August 12, 2013

Lanard Huntsman 50 Review!

While it wasn't supposed to be out this early, Kmart (who already jumped the gun on the Tek Recon release) has placed the Huntsman 50 on shelves, making this the first new Lanard blaster in quite a while (Air Zone versions have appeared at Toys R Us, but those were all repaints of existing blasters). Naturally, seeing how no one else seems to have it, I bought it and took it home for review. Read on!
$30 gets you what appears to be an offbrand Longstrike. Although this one has the classic bolt action priming mechanism, and a removable stock as well as front barrel. 

The darts that come with the blaster are red with hollow plastic tips. They're actually the same size as Elite darts, albeit a bit thinner. Quality control seems a bit haphazard in that regard - not all the darts would even stay in the dartholders on the stock, and testing them in actual Nerf blasters showed that some darts weren't even thick enough to put friction on the walls of the barrel - the AR springs would push them back. Luckily, Elites DO WORK in this blaster.

The magazine holds six darts, and is easily removed by pressing the red button in front of the mag well. Notice how the darts are held down by a small retaining piece, as compared to N-Strike magazines.

The reason for this odd magazine feature? Well, there's only about 1.5" total draw, less than the length of a dart.

The plunger tube is about an inch wide, with a direct plunger. Note, though, that the plunger rod is hollow, thus making for unneeded dead space. I'd suggest stuffing a foam blank or two in there for an easy mod. The spring is stiff for its size, and likely does not need replacement (unless you want to work on the catch mechanism and make a larger headache).

Notice the spring in that slot in the above picture? The barrel rides along that piece, and actually dips down to pick up a dart from the magazine, then returns to the top when you finish the priming motion. The grey lever on the left not only pushes the barrel down, but also back. A separate gear system pushed the dart back into the barrel in the down position. It's a complex system that works, but is a pain in the ass to document without pieces flying everywhere.

The end result is a blaster that forgoes air restrictors for a very short barrel, perhaps an inch long at most.

Range tests? Testing out of the box beside a Retaliator, each with their own darts, the Huntsman 50 fell five feet short of the Elite blaster's max range (performance was roughly the same when held parallel to the ground). It should also be noted that the Huntsman did in fact reach similar ranges when using Elite darts. So the weakness seems to be in the low quality darts, rather than the blaster.

By the way, I found an easy way to do direct dart comparisons!

Overall, I find the Huntsman 50 to be at least worth a look. Looks aside (and it would be a perfect prop), the blaster functions well, even with the short barrel and dart issues. If all else fails and this blaster isn't mod friendly, however, there is still hope. The barrel extension is nearly 1.5" wide, and is very smooth. It would theoretically be very easy to make a homemade plunger system with a slightly cupped rubber washer for the plunger head, and lots of draw - although the catch would need to be replaced as well. If anything, you'd have a really cool looking blaster!

Bottom line: I give this blaster a 7/10, as far as stock blasters are concerned. It's certainly not the best, but it's very fun to use.

37 comments:

  1. I just picked this bad boy up at a K Mart near Philly and it is a beast. Very tough looking and the performance is on par with your findings. It is a huge plus that it can use Elite darts. I would not have known this blaster existed if not for this post. I found the Tek Recon Hammerhead as well but went for this blaster instead of the rubber band shooter. Great blog, keep up the great work.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! It's good to know someone found similar results, and I just didn't get a fluke.

      If you fire without the barrel extension, you can see the darts fishtail at times before correcting themselves (the Elite darts, anyway). A bid of a problem with tiny barrels; I'll have to further examine the loading mechanism and see if there's a way to make a longer barrel.

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    2. I have managed to assemble it if your still interested email me

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    3. If you could publish a link to some of the pictures that you have taken it would be much appreciated!

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    4. Did anyone manage to mod the gun I to a long barrel or uprate the spring to increase the range?

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  2. Do they not sell extra mags for this thing? Does it use the same mags as those other Lanard blasters? It looks and sounds rad but one single mag sucks.

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  3. I don't suppose is compatible w/ nerf tactical rails? Saw this one at Kmart Hyannis, MA (Cape Cod).

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    Replies
    1. No, but, get some plasticine and make a recticle for the blank scope and get creative!

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    2. No, but, get some plasticine and make a recticle for the blank scope and get creative!

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  4. Hello !
    I disasemblet the rifle but now I don't know how riassembl it.

    you can help me ?

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    Replies
    1. I can tell you how to assemble all but the firing mech. if that helps.

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    2. Please help me too.

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    3. can someone tell me where put the big spring and the small spring

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  5. I am modifying the Huntsman for a con. When I separated the two sides of the main assembly the trigger and attaching springs flew apart and I have no idea how they went together. If there is anyone who knows how the coil spring and the "Y" Shaped white piece with the "L" coiled spring please respond. Thank you.

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  6. Was wondering if anyone could post pictures of how the inside of the gun is supposed to look. Took it apart to paint and everything flew out. No one has pictures or instructions on how to reassemble the inside.

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  7. I have the same problem... The one I bought was stuck, so I opened it. I think it is not broken, but I can't figure out how it's supposed to be reassembled... If anyone has instructions and/or pictures, could you please help ? Thanks !

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    Replies
    1. I could use a picture of the trigger mechanism.

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    2. Here : http://imgur.com/a/v708q#0

      Hope that helps

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    3. Thank you so very much!!

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    4. Did anybody here manage to successfully repair their gun?
      Were the pictures accurate?
      An answer would be much appreciated!

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  8. Hi do you have any more pics of inner mechanism as had to dismantle this gun to mend the bolt action after it jammed. Used common sense for putting most of it back together but the trigger and plunger situ has left me a bit unsure of how to replace as the inners exploded out of the case on opening Any help would be much appreciated.

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  9. only to shatter most people's dreams when people actually got a hold of the Centurion. Flimsy and squishy darts, Best Nerf Guns

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  10. Hi all,
    If any one needs pics of the internal and a description just ask.
    Also a question, What does filling the plunger do to improve the firing? More Weight?

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    Replies
    1. Additional internal pics would be appreciated, as well as a description of what part does what on the inside of the thing.

      Many thanks!

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  14. i got one but know it seems to pickup the bullets but will not fire please could you tell me how to make it work

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  15. Where can I buy new darts for this..

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