Invert Mini
The invert mini is, in my opinion, one of the best electronic semis currently on the market. It is reasonably efficient and very smooth. It is reliable and easy to maneuver. I would recommend a new barrel, I like the balance with a 14 inch boomstick.
Once fully broken in a mini can have its dwell significantly lowered. This increases the air efficiency. These are great guns and easy to work on. The only real weakness lies in the asa. Not having an on/off is a pain and I had to use a Smart Parts on/off extender to put my tank in the proper spot. I am a bit lanky though, so for most people this is a non-issue.
Palmer's Super Stocker
The Palmer's Super Stocker is among the elite of pump guns.
Palmer's barrels are well known to be the most versatile barrels for closed bolt guns. Their wedgits (tiny dimples on the barrel) completely prevent rollouts. I have never had a rollout in my super stocker (.682-.691 run through it). The Palmer's barrels are also famously accurate, handling mediocre paint better than any other barrel.
All the Super Stockers are hand built and hand tuned so you know you are going to be getting something high quality and custom. The attention that the Palmer's lavish on their markers is amazing, truly impressive. This particular marker was built by Craig Palmer.
Super Stockers handle 12grams well with well over 30 shots and great consistency. Upwards of 40 shots is normal for any Super Stocker on a warm day. They also can take a vertical co2 tank with great results. I regularly use my 3.5 oz tank and I love it.
The only weakness to Palmer Guns is the price. But seriously this is one case where you get what you pay for. They are durable, beautiful, handmade works of art. I have never had a problem with either of my Palmers and they are always ready to go.
Palmer's Pursuit Shop Blazer
A Blazer like this could run you nearly $1000 New from Palmer's and be well worth the money. My Blazer treated me well in every game I ever used it in. Some day I will own another one guarenteed.
The Palmer's Blazer is really a work of art. It is by far the best mechanical gun I have used. And I have used essentially every other mechanical gun there is. I am a fan of mechanical guns.
Blazers work in a similar manner to autocockers, being a two stage trigger pull. But they fire very smoothly and consistantly, like only the very best custom autocockers. The trigger pull on this blazer is not quite as smooth as some autocockers I have used (namely a Belsales and one of my former Merlins) but it is definitely right up there without any work.
The Blazer is incredibly light, It weighs two pounds even. It also just has incredible balance. It is easy to handle and points perfectly. It has a smooth feel while shooting.
The part about Blazers that is really exceptional is the accuracy. The Palmer's barrels are the best I have used. Far superior to Boomsticks or Ultralites. I have been one balling people with this blazer more frequently than anything I have used. Palmer's barrels combined with Palmer's regs lead to some very consistant shooting. Wedgits in the barrel mean no more rollouts. I have had no rollouts with my Blazer with any paint over .682 caliber. The consistant positioning of the ball in the barrel probably leads to more consistant shots.
The blazer is a fast shooting mech, but I am not able to shoot it anywhere near what I shoot an electro at. Blazers are really fast guns, no doubt, but you have to be able to pull that trigger. You have to work for your speed. I have seen a video of Craig Palmer shooting a consistant 11bps with sound analysis. But I am probably shooting like 6bps. The accuracy really helps make up for a slower rof though. Since I am hitting people on my first shot a lot of the time, the rest of the balls that hit them don't matter.
Blazers are very easy to maintain. The bolt design is easy to quickstrip for squeegeeing. There is no crap hanging all over the place to get paint in. You can even take it in the shower with you. Just dry it out with a hair dryer and oil it up afterwards. They don't come out of time and you should never have reason to open them up.
If you buy a Blazer you will fall in love. It is impossible not to.
Freeflow Sniper
Every Sniper is different. Some are shitty and some are awesome. They are more than just the sum of their parts. It is tuning and springing that makes or breaks a sniper.
This FreeFlow Sniper has the best of all parts on it. It is not some thrown together sniper, it was specifically built to shoot and feel the way I wanted it. It not only has all my favorite parts, but all the internal surfaces have been carefully polished. This makes shooting this sniper an absolute joy. The trigger pull was flawlessly smooth.
As you can see it is also a very attractive sniper. No out of place parts, and except for the grip frame, no wear on any parts. It was in excellent condition visually and in perfect condition operationally when I sold it.
Eclipse Shocker
Review
The 2002 Shocker is a nice marker, especially at the price you can get them at used. I sold this 2k2 shocker for $200 just because I was moving. The buyer got an excellent deal.
