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Robotech's ArsenalMaybe you have read some of my guides and now you are wondering just what kind of paintball does this guy play? Well, I should think it is pretty obvious that I do not play speedball or tournament style paintball. I'm a scenario player and thus my gear is very much what the industry calls Military Simulation, or MilSim for short. Dye Assault Matrix (D.A.M.)For the last nine years I had shot with the WS66 below. As you can see from her configuration and modification, I did all I could to maximize her accuracy and range. When Tiberius came out with their First Strike rounds, I wanted to shoot them but most guns that shot them were magazine fed only and there were times where having a hopper of paint was still useful for me. Thus I held off until Dye came out with their Dye Assault Matrix, or DAM. The DAM shoots both regular paint from a hopper then, with the flick of their On-The-Fly switch, could shoot First Strikes (or regular paint) from a magazine. Honestly I was still a bit hesitant as, being an electric marker, I was concerned with reliability issues. After all, I had only shot mechanical markers up to this point and watched folks with electronics have their days ruined by problems with these more complex markers. I figured I'd give it a shot and am now the owner of a DAM in DyeCam. Honestly the DyeCam was a welcome addition as I didn't have to paint this gun like I had my WS66. That didn't mean I've left the gun stock. Before one round was fired through it I pulled the bolt out, sanded it down with 2000 grit sand paper to put a super smooth, mirror-like finish on it, and then polished it up. With the inline low pressure regulator and an HPA tank (yes, I finally have an HPA tank) the marker shot quietly and very accurately. Regular paint accuracy was even better than my WS66 and First Strikes...well they're what I've been wanting a paintball to do for the last 24 years. To take advantage of the accuracy of the DAM and First Strike rounds, I've collected the most impressive group of optics I have ever owned. First up is my primary setup. It consists of a NCStar 2-7x32 rail scope and NCStar reflex sight. The scope is mounted on a MilSig adjustable angle rail that allows me to "tilt" the scope to compensate for the rapid drop associated with paintballs. I had mentioned in one of my guides on sights that magnified scopes such as this 2-7x32 NCStar were impractical because of this drop and the inaccuracy of paintballs. This is no longer the case with First Strikes and these tilting rails. The reflex sight sits in front of the scope on a 45 degree side rail. The DAM is designed to have the hopper sit very low so in order to clear the scope, I had to make an adaptor that raised the hopper considerably. Now I can use the Scope for First Strikes and the Reflex for regular paint only needing a half a second to switch between the two.
This marker is very capable for multipule roles and I have even test fitted my M203 to the front rails. While I haven't been able to play much with it so far, my son had managed to get six eliminations with seven First Strike rounds using this set up. Now he wants one, naturally. Night games though is where things get even more serious. Considering you can't see much at night, the NCStar optics come off and are replaced with an ATN 1X THoR Thermal Imaging scope.
The THoR is a complete game changer but it does have a pretty big learning curve. Seeing "heat" requires the user to have some idea of how different objects retain heat. For example, while playing my first night game with the scope, we were on a field that was nothing but rocks and concrete that had been exposed to the setting sun after a day of 100 degree temperatures. Thus it was nearly impossible to tell person from rock. Later in the evening after we switched sides, we were now facing the side of the field that had been shaded from the setting sun and I could see every single person on the field as this side of the the rocks was much cooler. This scope needs to be sighted in but for night games, this marker will run magazine only with this scope. In addition, a Lapco First Strike Ready (FSR) riffled barrel is also on the way which should further improve the accuracy of the First Strike rounds. Warsensor WS66 (Retired April 2013)Next up is the oldest marker in my arsenal and a marker still very dear to my heart. This is a Warsensor WS66 and she served me well ever since I bought her in 2004 (in 2013 it's hard to get parts but with replacing nothing but o-rings and cup seals, she still shoots great). It is a stacked tube blow back with parts in common with the old VM68s and early Spyders. Everything on it is metal except for the CAR stock body. The barrel, called a Hop Up Barrel by Warsensor, has three groves in the top of the barrel that help put a backspin on the ball thus giving the marker range similar to the Tippmann Flatline or APEX barrel systems. With the straight barrel though it seems to produce a more accurate shot than a Flatline equipped Tippmann. I use to change the configuration of this marker around quite a bit but now that my arsenal has expanded I keep her in this configuration.
These are the newest pictures of her in her new ACU paint scheme. The following two pictures are what she looked like before. I'll be doing a writeup somtime soon on painting for those interested in how this was done. Thanks to tacticalcamo.com for the stencils and advice.
