Nerf N-Series Pinpoint review: "Wipes the floor with old blasters"

The Nerf N-Series Pinpoint has a lot to live up to. Long-range blasters are always incredibly popular, and this is the company's new flagship sniper. If it doesn't cut the mustard, there will be hell to pay.

Luckily, it delivers – and then some. The Nerf N-Series Pinpoint isn't necessarily the best Nerf gun ever made, but it's a contender. You could even argue that it wipes the floor with old long-range blasters.

If this is a sign of what's to come with N-Series, color me excited.

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Nerf N-Series Pinpoint features & design

• Long-range blaster
• Uses N-Series darts
• Bolt-action, with 10-dart clip

Nerf's N-Series is a hard reset of its product line, so Pinpoint fills the long-range category previously occupied by blasters like Pharaoh, Longshot CS-6, and Longstrike. You can clearly trace that lineage thanks to its physical design and even the firing mechanism; just as its predecessors did, this one features a bolt-action primer, scope, long stock, extended barrel, and multi-dart magazine.

Pinpoint also utilizes the range's N1 darts rather than a 'long-range' alternative, as per the Ultra series. These have been designed with distance, accuracy, and safety in mind, so are a good fit for a toy that describes itself as "high-performance." You're getting 18 of those darts here overall, and 10 fit within the easy-release mag.

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So far as aesthetics go, Pinpoint boasts that same white, blue, and orange colorway present throughout N-Series. It's something of a love-it-or-hate-it scheme, but there's no denying how sleek this blaster is in every other sense. It looks lighter and more aerodynamic than previous sniper rifles, with numerous sections having been carved away to drop that weight as much as possible. This gives it a more 'sci-fi' appearance than its siblings.

Personally, the design spoke to me. It felt chic and modern, but without looking like an actual weapon; the Pinpoint is clearly the work of fantasy rather than being based on real-world inspirations.

Nerf N-Series Pinpoint performance

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• Incredibly accurate
• Satisfying to use
• Mostly reliable (very occasional jams)

How a blaster looks is just part of its appeal; the other is how it feels to fire. Happily, the Nerf N-Series Pinpoint nails that aspect. This is a joy to use thanks to an incredibly satisfying bolt-action mechanism, and the weighty ka-clunk of it never fails to make me smile. Although it's obviously child-safe, you also get the impression that it's firing with some welly when you pull the trigger.

The 10-dart magazine, released via an easy-to-use toggle, is equally gratifying to drop and re-equip. There's something weirdly fun about slamming the mag back into place with an audible click.

Fortunately, Pinpoint's performance lives up to this. As with all N-Series blasters, it's surprisingly accurate thanks to those new darts. You'll actually hit what you aim at a lot of the time, unlike previous models. Is it the only one capable of long-distance shooting? No. But it's probably the most satisfying. Plus, it's the most accurate N-Series blaster I've tried at distance so far. It was able to knock my poor Warhammer Spanna Grot plushie off his perch across a decent-sized room in the GamesRadar+ office, whereas the Nerf N-Series Infinite was not… even after multiple attempts. 

That's partially because the scope is, in an unexpected twist, helpful. 

I know. I was legitimately shocked. 

Most of the time, scopes are plonked onto Nerf blasters to look cool rather than be of any real use. But here, it genuinely helps you aim. When combined with how comfortable this toy was to use even for a lanky grown-up like me, the Pinpoint is firing on all cylinders. Metaphorically, at least.

My one complaint is the very occasional jam. Every now and then, a dart would get caught in the mechanism and become squished beyond rescue for reasons beyond me. I couldn't say why, or how, and I assume I hadn't primed the thing properly – but it was frustrating nonetheless. Is Pinpoint worth avoiding as a result? Not at all. But be aware it's not perfect, and there may be hiccups in the heat of the moment.

Should you buy the Nerf N-Series Pinpoint?

This is a tremendously effective blaster thanks to the new N1 darts. Namely, it'll hit the target you're firing at most of the time – even at a distance.

More importantly, though, it's a lot of fun to mess around with. Almost everything about the N-Series Pinpoint is satisfying. Regardless of whether you're pulling the bolt-action mechanism into place, lining up a shot through the sights, or slamming a magazine of fresh darts into place, it'll put a stupid grin on your face. And at that price? Phew. This one's got a lot going for it.

Alright, so the odd jam stops this from being a full five-star toy. It's not going to beat the Infinite for capacity either. However, it isn't far off being perfect – and I'd go so far as to say the Pinpoint is Nerf's best long-range blaster to date.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we tested the Nerf N-Series Pinpoint

I mess about with the Nerf N-Series Pinpoint over the course of two weeks, testing its range and attempting to hit a variety of targets at different distances. I also directly compared the blaster to predecessors like the Longstrike.

For more on our testing process, see the GamesRadar+ hardware policy. 

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