Bob Long Protégé -- By: Richard

Bob Long brought one of the first electro-pneumatic markers into paintball and sent the markers into speed and performance that was unheard of before. Well Bob Long is back in 08 after his hugely successful Marq series with now the new Protégé markers.

What really sets the Protégé apart from other high end guns is going to be the ability to upgrade to four Anti-Chop Eye sensors. Normally the gun has a set BIP (Ball in Place) delay that the gun will wait for after the eyes have sensed a ball in the chamber before it will shoot. The reason for this is to make sure that the ball is actually settled in the breech before firing. The Protégé can be upgraded to have a pair of eyes at the top of the breech, onto the stock pair it has at the bottom. The pair at the top will see the ball as it drops in and tell the bottom eyes when to anticipate to fire, eliminating the ball in place delay. The extra pair of eyes shaves precious milliseconds off the cycling time which add up when you need to achieve such high rates of fire.

Operating on an inline Poppet-Valve system, the Protégé is unlike any other high end marker available today. Just as accurate as a spool valve but easier on gas puts you up around 2000+ shots on a 68/4500 tank. The Protégé is the only gun available that you can go through a full case without having to refill.

As well as being light on air the Protégé is light in weight. Weighing in at only 1 pound 14 ounces it is tight and compact. Bob longs milling has always been amazing and unique and the same is present in the Protégé’s open bolt body.

The insides of the Protégé are a lot easier to maintain then the original Intimidators the Bob put out almost a decade ago. Easy Bolt out the pack stripping allows for easy access to lube and clean the gun. The solenoid is manifold mounted which eliminates confusing and messy hosing.

The Protégé is a definite recommendation for any player looking to get into a high end marker for tournament play. Available in many colors it is easy to find one in the perfect color to show off to your friends.

Extreme Rage 20/20 Echo -- By Eric

The Extreme Rage 20/20 Echo is an excellent paintball mask. Extreme Rage listened to the real players and made a mask that has all of the features people want. They even put the typical “upgrades” people normally have to buy on their mask right out of the box!

The 20/20 Echo comes with a built in fan and a thermal lens. This combination almost guarantees that you will NEVER have to deal with fogging while wearing this mask. It also has a silicon beaded strap to keep it from moving around while it is on your head. The mask also features a flexible face mask for extra comfort and increased bounces off the mask. Two separate visors are included, one soft and one hard, so the player can choose which one they like more. Another popular upgrade for masks is a mirrored lens, which comes stock on the 20/20 Echo. It also includes a mask bag to protect your mask while you are not using it.

The Extreme Rage 20/20 Echo is a great mask for anyone. It even comes in camo for the woodsballers out there. The thermal lens and fan virtually eliminate fogging, and with all of the comfort features Extreme Rage put in their mask you will barely feel it while you are playing! Even with all of these great features, the 20/20 Echo is still affordable at the low price of $39.95, less than the competing Dye I3 and JT Flex-8.

Buy one now at EVPaintball.com!

WGP Trilogy Autocockers -- By Eric

The Trilogy line by WGP was designed to allow anyone to own an Autococker marker. High prices had kept the Autococker a strictly high-end marker in the past, but with the introduction of the Trilogy line you can buy a real Autococker for the same price as a Spyder or Tippmann. The original Trilogy line consisted of the Sport, Competition, and Pro models. The Trilogy SF (Select Fire) markers, with an electronic grip frame, were released later.

The Trilogy markers feature a lightweight uni-body design, the accuracy of a true closed-bolt marker, a velocity adjuster, a new integrated 3-way, a high performance LPR, and a push-button safety. The Sport and Competition models have a compact hinge frame, while the Pro model has a full sized hinge frame to make it easier to pull the trigger. The Competition and Pro models come with an inline regulator and the Sport model comes with a gas-thru foregrip. The Pro model comes with a 2-piece barrel with 2 different sized backs. The SF models include an electronic grip frame with 5 modes; Semi auto, Full auto, Ramping mode, Demo mode, and 3 shot burst.

These markers will give you excellent accuracy for a great price. If you get one of the Select Fire models it will also have a high rate of fire to go with the accuracy. The Sport sells for $100 (remanufactured), the Competition for $120 (remanufactured), the Pro for $150 (remanufactured), and the Tactical SF for $295.