The WS66 has been modified internally with a delrin bolt and a delrin o-ring on the striker. Also, the internals have been polished and a Palmer's Female Stabilizer has been added below the grip to increase consistancy. When combined with a Palmer's inline Stabilizer equipped remote line this WS66 is increadibly consistant and very accurate. Externally, an OpsGear Barrett .50 Cal muzzle break, 3-9x40mm scope, and a Laseraim Illusion red dot have been added along with a tac sling and R.I.S. mounted bipod. The stock WS66 14" Hop Up barrel was replaced with the optional 20" Hop Up barrel to give the marker the right look. The M4 style R.I.S. foregrip was retained with some modification. The longer barrel is mainly for looks but did quiet the marker's report some when fired. When used in a scenario game as an anti-tank rifle, the marker has it's standard power feed replaced with a cut down 10 round tube designed to give the marker a 5+1 "magazine" capacity. This is to simulate the limited ammo capacity of the real Barrett. When used as a regular marker the bipod, red dot, and added range of the Hop Up barrel make this marker perfect for support fire or long range shots on larger fields. Miltec MT66 (Sold)This marker is relatively new to the Arsenal but has seen quite a bit of use lately. The MT66 is virtually identical to the WS66 above. Due to a prolonged legal battle that tarnished the Warsensor and Armotech names, a new company was created to carry on parts of their product lines...Miltec. Thus the Miltec MT66 is a renamed Warsensor WS66. On this marker you can even see on the rear of the receiver where the Warsensor name had been ground off making this a very early MT66. It too has a delrin bolt but uses a standard o-ring on the striker. Internals were also polished for increased consistancy. It uses the standard 14" Hop Up barrel and the R.I.S. front handguard.
Most notable on the marker is the Classic Army M203 style grenade launcher under the barrel. Mounted to the R.I.S. and able to be removed in seconds, the M203 fires Nerf Vortex rockets using a Mad Bull .68 Cal paintball shell for an air source (no paintballs are loaded in the shell). With these shells modified for high pressure operation, the M203 has a range of about 150 yards. It can be used just like a normal LAW rocket and can take out tanks and bunkers. The marker also has a Laseraim Illusion red dot mounted to a carry handle sight rail that allows the shooter to take advantage of the longer range afforded by the Hop Up barrel. With a good paint to barrel match, the MT66 can hit targets on the first shot over 90 feet away. Used with the Palmer's inline Stabilizer equipped remote line the MT66 is very consistant adding to its overall accuracy. While the marker has been sold, I've retained the M203 and you will be seeing more of that sometime soon. Tippmann A5 (Sold)The newest marker in the group, this Tippmann A5 has been set up in an SMG configuration. Currently it just has a short 3" barrel, MP5 style mag kit, and a modified trigger spring for a lighter trigger pull. Because of the short barrel the marker only chronos at 200 fps. Coming soon will be an aluminum power tube to increase reliability, a Rear Velocity Adjuster (RVA) and firmer striker spring in order to bring up the FPS of the marker, and a response trigger to increase ROF.
For CQB the A5 just cannot be matched. The Response Trigger will only add to it's short range abilities. With the 3" barrel and the limited velocity this marker is meant to be used at close ranges and is at a sever disadvantage on more open fields. This is why this marker will mainly be used for walk on games, final battles, and night games where range is not as critical when compared to mobility. Hopefully the addition of an aftermarket powertube and RVA will help improve on this configurations single weakness. OthersWhile I don't have any pictures handy, I do have other markers. One is the Ariakon ACP. The ACP is a pistol similar to the Warsensor Zues and is generally only used as a backup marker. Generally I have enough gear to carry so it doesn't see much action anymore but I do bring it out from time to time when I want to play pistol or want a real challenge. While the A5 above was sold some time ago, I had the opportunity to pick another one up and took it. It's basicaly stock at the moment other than the previous owner stripped all the black paint off the body of the marker. As you can see above, that's not so much a problem for me. I'll probably convert it into a backup marker in case any of my main weapons fail or someone needs to borrow a marker. Stepping up into the modern age, my most recent addition has been a Dye Action Matrix or DAM for short. It's my first electronic marker, my first First Strike capable marker, first mag fed marker and first marker to run on HPA only...forcing me to buy an HPA tank. This is replacing the WS-66 Barrett that has been my trusty marker for almost 10 years. The Barrett is still functional and will be retained for back up purposes but finding parts to replace wear items is getting a bit harder as the years roll on. Besides, the First Strike rounds make the Hop Up backspin barrel of the WS obsolete. Pictures of this new tool will be up when I finally finish setting it up for duty and play with it a few times. In the household my son shoots a Spyder MR1 and MR3 plus just picked up an Empire Mini That's about it for the Arsenal, for now. I'm sure that's always subject to change.
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