Shockers are reliable and very accurate. Lube them up and take care of your regs and they will work like champs. Also it is not difficult to lube them, just unscrew your bolt, apply dow 33 and screw it back in.
Even though they are kind of big they are not totally unreasonable and generally they are well balanced.
Some people might take issue with the 12bps max rof. But for rec play who really cares? The Shockers of old may not "mow faces straight off" but they are real tack drivers. Who cares if you hit someone fifteen times? One in the face will do it and the shockers really delivered on accuracy.
There is one major flaw in the shocker plan and that is the air efficiency. It is really pretty dismal. These suckers blow through air like crazy. (So do the new shockers but that is another story.) Back in the day players were using 114 cubic inch back mounted tanks to feed these monsters. In tournament play nowadays the efficiency is a killer. But for rec play with all day air, it is no big deal.
If you are the sort of player who likes to sneak around then the shocker is a great choice. They are nearly silent. Sort of a dull thump sound when fired. Hard to pinpoint, it just whispers the balls down the field.
I really enjoy playing with 2k2 shockers. They have a great feel and are super quiet. The accuracy is outstanding and the sound is minimal. Efficiency is terrible but for rec play I don't care. Get one used and enjoy, an excellent, reliable, low cost electro
D.C. Fuck Smart Parts Viking
Review
I have owned 3 AKA Vikings. I chose to use this picture because it is the prettiest of them. This review applies to all the Vikings I have owned.
The Viking is one of the best paintball markers I have ever had the pleasure of using.
AKA is known for the quality of their parts and I can attest to it. The Viking is very solid, well milled, and cleanly anodized. A lot of care went into the design of this marker and it shows. It is very easy to take care of, just oil in the asa.
Shooting a Viking is a joy. The stock barrel is unusually nice although I prefer an ultralite or lapco. The Viking shoots very accurately and with a medium noise level. The kick is comparable to a matrix but the sound is higher in pitch. The balance is very good without a drop and it is easy to shoot the Viking fast in a long string making it ideal for a back player.
Really the only bad thing about this gun is the size in comparison to some guns on the market now. It is about the size of an older angel maybe a 2k2 although lighter. Similar to a matrix in size and weight. It looks heavier than it is due to having a lot of empty space inside for air.
Overall there is nothing better in an electronic gun.
Update - RobTown Valves
RobTown Valves are amazing. Best upgrade I have gotten for a gun ever. The Vikings with RT Valves are so good I want to crap my pants. So smooth.
PBX Excalibur
Review
In all the time I owned this Excalibur it never broke a ball and never went down.
Although the gun is heavy it is very well balanced and not at all difficult to hold and use. Although the maximum rate of fire is lower than other guns, I have never shot faster. All those who have used it agree it is very easy to maintain a high rate of fire with this gun. Excaliburs may be expensive but their quality is amazing. The bolt has o-rings but doesn't really need them as the bolt fits the breach perfectly. The tolerances are super tight
I bought this gun without having tried an Excalibur and I am glad I took the risk. I had used other aka guns and been impressed but I believe this is my favorite marker I have sold. I am a habitual trader/seller but this gun made me want to stop trading.
Aka had a great product in the Excalibur. It is expensive but compared to other guns in the price range it is generally superior. As long as you are strong enough to handle a gun I recommend the Excalibur. The quality of this gun is outstanding and I wish they were still in production today. I feel like this gun will be working years from now just as well as it does today. It does not feel like a toy, it feels like a weapon. Solid. It comes with a lifetime warranty for a good reason.
Note: Sunset Fullmill also pictured, cause it is so hot.
Karnivor
Review
The Karnivor is an e-cocker. If you have shot a decent e-cocker you have a good idea what they are like
Karvivors are a very light marker and have nicely integrated the electronics. The stock parts are excellent and really the only worthwhile upgrade is an Eclipse or Belsales ram.
Performance-wise Karnivors are great. They are fast, accurate, and give the user few problems. I would recommend a karnivor to any closed bolt fan, especially at the low prices they are at now
Although I like the Karnivor I hate the integrated cocking rod. It is a huge pain in the ass to remove in order to do advanced maintanence. Changing springs is a hassle as is changing valves. Karnivors, like all e-cockers, suck batteries down. I would recommend investing in rechargeables.
Micro Dropout Phantom
Review
Having owned many Phantoms this review applies to all Phantoms except where noted as specific to dropout changers.
