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237 of 245 found the following review helpful:
 The Mainstay Of Modern Nerf GunsJun 27, 2006
By William H III
Nerf's N-Strike Maverick is straightforward no-frills dart gun fun. With no batteries or electronics, right out of the box you or your child can look through the instruction sheet in about 30 seconds, load the darts in about 30 seconds, and you're ready for serious Nerf combat fun.
The Maverick is a sheep in wolf's clothing, visually. Size-wise, it's intimidatingly large, enough so to give the impression that a child would have difficulty lifting it, but the plastic is lightweight, and the handle is modestly sized for hands of all ages. The Maverick is actually among the smaller Nerf dart guns currently in production, so while it's not exactly "portable", it is more reasonably sized (and priced) than models with similar features. Despite the apparent complexity of the design, operation is limited to a quick and simple load, cock, and fire.
Loading is similar to an actual revolver gun, utilizing a flip-open rotating six-barrel. It can take a little practice, as you must ensure each of the six darts is seated fully into each barrel, and then make sure the barrel is locked securely back into place once you're done. But from there it's a pull on the slide loader and you're ready to go. This is a single-action gun, meaning you must cock the slide for each shot - Nerf does not currently make any semi- or fully-automatic dart guns, so it's equal to all other Nerf guns in this respect (making each shot have to count makes for a more accurate shooter!).
Firing produces a muted air-gun sound (despite the non-airgun spring mechanism) as the dart rockets away at a pretty remarkable velocity and distance for a dart gun. Nerf's claims of 30+ feet aren't at all overblown, the Maverick is actually powerful enough for big-yard outdoor play. The darts themselves are a harmless suction-cup-on-foam design, in a vibrant day-glo orange that's easy to pick out in grass or behind furniture. They'll stick (at least momentarily) to most surfaces, and produce a dramatic ricochet when they don't stick; no more "I totally hit you/no you didn't" arguments, as even the mildest graze sends the dart careening wildly off course in a day-glo tumble.
Nerf wisely includes an order form in the box for replacement darts, not only the Maverick's basic darts (in packs of up to 30), but also "Sonic" darts which whistle as they fly through the air. Glow-in-the-dark darts are also available.
Overall, the Maverick is the sweet spot in the Nerf dart gun lineup, offering a clever multi-shot design in a smaller package than most other current bigger-is-better models. And the best feature is the price - not only is this one of the cheapest dart guns Nerf currently makes, but at under $10 it's less than half the price of any other Nerf multi-shot gun. With big gun power and features at a little gun size and price, the Nerf N-Strike Maverick is a bang-for-the-buck guaranteed good time for young and old alike.
81 of 85 found the following review helpful:
 Nerf Maverick N-Stike - Not a Home Run, but Still a TripleJan 03, 2008
By Stuart M. Teramoto
I'm the dad of a 7 year old boy who has two of these, he received his frist one when he was about 5. He has more fun with them, making this a good value for the dollar. The gun itself is fairly durable being able to withstand being stepped on, thrown against either a hardwood floor or a wall (as hard as a 7 year old can throw it). After over a year of use, one of the two guns did experience a failure with the recoil spring and although I was able to fix it (after an hour), I don't think the average person could have fixed it. After several months of use, the darts have a tendancy to enlarge around the base, causing them to fail to fire unless the dart is pushed in firmly which negates the "rapid fire" feature of the revolving gun compared to similar single shot guns where you load a single dart after each shot.
As far as safety, yes, little 7 year old boys will run around with these and attempt to shoot each other. I've been hit scores of times, at less than 5 feet, in the face and even a couple times on the eyelid and IMHO I would be hard pressed to believe that even a direct hit in the eye could cause lasting damage. Bottom line, it's the best toy dart gun I've seen for little kids, a great value but I wish the darts (of which you can buy tons of spares) were a little more durable.
120 of 134 found the following review helpful:
 Fast and furious fun but it can hurtNov 20, 2005
By #1 Amazon Fan
We bought 2 of these direct from Hasbro's online toy store (cheaper than Amazon and had free shipping too). We have had a lot of fun with them. Our 8 yr old played with them for hours the first day.
Fair warning - a shot within 5 feet on bare skin can certainly sting and hurt for several minutes. The gun has quite a range and the suction cups are great and stick to even some non-flat surfaces.
Great for those rainy days when you get tired of playing board games. It only comes with 6 darts, not 8 like someone else mentioned. They certainly aren't going to give you an extras without paying for it.
The durability is a bit questionable; while the gun itself is well made and thick plastic, the drop out barrel for easier reloading is not so good. You push a button on the side to release the barrel, and sometimes you have to fiddle with it to get it to open. Every once in a while, it won't lock back and you have to pump it and pull the trigger to get it to lock.
If you find that it's not shooting consistently, you probably did not push the darts in far enough. They must be flush with the barrel; if they stick out more than a centimeter, it jams the barrel and keeps it from spinning.
Update July 2009: I questioned the durability when first writing this review back in November 2005; however, this nerf gun is still going strong!
47 of 53 found the following review helpful:
How to make it so you can give it 5 stars.Jul 24, 2007
O.k, first off, I would have given this gun 4 stars, but then one day I decided I needed to buy more bullets, probably because I didn't have enough darts for all my guns. I bought some Sonic Micro Darts to try out with my Maverick. The first thing I noticed was they looked cooler in the barrel of my Maverick. But it get's better. I fired and it flew far. Really far. At least 3 FEET FARTHER!
Plus they whistle, so it sounds like bullets are whizzing over your head. With the Sonic Micro darts, the Maverick is top notch. Also, you can modify it even if you think your bad at doing stuff like that. There's 2 little plastic pieces to cut off, and then the barrel comes out all the way, which makes reloading faster. I dont have any problems with this gun, except for somtimes the barrel can't spin because a dart is sticking up. Just push it down.
Remember, I gave it 5 stars BECAUSE I'm using Nerf Sonic Micro Darts not normal micro darts. Without Sonic Micros, the range is bad.
This was reviewed by an 11 year old. Please put this in your mind when reading my review, and a parents review.
20 of 23 found the following review helpful:
Sweeeeeeeeeeeet!!!Aug 01, 2005
I just got this thing and I love how the barrel turns every time you shoot, making it quick to reload. It shoots pretty hard. It also has superb acurracy. I could easily hit my sister from about 30 feet away. Buy this and you won't regret it.
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