You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you just might find… You get what you need! And if you bought the recent Nerf Elite Longshot re-release, what you need is this mod guide!

Elite Nerf Longshot Mod Guide

Well, Nerf Nation, we got what we asked for. (But not really.) Nerf finally made a Nerf “Elite” Longshot, but it was Elite only in coloring. If you read my review of the blaster, you would know that the guts of this blaster were still circa 2006 N-Strike internals. So, here today, I’m going to rectify certain inequities. Nerf has given us another Nerf Longshot, so I’m going to give you another Nerf Longshot Mod Guide!

What’s in the Box?!

For this Nerf Longshot mod guide, I’ve opted to use a couple of kits from modding company Orange Mod Works. I’ve had great experiences with their products in the past and so I had no problems using them again. (It also helped that they sent me these kits for free to bring this review to you guys. Thanks Orange Mod Works!)

Pictured up above is the Orange Mod Works Unleashed Solid Stage 1 Kit for the Nerf Longshot. I’ll also be installing Stage 2, which is pictured down below. The Stage 1 kit includes a new, beefy 8KG spring, a reinforced plunger retention cap, a tougher trigger catch, and stronger catch springs. The Stage 2 kit comes with an all metal trigger, an entire new bolt sled, a new plunger rod and plunger head. It also comes with a new O-Ring, trigger spring, plunger screw, and white lithium grease for lubrication. Check it out.:

Although this Nerf Longshot Mod Guide is for the more recent, Elite blue colored Longshot, you can use these kits with all existing models of the Nerf Longshot CS-6. (That includes the ZED Squad Longshot from the Nerf Zombie Strike series, too.)

Installing the Orange Mod Works Nerf Longshot Unleashed Solid Kits:

Okay, so if you’re following along, you’ve already unboxed the OMW mod kits. Now it’s time for you to unbox the Longshot itself. But, what kind of Nerf Longshot mod guide would this be if I didn’t help you out with that? Click the video above or continue reading down below. Let’s gooooooo, baby!

Required Tools.:

So if you watch my Nerf Longshot mod guide video on YouTube, you’ll see at the beginning that I say you’ll only need a single little screwdriver. That, of course, is a total lie.

In addition to a Phillips head screwdriver(or two), you’ll also need a claw hammer, a pair of needle nose pliers, and optionally, a Dremel. Depending on which Longshot you have, you may need hot glue or epoxy putty to seal up the air release hole on the breech. I’ll be skipping this step, as my Elite Longshot didn’t have any air holes in the breech whatsoever.

Nerf Longshot Mod Guide Begin!

Removing the Bolt Handle.

First of all in this Nerf Longshot mod guide, we have to remove the bolt handles. The bolt handle is the what you use to prime the blaster. You can see the orange bolt handles protruding from either side of the blaster. Slip the claw end of a hammer underneath one of the bolt handles and pry the bolt apart. Be careful here, as you don’t want to damage your blaster. It should come apart fairly easily, though.

Unscrewing the Blaster.

Next, it’s time to unscrew the blaster. To separate the blaster shell, we must first remove the Nerf Longshot’s adjustable shoulder stock. So start there. Remove the six screws using a small to medium Philips head screwdriver. Make sure to keep the screws in a safe location so you don’t lose them. I like to keep mine inside the screw holes in the shell.

Now it’s time to remove all of the remaining screws in the blaster shell. Make sure you fold out the Longshot’s built-in bipod legs, because there are a few hidden screws underneath them. Take note that some of the screws are different sizes, so make sure you know what goes where. Again, I like to keep them in their respective screw holes in the blaster shell.

Once you’ve removed all of the screws, you’re ready to separate the shell halves. Simply lift it open and it should separate into two pieces. If you’re met with any resistance, try wiggling it a little. If it still won’t open, go back and make sure you haven’t missed any screws. When leaving the screws inside the shell, the screws can rethread and lock back into place.

Nerf Longshot Internals.

This is what it should look like after you open it up. You can see all of the classic Longshot internals. If you’ve ever seen or read a Nerf Longshot mod guide before, this should look pretty familiar.

If you haven’t, I’ll throw in this old color coded diagram from NerfHaven. It was made by user CaptainSlug and shows every intricate detail of the Longshot internals. This one is of a Midnight Series Longshot, but they’re all the same on the inside.

Stripping the Shell.

“The time has come,” the Modder said, “to toss out many things.: Out triggers – and catches – and plunger rods – out bolt sleds and springs.” A little Nerf Longshot Mod Guide poetry!

This, of course, is a fancy way of saying “rip out all of the internals and toss them aside.” Seriously. These two Orange Mod Works mod kits have a replacement piece for almost every single component in the Longshot.

