Review: X-Shot Longshot (Aus version)

Longtime readers of this blog will know that I'm an absolute sucker for bullpups, so even in my absence from the hobby, the release of the X-Shot Longshot was very interesting for me. It got to the point where I was contemplating importing one, but thankfully Kmart came through and saved me that trouble.

All is not sunshine and rainbows though. Australia is subject to some extremely strict toy laws, which has resulted in us receiving weakened blasters, and in many cases, not being able to access entire blaster lines at all (e.g. Rival). The X-Shot Longshot has not escaped this scrutiny...

Note: For convenience but also to avoid confusion with other Longshots, I will be referring to this blaster as the XLongshot.

Box

Fairly standard open-style box. What is immediately apparent compared to global release XLongshots is the complete lack of half-length darts, as well as the absence of any range/muzzle velocity claims. This is not an accident sadly, but more on that later.

XLongshot Blaster

The core XLongshot blaster, once all the extras are removed, is a fairly solid unit. There are a lot of moulded-on details like faux screws and vents, and an overall sharp, angular design, though it is quite difficult to see with these decals.

The decals on this variant of the XLongshot of course target a specific niche appeal, so I won't comment on that. I will say that I love the colour combination, though I do find it to be rather busy. The decal seems to be of decent quality and detail, though I have no idea how long it would last in heavy combat use.

Overall, I'm quite impressed with the visual design. On top of the primary decals, there are a lot of both painted/printed and moulded details, and unlike later Nerf entries, the aesthetics are equally applied to both sides.

In terms of plastic quality, it feels lighter and thinner than the Dart Zone Pro blasters I have, but not as "cheap" or outright weak as others I've experienced. It feels like X-Shot have stepped up their game in the past couple of years.

The XLongshot is relatively thin, and the top is somewhat lacking in detail - a minor complaint given the effort they've gone to on the sides.

The front is dominated by a large orange muzzle piece. Nothing too fancy, though it does have a little moulded detailing.

As a bullpup blaster, the XLongshot is naturally restricted in stock design and possible lengths. However, its novel plunger tube setup (see Internals at the bottom) means that it doesn't have the same amount of machinery in the stock, allowing it to have a degree of extendibility built-in.

The stock has two extended lengths - one midpoint setting, and one fully extended setting, which is roughly 33mm longer than default. While not huge by any means, it is still a nice feature to have to accommodate for a wider range of body sizes and shapes.

I find the midpoint length to be the most comfortable, personally.

The top of the XLongshot is adorned with a single long tactical rail, which I believe is compatible with Picatinny rail accessories (or at least would be with minor fiddling).

The rear section of the plunger and its internals are visible through a gap in the side panels. Of note is the small rear spring, which provides cushioning for the plunger, making it much less problematic to dry-fire.

In the middle of the tactical rail is a small orange indent, that when the blaster is primed, becomes a button. This button unlocks the pump grip when primed, allowing you to pull the pump back and the breech open in case you need to clear any jams.

I find the main handle to be very comfortable to hold. It is smooth, well shaped, reasonably sized, and isn't overdesigned.

Just above the main handle are two buttons, on both sides of the blaster. They are fairly easy to use with thumb. The forward ovoid button is a safety. When pushed in from the right side, the blaster is unlocked and can be fired. When pushed in from the left, the trigger is locked.

The rear switch pulls forward a small lever in the magwell. I believe it has something to do with the half-length mag adapter which is normally included, but it doesn't do anything for the Aus version out-of-box.

The priming handle is not as well designed as the main handle, in my opinion. It is a little more angular, and a little shorter. That said, I have no real issues with it and don't find it uncomfortable, at least for short periods.

The travel of the pump isn't too far, roughly 100mm. Feels much like any other typical mag-fed springer.

The prime is fairly smooth, with a ratcheting mechanism in both directions - preventing you from moving the pump in the wrong direction.

Note that the XLongshot has Slam-Fire - that is, that you can hold down the trigger and repeatedly pump to rapid-fire. This was originally introduced by Nerf's N-Strike series, but has slowly proliferated to their competitors as well.

Overall, I find the XLongshot quite comfortable ergonomically.

The XLongshot's magwell aperture is relatively well hidden within the stock, and is not obvious besides the mag release and the top cutouts. It can take some practice to get used to changing mags. Granted, that again may be due to the decals obscuring some of the plastic detailing underneath.

The Aus XLongshot only includes a full-length magazine, which naturally fits without issue. The global release of the XLongshot also includes a half-length magazine with a corresponding mag adapter.

The pusher in the breech is visible through the gaps above the magwell. The XLongshot's novel pusher design neatly accommodates for both half and full-length darts, as well as enabling the novel plunger design.

Interestingly, this pusher design means that magazines can be changed with the pump grip forward - unlike most other mag-fed springers. This has a number of benefits, including keeping a dart chambered while reloading, or being able to change mags without having to prime the blaster.

The XLongshot's magwell is compatible with most standard full-length magazines, such as typical Nerf N-Strike/Elite magazines, and the recent full-length Dart Zone Pro magazines.

Conveniently, I found it to also work with the Dart Zone Pro adapters and their half-length magazines. Since the XLongshot was designed to feed both half and full-length darts, it can feed from this setup just fine.

