Nerf Rival Knockout XX-100 Review

By: Jeremy Alden

For years, you have been waiting for Rival to give you a portable, one-shot handgun, a trusty sidekick that you can easily fit into your pocket or attach to your best.

A cut-budget blaster that embodies all the beautiful construction that you have come to admire in Nerf. Your wait is finally over. Introducing the Nerf Rival Knockout XX-100.

Nerf Rival Knockout XX-100 Review

Features:

Simple as it is, I am heavily impressed by this gun. Where a lot of nerf blasters edge towards being gigantic monstrosities (I'm looking at you, Perses) and packing all the ammo you'll ever need, the Nerf Rival Knockout is a breath of fresh air.

The architecture of this blaster is neat and its small size opens up the possibility of endless varieties of play.

Having two of them, one tucked into either jean pocket could be a nasty surprise for an opponent who thinks you are unarmed or out of ammo, and they are lightweight enough not to weigh you down during the opening stages of the battle.

It could be quite a hassle to prime and load, so I advise that you keep it primed and preloaded before holding it in reserve as your surprise weapon.

It's not like the opponent you just caught off guard with your secret weapon is going to wait around while you open, load, close, and prime the blaster.

What I like the most about the blaster is its affordability. Okay, you can't afford the more uppity blasters? It is still not a reason for you to miss out on the amazing fun and excitement that is nerd battles.

Here is the blaster for you, packing in all the shot velocity and beautiful crafting that you have come to associate with the Rival series at a price less than ten dollars. Pretty neat.

Also, this nerf gun is ideal for younger players who may find it difficult to lug around the heavier blasters, especially over extended periods of play.

This blaster helps then get into the fray without niggling feelings of arm fatigue detracting from the fun.

Okay, let's take a more detailed look at the Nerf Rival Knockout, component by component.

I'll let you know the parts I love and the parts I'm not so sold on, so you can make an informed decision on whether it is a good buy for your situation or not. Strap on!

Ammo & Components:

The package of the Nerf Rival Knockout contains the Nerf Rival Knockout itself (no assembly required), two high impact rounds (and I recommend you buy four more) and instructions for the blaster (which you may not need after reading this).

Grip: The grip of the Nerf Rival Knockout is ergonomically designed with comfort in mind. It feels like something that will remain comfortable in your hand even after hours of continuous usage.

It is a little bit on the thick side and almost as long as the barrel. This is so as to accommodate the size of the priming plunger which is nestled inside the grip.

Barrel: The barrel of the Nerf Rival Knockout is short and stubby. Just like the rest of the Rival series, you can't make use of barrel attachments like you would in the N-Strike series.

The bore is wide enough for the balls which the Rival Knockout uses as ammo to pass through.

The barrel has an inward tube that can slide out and in. It slides out to expose the inbuilt magazine and slides in to cover it.

There is a breach release switch on either side of the barrel that shoots the inward tube forward when you press it. On top of the barrel, towards the posterior end, you can find a tactical rail.

Tactical rail: The Nerf Rival Knockout has a tactical rail on top of the barrel of the Rival type. Note that the tactical rails of other series differ from that of the Rival series.

I'm a firm believer that anything can be improved by putting a scope to it. However, in the case of this blaster, my mental image of scope on top of it is jarring.

Furthermore, you might not be so keen to attach a scope to your secondary blaster.

That being said, the top of a barrel without a tactical rail kind of looks naked and uncool to me. So, the tactical rail is a proper addition even if it is only for aesthetic reasons.

Trigger: Located just on the underside of the grip. It works just as you would expect it to work. Pull the trigger and...bam!

A bullet speeds out. Nothing fancy here, and no slam fire (obviously, since this is a single fire blaster).

Trigger lock: This is located on the underside of the barrel towards the posterior end. Push the switch back to lock the trigger. This is the safety mode. When you are ready to shoot, pull the switch forward.

Priming plunger: This is located just on the underside of the grip and it extends into the body of the grip itself.

To prime, you have to manually pull out the plunger from the floor of the grip, so that it extends downwards, and then push it back into the grip again.

This may take some effort to do, so it's recommended that you not do it in the heat of battle if you can avoid it. Or if you must, make sure you have proper cover.

Priming indicator: The priming indicator is also located at the bottom of the grip on both sides. It indicates when the blaster is primed and is inactive when the blaster is not primed.

This is quite important as, to the naked eye, the primed blaster and the blaster which is not primed look very much alike.

Inbuilt magazine/breech: The Nerf Rival Knockout can only accommodate one Rival round at a time.

Unlike some blasters that use front-loading, in this case, you have to move the barrel forward to expose the breach, then load one round, before moving the barrel to cover up the breach.

Ball Storage: Slightly forward on the underside of the barrel, there is a projection that bears four depressions, two on each side.

These depressions are for storing extra Rival rounds. They do not connect to the main magazine and so you cannot shoot directly from them. Their function is in keeping extra ammo handy so that you can easily reload

How to use this blaster:

First of all, unpack the blaster from the package. It's very simplistic on design (while being well made) and as such, no assembly is required.

The next step is to load the blaster. Press the breech release switch on any side of the blaster that you choose.

The inward tube of the barrel will shoot forwards revealing the entrance to the magazine. Load one round into the magazine and push the inward tube.

You may also wish to store additional balls (if you have them) in the ball storage depressions under the barrel.

This enhanced the speed at which you can load, prime, and fire. In real battle situations, feel free to make use of fallen rounds to supplement your own ammo.

The next step is priming the blaster. Pull the priming handle downwards and out of the grip. Then, push it upwards into the grip once again. The priming indicator should indicate now that the blaster is properly primed.

Ensure that the trigger lock is off. Then, sight your target down the barrel of your blaster and pull the trigger. Quickly reload, reprime, and shoot again.

Occasionally, the inward tube of the barrel shoots forward after a shot, saving you the effort of having to use the breach switch. See here for video details on how to use this blaster.

Special Features:

Dry fire: This blaster can dry fire. You just have to make sure that it is properly primed first.

Two fire: You can actually load two balls into the magazine. Pulling the trigger then shoots the two balls out at once. This however reduces their velocity by about 30% from the 90 fps which is advertised by the makers of the blaster. But in certain situations, speed for numbers could be a good trade. It's an option worth having up your sleeve.

Nerf Rival Knockout XX-100 Review: Conclusion

Given all that has been said, I believe that the Nerf Rival Knockout is a trusty side gun and a bargain buys at that Totally worth it, I'd say. So, the decision is up to you. What do you say?

You may like My Other Reviews: 

Nerf Rival Hypnos XIX-1200 Review

NERF Rival Hera MXVII-1200 Blaster Review

The Nerf Rival Phantom Corps Hades XVIII-6000 Blaster Review

5 Best Rival Blaster - For ULTIMATE BLASTING!