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Secrets of Paintball
Lose a Screw? OR Rusting Screws?
I've seen
it on ebay and in magazines, replacement screw sets for paintball markers.
WOW are they expensive, for a little bag of screws. I thought, ya whatever
and tried home depot, but of course they don't carry the same screws, and
almost nothing with a hex head.
Well the secret is a "fastener store" there is actually stores in most
larger cities that sell nothing but nuts and bolts! yes I'm serious, you can
take any screw, nut, bolt, snap ring, washer etc, and they have it, in
stainless, black, or galvanized.
Here's my store for an example.
Paintball OilSold for $5 for 2-3oz is really just made of synthetic transmission fluid and synthetic air tool oil in a 50/50 mixture. Make up your own for yourself and your friends and for about $10 you'll have 2 liters of the stuff. That will last you and all your friends for years!
O-RINGS
Those rings that you pay so much for, are not so special. The standard white ones are made of PolyUrethane, and the really expensive black ones are made of Nitrile (a rubber called Buna-N) with a hardness or durometer of 70, they are the best on the tank lasting a few fills each. Both kinds can be ordered in large quantities very cheaply from an O ring supplier. Here's the numbers you need to know:
AS568-015, I.D. 9/16", O.D. 11/16", Width 1/16" that's the standard tank size O-ring
EBAY
Surprisingly some people don't know this one. But just about any new piece
of paintball equipment you may be looking for is available on Ebay for a
fraction of the price. Just keep in mind that if you are Canadian, UPS
sucks. The do some heavy gouging at the boarder with their customs expedited fee, which is based on the
value of the goods, not size or weight. Guess they don't call them 'Ooops'
for nothing. Regular American mail is the best, fast reliable and cheaper.
The other thing is tanks are not always stamped properly to cross the
boarder for us in Canada. They need to have a "TC #" stamp on them. Without
that it can't be filled or hydro'd.
I've got deals on things like a huge bag of O rings, replacement goggle
lenses
and even a PGP paintball gun.
Winter Paintball
by SunyJim
I've played winter paintball the last few years in weather as cold as -15C that's 10F and it has worked with mixed results. Here's what I've found.
THE EQUIPMENT
The first marker I tried was my RAS intruder (a spyder clone) it has a 20oz CO2 with a
Neoprene cover and an expansion chamber, worked flawlessly the expansion chamber was colder than heck to hold on to, and I was personally quite cold but the marker didn't even sputter. I think by the end of the day I did use most of the 20oz which is a lot of CO2 but it worked. My second marker is a Traccer pump, with 7oz CO2 also worked flawlessly. We also had a Titan 1 out, with a 12oz CO2, no bottom line, it had a few problems with double feeding, sputtering and so on, and frequent drops in velocity with fast shooting sometimes failing to cock. The other marker was a Piranha Bottom Line with a 9oz, it did ok, about the same as the Titan with some sputtering and loss of velocity.
I think the secret to successful winter play is short barrels are also better than the long, the longer barrels had a real problem with paint breaking. If your playing with CO2 use a larger tank, the gas isn't going to expand very fast so the bigger the tank the more gas you will get. My Neoprene cover probably was part of the reason for it being successful, it kept the heat that the tank had from the car in, and allowed it to keep out the cold of the air. The pump marker worked even with a small tank because the pumps require so little pressure that there was still more than enough in the little tank to make it work. The Piranha and the Titan had the same problem, a smaller tank, no expansion chamber and they require a lot of pressure to operate, which they weren't always getting. The CO2 according to the charts only has about 361 psi of pressure. Some of our guys has some success strapping "hotshots" to the tank or the bottom line to warm up the tank and keep the pressure up. Even wrapping the tank in a few socks keeps in the warmth and was fairly successful. Of course the best alternative is to use an HPA or Air tank. They don't suffer from the same temperature fluctuations as CO2 does.
THE PAINT
Well the paint is far more breakable, the cheap Zap Sport and Brass Eagle was the worst and almost unusable, dimpled, won't fly straight, and breaks in the barrel all the time. The regular Zap Pro was pretty good, flew pretty straight, not too bad for barrel breaks. I was quite happy with it. Polar Ice bright pink balls, they flew great, by far the least barrel breaks, but quite expensive, and really not that much better. Far more bounces than breaks on target. And they really hurt when they hit a less protected area and don't break.
