DIY Nerf Darts: How to Make Nerf Bullets at Home?
There’s nothing worse than poor-quality Nerf darts. They’re inaccurate, weak, and drop to the ground right after firing.
Accurate and far-flying Nerf darts are the key to having a good time, and in this guide, you’ll learn how to make your own DIY Nerf darts at home without needing to buy foam.
The great benefit of making your darts is that you can customize them to work better in specific Nerf blasters. For example, the biggest issue with powerful Nerf Guns is darts that are too lightweight—as a result, they veer off in random directions.
So get your scissors and Nerf blasters ready, and let’s get creative!
How Long is a Nerf Dart?
Choosing the size of your dart is the first step in crafting your own nerf darts.
The standard Nerf dart dimensions are listed below.
Standard Nerf Elite Dart
- Length: 2.8″
- Diameter: 0.5″
- Inner Diameter: 0.35″
Mega Dart
- Length: 3.65″
- Diameter: 0.75″
- Inner Diameter: 0.5″
Half-Length Darts
- Length: 3.65″
- Diameter: 0.75″
- Inner Diameter: 0.5″
If you have some Nerf darts on hand, you can also use them as a template to make more—in which case you don’t need these measurements.
How To Make Nerf Darts Out Of Paper?
Paper is a cheap, simple, and straightforward technique to produce Nerf darts that are very accurate and still. The best part is that you can create them with whatever color and design you choose. Now let’s get going!
What You’ll Need:
- Paper
- Colored electrical tape
- Scissors
- A Nerf dart to copy
Step 1: Make an Inner-Diameter Template
Making sure your homemade darts fit the plunger is the first and most important stage in the process.
They won’t fit at all if they are too little, but they won’t get a good air seal if they are too big.
Creating a template from an original Nerf dart is the best way to guarantee that your darts are precisely the right size. A piece of paper should be rolled up and inserted into the end of a dart.
It should then be gradually allowed to expand until it reaches the same diameter as the inside of the dart before being removed and taped.
That’s it, dear! We can utilize this replica of your Nerf dart’s inner diameter as a template to roll hundreds or even thousands of brand-new handcrafted paper darts!
Step 2: Create the Dart Body
It’s time to construct the dart body now that we have our blueprint.
To create the length of the dart you want, cut another sheet of paper. This equals 2.8 inches if darts are made in conventional sizes.
Roll the paper around the template you created in the previous step to create the dart body, then wrap a piece of electrical tape around both ends.
Note: To make the dart as rigid as possible, make sure to roll the paper tightly!
Step 3: Create the Dart Tip
Put two pieces of electrical tape in a cross pattern around one end of the dart to complete it.
Making sure the paper and tape are completely sealed together is important since a loose dart will not work well.
Here’s where you can use your imagination to create flathead darts, sharp darts, or whatever else you can think of.
You’ve successfully made your first dart, congratulations! It’s time to put our prototype to the test!
Step 4: Test the Dart and Make Adjustments
Put your freshly made dart into your blaster and fire it a few times to see how it works.
Observe how it performs and any peculiarities that stick out.
See the section below for my DIY dart diagnostics if you’re having any issues!
Step 5: Expand Your Business
It’s time to scale after your darts performance is to your liking. After spending the next several hours crafting hundreds of homemade darts, you won’t have to worry about running out of ammunition during your next Nerf war!
How To Make Nerf Darts/Bullets – DIY Video Tutorial
Diagnosing Homemade Darts Problems
Are your darts not performing? Here are some things you can try to fix them!
Dart is Curving: To light of a tip or a flexible dart body is the usual cause of curved darts. Use thicker paper or try rolling a dart with a thicker body. If your dart’s stiffness isn’t the issue, consider giving the tip a tiny bit more weight.
Poor Dart Distance: Your darts are most likely not sealed up or airtight if they are barely shooting a few feet. Make a new dart and try to seal the dart tip more tightly.
Tips For Making Great Custom Nerf Darts
When making your own homemade Nerf darts, there are a few things to keep in mind. Here are some tips:
1. Make Your Darts Rigid
One of the worst things is using a Nerf sniper with inaccurate darts.
The key to an accurate and far-flying Nerf dart is its stiffness.
If your dart is too bendy, it will wobble while in the air, and eventually, that wobble will make it veer in another direction. When making your darts out of paper, use sturdy and thick paper and roll it tightly.
2. Test Your Nerf Dart Tips
The overall distance and accuracy of your homemade blaster darts will mainly depend on the quality of the tip.
If your Nerf dart tip is too lightweight, the dart will flail in every direction and won’t go very far.
However, if the tip is too heavy, the dart will be accurate but won’t travel as far.
It might take some experimenting to make the perfectly balanced dart, so before you make hundreds, test prototypes.
Also, Nerf guns use different firing mechanisms and shoot at varying speeds. You might find one type of dart works well in one blaster and poorly in another.
Test your darts in the guns you plan to use them in!
3. Use Bright and Vibrant Colors
There’s nothing worse than losing Nerf darts, especially ones you made yourself.
You can avoid losing Nerf darts by making them out of bright and vibrant colors.
Using green darts on grass is a sure way to lose your darts. Consider making batches of different colors so you can choose a color that contrasts the ground of your next battlefield.
How to Make Half-Length Darts?
There are ways to make half-length darts at home.
First, you can take any full-length Nerf darts and cut them in half! Or you can make your half-length darts using paper or foam.
To make your own, follow the directions above and either make them shorter or cut them down to size when you’re done!
Final Thoughts
In this guide, we’ve shown you how to make your own DIY Nerf darts out of paper.
This is a great project for kids and adults alike, and it’s a fun way to recycle old newspapers and magazines. All you need are some basic supplies and a little bit of creativity!
So what are you waiting for?
Get started today and have some fun with your friends and family. Who knows – you may even come up with your unique design for homemade Nerf darts.
Be sure to test your darts and make sure they are safe, as the Nerf safety guidelines warn against modifying guns and ammo.
Thanks for reading, and happy Nerfing!