You can buy any of these at EVPaintball.com!

Barrels, the Best Upgrade -- By Chris

The Barrel. This is the most important upgrade you can make to your paintball marker. Barrels come in many shapes, colors and sizes. But what does it all mean and is there a REAL difference between barrels. The answer is YES! Most barrels start their life and tubular blanks or as solid hunks of aluminum, or more exotic, titanium. They are honed out on special machines to exact ID (inner diameter) tolerances and then turned and milled with ornate designs. They are what guides our paintballs to their targets. So, what makes them so important? Let's start at the beginning, the polish. The brighter, more lustrous shine the barrel has on the INSIDE, the easier the paintball travels down the barrel. Better the polish equals less friction which then translates into more and more accurate shot and better air efficiency.

The barrels porting is huge. Most stock barrels have little porting at the tip or none at all. What this does is as the ball leaves the end of the barrel, so does all the air at once. This can have a tremendous effect of the flight path of your paintball, as the air escaping can actually push your paintball on one side or the other, causing the ball the wing out at different angles. Porting allows the air to escape in a uniform manner before the ball exits the barrels, which reduces the amount of air which can effect your accuracy. The amount of air that is ported out is dependant upon the barrel. Some have a little porting, and others have enough porting that it eliminates all influential air.

Another key thing is barrel length. A common myth is the longer the barrel the more accurate the gun will be. This is false. Longer barrels offer only a tactical advantage, allowing you to push your barrel through or around cover. The best barrel length is between 12 and 14 inches.

The next feature, and most importantly for barrels, is the ID (inner diameter). The standard paintball size is .689 caliber. This size can fluctuate from .679 to .697, and the effect it has on your paintballs and the path it follows is the most crucial. Literally all your one piece barrels are the bore size .689 which will work with 80% of all paintballs. Many people try to size the paint to their barrels, and some spend a lot of money to find that perfect fit. The best way to cure this is to upgrade your marker with a barrel kit. This usually is comprised of several sized bore back pieces with a sized front tip. The top of the heap is the Dye Ultralite barrel system. This is a 3 back system of .684, .688 and .692 and a sized front tip. This system offers an awesome polished internal bore and more than enough porting. They also have a back bore piece of .688 size and made of Titanium. This is tougher than steel, lighter than aluminum and polished like a mirror. Another great barrel kit is from Smart Parts. This is the Freak kit. It offers a back receiver, sized tip with 8 color coded inserts with different sizes., ranging from .682 to .697. They are made from light weight aluminum or stainless steel. This kit offers extreme versatility. Others kits from CP, REDZ, J&J Ceramics and EVIL all have similar features, and like DYE and Smart Parts, offer amazing “out of the box” performance.

To size a paintball to a barrel, place a paintball in the back of the barrel. If it rolls out, go to a smaller bore size. If it gets stuck, go to a bigger bore size. You want the be able to blow the paintball through the barrel with your breath, like a blowgun. This will give you the most consistent shot, the best air efficiency and shot on shot accuracy.

The bottom line is this, the barrel is THE MOST IMPORTANT upgrade you can make to your marker. Buy a good barrel or barrel system, and see how it improves your game.

A Great Starter Gun -- By: Richard

Getting started in paintball can be somewhat overwhelming if you don't know much about the sport with so many choices in the under $100 price range for full gear sets. When I first started playing paintball I didn't really know anything about the sport except that I wanted something thats was going to work, be easy to maintain, and shoot well.

I purchased a Spyder Victor II that I still have today and that has always worked great for me. The Icon-X by 32 degrees is basically the same as the Victor II that I bought and is even made in the same factory just with a different name. The only difference in construction is that it uses standard screws, and has a better, longer lasting Autococker style ball detent.

Everything on the gun is straight forward, its has mechanical operation that shoots semi-auto up to around 8 balls per second. The double trigger its comes with has a great feel to it and allows you to shoot up into the faster ranges pretty easily. It also has a nice rubber fore grip to hold on to and give you the best stability when playing.

One of the great things about the Icon is its ease of maintenance. To maintain the gun all you have to do besides keeping it clean is just drop a few drops of paintball oil (Non-Corrosive to O-Rings) where you screw on the tank and fire some shots through it without the barrel and your gun will keep working in great shape. To get into the internals of the gun if you want to do a full cleaning of the insides is actually really easy as well, just one pin pulls out and all of the internals just slide out the back.