CLOTHING
Dress in lots of layers, a good turtle neck heavy sweater then jacket, long underwear, and snow pants, good snow boots, flip back gloves from Walmart work well because you can stick a finger out the slot to pull the trigger, but a thin pair underneath at least on your trigger hand is recommended. I didn't have any problems with fogging with my JT Spectra thermal goggle, and even the guys with single
lens only had slight fogging.
Light grey, white and black are the best colours. For the most part in our forest all the green was gone and the trees all looked black from a distance.
As an interesting side note, do you want to know how people used to play in
the snow before air tanks? Most paintball markers, certainly all the pumps,
right up to the tippmann 98 were made to shoot with LIQUID CO2 for the
winter. Rather than having a tank with an anti-siphon like we do now to stop
liquid from getting in, they added a siphon tube to draw the liquid to get
the pressure up to 'acceptable' levels.
Well that's about it. It's a fun and different game in the winter, and well worth the extra effort. Try it I think you'll have a blast..
Dispelling the myth about frozen paint
-Sniper Bob
Aight, someone mentions frozen paint, and it shattering
lenses. I'm surprised this old wives tail is still around. I've heard from manufactures that this is false, and to
finally prove a point, I went out and tried it myself today. I took about 100 balls (I can't believe I'm sacrificing my paint for you guys!), a combination of RP Premium and Slam and put them into a ziplock bag. Stuck
them in the freezer for a couple hours, packed them in ice (okay snow) when going to the field, and stuck them in the fields freezer for another hour or so. This would be enough time to make ice cubes at home. The results: very dimpled balls with brittle shells. Paintballs are mineral oil based, not water, so they won't freeze and harden like water would. Instead, the oil contracts, resulting in the big dimples in the shell. The extra cold also makes the shells very brittle. Seemed to shoot out of the cocker okay, and all broke on target very easily. So, short of dipping these in liquid Nitrogen (which would freeze everything those paintballs came into contact with anyway), paintballs will not freeze solid. Now you have the word of Bob.
THE B.S. in Paintball
-by SunyJim
I dont know if its because most of the players are young, and they think were gullible... but there seems to be more bulls#@t theories and products in the paintball world, than at a California new age convention.
DOUBLE TRIGGER
Why is it that a paintball marker has a double trigger? Find another gun in the world that has this and I will be amazed. Look what you are now holding on to the handle with. You two smallest fingers!
That's not stable. They don't call your index finger your trigger finger for nothing. Try pulling the trigger with your trigger finger, it will be just as fast and the gun will stay pointed better, because you will still have a good grip on it.
HPA N2/AIR more consistent than CO2
Look at reviews of paintball guns on pbstar.com every time they review a new gun they shoot off some shots using CO2 and with N2 or Air. And they chart the fluctuations in speed from shot to shot. There is always 2-3 feet per second more variation in the N2 and Air then the CO2. Sure once you double regulate, or just single regulate the N2 it makes it stable.
Its the regulated gas that is stable not that it is air or n2 or whatever. I could do the same with CO2 a lot cheaper and easier
with a palmer stabilizer and get the same consistent results. (Bringing up double regulating the gas. Why not just use one regulator that actually works?)
FLATLINE BARREL
So the theory is that it will cause the balls to spin. This is true a spinning ball creates lift, from the MAGNUS effect, but it's highly ineffective on a smooth surface like a paintball, than a divited surface like a golf ball. But it is true it will go further.
Unfortunately it won't break at those further distances, it's just going further because the spin, causes the ball to shoot up into the air. I find the flatline has one of the worst accuracy rates that
I've ever seen. The spin on the ball creates more problems than its worth. Paintballs
aren't the most accurately made things in the world. They have seams, they have the occasional dimple with age, these imperfections make it more like a baseball in flight than a golf ball.... flying nice and straight, then BAM that seem comes up and WINGGG! Off it goes into the woods to the right or left. Unlike a baseball pitcher controlling when the seam of the ball comes up to make a sinker or curve ball, you cant control the seam. The spin on the ball becomes a wild card for direction of the ball....always veering off somewhere you
don't want it. As for the lift... I've tried it... I don't like the trade off for distance versus accuracy... Try it before you believe their hype.
