I don’t know about you, but very few things drive me more insane than shooting 40 darts and only find finding 36.
Where did they go?
Did the cat eat them? Did they have an existential crisis? Did they fly so fast that they entered the 38th dimension?
Maybe they landed in front of some ants, and they hauled them away to be worshipped as foamy ideals.
We’ll likely never know, but regardless, losing darts sucks, and in this guide, I’m going to give you five tips I’ve learned to help keep my darts from entering the twilight zone.
Buckle up, buttercup!
1. Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee
As fun as it is to just unload foamy hellfire at your enemies and watch them flee—some of whose whitey-tighties will never be the same—, a more stoic approach will save your ammo from evaporation.
This may not seem as fun, but slowing down has a lot of benefits, such as:
- You’re more intentional with your shots and can choose to hold fire in situations when a dart could enter a sketchy area.
- Slowing down actually makes you a better shot overall, increasing your accuracy and hit rate for every shot that follows.
- If you fire fewer darts, there is less of a chance of losing darts.
- Because your shots are intentional, you have a higher chance of remembering where your dart went.
I know it’s hard, but take a deep breath, exhale, and headshot that fool.
2. Use Contrasting Ammo Colors
If you can help it, use ammo that contrasts in color with that of your background and environment.
If you’re shooting on grass, avoid green, blue, or purple darts—instead, opt for red, yellow, or orange.
Generally, Nerf ammo is pretty bright, but some models and spare ammo tend to lean to darker colors.
Also, take this into consideration while buying additional ammunition. Like any war, you want only the best ammo.
Contrasting colors may not always be an option, but if it is, take it!
3. Choose Your Battleground Carefully
This one may seem obvious, but many of life’s greatest lessons usually are.
Avoid Nerf gun games in areas that will be hard to locate ammo or around pets that have a nasty habit of stealing. My cats personally don’t touch my darts—they aren’t expensive enough.
Stay away from long grass, thick trees, and woodchippers…don’t ask why.
Define the boundaries of your battleground and leave a little space on the edge for your darts to land where you can clearly see them.
4. This Is Your Blaster, There Are Many Like It
As fun as it may be to whip out your most painful blaster in every battle, sometimes the only person you are hurting is yourself…and Johnny, but Johnny deserves it.
I agree that the chaos of slinging Rival Rounds at 120 FPS in your living room fills your heart with joy.
But if they are bouncing off every wall in the house, only to land next to that sock you haven’t seen in six years, is it really worth it?
If the answer is yes, then the next tip is probably for you.
5. Concede
When at first you don’t succeed, just give up.
Maybe the real solution to losing Nerf darts is to just accept that losing is a part of the process.
Like everything in life, there are times you win and times you lose.
Sometimes we grow up to be astronauts; other times, we grow up to write about Nerf guns on the internet.
I guess the takeaway here is that we can do our best to get what we want, but that’s no guarantee that we’ll get it.
If you lose darts and need some more quickly, you can always make your own Nerf bullets. You’d be amazed at what you can make with some tape, paper, and a real dart as a guide.
Buy some extra darts, follow the tips above, and if you lose a dart, just remember, it’s just a part of the journey.
Final Thoughts
I hope that these five tips help preserve your ammo, and if it does, be sure to share it with your friends!
Who knows, maybe together we can stop littering the Earth with foam and save some polar bears!
Happy Nerfing!