Review of the Nerf Rival Takedown XX-800

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Last updated: August 24, 2023

The Nerf Rival Takedown XX-800 is an exciting shotgun-style blaster with a simple pump-action firing mechanism and a modest internal magazine. It might be a basic Nerf gun, but it’s powerful enough to deserve your attention.

In this review of the Nerf Rival Takedown, I am going through some of the top features of this model, and I will share my honest opinion with you.

I do need to point out that the Takedown is not a real Nerf shotgun. Why? Check out my article about Nerf shotguns to read all about it.

You can purchase the Nerf Rival Takedown blaster on Amazon.

The Takedown was released at the start of 2020 as part of the Rival series. As you might already know, Rival Blasters are high-performance Nerf weapons with a custom-made ammunition type: High-Impact Rounds.

There are some very powerful, perhaps even over-the-top, blasters in the Rival series, such as the Prometheus and the Nemesis. The Takedown is a more humble blaster with an 8-round magazine and a pump-action firing mechanism.

But don’t let that fool you, because the Takedown is still a very powerful and high-performing model; it’s simply a different type of blaster that serves a different purpose.

Continue reading to find out what I like about the Takedown and why I think you should get one to add to your Nerf collection.

Here’s my personal take on the Nerf Rival Takedown.

1. Great Looks

The combination of the Takedown being a shotgun-style blaster AND the fact that it has the cool Rival theme colors, makes this a great-looking blaster.

I’ll be the first to admit that I like most blasters in the Rival series, but the Takedown has a bit of a retro-style look that I personally really appreciate.

It stands out in the big crowd of small Nerf guns, and for that reason alone, the Rival Takedown deserves props.

2. Smooth Firing Mechanism

As mentioned, the Takedown is a pump-action single-fire blaster, and it carries eight rounds in the internal magazine.

The relatively large pump handle sits at the front of the gun below the barrel. The priming action is easy, intuitive, and smooth, and doesn’t require much force.

Access to the magazine is through a little hole at the top that opens when pulling the priming handle back. Loading the rounds into the magazine is straightforward but requires some pushing in.

Once primed, all you need to do is pull the firing trigger to shoot one round. The process overall, from loading and priming to firing, is fun and smooth. And the excellent firing velocity just adds to the fun.

If there is one drawback worth mentioning, then it would be that slam-fire is not possible. Given the design of the Takedown, a slam-fire option would have made sense.

3. Surprisingly Ergonomic

When looking at the Takedown, the first thing you will notice is the large and somewhat awkwardly shaped grip. It’s a unique grip that we don’t see very often, but it’s actually quite a comfortable grip.

It may take a bit of getting used to, but the grip fits larger hands quite nicely and doesn’t make your hands feel tired or cramped at all.

It helps that you need to hold the blaster with two hands (one at the grip, one at the priming handle), which makes the Rival Takedown blaster feel quite comfortable overall.

This is my personal opinion, though. Your hands may struggle with this unique grip, but I found it easy to get used to, especially with the two hands holding it.

As you can tell, I am pretty excited about the Takedown, so much so that it is included in my list of best Nerf Rival blasters.

For me, the Takedown adds value because of its unique design and decent performance. It’s slightly bigger (and perhaps cooler) than a pistol-style blaster, but it’s not as bulky as some other similar-sized models.

And while it might be a rather basic Nerf gun with a modest internal magazine, it does have legit Rival performance. Looks + ergonomics + performance is a winning combination.

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Review:	Nerf Rival Takedown XX-800
Summary:	The Nerf Rival Takedown XX-800 is an exciting shotgun-style blaster with a simple pump-action firing mechanism and a modest internal magazine. The Takedown stands out with a unique design, great looks, and excellent Rival performance.
Author:	Thomas Dunnett
Rating:	4.6 (out of 5)