So I ended buying a 98 Custom and it had a Flatline, which I have tried
extensively. I want to modify what I said originally. The balls still don't
break past the regular distance. BUT they certainly are going 80-100 ft
further with a flat trajectory. I still think it holds true what I said
about the accuracy of the barrel, it definitely has some value. I am able to
hit people who can't hit me, sure they don't break, but it makes them tuck
in so I can move up or around on them. The accuracy though I find is only
poor in that last 80-100 ft, so if I was shooting my 98 with a normal barrel
at under 125ft distances I think that the accuracy ends up being the same...
but over the 125ft, where regular barrels struggle to put a ball, that's
where the Flatline fired paintballs have slowed enough that the seam starts
to effect the flight of the paintball and send it erratically into the
bushes.
LOW PRESSURE SETUP
LP, for the vast
majority of the time, is little more than a marketing gimmick. That's not to
say that it doesn't have some benefits, but hang with me here.
LP does not and can not, by itself, improve range, accuracy, consistency or
gas efficiency. Look at a Phantom- 50 shots per 12-gram and amazing
accuracy, but that 12-gram puts out better than 800 psi on a warm day
Lesson One: "Low Pressure" is a
result, not a goal. It's a side effect. You do NOT modify your
gun (any gun) simply to get the operating pressure down. You modify your gun
for better efficiency, which, in turn, allows you to lower the
operating pressure. Or rather, requires you to in order to keep the velocity
legal. -
MCB's TECH
Jeff Goslin (rec.sport.paintball)
ok, let's see here... you spent $125 for a nitro tank, AND you spend $100 for low pressure valves and springs and what not. Just out of curiosity, and I really am curious, what exactly did that expenditure buy you that purchasing a nitro tank and running at regular pressures DIDN'T give you?
Low pressure is nothing more than a modification to the gun to allow it to use more volume of air to propel a paintball than pressure of air, thus allowing one to use thin shelled paint without breaking it in your barrel. Given that this "thin shelled paint" is practically non-existent, it seems highly unlikely that you would gain any tangible benefit from that expense EXCEPT the bragging rights of having a gun that is "worth more" than the next guy's gun. But honestly, what good is low pressure if you're using standard paint? You get marginally better gas efficiency, so marginal that you would have to fill and empty your tank HUNDREDS of times for the break even point to be met, so... I just don't get it. Why do people insist on modifying their guns in a way that gives them no tangible benefits? Low pressure is a myth perpetuated by airsmiths to allow people who want all the gadgets on their guns, and are willing to pay enormous sums of money to get "the best gun", when in actual fact, low pressure is just another way of propelling a paintball.
BARREL INNER DIAMETER
-Durty Dan
I have read several articles on how to match your paint to your barrel, and vice versa. The authors claim that you must match your barrel inner diameter with that of the paintball's outer diameter. I'm here to tell you that this is a big load of crap. So long as the paint doesn't roll out the barrel before you fire it and it feeds properly, your barrel inner diameter has nothing to do with the ballistic performance of the paintball. Some will say that if you put big bore paint in a small bore barrel, the ball will slow down. SO? Adjust your marker's velocity accordingly. Any more questions? You see, when you fire the ball, it gets compressed and if fits the barrel perfectly. Some airsmiths and barrel manufacturers "step tune" their barrels. Tight at the bore (to stop roll out), wider in the middle (to allow for ball expansion) and tight at the end (for accuracy). I've used step-tuned barrels with varying degrees of success ranging from "absolutely amazing" to "it'll do fine". What IS important is barrel LENGTH. Any airsmith will tell you that. That is, any airsmith that doesn't make his money by making and selling barrels of different diameters. Here's the scoop. If you are using CO2 the gas will expand more efficiently the warmer the air temperature is. Therefore you should use a shorter barrel when it's hot and a longer barrel when it's cold. Nothing shorter than nine inches and nothing longer than 12 inches (unless they're vented and you can get away with adding an inch). With high pressure air, you can have any length (9-12 inches, unvented) because the air temperature doesn't effect the high pressure system as much. Anybody who tell you otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about. Or they do and they want you to buy their barrels.
Really Ill tell you why these different barrel diameters are available, barrel size on a closed bolt (AKA Autococker) is a VERY important because, variants as little as .002 could equal paint to roll out of the barrel and making you have a bad day because a ball detent doesnt do anything for a closed bolt that relies on paint fit to keep the ball in place
BARREL LENGTH
-Durty Dan
Okay, you saw the magic number I quoted for barrel length. Let's look at them. Minium Length is NINE Inches. This is to allow complete expansion of the gas. Anything shorter and you're going to waste air. Shorter barrelled stock pistols, like the PGP have excellent accuracy, despite their shorter barrels. This is because the Sheridan valve is a bit more efficient with gas. Maximum Length is TWELVE Inches. This is because the gas has stopped expanding and there's really no longer a need for the ball to be inside the barrel any more, it's a s fast as it's going to get (at that velocity). The gas just whirls around and causes turbulence. If you vent the barrel you can add a couple of inches to the maximum length because the holes bleed the extra air away and doesn't allow it to effect ball performance. While we're talking about vented barrels . . .
