Koosh Vortex FireStorm Review
Koosh · 1999 · Koosh Vortex series — tested and reviewed by TeamNC.
At a glance
| NCR rating | ★★★★★5.0/5 |
|---|---|
| TechRating | 26.1 |
| Released | 1999 |
| Availability | Discontinued |
| Original price | $26.99 (MSRP at release) |
| Series | Koosh Vortex |
| Brand | Koosh |
Performance stats
| Ammo | 6 SpinfireTM Rings (6 Maximum) |
|---|---|
| Max distance | 71 feet |
| Rate of fire | 1 shot per 1.22 seconds |
| Dimensions & weight | 23.5" X 10.25" X 3" ; 2 lb., 15 oz. |
| Measured accuracy | 1x2 ft target: 90% | 2x4 ft target: 100% |
Figures are TeamNC's original bench measurements from 1999–2001 testing; see how we tested.
TeamNC review (1999 era)
Heh, if you've ever played the role of a sniper in a Nerf war -- heck, if you've ever even thought of snipering someone -- buy the Koosh Vortex FireStorm. Seriously, this gun rocks. It really doesn't have any major problems, and drastically improves over its predecessors, the Koosh Vortex Tornado and Tornado X/2. The FireStorm holds six Spinfire rings ready to fire, which makes it the first semi-automatic Vortex weapon. There goes one of the problems with the Tornado - only having one shot ready to go.
To load the gun (yeah, I know the gun looks a little hard to load, and it is) you pull back the firing handle, which disengages the rotating chamber in the gun (the thing that makes the front of the weapon so large). You then can spin the chamber freely, loading up all six Spinfire rings. Each firing chamber has little "teeth" which hold onto the rings so they don't fall out. (While you might be tempted to try to get each ring in-between the front teeth and back teeth of each chamber, the ring only needs to pass the front teeth to be ready to fire. Knowing this really cuts down the loading time for this gun. Once you get your hands on one of these puppies, you'll see what I mean.) A quick solution to the loading time: get the gun loaded before the Nerf war, and carry a sidearm. You really don't need to worry about this though, as a sniper usually isn't in the heat of battle for the most part, anyway.
Also, the standard Vortex "thick-end-out" rule still applies when loading up the rings. Put 'em in the wrong way and the rings don't work so well.
The gun shoots almost the same as the Vortex Tornado; the FireStorm actually performs a bit better than the Tornado in some areas. (The Tornado's review is over here, for those who care.)
For those of you who whined about the Spinfire rings' tendencies to fly out of control in windy conditions, this gun allows to to quickly fire off a few rings in somebody's direction. You've got a good chance that a least one of those rings will hit your target. Really, there's no reason not to get this gun.
The Tornado and Tornado X/2 have abruptly become outdated. This is the sniper weapon to get.
