Here it is! The long awaited Orange Mod Works O-Tac Gear Hammershot S1 Kit. Now, When I say “long awaited” what I mean is that I pre-ordered this kit in August of 2014. At the time OMW was saying that it would be ready to ship by the end of October. I received it yesterday.
When this kit was originally announced, I was stoked. The Hammershot is one of my favorite Nerf blasters in both form and function. The prospect of making it into a six-shooter was an exciting one. Now that it is finally here, let us see if the reality lives up to that prospect.
Inside the very professional looking box we find a product contents booklet, the new 6 shot cylinder, and a sealed bag containing the rest of the components.
Within said bag we find the upgrade spring, redesigned hammer, trigger, cylinder axle, and 2 O-Tac Gear stickers.
The kit does not come with instructions, and, as of this writing, the instructional video mentioned in the above booklet is not yet uploaded to YouTube.
That said installation is fairly simple, especially if this is not your first rodeo. Simply disassemble the Hammershot, and replace the corresponding stock components with the new ones.
Start by removing the stock cylinder and axle. Then unscrew the three screws that secure the trigger assembly. The only tricky part that I encountered was with the two metal pins that connect the hammer to the plunger piston and the spring guide rod. I removed these by pressing them in on one side with a small screwdriver, and then pulling them out the other side with a pair of pliers. I used the same pliers to re-seat the pins once the new hammer was in place.
Re-lubricate the plunger o-ring if necessary, and re-assemble the hammer and trigger group. Be sure to carefully replace the trigger spring.
Here is the fully installed kit.
And here is the Hammershot all buttoned up.
Now for my observations. First and foremost, it works! I dropped in the kit, and it functions. No modifications and no trouble-shooting required.
My Hammershot now packs 6 darts, and the rotation mechanism is working flawlessly. The hammer pull is stiffer, but reasonably so. The trigger pull is just as crisp as stock. The 8kg spring is adding noticeably more punch to the darts. That said, I still have no way of measuring the increase in muzzle velocity.
The kit has a great aesthetic. The new hammer design looks good, and is ergonomic for the most part.
That said my one complaint about the kit itself is the hammer, or more specifically the hammer texture. The serrations on the OMW hammer are aggressive, uncomfortably so. While positive grip is a good thing, this hammer takes it a bit to the extreme. After just 10 or 20 rounds, the pad of my thumb was starting to feel a bit raw. However, a few passes with some 400 grit sand paper seem to have solved this problem.
The current price for this kit is $45 US. This may seem steep in comparison to the Hammershot’s $15 US price tag, but is understandable when one considers to R and D that went into making the six shot rotating mechanism.
Judging the kit on its own merits, I’m impressed. It seems to deliver everything that OMW promised that it would. It is a quality product with better fit and finish than many of the OMW products that came before it.
However, the months of delay with little or no communication has damaged OMW’s relationship with the Nerf community. With new comers like Hobby Mods bringing inexpensive, quality kits to the table, OMW will need to change the way they do customer service and public relations in order to stay relevant. That’s right Orange Mod Works, as an affiliate and a fan, I am asking you to do what the box says…
“Elevate Your Game.”
Thank you for reading.
Remedy Arms 