VENTED BARRELS
-Durty Dan
The only good thing a vented barrel is for is if your valve is not properly tuned. The more Inefficient your valve is, the more improvement you'll get with a vented barrel. If your valve pushes too much volume of gas then all the extra gas that hasn't expanded properly blasts out with the ball, decreasing accuracy. The venting holes alow
the gas to bleed off while the barrel is still holding the ball on it's
course. That's why some players say they see a difference and some players
don't. Even if they have the same brand of marker. The other plus is that it
makes the report quieter because it bleeds the gas off gradually, rather
than just letting it blast out the muzzle like a non-vented barrel does. If
you think it spins the ball or prevents air pressure from stacking up in
front of the ball -- you've been reading too many advertisements
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A Bushballers adventures in Speedball
by Ryan Pare
I know there are a lot of people out there who play rec ball out in the bush and consider themselves quite good. I myself am fairly decent in the bush. You know, watching for movement where there shouldn't be, as well as lying still and waiting for a target. You know, the basic strategy in
bushball. I heard that the Madmen speedball team was starting up, and while I was hesitant at first, I finally joined after a little bit of convincing and after buying a new marker (An upgrade from a Titan T1 to a Piranha VTL). So the tournament started and when I went in and played my first game in there. I realized something, I wasn't in the bush anymore. This was entirely different. The game was entirely different. There was far less cover. You essentially had to earn your cover by making your way to it. You have to yell to your teammates as opposed to keeping your position a secret.
The basics of a 3 man team is pretty easy. It's usually 3 on 3, unless you have a teammate that doesn't show up for the game, which has happened, and it sucked. Anyways, continuing on. You have the three different types of players, your front, middle and back man. The job of the front man is to make a mad dash to the center where the flag is, and tries not to get hit. The middle man's job is essentially to get to a bunker in between the back and keep an eye on the other team's players. The back man watches the other team's movements, and generally hoses paint towards the opponents. Our saying is "If the back man ever stops shooting, then you shoot for him."
Some general ideas to keep in mind if you are considering trying out speedball is that you should wear clothes that are comfortable and not confining. Remember, speedball is about moving around, so if your clothes are too tight and you can't move, you've essentially become useless to the team. Also, things do NOT go as planned. If they do then consider yourself lucky. You always need to have the ability to improvise. Next, if your opponent is running, do not shoot at them. 'Lead your target' by Shooting in their path so they run in to your paint. It's true that the back player needs to be able to shoot the fastest, but the whole team needs to be able to shoot at least 3/4 as fast as the back man. They also need to be able to take over someone else's role. The front man is the most likely one to get shot first, so the middle man needs to be able to take over his role. Or, if the back man get's shot, then the middle man needs to take over.
Generally, speedball is all about being prepared for the worst. It is NOTHING like bushball. It's not even close. The only similarities are;
1)The markers and paintballs
2)getting hit means your out
3)you want to hit your opponent before they take you out.
I like both types of the game for the same reason. I enjoy going out to play paintball. However, specifically I like bushball because it gives me the chance to work on my stealth and snipering. Speedball gives me a giant adrenaline rush and allows me to work on the speed of my shooting, my strategies and forces me to work out detailed plays with my teammates. Bushball's strategies, are harder because you can't always see your allies, so it's more of a two man, or generalized stratagy. By playing both games it allows me to work on all of my paintball skills. These include fast shooting, moving fast and quietly, strategies, as well as working on the two things you need in both games, speed cleaning your marker when a ball breaks, and shooting accurately.
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The
Answers,
to questions that have been
asked in searches...
1.Do
expansion chambers hurt
performance of a marker?
No not at all, in fact it
makes your CO2 usage far
more stable, especially in
colder or changing weather.
2.How
much does it cost to hydro a
scuba tank?
The club just paid $40
Canadian to have our club
tank done, with internal
visual, and pressure tests.
3.What's the difference
between a Pump vs Semi
Accuracy?
Really the answer is in your
head. The marker isn't more
accurate, it doesn't shoot
further. But you the player
learn to play the game
better with the pump, learn
to make your shots count,
learn to judge distance by
eye rather than adjusting
after seeing the stream of
paintballs go in the wrong
place. You become more
accurate, and so even when
you then switch back to the
semi, you play better.
that's why I recommend a
pump.
