Spring

A spring is an internal component of a Nerf blaster; it is also one of the most important parts of a blaster. Without it, a blaster will not prime, fire, or load darts into a plunger. The main purpose of the spring is to push the plunger forward and backward when a blaster is being primed.

Many modders often replace springs with stronger ones or stretch stock springs in order to make them stronger.

Details
Stock springs that come with Nerf blasters are all unique. As a result, some springs aren't compatible with certain Nerf products.

Springs are usually made of an alloy, such as an iron/carbon or iron/chromium/nickel alloy so that the metal doesn't rust and render the spring useless. The most common spring modification is double springing the blaster. This is where two springs are placed inside the blaster to provide double the power.

Modifications
There are several types of spring modification, most of which involve the addition of another spring. Some of the more notable forms of modification include:

Spring compression
Spring compression is when objects like coins, and small pieces of cardboard are placed behind a spring to compress it from behind. Doing this will allow the spring to release at higher speeds, causing the plunger to fire faster. However, it may cause the blaster to be harder to prime, and if too many coins are placed, the plunger will be off-track and will not fire completely. This is the easiest to do on a reverse plunger; direct plunger systems usually have a plunger rod that would interfere with objects placed behind the spring and not allow the blaster to be primed all the way.

Spring stretching
Spring stretching is a method which is used on some springs, usually in the case that the owner does not have a replacement spring to use instead. This method is proven not to help blasters, as it wears out the spring more over time, causing it to compress more than it should have. It is recommended not to use this method.

Spring heating
Using a blowtorch, springs are heated up to supposedly increase stiffness and improve the performance of the spring. This is a very dangerous method of modifying springs, and it is usually not very effective.

Spring additions
Spring additions are the additions of other springs into the blaster. These are very common, and are among the most effective spring mods. Some blasters will not catch with a second spring added, so the catch may have to be improved in order to do this mod.

Spring replacements
Spring replacements are used to replace weaker springs and add more powerful springs. This is very common, and is used mostly with hardware store springs. Some blasters after spring replacement may suffer breaks in the plastic due to the power of the replacement spring. Thus, catch mechanisms are usually replaced to prevent breaking, although this does nothing to reinforce the strength of the actual blaster's shell.

Spring dimensions / specifications
Collection of spring specifications that will help when ordering replacement springs. Consult the various modding

Trivia

 * The first blaster to use a spring-powered system was the Bow 'n' Arrow in 1990.