The next character I play is likely to use a gun. So, what nerf guns do y'all like that are on the market now? Which ones should I avoid? Any category is fine.

--John

Welcome, as to guns, it depends. For Guns 1 the Firestrike is a good mix of accuracy and range. My favorite Guns 2 the Barrel Brake has been at my side for most events since I've had it, even after I got my heavy weapon. For guns three I like the Rayven, lets me keep a hand free. Hope that helps.

Rayven's solid, but you have to be careful, it likes to jam on the first round because the round ends up sitting high in the magazine (old beatup ammo tends to be compressed more so it doesn't stay in as well. You can avoid this by keeping the jam door open, and before engaging, shove the round down, slam the door shut, and you should be good. Check fresh magazines are full down before loading too and you'll have a solid weapon. Jams in the field are also easy to clear, pop the hatch, yank the top dart, slam closed and resume firing.

Another good choice for guns 3 is the raider/rampage, best rate of fire if you slamfire, but solid general performance if you don't, and with magazine restrictions and enemies being generally immune to regular bullets a lot of the time, I recommend against slamfiring. I generally prefer the Rayven for form factor and ease of jam clearance, but if I'm loading heavy, I'll go for the raider as my primary (though probably have a rayven on my vest as backup for loss of arm).

Most guns 1 are pretty solid for what they do. They'll suffer on rate of fire, but not much you can do on that.

For guns 2, I like my furyfire. 10 rounds, good performance, and easy to use pump action put it in best of class in my book. The barrel break makes a passable shotgun (if that's what you're going for), but I've had too many times the ammo falls loose from the chamber and fails to fire after running about. Nothing worse than bringing a shotgun to bear, calling the knockdown, pulling the trigger, and watching as nothing happens or the rounds just fall out the front. Carry horizontally or barrels up for best results.

I recommend finding something you're comfortable with and learning it's quirks and how to use it in sub-optimum situations (like with one arm).

For Guns 2, I'm in love with the Strongarm. It is a revolver, so load time is a little longer, but it fires really nice and far, rarely jams, and is super easy to clear when it does jam. As someone who has had less-than-awesome luck with clip loaders, the Strongarm is probably overall faster, because I don't have to run into a corner and clear a jam all the time.

That being said, I really do love the Retaliator for Guns 3. The rate of fire is on the slow end, but as someone who tends to conserve ammo and only take a shot when I have one, that doesn't matter too much for me. I like the range you get off of it and have been impressed by the extent to which my dart actually ends up going where I wanted it to. Also, it is on the small end of clip loading guns, which can be nice when you have to carry it everywhere.

Speaking of small, for Guns 1, the Jolt is my favorite. It is so small! And it still shoots so far! The only time I don't like the Jolt is 1) when I throw it into the woods in the heat of battle, 2) when I accidently leave it cocked and shoot myself in the face after teaching two gun safety courses, and 3) when I grant someone a quick death, only to realize I did not ever cock the gun, at which point the dart falls hilariously out of the gun. You'll notice that items 1-3 are all player problems, not problems with the Jolt.

Another one to consider is the new Hammerstrike, that is once Guncomm reviews it and gives it a rating - I am absolutely in love with the thumb-action and that it theoretically would allow dual-fire without depending on a flywheel action.

Also agreed that you should get your hands on these babies and just play - figure out what fits your hand and etc. Feel free to drop by Casa Steph at some point to mess with my stash - I have a Rayven, Hammerstrike, Recon, Nite-finder, and Stampede. Most of those are older guns, and the Elite stuff out could easily kick its ass, but I do live near you.

Favorite Guns 1 is without question the Stormfire, though I do believe they're off the market. That having been said, they can still be found on Ebay rather cheap, and they're reliable, decently ranged, and very satisfying to hold (built for grown up hands).