4. How
to fix A CRACK IN A CO2
TANK?
Oh my good god I can't
believe someone would ask
that! throw it out for god
sake! It's amazingly
dangerous!!!!
5.What is the difference
between high and low
pressure Nitro tanks?
Well first low pressure
tanks are for low pressure
markers, (normally under
400psi) the idea of low
pressure is that the marker
uses a long burst of lower
pressure gas, rather than a
short burst of high pressure
gas. Typically the gas
volume is equal, but the
idea is that low pressure is
less likely to break a ball in the
chamber. So if you have a
low pressure marker, the low
pressure tank delivers 450
or 400psi instead of 800 psi
like a standard tank. Low
pressure tanks make it
easier on your on marker
regulator by delivering a
pressure closer to the
pressure used by the marker.
You can also certainly use a standard high pressure tank to power your low
pressure marker. But it does
make for more work, and
possibly more fluctuations
in pressure from your
regulator. Not enough to
really worry about though
unless your playing
tournaments and need to get
as high to the speed limit
as you can without going
over, But still a little
more inconsistency.
6. Nitro/N2/Air is it ok to
use with expansion chamber?
Well keeping in mind that
the expansion chamber is
going to do absolutely
nothing to benefit the
performance, it certainly
won't hurt anything either.
Yes it's fine to use.
Expansion chambers help to
prevent liquid CO2 from
getting in the marker, by
giving the liquid a place to
expand into a gas. Nitro/N2
is already a gas, so nothing
happens, the gas just goes
through it.
7. How many shots will I
get per tank?
|
CO2 |
HPA 3000 |
HPA 4500 |
|
Tank Size
|
Shots
|
Tank Size
|
Shots
|
Tank Size
|
Shots
|
|
7 Oz
|
300-400
|
44cc
|
400-500
|
44cc
|
600-700
|
|
9 Oz
|
400-450
|
53cc
|
600-700
|
53cc
|
800-900
|
|
12 Oz
|
500-700
|
68cc
|
800-900
|
68cc
|
1200-1400
|
|
20 Oz
|
1200+
|
114cc
|
1250-1500
|
114cc
|
1500-2000
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Source: Paintball 2-Xtremes
Magazine July, 1998)
8.What is a slide check?
and what does it do?
A slide check is a metal
sliding piece on a remote
line marker connecting end,
that allows you do degas
your marker, without
degassing the remote line.
This allows you to operate
the quick disconnect, even
when the remote line is
filled with gas. Without a
slide it is almost
impossible to use the quick
disconnect.
See article on
how to
fix a leaking slide check
for pictures, and help if
your remote is leaking.
9. How much psi is in a
20oz co2 tank?
The answer is always the
same no matter the size of
the tank. It's always
roughly between
500psi-1100psi, depending on
the temperature where the
tank is. The colder, the
less pressure. If overfilled
and overheated, then it can
be much higher, enough to
blow the burst disk. See the
pressure chart for more
exact info.
co2 pressure chart
10.
All the 'experts' on the web
seem to be saying CO2 is so
crappy and unstable that
it's amazing that a marker
works at all when using CO2.
Should I switch to HPA?
Co2 worked perfectly well
for 10 years before air,
because it is an amazing
stable gas. It's cheap,
reliable, and easy to
obtain. Co2 is a self
regulating gas. If I open
the valve on a Co2 tank it
puts out a constant pressure
until the tank begins to run
dry and runs out of liquid
co2. It's like boiling
water. It's also a liquid
turning to a gas (steam),
the temperature that water
boils is not constant it
changes by air pressure.
Think of it like this once
water starts boiling at 100
C/212 F it continues at that
same temperature until all
the water is gone right?
Well Co2 also boils into gas
at room temperature until
the liquid Co2 in the tank
is gone. The output pressure
with CO2 doesn't change,
unless the temperature
outside changes. So it is
very constant for hours,
maybe a slight change as the
day warms up, or the tank
cools off from a fast string
of firing but reasonably
constant pressure. Air
on the other hand is not
self regulated. If we open
the valve the pressure drops
from maximum tank pressure
(4500psi) and continues to
fall until the tank is
empty. The regulator takes
that unstable, always
decreasing input and makes
it the stable output people
associate with HPA.
