Today, and leading up to the OKC Outlaws & Lawdawgs pump and pistol game, I will be posting a series of conversations with my fellow pumpers.

The pumpers have found a home here at OK Company, and the ranks have been growing. With more people seeing what we can do with one shot, we can bring back a style of play that can improve your game, along with growing our sport, to show that you don’t need to join the arms race to have a love for this game.

So our first interview is with the winning General from the last Outlaws & Lawdogs game…Trinket! Personally I remember playing with Mr. Trinket at the mountain during one of his first times with a pump (I think), we came up on a player and I heard Trink fire, then he said, “Holy crap I hit him!”, I turned and looked over casually after and replied “you dont need it do you?” I was referring to shooting Semi. You just don’t need 30 rounds in the air, you just need one, it’s that one clean shot that every pumper goes to bed dreaming of.

1. Who the hell are you?

Travis, aka Trink. I’m big in Japan.

2. How long have you been playing pump?

Since I got back into the sport in summer of ’09, so about a year.

3. Could you give me a brief rundown of your current marker of choice (If you have any cool stories about it, give it up!)? And what would be your dream pump?

My current marker is a dust black/dust white CCM S6. It’s a phenomenal open class pump. I originally purchased a converted 2004 super stock autococker as my first pump. The idea was to play with that for a year or so to decide if I “really liked” pump. I played with it 5 times, and then bought my S6. As I personally see CCM guns as the pinnacle of the pump gun market, it was a big step up. I LOVE it though.

4. What kind of player is attracted to the art of pump? What led you to becoming a pump player?

In my experience, those attracted to pump tend to be players who like playing a bit more aggressive. Due to the lack of volume of fire, you have to make your shots count. Often times this means you need to push the issue to get the right angles on your targets. Also, personality wise, pump players tend to be pretty laid back about the game. I’ve yet to meet a pumper who was fixated on winning at all costs. Most seem to take the ups and downs on the field in good stride.

5. What was it like the first time you stepped out on to the field with your marker? How long did it take to become comfortable out there?

The first time I played pump (which was also my first time playing paintball in several years), I got smoked pretty fast. It was a speedball field with a bunch of guys with electro race markers firing 30bps. To say it was intimidating doesn’t really convey what I was feeling. After that night, I thought I had made a mistake by buying a pump; I don’t think I got a single elimination, and I was getting shot out within seconds each game.

Once I started playing with OKC on a regular basis, I started to get back into the groove. Pump definitely takes a different mentality on the field, and once I was comfortable with the prospect of getting hit, I was able to play more aggressive/loose and succeed. It probably took me about 2 months to get to that point.

6. Do you have any advice to anyone who want to be totally awesome and pick up a pump?

My first, most important piece of advice for a new pumper would be to not get discouraged. The fact of the matter is, if you’re new to pump, you’re GOING to get lit up a lot the first couple of times you play. It takes awhile to adjust, and you have to have patience to get to that point.

My second piece of advice would be to play aggressive and make your shots count. I’m always reminding myself that if I’m not being shot at, I need to be moving toward the enemy. Opportunities present themselves if you act, not if you sit behind your back bunker waiting for stuff to happen. This is doubly true as a pump player, as (with some small exceptions) you’re not going to do anybody any good by trying to longball someone from 80 yards away at 0.5 balls per second.

Finally, play for fun. This is true in all forms of paintball, but especially important with a pump. You’re going to get shot up a lot early on, but learn to laugh at yourself and those you’re playing with. If you take the game too seriously, it ruins it. That said, pump for life!!

Thank you to Trinket for taking the time to inform us of his little corner of the pump world! So heres to you and everyone who calls themselves pumper!

“3-2-1…GO BITCHES”
Book of Layzar; Tick 4:16

In this blog segment, we explore some of the gear preferences and unique playing style of our good friends at High Desert Scenario.  Only a matter of 2.5 hours away, their environment is polar opposite compared to the drippy, wet Willamette Valley. Large rocks and small trees dot an arid landscape known for its temperature extremes and unique landmarks. It’s a real trip playing on their field. They’ve created a wonderful community around it too.  Teams from all over come down to test their skills on a very unique and diversified playing field full of urban bunkers, trench warfare and long distance tactics.

