Nerf Barrel Break IX-2 review.

Sup guys, haven't been on OzNerf for a while, been away for a bit, but I'm back.

So the Nerf Barrel Break is one of the "fairly" new (2010) blasters from Hasbro, along with the Spectre, Alpha Trooper and the Stampede.

I believe that only Toys R' Us stock the blaster and I have not seen it avaliable in Australia.
The blaster is really nice. I haven't opened mine up yet but even stock it gets good ranges. (My gun is stock so everything on this review is based on the stock blaster and not a modified one.)

It comes packaged with 10 whistler darts and they are the best darts to use with it. Suctions work, streamlines don't. It also comes with a new tactical rail accessory that can hold 8 darts.

The actual priming of the blaster is quite interesting. You "break" the barrels open, load your darts in and fire away.
The size of the blaster is quite big. On video and in pictures the blaster looks about the size of a Maverick, but it is actually much larger.

It is a really fun blaster, but it is quite hard to find (in my opinion).

All in all, if you see one, definitely get it. I'm not sure how good you can make it in terms of modding it, but stock is fine.

Cheers,
Darth Lai.

Thanks for the review mate. I have seen them at Target down here in Tassie and they don’t seem to be a big seller here. Thanks again for the review.

No problems mate, thanks for reading up.
They're pretty cool and it's pretty weird how Tassie has alot of stock when we don't see them at all around here in Adelaide, haha.

Have fun Nerfing and thanks again.

Some pictures please?


And what's the stock range?

Pictures, when I can and if I can.
Stock ranges...I'd say about 25 feet? This is just a rough estimate and isn't an actual range test.

@Tassie Nerf: That's always the way. I thought Barrel Breaks were Toys R Us exclusive and for a whole month of searching I couldn't find any locally. So I buy 3x from the US; one for me, my step bro and a friend. Got a good deal anyways and we are still happy I did get them ... but so ANNOYING now that I know they are at Target now =_= (Same thing happened when I got Nerf Spectre from eBay - although that ended up being nearly same price since I got a good deal on slightly damaged box + free shipping)

Anyways! Back on topic to the review; my 2cents (in US Dollars...) worth from my currently stock version, for anyone interested in getting one for themselves:

Pro's:
- Very cool loading & priming method
- Reasonably mid-sized
- Grip is quite comfortable to aim one handed (although I use 2 hands to make it quicker to reload - see Con's segment below)
- Dual barrels is a plus in that you can fire both at the same time, or even better one at a time (Half pull trigger for left barrel dart, fully pull trigger for right barrel.)
- One of the best Stock ranges I've seen yet* (*better than all my other ones were when stock minus my Longshot)
- The Ammo holder for the tactical rail is incredibly useful
- Unlike the Buzzbee Double Barrel version, this one does NOT use shells that you need to put the darts into first, THEN load the shells. Thus, less pick-up / clean up time afterwards, and less time it takes to reload in a hurry.
- Again unlike the Buzzbee Double Barrel, the Barrel Break is a heck-of-alot shorter.

Con's:
- Slow to reload; if you shove the darts in too quickly or not straight enough, it can bend the darts (requires plenty of practice)
- Does not shoot Streamlines (they simply jam)
- Crucial to keep track of if you have already loaded bullets in it - if you try to open up the barrels whilst darts are in them, the darts will bend or even possibly tear
- Ammo holder on top doesn't grip onto darts firmly enough if you bump or tilt them slightly. I'm sure if you just put some tape into each gap it should tighten the fitting a bit without indenting the darts.
- (STOCK) Occasionally you will find one of your barrel's fire weaker than the other; my left Barrel tends to not shoot as far as the right one, whereas the one I got for my step bro is the other way around. I'm sure modding could resolve this.

My rating: 7.5 / 10

Summary: It's a great 'novelty' blaster due to its design, the way it loads darts and can fire two at a time. It's comfortable to wield and a pleasure to use. Very potent even in stock form, despite it's reloading delays and the occasional habit of munching on darts, it will definitely be one of my personal favourites.

Here's a quick link to some internal components info about modding the Barrel Break:

http://modworks.blogspot.com/2010/07/nerf-barrel-break-internals-guide.html

Doesn't look like there is *much* potential for modding - but it's a plus for anyone who wants to dedicate it to being a sidearm, for people who are first time modding, or for people who don't want to go overboard with the modding anyways

Hope my input helps! (Or at least provides some entertainment to pass the time... oh, and apologies if this wall-of-text has burned your eyes out)

TLDR: ITS A VERY FUN BLASTER. WILL MAKE A GREAT SIDEARM, BUT TAKES LONG TIME TO RELOAD AND ONLY HOLDS TWO DARTS AT A TIME.