Dye Assault and Proto Fighter 08 Harnesses

New from Dye for 2008, the Dye Assault Pack is the most high-tech pack so far. It was designed by a team consisting of employees of Dye and some of the best professional players in the world. The main issue that players have had with harnesses in the past is that they are too heavy. Dye knew this, and did everything they could to cut weight off without sacrificing durability or comfort. The result is a pod pack that is about 5 ounces lighter than any other pack Dye has made. Dye used a stronger type of Velcro on the straps that hold the pods in place that can withstand up to 55 mph winds, or the equivalent force, so they will never accidentally open up when you dive or slide. The 2008 Assault Pack is the first to feature a plastic frame at the bottom of each pod loop to keep it open at all times. This makes putting the pods in and getting them back out much easier than ever before. The materials used in this pack are designed with as much ventilation as possible to help keep you cool on the field. This, combined with the design of the pack itself, gives the most comfortable setup for a pod pack so far. The Assault Pack comes in a 3+4 configuration and a 4+5, which will allow you to carry up to 7 or 9 pods on the field depending on which model you buy. The Dye Assault Pack starts at $74.95 for a 3+4, and the 4+5 sells for $79.95.

For players with a smaller budget, Proto also has a new pod pack for 2008, the Proto Fighter Pack. The Fighter Pack, like the Assault Pack, was designed with an emphasis on reducing weight. It does not have all of the extras that come with the Assault Pack, but it is a very well-built pack at a lower cost. The Fighter Pack starts at $34.95 for a 3+4, and the 4+5 sells for $39.95.

Viewloader Dynasty VLocity Paintball Loader

The Dynasty VLocity is the newest high-tech loader from Viewloader. It uses a VLocity Jr shell so it is smaller than a regular VLocity. Viewloader teamed up with Dynasty, one of the best teams in paintball, to make this the best loader ever made.

The Dynasty VLocity features Adjustable Select Force technology with 4 different speed settings. The battery life is increased around 30% from the standard VLocity. The Dynasty VLocity has instant auto anti-jam with 3 different settings. The programming was also redone to improve the loading consistency and eliminate stuttering. It uses a new 4 eye system to detect when it needs to feed even faster than before, virtually eliminating the delay between when you start firing and when the Dynasty VLocity starts loading. The electronic improvements make the Dynasty VLocity extremely fast.

Viewloader also made some physical changes for the Dynasty VLocity. The biggest change they made is using the new “Ninja” drive cone paddle to speed the loader up. The new paddle, combined with the electronic improvements, allows the Dynasty VLocity to feed up to 25 balls per second on-gun, and up to 35 balls per second free-fall. It also comes with a SpeedFeed stock, and has a giant mouth lid so you will be able to reload quickly without spilling paint. As a finishing touch, Viewloader also included a Dynasty sticker sheet because everyone loves free stickers.

The Dynast VLocity sells for $159.95, and can be found at EVPaintball.

Refurbished Guns -- By Richard

When shopping for a gun most people have a specific budget that they have to follow. One good option to get more for your money is to look into getting a refurbished gun which will give you the same marker for up to half the price. Refurbished guns are guns that have been returned directly to the manufacturer because they were defected, or just returned in a Big box store. The company then takes the guns and repairs them back to new or better then new performance. Each gun that is refurbished is tested to ensure it's the same quality as a new gun and even carries the same warranty.

The biggest difference between a new gun and a refurbished gun is that refurbished guns come in white or brown boxes instead of fancy packaging. All the parts that came with the original gun are also still included with a refurbished gun. Sometimes there will be minor scratches or scuffs on refurbished guns but nothing that is going to damage performance of the gun. Refurbished guns are going to be a better deal then a used gun because they are going to be set up by the factory from the people that know them the best to work like new.

Most major companies provide refurbished models including Spyder, WGP, Brass Eagle, and JT.

Spyders:

• Pilot ACS Red Fade
• Pilot ACS Blue
  
• Fenix
• VS2
• VS3
• E-MR1
• MR2
• MR3

WGP Autocockers:

• Trilogy Sport
• Trilogy Competition
• Trilogy Pro

Brass Eagle and JT:

• Avenger Red w/ Foregrip
• Avenger Red w/out Foregrip
• Avenger Blue w/ Foregrip
• JT 3.5
  

Dye Meta Gloves -- By: Richard

Dye has consistently been the leader in the paintball products for many years now and has recently introduced the biggest change in paintball gloves EVER. One of the most common things players do when they get a pair of gloves is cut the first two fingers off to improve mobility. The new '08 Meta gloves are fingerless right from the start but include padding on the back of your hand where it really matters. Made of Lycra the Meta fits like a second skin and is one of the most comfortable and natural gloves to wear. If your looking for a glove that isn't going to slow your fingers down the 08' Dye Meta glove is one of the best choice out on the market today.

Camouflage: Ghillie Suits

One of the most common forms of clothing when playing paintball in the woods is camouflage. Camouflage helps break up the shape of your body and reduce the chance that you will be spotted by your opponent. A step beyond camouflage is a ghillie which breaks up your shape to an even higher level with blending your whole body into a consistent color scheme. A ghillie suit is usually colored to match your environment and textured to blend in while taking away the shape of your body.

The main things to look for in a ghillie suit are mobility and comfort. The Ghillie suit from Major Paintball and survival provides a very comfortable option. Coming in 3 pieces, a Hood, Jacket, and Pants the ghillie suit fits to your body unlike a poncho that just drapes over. Since the ghillie suit is worn like any other pair of pants and jacket mobility is not hindered at all. The jacket is well vented and will stay cool on even the hottest of summer days.

