Catch

A catch is an internal component found on most spring-powered blasters. The first blaster to use a catch was the Sharpshooter.

Details
As its name suggests, the catch will 'catch' the plunger rod of a direct plunger, the plunger tube of a reverse plunger or the string of a string powered blaster, preventing the blaster from firing until the firing trigger is pulled. On most blasters, the catch is under pressure from a catch spring, which is what holds the catch into the groove of the plunger rod, plunger tube or string. Pulling the firing trigger causes the catch to disengage, resulting in the plunger rod, plunger tube, or string moving forwards, firing the dart.

Some blasters, such as the Rampage, use a special catch that has a slam fire lock, which automatically disables the trigger while the blaster is being primed. This prevents the catch from engaging while the trigger is being held during priming; without the lock, holding down the trigger while priming the blaster will prevent the catch from catching the plunger rod, thus rendering the blaster useless.

In some hammer-action blasters such as the Hammershot, the firing trigger is the catch itself, thus when it is pulled, it releases it's hold on the spring, releasing the plunger. The same is the case with the Jolt EX-1 and its derivatives.

Modification
Some Nerfers replace the catch or catch spring, which allows a higher spring load to catch properly. Aftermarket catches made from different materials such as metal are available for select blasters.