THE
REGULATOR MAKES THE GAS
CONSISTENT
So is it really fair to
compare a tank with a
regulator to one without? No
So lets compare Co2 with a
palmer, to HPA with a single
tank reg. The Co2 is
more consistent, with less
variation shot to shot.
Holds more in a smaller
tank, and is easier for the
majority of the USA to find
a refill. Don't get many
dive shops in Oklahoma or
Alberta that can fill a tank
to 3000 psi let alone 4500
psi but every welders supply
shop has CO2. So just
because HPA is new and cool
doesn't make it better.
Durty
Dan Says
STICK
WITH CO2 If you
haven't converted to high
pressure air (HPA) or
nitrogen, stick with CO2.
It's going to be around as
long as paintball is being
played. We've been using CO2
since 1981 and we'll
continue to keep on using
it. Anyone who tells you
that CO2 will eventually no
longer be available in the
paintball industry is
"blowing smoke" and probably
trying to sell you an N2 or
HPA set-up.
11. I can't seem to get
my speed up? What's wrong?
Well it could be a few
things. First make sure to
oil your marker. Just 4
drops where the tank screws
in.
Still not working.... You do
have a full Co2 tank right?
I mean it's not almost
empty? or really cold out?
Is the marker clean? Maybe
there is flakes of a broken
ball stuck inside slowing
things down. I've had
that... time for a good
cleaning maybe?
Not that... Have you had the
marker for a while, maybe
your main spring is worn
out. Usually I find
once a year, or every other
year depending on use (or if
you leave it cocked when not
in use (not good for the
spring) the main spring
needs to be replaced. You
may have received more than
one stiffness of spring
with your marker. Maybe you
have the indoor spring (blue
or green?) in, and your
trying to play outdoor and
need the stiffer (red?)
spring that came with your
marker.
If none of those it's time
for your paintball shop to
have a go at it. Those are
the most likely causes.
12. What's better a
Regulator, Expansion Chamber
or Remote Coil?
Well we are obviously
talking about using it with
CO2, usually people ask to
eliminate liquid, or
sometimes for more
consistent speed. An
Expansion chamber works much
better than remote coil, and
frankly works all the time
whether the tank is on the
gun or on your back. A coil
can still fill with liquid,
and doesn't control the
pressure at all. In theory a
regulator works better than
a expansion chamber, but in
my opinion the added price
of a regulator only makes
sense if your marker runs at
a lower pressure than 850psi
and you can then reduce the
pressure going into the
marker.
Here's why a regulator is
good. The new spiders run at
200psi, most auto cockers
run at 400psi or lower.
Even a Tippmann 98 will run
at 600-650 psi depending on
if you have response or
cyclone loader.
Reducing the input pressure
even a 100psi gives the
regulator something to do,
and will give you more
consistent speed over more
temperatures.
See up here in Canada, on a
nice warm day 30C/86F
we get 1100psi out of a full
tank, hey that's great,
everything works well, but
in the fall 8C/45F we are
only getting 600psi
everything still works, but
that's a heck of a pressure
change, so if it runs at
600psi, why not set the
regulator to 600psi, then
speed just won't have to be
adjusted much for
temperatures ranging 8-30C!
and remember consistency is
accuracy. That's why I
bought a Palmer Regulator,
really good and works with
CO2
13. What is better to
shoot your paintball gun
with, nitro or air?
Well that's an easy one. As
far as your paintball gun is
concerned air, and nitrogen
(N2) are the same thing.
You see, the air you breath
is 78% nitrogen. What
goes into your tank all
comes down to where you just
filled it.
A dive shop will just
compress regular air into
your scuba tank your using
to fill your paintball
tanks. So 78% nitrogen, 21%
oxygen the rest assorted
gasses.
However if you go to a gas
supplier to get your tank
filled, they will fill it
with nitrogen, because they
don't carry compressed air.
Companies they would sell
to, have no use for that.
I can see the searches done that result in a visit to my website, and
mostly that's where I get
the questions to put here
and answer.
Product Testing
by Russ 'Wakka' Hobson
I have bought a few new products for my paintball gun and I have had a chance to try them out and I would like to share my opinions of the products that I have tested. They are as follows:
Anti Fog insert Lens for PMI masks
I purchased a lens for my mask ($35.00) because buying a new mask with an anti fog lens was really expensive ($100.00 to $120.00). I am really happy with the performance of the lens and they come in a variety of colours. Im using yellow. Ive used the product five (5) times and the mask has only slightly fogged up once. I sweat big time. The draw back is the second membrane on the lens is really thin so when you are cleaning the goggles on the mask you have to be careful not to crack the membrane. The anti fog lens will still work but your vision may be impaired.
