Review: Nerf N-Strike Barrel Break IX-2: Uniqueness, 'Nuff Said. :P

Well, since we are on a roll, better keep churning out the reviews, shall I? As I promised at the end of the last review, this week we shall be having a look at the N-Strike Barrel Break IX-2, of which in my opinion, of the most and original blasters Nerf has ever made. Let's discuss why. :)


Finally, Nerf answered the call for fans who wanted a true Nerf shotgun, answering their pleas with the humble Barrel Break IX-2. making it to Australian shores late 2010, as part of the '2010 Trio', the Alpha Trooper, Barrel Break and Spectre. It's current status as a Toys R Us exclusive make it a bit hard to obtain here in Tasmania (no stores in this small state :P), but with some luck and determination, I finally got my hands on one at the end of last year :D

Okay, let's start off with the basics. In the box, the Barrel Break comes finely wrapped up with the unit itself, 10 Whistler darts, the appreciated Ammo Rack/Holder, and instructions. As soon as I get the boxes out of the attic, I'll include them here.

First up, I'll admit that I was in an exam the day the day the B.B made it to my house, and when I got an e-mail saying it arrived, I couldn't concentrate on the exam :P With good reason, because I had high expectations with the B.B, and it doesn't disappoint. What I got was an excellent blaster to play with, in terms of uniqueness and aethetics. It's a freaking shotgun. Nuff said :P

My first impressions of the B.B (when I finally got home that day and the package was in my dad's car), I instantly fell in love with it. A good reason why, it just looks so cool. Resembling a sawn-off double barrel shotgun, I picked it up, loaded it, and pretended I was doing headshots :P I don't promote COD or violence on this humble blog, but I am just using it JUST this once as an example. The loading method might be a bit difficult for our younger Squad members, but after some practise, it becomes easy. :) Special shout-out the detailing too.

I'll describe it's VERY unique firing method. First off, this method is where the blaster literally gets its name from, you have to 'break' the barrel off into the loading position. Two levers reside by the trigger area (catering for both lefties and righties, excellent :D) which pops out the barrel, where you shall be able to see rectangular indents which weren't there before :P (as shown below)

Barrel in extended position, ready to pull down :D

From this point, with that other hand of yours (right or left), grab the extended barrel, and physically pull it down towards your legs. If you are doing it right, you'll hear a 'ratcheting' noise, and then a final 'click' to indicate that the B.B is primed (The little black arrows underneath the black screw should be touching each other.) Here's where it gets unique. You load the darts into each barrel, like a real shotgun, minus the shells. (Yay for that!) :D Push the darts hard into the barrel, and it's ready to be returned the firing position. :)

Oh god, I've broken it ALREADY? :P

The B.B's twin barrels, looking down.

Loading them in...

After loading your darts in, it is a simple matter of returning the barrel to it's original position before 'breaking' it :P Grab the barrel area, pull it 'upwards' to the extended position, and then pull the barrel back towards you to 'ready to fire' position. If you had trouble reading MY instructions, the following picture will help a lot. :P

Handy to have a instruction guide within EASY reach... :P

In case of a jam (which doesn't happen often, from my experiences) return the barrel to it's extended position, and observe the small knob, located in the center-top of the barrel entries. Press that knob down, and drag the barrel 'upwards' towards you. This puts the barrel in this position 'look below'

Now, see that L-shaped indent located underneath? Press that down, and the dart holders located in the barrel fold down, allowing you to get down in the barrel with your fingers and poke the jammed dart out, pointing downwards, of course. :)

The rear of the B.B, when 'primed and ready for slaying zombies' :P

I DARE you to look down here... :P

Now, that the technical stuff is over, time for my thoughts. It's unique, best word to describe it. It can be compared with the Buzz Bee Double Shot, but in my opinion Buzz Bee's products never stand up to the quality of Nerf. The Buzz Bee uses shells, B.B doesn't. Saves on costs, and no-other blaster uses the same priming-method, as far as this honest blogger knows. It just screams 'practicality' :P And awesomeness. :)


If I had to make one change to the design, it would be the handle. I didn't like it at first, but I slowly warmed up to it. It helps with the overall 'shotgun design' and pointy-ness aspect. :P

The included Ammo Rail is a nice touch. It can hold up to eight Nerf Whistlers, Suction (Suckies, I fondly call them :P) and Dart Tag darts. (Streamlines nope, too thin.) It can be virtually attached to any N-Strike blaster with a Tact. Rail, and can be useful for low-ammo blasters, such as the Nite-Finder, Maverick and Spectre. :)

If I had the recommend a rare blaster which is awesome and just plain fun to muck around with, the Barrel Break IX-2 would be my enthusiastic pick. :) I'm not sure if they're found anywhere in Toys R Us stores Australia-wide these days... But chances are they are flying around eBay somewhere. I LOVED it, so chances are you will too. :D 

Just a word of warning though: It may be some time until you get used to loading the darts the right way, so it is probably not a good choice for heavy wars. Just a casual shoot-out with one friend should do it justice. :)

S.O.F.T's Official Rating: 8.5 darts/10 darts

Next in the N-Strike review line-up, the Spectre REV-5. Stealth blasting to DA max... :P