The Icon will accept all Spyder upgrades including new grip frames, bolts, and barrels the products for upgrades are already there for you.

With a price of only $39.95 for a reliable starter gun theres not a better gun for your money you can find out there. Full starter packs for the Icon will put you at about $70-80 for a Anti-fog mask, CO2 tank, and Gravity Hopper. Some upgrades to your first package could possibly be a Thermal mask, and a larger CO2 tank but either way your gonna have a great time playing with no troubles.

WGP Synergy Equalizer Marker -- By Eric

The Synergy Equalizer is one of the newest markers from Worr Games Products, makers of the famous Autococker. It features four different firing modes, a break beam eye system, and an LED light system to indicate firing modes and battery status. It also has a custom clamping feedneck and a high performance regulator. The Synergy has a maximum firing rate of 22 balls per second. It is specifically designed to work well with VL Force Loaders. It is a perfect marker for entry level play and for people that want to get an edge on their opposition.

Buy it now from EVPaintball.com!

Perfomance Gear: Jersey By Morgan The Terrible

People who play paintball are always looking for ways to improve their game. While most of the fundamental properties of this grand sport must be improved by good old fashioned hard work and exercise, there are pieces of gear designed to improve upon the player‘s basic physical levels.

Normal upper body clothing is designed to hold in heat, and only allows a few channels of exhaust ventilation, such as around the neck line. Heat rises carrying with it perspiration from the body which becomes trapped within the protective mask/goggle system causing fogging of the lens and faster physical fatigue. A jersey is designed to ventilate heat 360 degrees and pull moisture away from the body, reducing lens fog and increasing player stamina.

Despite a jersey’s thin appearance and light weight design, the materials used will help reduce the impact shock of a paintball. Most jerseys are made with a nylon/polyester material which will create more friction upon impact thus slowing the velocity of the incoming paintball. Some jerseys also incorporate padding in certain areas that are prone to shots, granting the wearer maximum protection while maintaining superior breath ability and wearer mobility.

While any jersey will provide ventilation, there are some brands such as Dye/Proto, or Empire to name a couple that offer a better blend of padding and breath ability, and also offer other features to enhance overall game play.

Wearing a jersey while playing will go a long way in increasing individual performance while reducing visual impairment, and physical abuse.

XSV VLocity Loader - By Eric

Introducing the newest high-speed loader from Viewloader, the XSV Vlocity. The loader was designed through collaboration with the professional paintball team XSV. It is capable of speeds up to 37 balls per second (27 on marker) and will hold up to 180 balls, which is about 30 more than a Halo B or Reloader B. The XSV Vlocity also has 5 different feeding modes to make it feed better with all different kinds of paintballs. You can use lower force modes for paintballs with brittle shells, and high force modes for the maximum speeds. The Giant Mouth lid makes it easy to reload quickly without spilling paint. What makes this different from any other Vlocity is the new Clockspring™ propellers and that it includes 2 rechargeable 9 volt batteries. The batteries are designed to offer the maximum performance possible for the life of the batteries. They can be recharged up to 1000 times. It also includes a wall charger for charging your batteries at home and a car charger for when you are on the go. The XSV Vlocity comes with a Viewloader/XSV sticker sheet. It is currently only available in smoke.

For around $110 you get incredibly high feed rates, included rechargeable batteries, and the assurance that you are purchasing a high quality product from Viewloader.

Buy it now from EVpaintball.com

Halo Hoppers -- By Chris

Halo hoppers. Halo makes great a hopper with a proven belt drive and infrared eyes. This is an awesome hopper, relying on technology similar to break beam eyes for feeding sensors, unlike sound activation for others. The basic Halo is capable of 20bps and comes with either rip drive or without. The rip drive is a great feature, as this will allow you to manually load 10 paintballs in the event your batteries run low, keeping you in the game. With the Victory 35 board, you can adjust your feed rates from 17bps up to 35bps.

Also, in the event of breakage, the entire hopper is rebuildable. Everything from shells to battery harnesses can be replaced. Other notable features include a proactive force-feed loader that insures superior speed and consistent feeding, low battery indicator, polycarbonate shell, automatic 1 hour shutoff to conserve battery life, upgradeable software, auto priming and a ball bearing main drive.