4+1 Halfpack Ball Hauler by 32 degrees
The half pack ball hauler holds four (4) 140/150 ball tubes horizontally and up to a 20 oz air tank vertically. This product was not expensive ($23.50) and is fairly well made it works very well when the waist strap is done up tight. The only draw back is no shoulder straps, because of the hauler being more centred on your back shoulder straps are needed so the weight of the harness is not pulling on your waist.
CMI Micro Coil Paintball Remote System by Thunder Pig
The CMI micro coil has taken a beating so far I am happy with the product. This product was moderately priced ($42.00). I had my doubts when I got it mainly because of the size of the coil, it is a micro line pig coil but so far it is holding up with out bending or kinking and retracts well. The only draw back to the remote system has a quick release and does not have an air cut off or coupling so you have to make sure the air valve (tank) is turned off.
PRODUCT REVIEW
by SunyJim
ZAP EXTREME SPORTZ
PAINTBALLS
previously "REC
SERIES PAINTBALLS"
available at WALMART
2000 paintball in
plastic handled tubs
for just $50cdn
before tax. The
Paintballs that I
have bought have
always been dark
blue, with a good
thick light blue
fill, better than
the Zap Sport Series
balls (kinda watery,
but they fly ok)
also at Walmart but
not thick like Zap Cronic etc,
other tournament
paint.
The Balls are well
made with almost no
seam and rarely
dimpled out of the
bags.
I do find them oily, which doesn't effect anything, and I do find that
they are by far the
most disgusting
smelling I have ever
shot, like turned
fish oil when they
break.
I highly recommend
them it's my paint
of choice, cheap,
good quality, good
fill. Keep your eyes
out, not only is the
label changing
these balls are
apparently changing
too, the 2000 tub
soon will be black
with orange fill,
and green with
yellow fill,
currently available
in the smaller
quantity containers
at Walmart
RAS INTRUDER ATX
This marker was just what I was looking for. I liked the Spyder
and Piranha style marker, but didn't like the feed system, because you can't
see down the barrel. That's the great part about
the Intruder, it had all the upgrades I would have done anyway, such as the
expansion chamber, ported 12" barrel, Beaver Tail, and raised sight rail. But
it also has a vertical feed system that is set off to the right. CLEAR VIEW
DOWN THE BARREL!!! It's well made, and ALL METAL, even the grip frame, unlike
the Piranha STS I was looking at.
Complaints: The cocking of this marker, with the beaver tail on is ridiculously hard. I solved this with a piece of Boot lace leather. Take a piece 12" long put it through the holes on the back of the bolt and tie it. Not in a big loop (that might get caught) in as small a loop as you can. leave the ends of the leather just long enough to grab, from under the beaver tail and pull backwards to cock the bolt. A little heavy, more than the
piranha, but probably due to the metal grip frame, which I'd rather have than the light marker.
Although my friends marker was perfect for speed mine would shoot no lower than 310fps, and shot as high as 360!, needless to say we chopped that spring! and I have had no problems since (almost 2 years now!)
TIPPMANN 98 CUSTOM
Well my RAS was showing the many years of outstanding service, and I was
already looking at the Tippmann A5 (I like the mil-sim special ops look),
but I was offered a deal I couldn't refuse on a 98 Custom, with flatline,
and response. Wow what a marker! Really is solidly built, shoots great, even
has me turned around on the flatline... but that's another story. A couple
of things changing from a spyder style RAS to this 98 though. With a
standard barrel the 98 really is not longer than the RAS, it's the same
length! it's not even as tall! Quite surprising I always thought it was
longer.
The other less favourable change is that this thing is a gas pig! where my
20oz co2 used to give me 1400 shots, I feel lucky to get 600 with the 98. It
really needs some upgrades out of the box, regardless of whether you choose
to add the response trigger. It needs an expansion chamber, or even better a
palmer stabilizer, that will keep the velocity a lot more consistent,
because if currently fluctuates 20fps, and with the response more like 35fps
(because it ends up drawing liquid). A expansion chamber would reduce gas
fluctuations, and make it more consistent, then I need to add a rear
velocity adjuster, the screw in the side just controls how much gas is
dumped out. So shooting at 200fps, or 300fps uses the exact same amount of
gas with a Tippmann, the rear velocity adjuster will reduce the gas
released, until the marker is just shooting the speed limit. Those two
pieces (velocity adjuster, and expansion chamber) will bring up the shots
per tank probably to the same area of 1200-1400 per tank. (No I don't want
to go HPA, it's not more consistent. You find it more consistent, not
because of the gas, but because your running a regulator that controls the
pressure - that's what a palmer stabilizer does for CO2 and it gives the
same consistent result as HPA tanks, but with CO2)
Response Trigger - Frankly shoots faster than I like, turns me from Sabre
front gunner to a heavy back gunner, Not sure I'm going to keep it on there.
