Nerf Dart Gun Challenge (now open) disscussion thread

[iknowmy3tables]

I'll post the thread April 12, I have doubts on the realism of those claims, be sure to demonstrate the abilities at safe power levels

[SEAKING9006]

Haha!

I got the allthread, washers, and nuts to turn cartridges on my drill press, and I finished the upgrades to my entry! It's all ready to go, just need a few more new cartridges (Which I have named .550 Long Rifle) and take pics of the new bolt. Good thing I made it a bolt + bolt carrier group, in my haste to build the receiver I sealed the bolt inside, never to be removed.

Stay tuned, for a new nerf blaster chambered in .550 LR! (Admitedly, the whole bolt/chamber/cartridge could all be shorter. I'm envisioning an internal-magazine fed rifle chambered in .550 Carbine. Possibly even .502 SPC, if I use schedule 80 for the barrel.)

[iknowmy3tables]

*bump*
hey guys I'm going to post the contest submissions thread tonight, and I just wanted to ask something cause I'm still unsure about the judging,

so let me get this straight once we close for submission, I'll announce that we're going to start judging. Will judging take place in the same thread that user post links to their submissions, a separate thread for judging of all the entries or multiple threads for each entry?
then for the scoring, the 4 categories are clearly not worth the same amount towards the final score, [tangent] I should also mention that I changed the descriptions a little so effectiveness is more independent of reliability because I know we have some nice entries that aren't refined products and I wanted them to get some credit in their score despite reliability issues, tell me if you are or aren't alright with this[/tangent]
so the categories should be worth different amounts but how much for each?

[SEAKING9006]

Effectiveness in its intended role should really be the top priority. A sniper rifle that gets one round every two or three seconds and fails to eject one out of every eight rounds, but puts that round 100' or more downrange with good accuracy, should score higher in total than an assault rifle that always fires but the darts only go ten feet and takes twenty seconds to reload.

Quality of build should be a minor consideration, but it does need to be there, along with Production factor. You should be able to get at least some kind of bonus if you sacrifice a little bit of performance or capability for the sake of producing more in a shorter time with less work. Aside from having wood furniture (which you can get looking really, really nice), that is the only feature the AK-47 has over the M-16. But if you have a complex design that you can crank out all day because you have CNC tools or a 3D printer, there should be a bit of a bonus there, too.

[iknowmy3tables]

so what should I do? should pick new categories?

advance function: advance capabilities such as high rof, and high precision and consistent shots, etc

innovation: originality of the design or clever use of common materials

build quality: solid construction, functions reliably, aesthetic appearance

these seam like more even categories, what do you guys think?

[PVC Arsenal 17]

Finally something:



What could it be??? Well, actually, it's only a few parts short of a working prototype. More to come...

[iknowmy3tables]

fantastic, get it done asap cause we need entries,

also I should have bumped this thread because my question hasn't been answered, Please, I need opinions on what should be done with the rules, I don't know what the judging process is and I can't establish it until I have the peoples input on the subject please just post your opinion even if you're just agreeing with someone else's points

[PVC Arsenal 17]

Earlier in the thread, btrettel made good suggestions in regards to safety requirements. The ability to adjust velocities should be a requirement for all entries. (edited) We're building Nerf guns afterall, safety is of great importance.

Aside from that, I think you've covered the big ones. Function, innovation, quality. I would place a large emphasis on function. A gun that doesn't work is, well, not much of anything. Contestants should be required to provide videos of their guns being operated completely. And we don't just want a video of the gun firing off one shot, we want to see the full loading and firing cycle so we know it works- and well.

Quality of build is important, but obviously not everyone has access to machining equipment and that must be taken into consideration. Still, that's not to say one can't produce a quality gun with basic hand tools. We don't want to waste our time with duct taped barrels and epoxied soda bottle reservoirs. With quality comes durability, which should also be considered given the environment a Nerf gun would be used in.

Oh and two more pictures:





Just need to weld on the mag well and the rest should be easy... But I have a strong feeling that this method of shell ejection will be very prone to jams.

[iknowmy3tables]

to prevent jams you'll just need to prevent cartridges from moving forward due to friction from the retaining bar, so you can make some sort of catch mechanism or adjust it so the areas in contact with the cartridge (besides the retaining bar) will have higher friction

also are you suggesting that safety be integrated into the score or what should I do

[maxa1]

cool idea

[maxa1]

when is the dead line
crap i posted twice can someone delet my first one sorry

[PVC Arsenal 17]

@iknowmy3tables: What do you mean retaining bar? That was something I mentioned for my original idea in a recent thread but I've since scrapped that idea and now I'm going with something like this:

(Credit for that picture goes to POLAND_SPUD)

In this design, the force of the magazine spring is used to push out spent shells.

What I'm concerned about is that the shell that needs to be ejected will not be pushed straight up and instead will be pushed up at an angle causing it to get stuck in the ejection opening.

And in regards to safety, let me rephrase what I said because I was unclear. I personally don't think that the presence of safety features should be part of the scoring process, I just think they should be a requirement for all entries.

[iknowmy3tables]

don't worry safety is definitely still a requirement, and anyone can question the safety of a submission and if we believe it is unsafe then they will be removed

also I guess I misinterpreted the design you were going with, in that case my concern would be something like this happening

[Mr.Sandman]

I have a question in regards to ammo. Say I wanted to make stefans, but they were 1/4 inch rather than 1/2 inch. As long as they were safe and built like normal stefans wold they be applicable in the contest?

[PVC Arsenal 17]

I have a question in regards to ammo. Say I wanted to make stefans, but they were 1/4 inch rather than 1/2 inch. As long as they were safe and built like normal stefans wold they be applicable in the contest?

I don't see why not. The Nerf people call them "Nano Stefans" and to me they're just as acceptable as micros.