Proto Matrix Rail Overview -- By Richard

The Proto Matrix Rail came out onto the market last year before the Holiday Season and has proved that it is a gun that can keep up with the best with a more affordable price range.

With the price recently being lowered to $249.95 the Rail has become even more affordable then ever even for the starting player.

The rail comes stock with Anti-Chop eyes to allow it to shoot at the remarkable speeds (29 balls per second) it does without chopping. The stock board features Semi-Auto, PSP tournament mode, and Millennium Mode ramping, giving you the options of how you want to play. Many major board companies including Virtue and Predator make upgrade boards that can be programmed custom for many more modes.

The stock trigger on the Rail is made of a rubber like composite and its very comfortable to shoot. If the stock trigger isn’t your thing though there are many upgrade options from Proto, and CP for metal triggers. Dye also offers an Ultralite trigger frame which really puts the Rail into the high end range providing one of the most comfortable and feature rich grips available.

The Hyper 2 regulator that the Rail comes stock with is one of the most consistent regulators out on the market today. Consistent and reliable the Hyper 2 gives you the same velocity for each shot every time.

For bodies the Rail comes in four different colors: Red, Blue, Olive, and Black. All colors are a beautiful dust finish and are accented by silver Proto Jewel logos. The feed neck on top of the Rail is a Allen wrench adjustable collar that provides a really snug fit for a variety of hoppers, Upgraded feed necksare also available from Proto as well as any other feed neck with Matrix threads. The rail comes standard with an ASA bottom line but affordable options are available from Proto to turn it into an On/Off.

The Rail is a great option if your looking in the $200 price range for a marker. Comparable to the Ion with all the that are available its really easy to make the rail “You”. Being one of the fastest markers in that price range and the great consistency of its performance that is backed by Proto’s great customer service consider the rail if you’re looking for an upgrade from your current set up or even looking to get into the sport.