If you’ve been following along with the Nerf Longshot mod guide, this is what the Longshot should look like by the time you’re done removing everything. The only thing you should leave inside is the barrel, the mag release, and the prime indicator. Remove everything else and toss it over your shoulder for good luck.

Except the Plunger Tube and Bolt Sled. Don’t throw those pieces away, we still need them! Just unscrew the 2 silver screws here and remove the plunger rod.

There she is. The good old Longshot plunger rod. Only it’s not good, just old. Toss it in the garbage bin. Now. This Nerf Longshot Mod Guide holds no bars. Seriously. If you bought Stage 1 and Stage 2 from Orange Mod Works, you have a replacement piece for everything here. So just toss it. Mmkay? Thanks. (I’m kidding. Save it for future projects.)

AR Removal.

This next part is pretty optional. It’s a standard mod when dealing with Longshots and if you’ve seen a Nerf Longshot mod guide before, I’m sure you’re at least somewhat familiar with how to do it. I use my Dremel 4000 here and cut out 3 pegs on the back of the air restrictor. It then simply falls right out.

If you need specific instruction on how to complete this step, you can check out my video review on the subject.

Dismantling the Bolt Sled.

This is the breech/bolt assembly and bolt sled. The Orange Mod Works mod kit comes with a replacement bolt sled, so we can throw this one away. There’s only one problem. The bolt sled is directly attached to the breech! It’s held together by a single metal rod. So grab a small screwdriver and a hammer, because… It’s hammer time!

Basically, you want to hammer the small metal rod out all the way. Once you hammer it out halfway or more, you can grab it with some needle nose pliers and pull it the rest of the way out. Once it’s out, chuck the bolt sled to the side. We don’t need it any more. Just make sure to save that little metal rod.

What you want to do is refit the new reinforced OMW bolt sled back into the same position the original sled was. Fit it back into place and then hammer the metal rod back in. Make sure you put the smooth end of the rod back in first and hammer it from that side. The other side is rough and is meant to friction fit and hold it firmly in place when fully installed.

A New Plunger Rod.

Remember when I told you to throw the entire plunger rod assembly into the trash? This is why. In this Nerf Longshot Mod Guide, we’re completely replacing it. Here we have the new plunger rod, but it’s in pieces. We have to put it together ourselves. Grab the plunger rod and slide on the plunger retention cap. Slide it all the way on until it can’t go any further.

Next, slide on your beefy new mainspring. It’s a bit longer than the plunger rod, so you’ll have to compress the spring and hold it down while you complete the next step. While holding the spring down, you have to grab the new plunger head and screw it onto the top of the plunger rod. 

After that, just pop the new tight little o-ring onto the plunger head and you’re done. Compare your new mighty plunger rod to your old one if you want a good hearty laugh. This was one of my favorite parts of this Nerf Longshot mod guide. Anyway, enough horsing around.

Grease up the plunger head and slide it back into the original orange Longshot plunger tube.

Reassembly.

Slide the breech assembly back together with the plunger tube and begin reseating it into the shell. You’ll also want to add in the new metal trigger, trigger spring, catch, and catch spring into the blaster now. These steps are more simple and only require switching very similar pieces in and out of the shell.

Therefore, I didn’t go into too much detail here. If you need more detailed info, head over to YouTube and check out my Nerf Longshot Mod Guide tutorial video.

Here we are. All the new pieces are inserted and screwed down. Double check your work against this picture to make sure everything is properly installed. I opted to remove the bipod legs, but that isn’t a necessary procedure for the Nerf Longshot mod guide. That is a story for another day.

The End?

Finally, it’s time to close the blaster up and tighten all of the screws. If you’ve been following along with my Nerf Longshot Mod Guide, you should have installed both Orange Mod Works Mod Kits. If you completed the optional steps, you’ve also removed the air restrictor. But there’s one more optional step to consider..:

The Stock Block.

This is a pretty quick, helpful little mod. And you can use almost anything to get it working. This is called a stock block and it prevents the Longshot stock from being able to collapse. Basically, you just shove anything that will fit inside the stock of the Longshot. Extend the bottom half of the stock all the way. Then put something in there that will not fold under pressure. Most people use PVC pipes, but I didn’t have any of those. I just used some small plastic bottles that I had around the house.

That’s it! Pop the bolt handles back in and you’re done! Your Nerf Longshot should have transformed into quite the powerful blaster. Stock Longshots hit ranges of 35-40 feet if you’re lucky, but now? Your blaster should be hitting ranges of around 100 feet. Congratulations. You’ve just survived the Nerf Longshot Mod Guide!