Included along with the suit is a camouflaged ghillie gun wrap to keep your marker covered as well as your body. Affordable and comfortable this ghillie suit is the number one choice in my opinion for woods ball player (A must for a sniper).

Virtue Upgrade Boards - By Eric

One of the biggest performance upgrades you can get for any electronic paintball marker is a new board. A new board will allow you to adjust every little detail about how your gun shoots. They also usually have more firing modes than the stock board. There are many different aftermarket board companies, but one of the biggest and most popular is Virtue.

Virtue makes upgrade boards for most of the popular guns on the market including the Dye Matrix, Bob Long Intimidator, Smart Parts Ion, Planet Eclipse Ego, and many more. The Virtue boards feature an unlimited rate-of-fire, which is only limited by the physical capabilities of your marker and the speed of your loader. Virtue boards are designed to be legal in any tournament you will ever play in, so you will never have to worry about not being allowed to use your marker. Along with the different firing modes, Virtue boards will also allow you to adjust the dwell, eye sensitivity, anti-bolt stick settings, and any other gun-specific settings you might need.
All Virtue paintball boards have 7 different fully adjustable base modes: Semi-Automatic, Ramping, Breakout, PSP Ramp, NXL Full-Auto, Auto Response, and Full-Auto.

· Semi-Auto is the basic 1 shot per pull mode.

· Ramping Mode is a special mode that adds shots after you start pulling the trigger at a certain speed. It can greatly increase your rate-of-fire and is fully adjustable so you can set it up exactly how you want it.

· Breakout Mode will make the first trigger pull after you turn on the gun Full-Auto for as long as you hold the trigger. After you release the trigger, the board will go into Ramping Mode based on your Ramping settings.

· PSP Ramping Mode makes your first 3 pulls Semi-Auto and starts Ramping on the 4^th pull. After the trigger has not been pulled for 1 second, the 3 shot count starts again. This mode is meant for PSP style tournaments.

· NXL Full-Auto is similar to PSP Ramping, but it goes into Full-Auto on the 4^th pull instead of Ramping.

· Auto Response Mode makes your marker fire on the pull and release of the trigger, doubling your Semi-Auto rate-of-fire.

· Full-Auto will make the marker shoot at your maximum rate-of-fire, or as fast as your loader will feed until you let go of the trigger.

Each of these modes can be modified, which gives you thousands of different possible modes. Virtue made their programming as simple as possible so anyone can use their boards and set the modes up exactly the way the user wants.

Virtue also makes an upgrade chip for the Viewloader VLocity loaders. The chip upgrades the speed of the loader and also improves battery life. Virtue's VLocity chip has many different settings to adjust to make your loader perform at it's maximum potential in any circumstances. It is approved by Viewloader, so it will NOT void your manufacturer’s warranty!

Virtue is so confident in the performance and reliability of their product they offer a LIFETIME warranty on all of their boards. All Virtue boards, except for the special edition Russian Legion Shocker board, cost $134.95 so you can upgrade the performance of your gun for much less than simply upgrading to a new gun.

Smart Parts Ion XE - By Eric

The Smart Parts Ion XE is a new gun for 2008. It is based off of the original Ion, but Smart Parts made some improvements over the old design. One of the biggest complaints that people had with the original Ion’s design was that it did not allow the user to clean the bolt without taking the gun completely apart. Smart Parts fixed this problem with their new Bolt-Out-Back design. This allows the user to quickly remove full bolt and valve assemblies with one allen wrench. It is now possible to disassemble, clean, and put the marker back together in 2 minutes instead of 15. Smart Parts also redid the styling of the marker for a better visual appearance. The Ion XE operates the in the same basic way as the original Ion and has the same modes: semi-auto, Rebound, full-auto, and 3 round burst. It offers the same tournament level performance at an affordable price that made the original Ion so popular for the casual player. The Ion XE retails for $225, which is $75 less than the original Ion when it was released, and is in the same price range as the Tippmann A5 and Spyder VS3.

Pod Packs -- By: Richard

No one likes to be left out on the field having to call yourself out because you’re out of paint. A standard hopper is going to end up holding around 180 to 200 paintballs; if you are shooting speeds of 15 balls per second that hopper is going to be empty in a matter of seconds. Paintball pod packs provide you with the ability to grab a pod of paintballs off your waist and reload a hopper when you are on your game.

Pod packs come in a variety of sizes and styles. Starting around $10, entry level packs usually have thin, 2 ½ -3 inch nylon belts that fasten around the waste and hold anywhere from 1 to 4 pods and possibly contain a spot to hold your tank if your running a remote line. Mid-Range packs tend to have a thicker Velcro belt that will fit snug to the wearer and not be shaken off even in the most extreme dives. High end packs are designed to hold the most paint possible on a players back, and to be able to get it in their hand in the most effective way. Use of spring loaded straps to eject pods, and extra comfortable padding is the luxury you will receive with a high end pack.

A Common question when shopping for pod packs is how many pods a “3+2” pack can hold. When a pack says it is “3+2” it means that it has “3” main spots to put pods that will be strapped in and secure but along with that it has “2” extra straps to put more pods if needed. The extra spots will not be strapped in like the main 3 but they will allow you to carry more paint onto the field.

As for pods the best thing to look for is a strong and sturdy lid that is not going to pop of easily. Our Extreme Velocity discount pods come with one of the strongest lids available and do not come open easily when running around in a pack.

Pod packs can be one of the best field gear upgrades for you to purchase, they keep you in the game longer and give you the extra boost for working out even the most dug in player.

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.