But wow when it goes full auto, and it can when you find the sweet spot!
JT SPECTRA Thermal Mask
When I was first shopping for my gear, everyone just kept saying, spend the money on the mask. It's not a place to scrimp. So I took there advice and bought the most popular mask at the time the JT Thermal in Olive Green.
(why arn't there
more camo
masks?)
It was the perfect colour for playing bushball, had the double lens (thermal) to avoid fogging and was mid priced in the market at $90. Even
came with a nice soft goggle bag.
Although I sweat incredibly in the summer, it has rarely fogged up on me. Only on two occasions that I remember, when the humidity was high and the temperature started to drop, it fogged up. I guess a fan would have cleared that up right away... but really it hasn't fogged up since.
It's been two years. In that time I have lost a bolt holding on the bottom of the mask which I replaced with a nut and bolt from Home Depot, and I have had to replace the lens, the inside lens started to crack when I cleaned it one day. Ridiculously hard to replace the lens. but a mask I would recommend to all new players. Spend the money it's not the place to scrimp.
JT Proteus Mask
I've had my JT Spectra for a few years now, and have never had a fogging
issue. But I needed a new lens, and the foam is starting to look ratty. Well
I ended up just buying a whole new goggle, got a good deal on it. This mask
is tighter fitting than the spectra, slick looking for sure, but because it
is so much closer to the face it seems way more likely to fog, even with the
thermal lens. So I find the mask really comfortable, but I'm going to end up
having to add a fan to the damn thing just so I can play. Good fit, like the
ear and mouth area on it, but get the one with the fan, or plan on adding
one.
REDZ Comfort Belt and Pack
This is by far one of the best names and quality products in the pack market. It's designed as two separate pieces, a wide belt, and then attach what ever pack suits your needs. I chose the Dimension 3.2 pack for mine. Holds three pods, but has elastic loops to hold two more if your in a big game or tournament. They make packs with anywhere from 2 pods to the 5.4 that holds 9! So It's perfect if you play two styles of games, just buy a big pack and a smaller one.
This pack is so comfortable, it stays put, doesn't bounce or move, and I
don't even have the optional suspenders. My only complaint is the elastic
loop system, it seems great that you can put the extra pods in there if you
need to, but you just can't slide a pod back into them. Many people have had
this similar problem, BUT I HAVE THE SOLUTION. Get a cardboard shipping tube
2 1/2 inches across. Make sure the pod slides snugly into the tube. Cut the
tube 1/2 the length of the elastic strap and insert it in the bottom 1/2 of
the strap. The tube lets you get the pod back in, the remainder of the
elastic holds it there. The price for this pack was a little steep, but sometimes you have to
pay to get a good product. Well had the pack for a while, and time to get a new pack for the belt, well
a few less options are left. No BigBoy, BigGame, ProSport, ProPack, or even
the Omni pack. just the dimension packs, now they're ok, but with pods
pointing down, they are hard to get out, and harder to get back in. I still
like the ability of choosing a pack of different sizes for different styles
of games, but really the options of the Different series of packs were far
superior, choosing how to carry the extra pods, such as sideways is a great
option. So I e-mailed REDZ about my disappointment in not finding the variety of
packs. Redz responded that they are discontinuing the whole comfort system,
they will be just selling all in one systems with a belt attached like their
cheaper flextech line. I must say I am very sorry to hear that. So I turned to EBAY and bought a
Redz Comfort Gear Big Boy Pack
5
horizontal 140s, and a tank on the right. (Getting into the Special Ops
style action so a remote will be a good option, and I find that I was using
my 3.2 with all 5 to bring the paint out to the bushball field, then leaving
2 of the pods at the set up spot for between game fillings) This is a
discontinued pack but I got a great deal on it. New with a belt, and the
suspenders. Just $15 plus shipping. Wow what a deal! Again really well
built, and in this case well worth the money.
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