Our good friend dtr43 sat down with us for a little one-on-one chit chat:

1.Can you tell us about the advantages of using both a tac-cap and a flatline barrel setup? It seems like this configuration is common.

Some of the Central OR teams started using these for a couple reasons… The primary ones being that they hold less paint so it forces you to think about your shots, it fine tunes your reloading and team communication when doing so, and sometimes can rid a case of spray and pray and put you back on track to being as efficient as possible with your shot choices. Also being smaller size they take up less of your field of view. Tac caps are pretty popular amongst Central OR but we also like to mix it up with hoppers sometimes too.

The Flatlines (and Apex barrels) are popular around here for the simple fact that they reach out a little further than traditional straight barrels. Both HDS and all of the local public land fields have open areas, and strongholds that having one of these barrels may make the difference between you or the enemy walking to respawn. Another bonus is they are or can be made to be fairly short barrels, which work good in the cramped quarters of CQB, but then still reach out to touch someone in the open.

2. With regard to attire, how do HDS teams deal with the heat of a Bend summer?

Personally in the summer months I will wear an underarmor tshirt and standard multicam BDU bottoms and my tac vest just how I run it all year long. Most people will do the same but may just wear a standard cotton tshirt. Once in awhile we’ll get someone who wears shorts or is even crazy enough too go shirtless. The main thing in the hot months is to drink lots and lots of water. Drink water even if you’re not thirsty, each break take a couple drinks and get into the shade for a few minutes to cool off. At times of extreme heat we will occasionally have night games or early morning starts to beat the worst of it.

3. What is the number one thing you or most HDS players consider when looking to purchase a marker for your environment?

Me personally, and I think to say its safe for most in our area want something that is durable. Something that can get the fine sand and dirt that we have around here in it and still work. Something that we can drop or fall onto in a pile of rocks. Something that can get wet with rain or covered in snow. Something that takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’! That’s why you see alot of Tippmanns around here…

4. Are snow battles a common occurrence on the HDS field?

Snow games aren’t that common out there now adays. Before the conditional use permit and regulated hours/days of use we would have hoth battles all the time! Now adays throughout the winter we can only have one game per month with 30 players max so that hampers things and it just depends on if the weather cooperates with our chosen game date for the month. People do still play in the snow around here, but more often than not the games happen on public land, and not HDS.

5. How big of a problem has safety been given the heavy CQB style?

As far as I know we have not had any CQB safety issues out there. We always warn people at our game briefings that “if you go into the CQB areas there’s a pretty good chance you will get shot at close range” and that “if that doesn’t sound like your type of game then stick to the more open areas”. Luckily HDS has a lot of both types of terrain to play on so people can kind of pick and chose what they want to do on the field.

6. Do you prefer the name Murdoc or Marloch?

Murdoc all the way, reminds me of the A-team! -cue theme music-

1. Breathability: Heavy cotton and multiple layers may blunt those hits but these same fabrics trap in heat. Your body wastes 90% of its energy just regulating your body temperature.  Help it out by wearing breathable fabrics and synthetic  light fabrics to allow greater air transfer between your garment and skin. If you dig wearing BDU’s try wearing your top ‘Vietnam style” with no base layer.  As you run, air will permeate the atmosphere inside your garment. Also, try ditching the beany or base ball cap and run the risk of a nasty dome shot.

2. Weight: It’s not necessarily how much weight you’re carrying, it’s mostly about how you’re carrying it. Did you skimp on your vest and buy a POS? You’re going to pay for it. Make sure the displacement of weight is evenly  spread on your vest.  If you wear a sling, make sure not to carry more packs on the same side as your gun. Unevenness in the displacement of weight can cause soreness or even pain during play, especially during long games requiring lengthy treks.

Do you feel like you’re carrying too much weight? Trying taking some of the garbage off your boday.  I recently decided to purchase a new vest.  Instead of carrying four pod packs, I’m carrying three.  It’s slightly less weight – doesn’t seem like much, but every little bit counts.

