External mechanism

An external mechanism (abbreviated as EX with N-Strike number codes, also known as external single fire) blaster is a type of single-fire dart blaster. They are loaded by the muzzle and often have dart holders located on the blaster for quick reloads.

Details
External mechanism blasters are direct plunger blasters, giving them strong firing power. All external mechanism blasters use a plunger rod priming mechanism. No external mechanism blaster but the Jolt EX-1 accepts Streamline Darts. With the exception of the Triad EX-3, all external mechanism blasters are single-shot blasters and must be reloaded after each shot.

Because of their direct plunger system, they are very popular for modifications; an exception to this is the Jolt, which is so small, it does not even have room for any modifications except for re-barreling and the removal of its air restrictor.

EX blasters also have the ability to "bow-fire", where the blaster is fired by letting go of the priming handle while holding down the trigger, close to the way a bow and arrow is fired. This offers a slightly quicker shot and allows the user to chose how much power is in each shot. Other blaster types may still be able to do this but will suffer a decrease in performance.