaster, the feel of it is very good. It has one of the most comfortable pistol grip handles that I’ve ever had the pleasure of holding. The bolt-action is super fun to use and it’s a very cool and comfortable method of priming the blaster. The bipod, while fully functional, is best for me when it’s folded up. In this position, it makes a great hand rest to hold the blaster with your lead hand. Good things.
Nerf Longshot CS-6 — Elite Performance?:
Here’s where things get a little dicey. The Nerf “Elite” Longshot is really just the same old Nerf Longshot CS-6 underneath. This is not an Elite blaster, it is an original N-Strike blaster in Elite paint. It looks really great, but the performance is not up to par with what we have today. The rate of fire is pretty good, but that’s where it ends. The range and power of this blaster can not compare at all with the offerings of today.
This Elite Nerf Longshot CS-6 managed to hit ranges of 35 to 40 feet pretty reliably. But when compared to actual Elite blasters, that 40 feet is about twenty feet short. This is just the Longshot by itself, without the Front Gun. When adding the Front Gun to the Longshot, ranges decrease even further. Shooting from the Front Gun? Your enemy will just laugh. The Front Gun sees ranges in the mid-20’s. But, that’s stock. If you mod this blaster, things will be very different. More on that later.
For now, we’ll just go over how the Nerf Longshot CS-6 functions. It is a bolt-action, spring powered, direct plunger based blaster. To fire the Longshot, first pull back on the bolt handle. Hit the little orange button under the bolt and in front of the trigger. This button sits just behind the magwell and serves as a mag release button. Remove your magazine and load it with ammo.
The Longshot comes with a single 6 round magazine. Load it with 6 Elite Darts and reinsert the magazine into the magwell. Push the bolt back to the forward position. You are now primed and ready to shoot! You can check the priming indicator on the back of the top tactical rail. If it’s red, that means you’re primed and ready. To fire again, repeat the full motion of pulling back the bolt handle and pushing it back forward. You must do this each time you want to fire.
For the front gun, just load a single dart into the front of the muzzle. Pull the pump grip back and then let go. You can push it back forward if you want, but it has a return spring, so you don’t have to do that. Pull the trigger to fire. That’s it.
Elite Nerf Longshot CS-6: Final Thoughts…
This blaster is a winner on several different fronts. Namely, the aesthetics and ergonomics. That is, the look and feel of the blaster. Both are phenomenal. The design of the Nerf Longshot CS-6 has always been one of my favorites and, like I said, it has never looked better. The beautiful blue, white, orange, and dark gray go perfectly together to form something that formerly only existed in the backs of our minds.: an Elite Longshot.
The shoulder stock, when fully extended, is among the best of all Nerf shoulder stocks. The large butt of the stock and the overall length are great for bigger Nerfers. The bolt action priming is just a really cool way to operate the blaster, and we haven’t been seeing too many bolt-action blasters these days. Back then, there was the Vulcan, the Longstrike, and of course the Longshot.
The bipod, when folded up, makes for an excellent hand rest area — this is noticeably missing from the recent Zombie Strike Longshot. The carry handle, the bipod, the barrel shroud design with the faux air vent holes, the scope — just everything about this blaster screams tacticool dream. It’s no wonder the Nerf Longshot CS-6 is frequently used in low budget sci-fi films, this blaster looks too cool!
Beyond the looks, this blaster suffers from mediocre, mid-2000’s, original yellow N-Strike performance. But, there’s another saving grace for the Longshot: It’s a modders dream. With a huge, massive plunger tube, and a lot of easy fixes and simple modifications to be done, coupled with the fact that the blaster body is roomy and a joy to work with — It’s no wonder the Nerf Longshot CS-6 is one of the favored blasters in the NIC modding community.
There are so many modding ideas already out there and so many that we probably haven’t even thought of yet. There are so many custom 3D printed parts and whole mod kits available to purchase to do an easy drop-in install and bring this blaster up to the times. So, if you go into this purchase looking to experiment and have some fun with one of the most modded blasters out there, then by all means buy this blaster!
If you’ve been wanting to get into modding, this is a great place to start. If you want to add an iconic, classic blaster to your Nerf collection, then buy this blaster! The Nerf Longshot CS-6 has my full recommendation for a purchase if you go into it knowing the things that I’ve outlined in this review. So, have fun, my friends. Longshot and carry on. And most importantly, remember to… Stay Nerfy.
Featured MOD
Look at this epic Punisher themed Nerf Longshot CS-6 kit with included long barrel, scope, and more! This mod was done by AlTheGeek over on Etsy.com. Click either of the pics to visit his Etsy Shop where you can find this blaster and some of his other mods!
Don’t forget to check out my YouTube video review so you can savour all of the little details and see the Nerf Longshot CS-6 in action! Also, subscribe while you’re there. Seriously, you better do it. Please? lol
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