3. Don’t be ghey.

4. Machinegun: How heavy is your marker? Does it look exactly like an AK-47? An M4? You may dig the looks but it’s just extra weight in the eye of your enemy.  I’m not saying ditch your primary marker. Just give a light weight paintball gun a try next time you go out to the field.  Everything has it’s checks and balances but the sheer physics of the equation affords the user of a smaller marker more dexterity and maneuverability in p8nt combat.

5. Hydration: Beer is great fun but your body shits itself every time you take a swig before, during or after a hard game.  It wants water and when daddy doesn’t get his medicine, he’s going to give you a headache, fatique and layzar forbid, heat exhaustion. Start drinking a crap load of water a good two days before a big event.  Water, not juice, not gatorade, not milk, not vitamin water… WATER.  The day of, drink the gatorade, but up until the event you want your peepee workin over time with the life giving power of wawa. And while we’re on the topic of nutrition, eat a god damn banana for a change.  It’s packed with injury and cramp preventing goodness.

It’s almost always about them getting overshot, how the other team has the advantage, some dude cheating, there’s sand in my diaper etc.  All these reasons besides one: they’re new to the field and getting prawned.  When anyone shows up to a new field they should set expectations appropriately.  Your opponents know every nook and cranny of the place. It’s inevitable you’re going to make the same mistakes they did their first time on the field. It only makes sense for them to watch for this and capitalize on it.  It’s a simple reality.  I can think of several log jams people find themselves in on the Mountain. Sometimes I wait for it to happen.

I just don’t get how people are surprised that they’re getting their asses kicked on someones home turf.  You’re not Steven Seagal.

HDS was kind enough to invite us down to their field.  They had some pretty kick ass teams on their team, including the Moongobbies one of OKC’s favorite local scenario teams. In my humble opinion, and some may disagree, we were getting smoked for the first 3rd of the game.  Was it frustrating not being able to break their defenses? Of course.  I’m not saying getting owned isn’t frustrating. But it’s how you use that frustration is what matters. It provides an illustration of how a person is on and off the field. Pissing and crying the way back to the spawn only ruins the game experience for everyone else. How is that going to inspire anyone to take ground and change the situation?  It’s an ego thing: the reason why I’m getting my ass kicked is because of this uncontrollable negative advantage the other team is exploiting.  It could never be that the other team is as tough as nails on their home turf. No, no, no, heavens to betsy no.

Anyone who has taken a brief glimpse into an Economics text book should remember the name Adam Smith. For those that can’t remember, Adam Smith is perhaps one of the most influential economists of all time. Adam Smith coined ‘The Invisible Hand’, a term for the self-regulating nature of the marketplace. Essentially it means that the psychology behind free market competition leads to a society which produces a socially optimal level of output. In other words, business is good!

“By preferring the support of domestic to that of foreign industry, he intends only his own security; and by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of the greatest value, he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for the society that it was not part of it. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good. It is an affectation, indeed, not very common among merchants, and very few words need be employed in dissuading them from it.” – Adam Smith

This is a big reason why I do not feel emotional attachment to any business what so ever. I don’t support shops to simply support shops. Instead I support businesses that support me with superior product at reasonable prices, whether that’s a local shop or some dude in Russia or China, or Brazil. Charity aside, I couldn’t care less who my dollar is supporting because I’m a capitalist and an outlaw ballah to boot. I care about my own self interest just like everyone everyone else, there’s no free lunch here.

So we can hide behind these notions of fairness but at the end of the day, life is unfair and some businesses will die. Sometimes a business needs to change to accommodate new market conditions. One could say that propping up a business in the name of localism only reinforces the company’s resistance to change. So in effect, ’supporting local shops’ is actually doing quite the opposite.

Let me be clear,  unlike other paintball posts this author will not  bleet the tired old ‘our sport is dieing’ adage.   Market demand for paintball products hasn’t subsided anymore than it has for other recreational products, it’s a tough market for anyone.  However by adopting a more open minded long term strategy I think local shops can gracefully enter the future.

I’ve always been a big guy. “Big boned” my mamma would say or “husky” as my grandma put it. Truth be told, it was always one of the things that kept me away from sports. I couldn’t run as fast or play as long as others and when it came to skins VS shirts? Put me on shirts or I am bye bye.

