Paintball Journal

I believe I’ve done a post before on the RAP4 grenades, well, the grenade launchers. I don’t play milsim, so I’ve really never had the chance to actually see how they work, but this video was very revealing. It surprises me that it didn’t actually ‘launch’ anything at all, and the whole aspect of the grenade launcher turned into a paintball shotgun more than anything else. Take a look.

Sweet! Check out these BA colors Eclipse is releasing for the Eteks! Now if only I had waited just a little longer…Bah! Supposedly twenty of each color to be manufactured, so you best get ‘em while they’re hot, folks!

Dye released a nice set of custom DM7s. Not a big fan of the jungle skull camo, but the desert one isn’t bad at all. As for the black and silver, three thumbs up! That’s sexy. Again, very few made (maybe about 100 per design) so if you’re interested you better look into it, and fast.

Looking for custom anodizing? Check out this helpful thread on PBNation to find a list of stores or companies that will tattoo your gat.

There wasn’t much good to say about the third 2007 CTS event at Badlandz in Chicago. Indeed, accounts varied so much on every aspect of the event it was hard to get a straight story. Here’s what I got…

The reffing sucked. Ahahaha, like I’d ever believe a player who said that. However, it did sound like there were some inexperienced refs who made a couple bad calls. Overall, I think the reffing was decent.

The fields sucked. Now here’s where everyone is getting a little upset at Badlandz. Apparently, Badlandz threw together some crappy fields for CTS, and let Aftershock pratice on the nice field, etc. etc. It’s Badlandz, it’s always gonna be there for ‘Shock.

I don’t know who’s accountability this falls under, but didn’t anyone think about PSP’s Chicago Open being next weekend? Seriously, how could CTS expect a big turnout with something like a PSP event in the same area the weekend afterward.

The paint was good.

Haha, and that’s pretty much what everyone had to say.

Here are the Top 3 in each Division.

Rookie

1st- Electric Funeral
2nd- Hitmen
3rd- Fracture

Novice

1st- Krosstown Krew
2nd- STFU
3rd- KTB Army

Amateur

1st- DK
2nd- FN Hostile
3rd- Instigators

How does the size of a player affect his game? I’ve seen the question tossed around many times before, and I’d have to say that size really can make a difference, especially in certain conditions.

Strengths: Since they will most likely be playing back to begin with, their height can give them a better view of the field because they can see past some low or medium size bunkers whereas a front player will be blind as he is crouches into some small position up field. Big players can also have surprisingly good gun skills. Their size allows them to have a complete handle over their gun, and once they start shooting they might not stop.

Weaknesses: A big guy will naturally be slower, well, usually at least. Their greatest vulnerability will be the first three seconds off the break when they are getting to their bunkers, if they even leaving the break at all. They also fill out a bunker a lot more than a smaller player. If it’s a standup, his backside may already be exposed, or very close to being exposed. Always look for a big players pack.

Overall though, it just comes down to technical skill. I’ve seen many bigger players in my day, and I wouldn’t underestimate one for a second, especially when they’re usually better than me. But I firmly believe that a smaller team can out perform a heavier set team, assuming that both are at the same level of skill and experience. Is there even a comparison in the weaknesses? Do smaller players even have a weakness? The only thing I can think of is the ability to manhandle their gats, but that’s something a little bit of a workout can fix.

There are a lot of variables to consider, such as field size. A larger field will require more time in the open, more movement. A smaller field can negate the need for speed as the big guys will take just a few steps to get to their bunkers. But the entire compare and contrast was based around teams with equal skills and experience. A heavier team with ten years experience will out perform a smaller team with one year’s experience. When it comes down to it in the end, there’s little definitive proof of which is better.

Paintball Sports Promotions is pleased to announce the dates and location for our fourth event of the year. The River City Open will debut at the Council Bluffs Recreation Center, August 2nd-5th. Located within fifteen minutes of the Omaha International Airport just off the I-80/I-29 interchange, the Rec center is ideally located and easily accessible.

The Council Bluffs Recreation Center is also just minutes away from some of the best Omaha has to offer. Head over the river into Old Market for great food and nightlife. Featuring cobblestone streets lined with shops, restaurants, pubs and clubs, the Old Market has all the makings for a great night out. Or spend the evening in Council Bluffs and test your luck at Harrah’s, the Horseshoe Casino or the Ameristar Casino.

