Cheers

I’ve been hearing great things about the Azodin guns. I haven’t personally fired any of their semi-autos myself, but if the quality of their KP pump is any indication I’d say they’re pretty solid. As far as customization, I’m not sure what is available for them in the aftermarket.

Another thing I’ve been hearing recently is people recommending buying a high end gun that is a few models old. For instance, you can grab a great quality Ego 7 at a fraction of the price of a new Ego 10, and many of the new upgrades for the 8,9, and 10 will still work in it. That basically leaves you with a top of the line marker with slightly different milling. Of course, this is still a bit more expensive than going the Ion or Azodin route at around $300-$400. (Though I have seen people drop that more than that just in aftermarket upgrades for their Ion.)

If you like to tinker, and like mechanical guns, there’s always used Autocockers on the market. A well tuned cocker is a beast and can compete with anything on the field. The amount of customizations is available for those is simply staggering, and sometimes you can find killer deals. But, I’d recommend a lot of research before going that route.

I’m about to throw down for a K-series Elite Pro that comes with an in-stock, refillable HPA tank (that will get you ~120 shots per fill) and is fed by 18-19 round mags. On top of that, I hear they are exceptionally built. The only thing I would be more excited about would be the same marker in .50 cal. With the change in caliber you drop some weight and bulk as well as increase the mag capacity and shots per tank fill.

As for the smaller paint possibly finding its way through gaps in masks, I am not worried about getting hurt myself because my mask/helmet system is designed for use with simunition. I know I’m crazy. I should have been Canadian.

I am excited to get into smaller paint.

The worst part about the day was the weather. If I could have seen anything, I could have moved in close enough to make use of the paint. The way it was, I was just stuck getting longballed at the “bridge” and having no clue where it came from for the first 3 games. I doubt they were even aiming at me when I did get hit. There were a lot of accidental kills that day from curving paint. I nailed a teammate in the back of the neck once and he was a good 3′ out of my line of fire. Though that did make for some funny moments when you aim for someone and get a kill on a guy that you didn’t even see.

They opened the field up for free play after the last game, but I was out of paint by that point. It really is a shame. That last game was REALLY intense and made the whole day worth it, and the weather just got better from there.

I’m still impressed with how well it came together given all the things working against the day. Small crowd, horrible weather, not many highly experienced players…yet it still stayed interesting. The games were always down to the last minute, and it didn’t seem like there was too much interference in the natural progression trying to make it that way. It was enough to keep me engaged in the game even though I was cold, wet, and miserable.

Oh, and the refs did a REALLY GOOD JOB this time. That has been a complaint in the past. They were right in the middle of the action and making some good calls. They shut down some really bad behavior a couple of times, as well. Plus they were friendly and helpful.