PB Pistols in scenario games

[Coaster]

My friend and I are both really considering getting paintball pistols to play with. I mainly want one because i think it would be fun for a scenario game.

Has anybody tried having a sidearm, if so, could you share your experiences with them?

[bsolomon]

Send a PM to Niterocker and get him to reply on the forum. When he plays scenarios, he pretty much only uses pistols, and he has a great collection so he could probably tell you the pro's and con's of every one ever made.

[SN0BL1ND]

INCREDIBLE RUSH!

I've assaulted an enemy base with about thirty enemy players tryin' to figure out what the h*ll I was doin' until I quick-drew and shout out 2 or 3 standing in a cluster...the other players ALL opened fire on me! I headed for the dead zone drippin' but it intimidated the h*ll outta the enemy general...

At the Risk it all game I got within 20 feet of an opposing player and back shot him. By showing him empty hands I was able to walk around him and HAD HIM GIVE ME A "THUMBS UP" TWICE WHEN HE SOULD HAVE SHOT ME OUT!!!

Night play is when a pistol really comes into it's own; you can have both hands free to move branches and move quietly. Darkness evens out the firepower disadvantage, and most fights are gonna be close anyway. I leave my main marker at the daytime speed limit and the pistol stays at the nighttime speed limit...

[Lawrence TB Wright]

Playing a scenario game with a pistol is quite a challenge. I've played with and reviewed just about every scenario pistol out there. From the PGP to the Sidekick, even the hard to come by Sydearm. They are great back up guns and even better for role players that want to run 'light' but not be defenseless. For the money, the best pistol has been the sidekick semi. Lightweight, accurate and easy to work on, it was a great marker. Alas it is no longer in production, but I have 4 of them.
In production the best marker is the Armotech Zeus. It has a few shortcomings but overall a good marker. Stay away from the PT Xtreme and PT Enforcer as they have had nothing but problems. The Sydearm is a great marker but hard to maintain and get parts for. The Punisher is not that great a marker, and severly over priced. The PGP is a very cool marker if you like rock and cock markers but that is your choice. Hope this helps out some. I can go into greater detail, if you need.

[Coaster]

when did they go out of production? They appear as though they are still being sold on their website..

[Lawrence TB Wright]

The sidekick pumps are still being sold, the sidekick semi's went out of production about 2 months ago. I talked with Chris 'Good' Nall and he is the one that told me the semi was out of production.

[Esh]

Have you had a chance to look at the Delta .68? It is the latest along the PT line and it suposively has addressed some of the shortcomings in the previous PTs.

[Polish]

The Delta 68s are basically, hopped up PT Extremes. NPS released 100 of them orginialy and within a week they recalled them due to a major leaking problem in every gun (I witnessed it). The have since re-released these..pistols.. and I believe they are still not worth it. They are too heavy and too bulky.. go with a Zues its a little smaller and packs a punch.

[AutomagRT1483]

Sydarm baby Woot!!! I wish I had some 10 round tubes for it. Man, oh did I pay for just running my Sydarm late in the day at Paintball Sam's Scenario Game. I got my happy butt lit up by an X-mag. Thanks Emo (AKA Jeff Willems from AGD Pride)

[judster]

i mostly only use pistols nowadays. like TB said if you are a role player you like to travel lite but not unarmed. i usually carry 2 pistols and a LAWS rocket as my weapons...its quite a challenge to only use pistols...i say give it a try...you might like it!!!

[Timmee]

I tried using a PTX in the final battle at Shatnerball, and I feel that it wasn't for me (in hindsight, I wish I had my BM2K in that game). My roommate was using the PTX previously (it was his main marker all day), and he had a blast. It just depends on your style of play.

[FooTemps]

what about the pt professional by core?

[FooTemps]

anyone?

[Glickman]

pt

Well, if you want the pt, you should count on getting a bottom line. i got like 5 shots out of a 12 gram. BUT, i ordered a zeus bottom line, and used a 4 ounce. i was able to shoot a orange cone on the other side of a speedball field, consistanly. i had the refs going crazy over it. its a cool gun, and as accurate as my cocker when fed nitro. but the clip standard is only like 10, bt you can get a 250 round adapter. they have a new zeus out, and it has a longer barrel, but then again... it wold be just like a normal marker, except its smaller, lighter, and just plain cooler

[kemikos]

My picks:

I've been playing scenario games for 2 years now, and for the last year, I've played primarily with "sidearms". I've used most of the major models at one point or another.