Paintball came along later in my life. I was in college when I was introduced to the sport, and to be honest, I didn’t even think of it as a workout. I was having a ball, running around pretending to be Rambo, sweat poured from my brow and I was exhausted afterwards, but it was worth every ache as the memories of getting that sweet shot or leading that charge lives with me even to this day.

For the horizontally challenged, playing any sport can be daunting, but with paintball, it really doesn’t have to be. If you follow these simple steps, you can be ballin in no time and can even be taking charge of the field.

1. Find a good group – This is key in paintball. Although “pwning newbs” is fun, one of the most rewarding things for me about paintball is the friendships and camaraderie that I have formed with my group. Try to see if your friends would be interested in playing, or look for a local group through places like PBNation or TechPB to see if there are any friendly groups that play at local fields or on private land. Having a fun group to play with will surely make you want to continue and improve.

2. Go slow – You can take this literally, move slow, but I would use this philosophy in every part of the sport. Take the time to look at gear and find what would work for you. Don’t
rush out and blow loads of money on gear, only to find out later that it isn’t up to par or you would like something different. Pace yourself on the field and if you need to walk instead of run, do it. You might find that by going slow you can see things that the sprinters miss.

3. Invest in quality – Don’t skimp on the important equipment: mask, hpa tank, and clothing. If you have these basics, you can take them to any field and use any gun, rental or loaner, no matter where you go.

4. Work in your strengths – At first, find things you can be good at in the sport of paintball. You might have a powerful voice and can command troops from the back line, or you might be a great shot and pick people off at good distances with your first shot. You might be patient where others are impulsive or have the ability to make quick decisions under pressure on the field. Don’t worry about outperforming those around you in terms of athleticism, find the things you can contribute and do your best at them. Others will take notice of that.

5. Seek to improve – I know for me, I want to improve my physical ability and have done things to change my life to do this. But there are other areas in the paintball world that will aide you just as much. Snap shooting, tactical thinking, knowing your marker, etc…these are all things that will make you a better player whether or not you can run as fast as the track star on the team.

If you follow these steps, I feel that you will be in a mindset to be playing paintball for quite some time and avoid a lot of the frustration and pitfalls that others might feel when starting this sport. I know there are a lot of people that blew a lot of money, and when they didn’t get tons of kills the very next game, were looking to sell their stuff. I’ve also seen the guys and girls that pushed too hard and either hurt themselves or didn’t want to come back because they thought they couldn’t do it.

Now you might be thinking that these steps are sort of general and could apply to anybody and you know what? You’d be right. The point of this article isn’t just for “fat guys”, but for everyone. And that is one of the greatest truths about this sport – that anyone can play paintball. Kids can play paintball, girls can play paintball, old people can play paintball, your spouse, mom, dad, and co-worker can all play paintball and do well. If you find a good group, go slow, invest in quality, go slow, and seek to improve, you will find joy in paintball and will probably be playing for decades to come. I hope to see you on the field sometime soon.

Is the Oregon scene drowning in this cesspool of degenerates? Nah, they are more of an irritable rash or a non-life long venereal disease. While I wouldn’t trust them with my sister, these types are nothing more than penicillin shot away from leaving the scene.

When the witch reads the bones and the magic 8 ball say’s “ask again later” I know we are talking about the fate of our scene. We are in an undecided stagnant situation where ego’s of a few rule the destiny of many.

Our state does not lack the bodies to get this sport organized, it lacks the brains. Too many of us have buried our heads under the desks of manufacturers, promoters and operators. Slaves to the game, we have become. Now, don’t read the above statement wrong. The place for Manufacturers, Promoters and Operators is intrical to the development of the sport.

But where is the real power of this scene? It’s right there in the chair you’re sitting in. Us the players have the power to make the changes we deem fit. Too long many of us have settled for mediocre paintball in the Northwest. We have been doing some great things in pockets of the state, but have yet to organize a united effort for growth. Statewide, Region wide, there are some remarkable games for the masses. These games have so much talent, but yet are never birthed at full potential due to the lack of organization and autocratic style demeanor between other promoters and players.