For pump play the CCI Phantom is the best deal around, no matter what setup you choose you will be getting your money's worth. Not only are they fairly inexpensive they are very high performance.
The stock barrel on Phantoms is easily the equal of the big name barrels. There is no reason to buy a new barrel for your Phantom. Some people like to use a smaller bore barrel to prevent rollout but CCI has solved this problem on their own.
CCI has manufactured a product called detent rings. These color coded rings fit in between the barrel and the breach of the Phantom and stop balls from rolling out of the gun. Detent rings cost 6 dollars for a set of four different sizes and work great.
The Phantom is abnormally consistent. It really is an amazing design that handles co2 perfectly. Its consistency is better than many regulated markers. It is also quite efficient. With Vertical setups generally getting 30 or more shots per 12gram and dropouts or backbottles sometimes getting up to 40. My dropout got 38 full velocity shots at 260 fps when I last tested it.
The pump action of a Phantom starts out fairly smooth and only gets better as the guns age. New Phantoms are pretty smooth but older Phantoms are best described as silky. Phantoms age very well, they are very high quality guns and break in rather than break down. Since they are a simple design and use high quality materials very few owners have any problems. Even if you do have a problem replacement parts are inexpensive and easy to get straight from CCI.
Even though I own several high quality pump guns I use my Phantom very often. It is just a lot of fun and its light weight and easy maneuvering is unrivaled. With a stock I also find snapshooting to be a natural movement while using a Phantom.
Note on pump play: Since I started playing pump my game has gone way up. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is the slower rof; it makes you aim more and focus more, resulting in more first shot eliminations. It also punishes you for bad play like nothing else. If you are showing a lot of your body and you don't have a wall of balls to hide behind you are going to get shot, and thus you learn to play tight and snap fast.
The second is the lowered cost of playing. If you are going out and shooting a bag a day (even that would be impressive) instead of shooting a case a day you can play more often. By doubling or even tripling your play time you can improve faster than by playing semi only. This increase in play time also means you are getting more entertainment for your money, which is always a good thing.
I recommend pump play and Phantoms to anyone who is dedicated to improving their game.
AKALMP Roundbody Merlin
Review
The Merlin is like a cocker that is made well and works right. AKA has much tighter tolerances on their machines when compared to WGP. They are very high quality.
Aside from the quality difference the main difference is in the valve setup. Merlins have a much larger valve chamber and come with AKA's excellent tornado valve and matching hammer. They are super consistent and ridiculously efficient for a cocker.
Get one setup by someone who knows how to properly tune a cocker (like me) and you will not be sorry.
Shocktech Matrix
Review
I have always been a fan of the Matrix line of guns and the Shocktech Matrix was a particularly nice 2k3 Matrix.
Really there is nothing special that comes with the ST Matrix. Aside from its good looks it is stock. But like all Matrixes that means it is awesome. Fast, quiet, decently efficient, and accurate, matrixes are killers and can be had for especially low prices these days. The only thing you sacrifice is some maintenance time and weight.
1999 STO Autococker
Review
In my opinion the 1999 STO was the best of the WGP Autocockers, although the Mini-Orracle came in close second.
I just feel that quality was at its peak in '99. Plus I just love that angled fade. The STO pneumatics are really very good, not quite the best but very good. Personally my favorite pneumatics are Belsales Ram, Palmer's 4-way, and a WGP sledgehammer. Some people will be confused by my choice of the WGP sledgehammer but it has its benefits. First off it is super consistent and never loses its setting once set. Secondly no one I lend my gun out no one can fuck with my lpr setting. I like that.
At any rate my '99 STO treated me well. It was accurate, easy to shoot for a long time, was quiet, and efficient. It was also easiest on paint of any cocker I owned.
Strange Impulse
Review
I traded for this Impulse and only kept it for a little while. I owned 3 impulses total and this was one of the better ones.
The nices feature on the Strange, aside from the milling, was the board programming. The eye logic on the Strange was different than normal impulses and actually worked well. Also it chirped when low on batteries.
The best impulse I had was one that I customized myself with polished internals and modified air pathways. I also had a custom hammer and ram cap. These things combined with a NDZ valve (excellent valve) allowed me to make an impulse with such a low lpr pressure that it would bounce off of paint instead of chopping. I seriously took a ball, put it halfway into the breach and shot the gun over 20 times without breaking that ball. That impulse is currently owned by my cousin.