Compressed Air VS. CO2

A technical Blog By Brian

We have decided to create a blog for all of us here at the store to contribute to. The general idea is that we’ve all been around the industry for a while, and we have a lot of knowledge. Knowledge about product, playing tips, teamwork, technical issues, new products, upgrading your marker, and just about everything else relating to paintball as a sport and as an industry. We’ve also collected a large amount of stories, some comical, some ironic, some just plain weird. So we’re all going to be writing entries to this blog, to help you get a better understanding of the sport of paintball. As well as a bit of an inside look at the inner workings of a busy paintball store.
As I was thinking about what to write my first Blog entry on, I just thought about what questions are asked of me most often. By far the most common question people ask me is about CO2, verses Compressed air, Verses Nitro or Nitrogen. Well here we go.
The first misconception about compressed air and Nitrogen, is that they are two different things. We see those two names as well as N2, Nitro, HPA, High Pressure Air, and others I’m sure I’m leaving out. In the world of science, they are two different things, but in paintball they are all names for the same air source. Regular compressed breathing air (which is what we actually use in paintball) is about 80% nitrogen by nature, and some people think the “nitro” name sounds cooler, so that is the only reason that those names are used.
With that out of the way we can now compare the only two air sources in paintball. CO2 and Compressed air.
CO2 is a liquid. When you pull the trigger, a small amount of the liquid is released into the gun. This liquid then quickly expands to a Gas. This rapid expansion creates pressure, the pressure to fire the ball. This expansion is unregulated, and can be affected by many factors. Such as the temperature outside, the rate at which you fire your gun, and the time between your bursts of fire. Take for instance, you go out and Chronograph your gun (test the speed that the balls are leaving the barrel) You set your gun up in the morning when it is cool and your gun is shooting 280 FPS (Feet per Second). You go out and play for a few hours, the temperature rises, and the tank is up against your body as you march your way through the woods. Now the CO2 is coming out and expanding much faster. So you chronograph again. This time instead of 280 FPS, you’re shooting 320FPS. Well above safe limits. So you dial your gun back down to 280. You decide to break for lunch, and set your gun in the shade. As you eat, the temperature of the tank falls back down, when you chronograph after lunch your gun is now shooting only 260FPS.
Now, there is another factor that also changes the temperature of the tank...You shooting.
With CO2, the faster you shoot, the colder it gets. The colder it gets the slower it expands, the slower it expands, the slower your shots. So as you can see, there are a lot of factors that will affect the amount of air behind your ball when you fire your Marker.
Compressed air, on the other hand, is very different. Instead of a liquid expanding to a gas, this air is already in the gas form. Highly compressed, to 3000 or 4500 PSI (pounds per square inch!), then REGULATED to 800Psi output. It is important to note here that it is only high pressure in the tank itself. It is not pushing through 3000 PSI to your gun. (That would blow something up, I’ve seen it) there is a regulator built on to every compressed air tank out there, so that it outputs to your gun only 800PSI, or less with some tanks.
With a compressed air tank, every time you pull the trigger, you get exactly the same amount of air. No more variance.
If you want an accurate paintball marker, step one should always be a compressed air tank. I often use the analogy of shooting an actual rifle. If there was a different amount of powder behind every bullet, you would never know where that bullet was going to go, it would be totally random. This is like Co2. But it’s not like that. There is a precise amount of powder behind every bullet so that you can count on that shot going right to it’s target. This is like compressed air. Instead of gun powder, we have a compressed gas, and depending on which gas you choose will determine how consistent your shot is going to be.
I read an article a couple years ago, I can’t find it any more, although if I do I will post it or link to it so you can read it yourself. But essentially it was written by a barrel company who accidentally did a great study of co2 vs. Compressed air out in the field. They were testing this new barrel they developed with a very accurate gun, high quality paint and a Co2 tank. The target was 100 feet away. They sighted in the gun then fired ten shots in a row. The first shot was right on target, but the tenth shot was over 4 feet away. This was caused by the sudden pressure drop as well as the condensation caused by the liquid Co2. They did the same test with the same barrel, paint, gun, and target. This time they used Compressed air. The results?... After 10 shots they were all within 10 inches of each other. That’s over 3 feet of difference at just 100 feet of range!
The difference is huge between Co2 and compressed air. But there is a cost difference as well. Co2 tanks start at about $10 at EVpaintball.com, Where as compressed air tanks start as $59.95. The cost of filling the tanks is about the same, although compressed air is just a little cheaper per shot.
I know I’ve been long winded is describing the differences, but there is one more myth I have to clear up. That myth is that only certain guns will take compressed air. This is quite the opposite. Any paintball gun, even the $40 Wal-Mart variety will take compressed air. You don’t need any adaptors, regulators, or special abilities. Just buy the tank, then screw it on, BAM instant upgrade.
So, to conclude my first and very long Blog entry, compressed air is a huge upgrade that I recommend to everybody. I do realize the cost is higher, so not everybody can afford to get one right away. But as soon as you can put $59 towards a tank, I would do it because it will make your gun shoot like a whole new beast.
Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more helpful hints, and useless tidbits.
-Brian
EVpaintball.com

Proto Matrix SLG

Proto Matrix SLG

The new Proto SLG includes patented Spool Valve Technology, which allows the gun to operate more consistently at a lower operating pressure, giving you 1500 shots on a 68/4500-air tank. In addition, the new multifunction, self-lubricating Force Button allows clearing the bolt without tools, acts as a cocking mechanism, and prevents unsafe disassembly of the marker when gassed up. The SLG comes standard with the new Hyper3 In-Line Air Regulator featuring higher flow, more consistency, and smoother velocity adjustment. Regular maintenance and cleaning are easy with one-tool-one-screw bolt breakdown. The Proto SLG consists of solid construction using a hardened steel sear, aluminum body and bolt, and a reinforced polymer frame and trigger. All this adds up to a tournament grade package you can afford.

Features:

• No Rise pressure feed neck


• Single piece proto barrel


• Anti chop break beam eye system


• Orbital Rotating Sear - reduces wear


• Compact lightweight body weighing only 2 lbs. 2 oz!


• Stamped metal insert logo


• Self closing valve 2 piece bolt


• Multifunction self lubricating force button


• Super low 145psi operating pressure


• Adjustable reinforced polymer trigger


• Ergonomic 45 grip frame


• Hyper3 inline air regulator


• Proto dual durometer injection sticky grip


• Program with four tournament modes


• Proto bottomline with dovetail
  
  This great new paintball marker somes in black, olive and colblat giving you a wide range of choices. With a retail price of only $249.95 it is a fantastic value.