Registration for the River City Open will begin on Thursday, June 28th. Please remember that event registration is a two part process. You must both register and pay for your team in order to ensure a spot in the event. Only paid teams will be admitted into the event. Also please keep in mind that as the event gets closer, registration fees will increase.

For more information about the River City Open please visit www.pspevents.com. Check back often as we continue to add more information for this great event including directions and great deals on hotels and rental cars. We look forward to seeing everyone in Omaha!

Aaauuugggh! I have relatives in Omaha. I think I’ll be asking them if I can visit. I’m looking forward to the results of the Chicago Open. Our local team JFK is reffing there, and will be getting an ‘07 X-ball field, making the deal pretty insanely awesome for us players that ball at Friendly Fire.

Yes! This way you have full iPod functionality as well as the ability to hear your teammates. This man obviously knows what he’s doing. Now he needs some subs that he can throw on his pack. And uhh… better tunes.

After some technical difficulties, some vacational difficulties, and some emotional difficulties, I’m back and ready to kick some bloggin’ ass.

I see that Evan has failed to play in my absence, which is a terrible, terrible thing. I also see that it is only with my wonderful leadership that this blog flourishes, and so I shall redouble my efforts and so forth and so forth to make this blog so insanely kick-ass that people will be begging us for blog coverage.

In that spirit, I’ll be playing catch-up a little bit this week, posting news bits that you may have not caught with Evan in charge *glares at Evan*. I’ll also be posting new stuff as well, probably doing two posts a day. So try to keep up!

I didn’t play any this weekend, nor can I play this coming weekend either (family reunion on Saturday, family coming in town, etc. etc.). But, I have been getting a ton of work in, and I’m debating whether or not I should just put my money back into the bank, or, at least a portion of it so I can spend the rest on paintball. I’d feel bad for taking so much out without replacing it. We are looking to play in two weeks (that’s a big maybe), and I still should order some stuff before then. Yes, I am procrastination incarnate. Anyways, I’ll think about it today while I’m working, which the thought of that doesn’t sound too promising either.

Method private label 07. Yep, another one…

Here’s the thing though…teams do this to be unique, right? To get their little cut in the spotlight that can somehow separate them from the others, even just by mere fractions. Annoing has become so easy every semi-pro/pro team has a private label, and to me that means this whole thing is just another purposeless trend.

It’s like the trends at school, and how everyone tries to be unique. One dude starts wearing girl pants (yes, very weird), and I’d say that is pretty dang unique at first. Then before you know it, the others are copying him so they can get their slice of uniqueness. When too many people jump in then you lose yourself as an individual; you’re just part of the group, the trend. Same goes for paintball trends. One team breaks away and gets something that stands out, others are sure to follow. Then all of a sudden the trend loses that spark, and teams are left with nothing but whatever every other team has.

So now that annoed guns have been done to hell, what’s going to be the next? I’m hoping for more professional jerseys and gear like Dynasty has done. I didn’t like them to begin with, but they’ve grown on me. It’s what the game needs to give it any credibility as a “professional sport”. But I don’t know, only time will tell.

When you have three, maybe even four or five guys playing in a somewhat small, indoor field you would think that there’s no way somebody is just going to come flying downfield and bunker your whole team right off the break, successfully too. Well, that’s the way I thought too until I had seen it at least two different times in a very short period.

The first time I experienced this, my team breaks out and I dive into back right. I come up firing down the snake side, and then begin to cross up. Before my gun is even down I get my face blasted, and this is all within seconds of the break. There were two guys walking, WALKING, up the opposite tape side, and as I looked over to the rest of my team I notice that they are all looking in. I don’t think either of the two guys ever stopped shooting all the while, and as they reached about the fifty, they ran the rest of the way and finished to finish them off.

The second time I was with the same group of guys, different day, and was taking some pictures on the sidelines. A guy by the name of Mike, tall and quite husky (the one you wouldn’t think to doing the run throughs), some how manages to split the field and bunker three people out, while the fourth had been shot off the break. How? He runs towards their back right, just to the inside. The guy in back right was shooting the tape, so naturally he didn’t have any idea what was about to happen, and that’s fairly understandable. The sad part is, the two other guys to the left side of the field were both looking towards their tape-side. Mike bunkers the guy in back right, calmly turns and shoots the two others in the side.