Iron Sights

The XLongshot includes a pair of basic iron sights that neatly slide on the tactical rail.

The front iron sight has a dial that slightly raises/lowers the centre post, but otherwise the sights are not adjustable. Not really surprising, nor that big a deal.

The sights are a fairly snug fit on the tactical rail, and line up reasonably well. They are nice for the weaker Aus version, but are more valuable at longer range for the much more powerful global release.

Barrel Extension

The XLongshot includes a small barrel extension. It is rifled inside, though I don't know how effective it is at spinning and stabilising darts. I'm pretty sure the Aus version is not powerful enough to see notable benefit.

Darts are a pretty loose fit through the barrel.

The barrel extension friction fits into the XLongshot's muzzle. It is a snug fit, and is not prone to moving or falling out - at least not when new.

Magazine

The included full-length dart magazine is pretty standard fare. Nothing special to see here if you've seen a Nerf-style magazine before.

While magazine itself says not to load more than 12 darts in, it can comfortably fit in about 14 or 15. Note that due to the XLongshot's pusher design, it requires a bit of space left in the magazine to load properly, so stick to 14.

Unfortunately, compatibility of the magazine is not as good as the XLongshot's magwell. The lock cutout at the rear of the mag is smaller than usual, so it does not lock in certain magwell designs, even if it appears to fit. The above Motoblitz is a good example - it will slide in all the way, but will not lock and just drops out.

X-Shot Darts

The Aus XLongshot includes 40 of these red-and-grey X-Shot darts.

The included darts are a design I'm not familiar with, though of course it has been a long time since I've really paid attention to the foam scene. It is roughly the same length as a typical Nerf Elite. They seem to be relatively stable out of the XLongshot, certainly far more than my experience with Elites.

Complete XLongshot Blaster

The full XLongshot package is a complete package, although extra mags would always be appreciated. The extras parts increase the blaster's dimensions a fair bit, and leaving them off to keep a smaller form factor is a fair consideration for close quarters.

XLongshot Performance

Unfortunately, as foreshadowed by the lack of range/muzzle velocity claims on the box, this Aus version of the XLongshot has a significantly weaker spring than the global release. As a result, I was only seeing ~55-60fps with the included darts. This is close to the Aus Nerf Elite standard, but a far cry from the global release and modern Pro lines.

Accuracy is dependent just as much on the darts as the blaster itself. The XLongshot has a long barrel, as well as a rifled barrel extension of unknown value. The included X-Shot Darts seem to be quite stable, especially at the fairly low power of the Aus XLongshot. As a result, dart trajectories are quite consistent and predictable once you account for the projectile drop.

There is an upside to a weaker spring - much easier priming. The XLongshot has Slam-Fire as well as a relatively smooth prime, which combined with the weak spring allows for a max Fire Rate of around 3-4 darts per second.

Game Utility

The XLongshot is a pretty standard pump-action mag-fed blaster. It is compatible with most other common magazine designs and darts, so can be incorporated seamlessly into many existing loadouts. It is likely to be used as a primary blaster owing to its size.

The Aus version is only effective in close quarters due to its lack of power, while the global release is seemingly solidly effective at range.

Value and Summary

I purchased this XLongshot from Kmart for 29AUD. The price seems quite reasonable to me, given what is included in the box, though admittedly I haven't paid much attention to the foam retail scene recently. Only one magazine is a bit disappointing, though 40 darts is above-average and appreciated for those who are more dart-frugal.

Overall, in its stock form, the Aus X-Shot Longshot is a solid mag-fed blaster, but nothing really special. Through the years there have been many solid mag-fed blasters, granted the store shelves these days pale in comparison to the peak of Nerf Elite.

Where it really shines is in its much more powerful global release with half-length darts, and mod potential in general. Capable of much more power with little effort, the XLongshot solidly competes with many of the other Pro-type blasters available, most notably from Dart Zone/Adventure Force. Plunger tube fragility notwithstanding (as I don't know the extent of the problem, nor its applicability to later batches), the global XLongshot is a solid budget option for higher power blasting, in a novel and surprisingly effective bullpup design.

Power: 3/7

Accuracy: 4.5/5

Rate of Fire: 4/5

Usability: 4.5/5

Value for Money: 4/5

Overall: 3.8/5 (roughly 4.4 for the global release, owing to the extra power and half-length dart content)

Personal Rating: 4.5/5 - I'm a sucker for bullpups. With the exception of lacking power (which is easily fixed with a spring upgrade), I am a huge fan of the X-Shot Longshot. I find its ergonomics very comfortable, and quite like the overall design.

Internals and Mod Potential:

While I haven't opened mine up yet, others have and have noted that a quick spring swap (which is very, very easy to do) brings this X-Shot Longshot release on-par with its global brethren. I don't know whether the plunger tube is any different from the notoriously fragile early ones.

Image credit to Reddit user "ClarenceSampang": link

The X-Shot Longshot uses an unusual backwards plunger mechanism where the barrel runs through the plunger. This allows it to have both long barrel length and relatively short stock length without being too bulky. On the flipside, it reduces maximum plunger tube volume, though it clearly still attains impressive performance for a retail blaster.