Air restrictors are used to represent pieces inside of a Nerf blaster that cut off air flow when the dart is not all the way back in the barrel, to prevent the plunger system from becoming damaged when dry fired. They are normally located in the back the blaster's barrel and are often attached to the dart post. Modders usually remove these during blaster modification because doing so increases the range of most blasters. The removal of these pieces allows for maximum potential and no air flow restrictions to be achieved. Some newer blasters, such as the Strongarm, are known to be less powerful with their air restrictors removed, but the reason for this is not really understood.