In both instances, the teams getting bunkered were all looking in the wrong direction, and not crossed up. I take it that both of them were planned to happen, whether it would work or not, so it could have just as easily gone wrong for them as well, because not only have I seen this done successfully a few times, I’ve probably seen twice as many end in total blunder. Somebody tries something like that and runs into three lanes of paint, because this time the team is watching.

Communication is key here. Never once underestimate your opponents, or question their stupidity. Make sure your team knows the basic plan, and keep it crossed up as much as possible! Communication! Communication! Communication! Do this, and you’ll protect against 99% of the people who try something crazy like running downfield off the break to blast you all in the sides when you’re looking the other way. And don’t think that it won’t happen to you, because that’s exactly when it does.

You’ve probably seen these posted before, but now it’s time for another one! PBNation is once again handing out another contest, check out the prize.

Be the one of the 1st on the planet to get your hands on this brand new marker from BT Paintball. We will giveaway two of the new BT-4 ERC markers, with a retail value of $399.95 each. These guns have not been released yet and the guns that will be given away for the contest will be the very first guns of production.

Take all of the outstanding features found in the ultra-reliable BT-4 combat, add the BT electronic grip frame and the HALO powered BT rip-clip and you get one of the world’s fastest shooting markers. The addition of the BT electronic grip frame brings incredible firing rates. The HALO powered BT rip-clip relies on HALO’s championship proven feeding technology to assure this marker not only cycles at speed but sends rounds downrange without fail.

Check out the BT Paintball web site for more info on their markers and other stuff.

If I could make a guess, it will look something along the lines of the BT-4 Ironhorse.

But there’s always a catch! You must be an Annual Supporting Member to be eligible to win. Here’s the rest of the fine print, read it here on PBNation.

It’s been at least three week since I last balled, and it’s about time we get back after it. I need to give the Ego a test run, and I know others are ready to get out as well. But there are two problems: gas prices and the heat. I would play indoors at Friendly Fire Paintball, but that’s nearly an hour and a half drive, and I’d only go if we could get enough people to car pool. But if we’re not going there then that leaves only two other options: Silver Spur or Paradise. Both are outdoor fields, and both have their own benefits, but the weather here is quickly reaching the dog days of summer. Temperatures in the 90s and 100% humidity are common for these parts.

We tried to play in the heat once. Yeah, that didn’t go so well. We thought we were clever by hitting the field early, but when you have no shade, no cloud cover, and no wind at whatsoever, it really doesn’t matter what time of day it is. It was just miserable, and our turn around times were about an hour simply because it took us that long to cool down. I’m not willing to go through that again, no matter what so in the mean time I need to order some things. VLocity, gun oil and lube, and some JT pants maybe; you know, the usual stuff.

Here is an interesting product that View Loader has released (apparently released in March, but why am I just finding out about it?!). Immediately you think something has gone awfully wrong in the production line, and somehow shell casts from Halos, VLocities, Pulses, and Revvies were all blended together in a tragic accident. Well, perhaps it’s not so tragic after all.

REVY EYE FORCE
MSRP $49.99
OUT IN MARCH

SPECS
-EYE ACTIVATION FORCE FEED
-15 BPS ON MARKER
-2 PEICE BODY FOR EASY CLEANING AND BATTERY REPLACMENT
-SPRING LOADED 3 BLADE FORCE FEED PATTLE
-200 BALLS
-INSTANT AUTO ANTI JAM
-LOW BATTERY INDICATER
-DUAL VISION SYSTEM
-RECOGNISES DARK AND BLACK SHELLED PAINT
-2 9V BATTERIES
-ALSO COMES IN CAMO

It’s definitely not the fastest hopper in the world, but if these specs are true then it carries quite a kick for the price. I had an older Revvie once, sound activated and all that, and I can just say if the batteries weren’t new then things would get ugly. But this hopper has come a long way it seems with the Dual Eye Vision, Anti-Jam, and 2 piece body for easy cleaning. And it’s said to be the lightest hopper out, something like 14 ounces when loaded with batteries. Again, if all this is true, then I’d give this hopper a 10/10 for the price-performance ratio. So maybe it looks pregnant, but at least it’s not that Spyder…thing/hopper.