Empire Magna Hopper Overview

Friday December 7th, 2007 -- By Richard
Empire recently released their new entry into the hopper market at the 2007 World Cup.

What really sets the Magna apart from it's competitors is it use of a new drive technology. Utilizing a magnetic clutch system a player can adjust the pressure that is put on the ball during feeding to help reduce breaks. How the systems work is a series of magnets that you can adjust in a tray under the drive cone. The more magnets that you put in the tray the stronger the force will be, with less magnets the force will be lower. What the magnets are doing is serving as a clutch system that can slip if a jam occurs helping to not continue putting pressure on your paintballs that could cause a break in your loader.

Reballs feed flawlessly through the Magna's clutch system. The option of increasing the tension allows the Magna the extra force that reballs need.

Featuring RF capability the Magna can sync with your guns board and make sure it's feeding perfectly in sync with how your shooting. The RF chip is sold separately from the hopper but is really a worthwhile accessory to go with the Magna.

Featuring a feed rate of over 30 balls per second on gun and around 180 ball capacity it is comparable in feed rate/size to a Vlocity or Halo with V35. The Magna comes standard with the Halo Rip drive to help feed if you run out of batteries or undo a jam (Which shouldn’t be a problem with the new drive system).

The profile of the body is shifted back to expose less height of the hopper for the opposing team to shoot at. A magnetic lid just like on the V35 provides easy open, easy close when throwing another pod in. The body feels really sturdy and the feed neck is a reinforced laminated construction that is built to last. Operating on six AA batteries the Magna in my opinion has the best battery door on new age hoppers. Opening the door requires no tools, it just slides open and the battery carriage fits in easily unlike the original Halos that you would always have to try to remember which direction you put the battery block in.

In short, a Magna is a great option for a loader that’s like a barrel kit, you can change for hard paint or brittle; it gives you incomparable customizability from rock hard paint to the most brittle paint you can find.

Apparently armed people in white body armor draw attention on State Street

The following is an article from the newspaper in Salem. we thought it was pretty funny.

DENNIS THOMPSON

Statesman Journal

September 24, 2007

Several Salem residents called police Sunday to report two people wearing white body armor and carrying what looked like long black machine guns.The people were walking down State Street around 4 p.m., drawing attention from passing cars, Salem police Lt. Dan Deitz said.Officers responded and found the suspects near the intersection of State and 22nd streets

They were dressed in Star Wars stormtrooper outfits and armed with black laser gun toys, Deitz said.

The police officers took no action.

For more pictures of the "Armed men in body armor" see our website. We have a whole page dedicated to this "disturbance"

Winter Paint Suggestions

Friday December 7th, 2007 -- By: Morgan the Terrible
I’ve had a lot of customers asking me this week about what paint they should be using in the winter months. The thing about the winter in the northwest is that not only is it cold, but can also have the tendency to be wet (go figure). At any rate choosing an actual ball formulated for winter play is going to be an obvious wise decision, however, if winter paint cannot be acquired, choosing a paint that normally has a thicker shell would be a better choice than a paint with a more brittle shell. The reason being is that the cold makes a shell more brittle. Ultra is a word to fear during the winter. By the way if you freeze a paintball it wont kill somebody, it might not even hurt at all, because the ball becomes super brittle.

When sizing your balls (minds out of the gutter please), make sure to keep in mind that the temperature and humidity will affect the bore size in which you are trying to match. For example on a cold dry day, your balls will shrink (again, gutter), however on a cold humid day your balls will grow in size by a small amount. As a rule of thumb always match your paint at the field if you can, as the temperature of your playing environment is going to be different than your staging area in most cases.

Some examples of good non winter paintballs that are decent in colder weather are going to be Draxxus Rec-Sport and Midnight, Spyder Red and Black Label, RPS Marballizer and Premium. Most paint manufacturers will also switch their formula to perform better in colder weather. At the time of purchase if you can, request a drop test. This is just what is sounds like. Dropping paint on the ground to test the brittleness. For winter play, you should be looking for about a 4 foot plus drop test. This means that the paint should be breaking at about a 4 foot free fall or above.

So again just remember, cold equals brittle. Hard is good. Happy hunting.