As TB pointed out, the best all-around pistol currently in production is the Armotech Zeus. It's pretty reliable, comparatively compact (unless you're comparing it with the Sidekick), and it has no problem getting to playable velocity.

I haven't used the new Zeus G2 yet; it looks very cool, but I don't know if it's worth the extra price. The interchangeable barrel is nice, but keep in mind that it's not a true barrel; it's basically an interchangeable muzzle brake. The barrel itself is integral to the body of the gun, and the extension just screws onto the end. Its bore is actually so big that it most likely never touches the paintball.

The PT Professional and Punisher were nearly identical. They were the predecessors of the Zeus. They don't have nearly as many problems as the earlier PT-series markers. Though they're not as refined as the newer models, they're more or less solid markers.

The Core ZX is identical to the Zeus except cosmetically.

The PT Enforcer is to be avoided like the plague. Mine's currently at Doc's Machine for some upgrade work; I asked Doc simply to see if he could make a playable marker out of it. As it came from the factory, it was truly horrendous.

The Sidekick was definitely the marker to beat for a backup, or for a marker you don't intend to use much (for roleplayers and other special-role types). It's definitely the smallest and lightest semi-auto marker ever built. Unfortunately, the design had a chronic leak that would empty the 12-gram in under a half hour (the instructions on the manufacturer's website stated that the only solution is to not pierce the 12-gram until you're ready to shoot). For me, this meant a lot of wasted 12-grams.

Quite possibly the best sidearm you can still purchase new is the Palmer Squall. It's essentially a miniature Typhoon with a 12-gram quick changer and 10-round spring feed. There are only two downsides: the size and the price. The Squall is almost 14" long; it's holsterable, but you won't forget you're carrying it by any means. And the price starts around $550, depending on options. That's not to say you don't get your money's worth, though. Like almost all Palmer markers, every Squall is a hand-built work of art made to your specifications.

There are a few other options if you're willing to spend some time (and money) searching out some out-of-production markers.

The AGD Sydarm (you all knew I'd get to it, right? This is AO, after all... ) is a very cool marker. As you should know if you're reading here, it's a 10-round spring-fed 12-gram-powered Automag. 'Nuff said. :) Unfortunately, they're hard to come by, and pricey when you do. Also, they do have some problems; the 'Mag doesn't handle 12-grams well. Sydarms tend to have freezing and shootdown problems because of it.

My new favorite is the FASTech A.F.T. This is a shortened, lightened F-2 Illustrator with a spring feed and 12-gram adapter attached. I just picked one of these up on Ebay a couple of months ago, and I'm impressed. It looks bigger than the Zeus, but it's actually lighter and smaller in all dimensions. The magazines are not as easy to reload on-field, but it's much easier to swap the empty for a full clip than with the Zeus. Unfortunately, they're even harder to find than the Sydarms, it seems. They generally aren't as expensive, though.

And those are just the best of the semis. If you're willing to take a chance on a pump pistol, there are so many more options out there. It's not nearly as bad an idea as it sounds... I played through most of MXS' "Armies of Armageddon" with a Nel-Spot. It just takes a different kind of mindset.

The list of sidearms I own or have used is actually pretty long...
* FASTech AFT
* The Zeus Cannon(tm) - This one's my personal creation. It's a full-auto Electro-Zeus conversion. That's right, I can empty the clip in a mere second.
* Standard Zeus
* PT Enforcer
* Sidekick Semi
* Semi-converted PGP
* Stock PGP
* Nelson 007 - I still use this one fairly often, surprisingly enough.
* Splatmaster Rapide
* Brass Eagle Eagle .68

Hope this helps someone. Also, for folks interested in sidearm info, Have Blue's "Semi-Auto Sidearm Enthusiasts" site has a lot of good information, and there's bound to be someone on their forum who can answer questions about any paintball sidearm. http://www.airsoldier.com/~sase

Kenn