Spent $15 on a sentinel, found it perfect for in-the-car Nerf wars.

I had been eyeing the Sentinel, but I'm not a fan of lever action, at least on real steal. I'm not saying it's bad, or doesn't perform well, I'm just not in touch with my inner cowboy.

Well, as anyone into Nerf has noticed, the reviews of the Sentinel are pouring in, and they're all positive.

So I ordered one for store delivery and picked it up today.

We were on our way to pick up a car, and had an hour car ride. My father in law was in the back seat, he came along to drive our car back (I am currently unable to drive).

Now you'd think, knowing me, he would come armed... Nope.

...Or maybe he'd grab the Jolt I shot him with when he first got into the car... Nope again.

So, for whatever reason, he chose to engage in extreme CQB, unarmed.... Go figure?

For a "long gun" the Sentinel is surprisingly maneuverable with the confines of a Jeep. I was able to swing it around and lob shots rearwards over either shoulder quite quickly, switching sides as necessary to counter his cringing.

In this case, longer range shots meant using the sun visor mirror to try to snipe him in the seat behind me. The Sentinel was quite adept at this, and I finally achieved victory by shooting his glasses off, while aiming in this fashion.

Power is impressive, it elicited plenty of healthy yelps from the victim target. It is notable that it put dents in the headliner with FVJs, so it is not 100% in-the-car-Nerf-war-safe. I shot my wife in the leg from about 4 inches, and received an immediate punch in the chest in return. Judging by the length of time she scowled, I would say the power was more than adequate.

So, in my limited experience, at ranges up to and including 2 feet, the sentinel is an inexpensive powerhouse. The hype is well justified.