How many times just in 09’ were multiple games scheduled for the same date? Instead of everyone supporting one game, the scene is now pulled multiple directions. This may be news to you, but our scene isn’t large enough to support both, nor do the masses have the money to play two $80 monthly events. So where is the middle ground? There must be a solution.

We need more players, more teams and more overall communication between the two. The suits can continue to fight for our business until they realize that we won’t support mediocrity. We need to be asked what “we” want. We hold the dollars, we are the market and if we want better, we can get better, guaranteed.

Luckily for us, we do have some awesome promoters and business owners who have recently taken the steps to bring us more of what we want to see. With that said, they can only take us so far. We the players need to unite, figure out what it is we truly want, then approach the suits. Without an overall voice, all these suits hear is a 1000 different suggestions. What are they supposed to do then? They take a little of each and spoon feed it to us. Like I said before, we can’t blame them, the finger needs to be pointed at yourself.

So, how do we do this? How do we unite all the players of Oregon and the NW? Is it even possible? Anything is possible, we just need the motivation. We can start with a simple conversation of “how?”.

Cheers

This article is the first in a series about helping out those new players that you’ve just introduced to the sport, or if you’re new to the sport and reading this, how to make it more enjoyable for yourself.

One of the first things that happens when someone catches the bug is the desire for their own gear. Sure, you may have a great setup that you’re willing to loan out, but a player, for some reason develops a type of bond with their gear. Don’t ask me why. It just happens. So eventually, they’ll want their own, and to make sure their experience is as good as possible, you might need to guide them in the right direction.

The first piece of gear that anyone should get is a good mask. They’ll probably be looking at guns, and probably want to skimp on the mask to get the gun, but don’t let them. Their mask is the number one most important piece of gear they’ll ever bring onto the field. A good mask can make all the difference in how good of a day they have. It can mean the difference between beating the competition or a trip to the hospital. A bad mask is going to be a distraction, a handicap, and possibly even a danger. If it doesn’t fit right, it will constantly need adjustment. It might even be prone to falling off. That’s never good. A well designed mask will also fog up less, which means they won’t end up wandering around the field blind. We’ve probably all done that at one point or another, and it’s not a good way to get someone new excited about the game.

So, what should they look for in a mask?

1. Comfort/Fit – Think about how much time your mask spends on your face during a given day. If it pinches, digs in, or is otherwise uncomfortable they’re going to have to put up with that every moment of every game. Find one with good padding that fits the shape of their face comfortably. It might not be simple to go around trying masks on. I’m not sure why this is so much of a pain in stores considering how important masks are, but it is. Reading reviews on the internet can help. If they wear glasses that is a big thing to take into consideration, and can drastically limit the types of masks that will work. Also important is coverage. Some people just have bigger heads than others, so some mask might not cover their full face. I think you get where I’m going with that. It’s bad.
2. Quality – I put this as #2, for one simple reason. A cheaply made mask isn’t going to be comfortable. It’s as simple as that. The mask is a safety item. Don’t skimp on safety. Buying the right mask might set them back a couple weeks on saving up for the gun, but in the end it will be worth it, and it’s not worth the risk otherwise. Don’t just think about the eye protection, get a mask that protects the ears as well. A paintball can do a lot of damage, and most masks these days offer something in the range of ear protection. Find one that offers both.
3. Field of View – These days a lot of companies are going out of their way to make masks as unobstructive to vision as possible, offering wide field of view. Take all that you can get. The more you can see, the better off you are.
4. Ventilation – This one is pretty important, but it can be fixed. Good ventilation means you’ll breathe easier, and not fog up as easily. No matter what, if they play year round, they’ll probably run into conditions where the mask fogs up. Anti-fog spray or wax will do the trick. But, with a little ingenuity and some small computer fans from radio shack, that can be fixed permanently so that it NEVER fogs. I mod my masks with these right off the bat, as it really keeps me a lot cooler and brings in tons of fresh air. It’s truly amazing. Some masks offer fan kits, but they’re extremely loud. What can be built DIY will be far cheaper and far quieter.
5. Style – Yea, it’s important. By now they’ve probably narrowed it down to a couple choices, and they’re probably all within the same price range. If they’re playing woodsball, they don’t want to be wearing a bright white mask. Trust me, I’ve done that. It’s impossible to hide. You want something that reflects your personality yet serves the situation. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look cool on the field. Anyone who says they don’t care is a liar.

