Slam fire

Slam fire (alternatively slam-fire), or rapid fire, is a type of firing mode that allows darts to fire more rapidly on certain Nerf blasters. The first blaster to feature the ability to slam fire was the Raider CS-35.

Details
Normally, slide action requires that the priming slide be racked back and forth and then the trigger be pulled in a separate motion for each shot. Slam fire entails holding down the trigger, and then racking the slide to fire the dart immediately. In skipping the separate trigger pull, time is saved and the user achieves some semblance of rapid fire.

To slam fire properly, the blaster must be loaded properly and the firing trigger must be held down. The blaster should then be repeatedly primed; every time it is primed, a dart will fly out. With practice, Nerfers can become very comfortable slam firing and launch a steady spray of flowing darts. A skilled Nerfer can beat the rate of fire of an unmodified Stampede ECS by slam firing.

In some cases, slam firing is achieved at the expense of accuracy and range, but may be worth it depending on the combat situation.

Dangers
If a blaster is slam fired too fast, it may jam up and wreck darts. This usually happens when it is done for the first time on a blaster. Users should also not attempt to slam fire on blasters that normally cannot slam fire, as it can possibly break the blaster's priming mechanisms. The type of clip and the way the darts are loaded in can also contribute to jams.

Mechanism
A slam fire mechanism is a type of safety lock that coincidentally or intentionally doubles as a secondary fire. It is composed of three basic parts: the firing trigger, the slam trigger, and the return lock. The trigger and slam trigger act as a double requirement for the blaster to fire, hence the reason it is a safety lock. The slam trigger requires that the priming handle or slide is put completely forward. Only then do the two parts completely make contact with each other and can finally push the catch to fire the dart. The last piece is the return lock that prevents the priming handle from being pushed back, i.e. primed twice, without firing the blaster. This piece is not completely necessary to slam fire the blaster, but it does help prevent jams, shredded darts, and other user error.

Pseudo-slam fire
Pseudo-slam fire is a term used for blasters that have a mechanism identical to slam fire, but with the lack of a trigger. The projectile is fired upon the priming mechanism reaching a certain position, releasing the plunger. Essentially, these blasters are like normal slam fire blasters with their triggers permanently held down. Pseudo-slam is very similar to HAMP-action blasters, but the mechanism stores energy much more efficiently. Examples of blasters that use pseudo-slam fire are the Mega ThunderBow, the Mad Slammer and the Powerbolt Belt Blaster.

Fanning
Fanning, is essentially like slam fire, but it can only be done on a hammer-action blaster such as the Hammershot or the Doublestrike. Fanning a blaster is where the user either pulls the hammer back fast and releases it fast as well. Another way to do this is by holding down the trigger, and pulling the hammer down all the way, and releasing it. Due to how it works, there is no easy way to tell how far darts will go, but mostly, the darts will gain less distance than normally firing the blaster.

Bow-firing
Bow firing is similar to fanning, in a sense that the user simulates slam fire on a blaster by holding down the trigger and pulling the priming handle, and sharply releasing it, causing the blaster's plunger to go forward, and thus, firing a dart. Just like fanning, bow-firing suffers from accuracy and distance loss when compared to just firing the blaster normally, but can help if the user needs to fire a dart quickly. Bow-firing can be done on blasters with plunger rod priming mechanisms such as the Jolt EX-1 or the Firestrike.

Technical slam fire blasters
The following are blasters that have the ability to slam fire, but are not advertised as such.


 * Doominator
 * DoubleBreach
 * Pump SG
 * Ripshot
 * Rukkus ICS-8
 * Secret Shot
 * Speedload 6
 * Spylight

Trivia

 * The Scravenger features slam fire that does not require the user to hold down, or even pull the trigger. Instead, a switch that toggles the slam fire is engaged, allowing the user to rapidly fire darts by constantly priming the lever. This was intentionally done because it is extremely difficult to hold down the trigger of a lever-action blaster while simultaneously priming it.
 * The Nerf Super Soaker Flash Blast is the only Super Soaker to feature true slam fire.
 * The slam fire mechanism functions much like an automatic sear in a real firearm because of the similarity in functionality. First, the bolt cycles back the trigger mechanism. Next, the bolt makes its way to go into battery, but with the hammer being held back to prevent light strikes and out-of-battery firing. Finally, once the bolt gets fully in battery, the bolt carrier protrusion trips the automatic sear to fire and the process repeats. The main difference of course is the method of cycling; slam fire on Nerf blasters requires the user to manually cycle the action, firing a dart when the priming mechanism reaches the forward position, while in firearms, recoil or gas systems automatically cycle the action and a round is fired when the bolt returns to its normal position.
 * In firearm terminology, a "slam fire" is a premature discharge of a firearm as the round is loaded, when the firing pin strikes the cartridge's primer. Many times, slam fire can be an unintentional malfunction of the firearm. Some pump-action firearms actually have intentional slam fire designs, that operate very similar to slam fire Nerf blasters, however, most do not due to safety or legal concerns.