3D printed Nerf Gun. This is heavily inspired by Landru's LF1 - Foam Dart Blaster https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:16726

I used half-length off-brand nerf darts I bought at Walmart, but full-length darts should work fine. I didn't do a whole lot of tolerancing either, so as a preliminary warning, this project will require a lot of sanding on all the moving parts in order to achieve smooth movement. If you have access to a dremel this will make the sanding a lot easier.

I also used a soldering iron to get the threaded heat inserts in place as well as the nuts on the right side of the nerf gun body.

I was able to achieve >50ft of distance when shooting this nerf blaster horizontally.

Creality Ender 3

Doesn't Matter

Yes

30%

This was printed in PLA but if you have the ability to print in a stronger material such as PC, then it's recommend, as this model has multiple moving parts and experiences a lot of force from the bolt/plunger spring.

I printed the trigger in Elegoo UV resin, since it wasn't experiencing a lot of load compared to the other parts in the build. Resin tends to be more accurate, which is nice for the moving parts and reduces the amount of sanding needed for the trigger.

I tried to design a lot of the components to minimize the amount of support material needed, but the tip, catch, trigger, and plunger will require some support material due to the geometries.

Things to buy: (Most can be purchased from McMaster-Carr but I bought some things from Amazon because it was cheaper/quicker. I bought the PVC pipe from Home Depot because it was cheaper/easier. For the lubricant for the plunger and bolt I used vegetable oil)

Bolt Spring (McMaster-Carr): Compression Spring
3" Long, 0.66" OD, 0.534" ID
9657K434
https://www.mcmaster.com/9657K434/

Catch Spring (McMaster-Carr): Compression Spring
1.375" Long, 0.187" OD, 0.148" ID
9657K51
https://www.mcmaster.com/9657K51/
(Cut this spring in half to roughly 0.6875")

Trigger Spring (McMaster-Carr): Compression Spring
1.375" Long, 0.187" OD, 0.148" ID
9657K51
https://www.mcmaster.com/9657K51/

Plunger O-Ring (McMaster-Carr): Oil-Resistant Buna-N O-Ring
3/32 Fractional Width, Dash Number 114
9452K26
https://www.mcmaster.com/9452K26/

PVC Pipe for Barrel (Home Depot Recommended because it's cheaper, but is available on McMaster-Carr): Standard-Wall Unthreaded Rigid PVC Pipe for Water
3/4 Pipe Size, 5 Feet Long
48925K92
https://www.mcmaster.com/48925K92/
Home Depot:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Charlotte-Pipe-3-4-in-x-10-ft-PVC-Schedule-40-Plain-End-Pipe-PVC-04007-0600/100348472

4-40 x 1-1/2" Screws (Amazon):

https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Available-Machine-Screws-Phillips/dp/B07B3WQS7M/ref=sr_1_7_sspa?crid=F20BZU15YVFH&keywords=4-40%2B1%2B1%2F4&qid=1653285220&sprefix=4-40%2B1%2B1%2F4%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-7-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFCREc4NVNaNTI1UFMmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA4NDEwNDcyNkJMVDhZQTNXS0IzJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA1NDc5NDUxNFZXSU45OE01WFlBJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfbXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

4-40 x 1/2" Screws (Amazon):

https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Alloy-Socket-Screws-Bolts/dp/B00PZO43QS/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3W2SLIT27GFWY&keywords=4-40+1%2F2&qid=1653284967&sprefix=4-%2Caps%2C1109&sr=8-4

4-40 Nuts (Amazon):

https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Stainless-Steel-Hexagon-Silver/dp/B07JP1GTT6/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=5G0FGRY1YB1T&keywords=4-40%2Bnuts&qid=1653285044&sprefix=4-40%2Bnuts%2Caps%2C87&sr=8-2-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFRODNTM0NJTEpUMk8mZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAyMzYzMTgxN1FQTkUwNEozUlNGJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAyMTE4MTYzQTY4N0VBNlZYMDlHJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

4-40 x 0.135" Threaded Heat Inserts (Amazon):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BH5X252?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_ypp_rep_k0_1_10&&crid=2N1UKMVWW14KS&&sprefix=4-40+heat+

3/8" x 1" OD Brass Flat Washer (Amazon):
https://www.amazon.com/OD-Brass-Flat-Washer-Pack/dp/B07KCYVP77/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3QMBZJIIBX25Q&keywords=%234+washers&qid=1653285137&sprefix=4+washers%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEySlBYNTBVRDlFUzlLJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUExMDM3MDUxM1JXMFJXWUxHN0tYQyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzY1OTcxMUpVSjlYNFRWME4xUyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Lubricant (Walmart): Standard Vegetable Oil

Remember to lubricate the plunger and o-ring when assembling, it helps to push the plunger/bolt into the PVC. Remember to sand all the moving components until they are able to fit/glide smoothly in the gun. Depending on how well your printer can handle supports and overhangs you may also need to sand the spring seats on the trigger and catch in order to get the spring to properly seat on each. It isn't pictured, but the bolt is designed so that a threaded heat insert is seated in the tip in order for the plunger to be fastened down to the bolt.

Hope you guys enjoy the nerf gun!