My nightly routine has always been to surf PBNation to giggle at the latest ‘who has the bigger barrel’ arguments. Further,I wanted to congratulate the Forest Demons on a job well done placing First place in the top 2 divisions.

Then I saw a poll/topic that very much caught my eye. ‘.50 Cal – Do you really want this?’

This has been a huge dilemma for me, mostly because I like to tinker with toys. So breaking into a whole new caliber of paintball I raised my nose to. It wasn’t until recently when I sat down with my good friend Michael, who competition shoots for a living; that we started to discuss the avenues of .50 caliber paintball.  Michael has always disliked paintball. He is ex military trained, police trained, etc. etc. He hates the size of the markers, hates the hoppers, his hate list could go on and on. About 8 weeks ago, he did go out and buy a paintball pistol though, which shocked me. I then laughed when he told me it was the Kingman pistol. I simply said good luck trying to use that at any place you pay to play (he hasn’t been able to use it either). His argument was it fit in his hand like his normal side arm, hence he bought it.

After discussing the topic for about 2 solid hours with him, my outlook on the .50 caliber paintball changed drastically. No longer did I want to shun the idea, instead, I now embrace it.

Here is my reasoning:

The sport of Paintball realistically has plateaued and needs a fresh idea. I’m not saying a change, but new avenues. That being stated, introducing (or reintroducing, whatever) the .50 cal isnt a bad thing. It offers more options to people, and to companies. I’ve always stated to friends and teammates that when the caliber of paintballs get smaller, we will see closer adaptations to more milsim markers. Now sure, you have the BT Delta thats a very good replica MP5, minus the huge hopper that is attached to it. If people want more realistic replica of real fire arms, then the caliber has to come down in size.

Now, people are really worried about these companies saying ‘ok, we are going .50 cal’ and dropping everything to do with .68 calibers, & screwing over all their current customer/players. I don’t think any company is planning to do this…unless they really want out of the business, since they would be bankrupting themselves in 72 hours. You do not bite the hand that feeds you. So if anything, you will see companies experiment, and push a new caliber product (e.g. Kingmann with their pistol, and Smart Parts working with gi milsim), but will never just say good bye to .68 caliber (as long as their is old school autocockers and Automags out there, .68 caliber will be around).

Also, please keep in consideration that real fire arms come in all calibers. That being stated, think of how many more people this might attract to the sport. A different caliber paintball means, new markers, new designs, new concepts, new beginnings. All that said, means new players, new groups, new games. If anything this could revitalize the sport, more then hurt it.

Now keeping the positive in perspective, there is also negatives that have to be weighed in as well. Here are some points that I really do see as an issue.

Tom Kaye of AGD points out, switching to this caliber size might pose a safety issue. The smaller caliber will have a much better chance of slipping through some of the field rental type of masks that have larger vent holes.

The standard case of paint is 2K rounds. Now going to a smaller paint, is it factual that the consumers will be getting more paint for that same price of the 2k of .68 caliber?

If conversion kits are offered, will they also include barrels to go with them? Or will it be yet more money that we need to spend?

This is going to be 1 of 2 of the biggest question I believe for all the current players. Will the new .50 cal markers be something new and completely different, or will it be simply the markers we know and love offered in 2 different calibers? I ask because if the .50 caliber and .68 2010 ego (just using as an example) are both priced at 1250, why would I buy the .50 cal when my hoppers, barrels, and everything else I own is geared for .68 caliber?

2 of 2, will the design and concepts for the .68 caliber markers be neglected and/or just regurgitated (with what is already out there) while companies focus on .50 caliber?

Lastly, what of the pay to play fields? Do we know if their current insurance policies will cover the .50 caliber (being if its a safety issue with the smaller caliber having a better chance to get through vent holes on rental masks, this is something that needs to be addressed)?

Again, these are just my thoughts, and I’m expressing as everyone else is here. My hope is that people see the .50 caliber as an expansion to the sport, which I believe its trying to do. Not replacing what has already been done, and what is currently the norm.