I suck with a pump.

[paintballfiend]

So I have been using my Phantom VSC with Telescope stock for a couple weeks and I have probably marked about 3 people while I am shot out every game. I know I am doing something terribly wrong with my technique. Can the pumpers on AO give me some tips on how to shot like a champ.
Thanks,
PBfiend

[behemoth]

So I have been using my Phantom VSC with Telescope stock for a couple weeks and I have probably marked about 3 people while I am shot out every game. I know I am doing something terribly wrong with my technique. Can the pumpers on AO give me some tips on how to shot like a champ.
Thanks,
PBfiend

aim.

[onedude36]

I am by no means a veteran, but i think i have been doing well lately.

Are you patient? this is something i struggle with. ill end up in the snake, and pop up at the first knuckle trying to get a kill. I could have crawled to the end and shot as many people as i wanted, but i showed my position too early.

I am still a backman at heart, shooting way to much paint that has no possibility of hitting somone or serving any purpose. This can slow me down, show my position(your element of suprise is your biggest asset).

I also try to be aggressive. id rather get shot attempting a move, than sitting arround till i get shot out.

Ive been playing pretty much soley(sp) pump for 3 months or so now, and im just finally getting my shots to go where i want them to go. I still cant touch our local pump-hero(60 or so year old man that can shoot the wings off of a butterfly)

i cant think of anything else right now. :bounce:

[Shane-O-Mac]

Practice, practice. Just keep playing you'll get the hang of it. Alot of pump players become really good with their snapshooting. Take your time, and aim, dont rush your shot when possible. Your first shot is the most important, try and be patient, get the other team to forget about you, and get better angles on them, then take your shot.


Shane-O

[Big Boy]

Snap shooting, aiming, and moving fast are the only thing that will make you good with a pump.

[hs2000]

Play aggresive, you should be the farthest person up the feild, you're carring a third the weight so don't tell me you can't make it. The closer you are to your opponent, the easy it is to get them out with one ball.

You can also ways rock a 50 round hopper and a 3.5 oz tank till you get the hang of it.

What ever you do, DON'T GIVE UP! The harder the challenge, the more you'll improve.

[jenarelJAM]

I played my first day of pump today too, and wow it's hard. I got shot out the first game, got lucky on the second and shot two people before I ran out of paint, then the third game I ran out of air(stupid guy didn't know how to fill my tank...bled it instead), and the fourth game I got overeager off the break and tripped into a superman dive down an incline into a patch of boulders(this is woodsball...) which cut my hands up pretty bad. So I called myself out and went and patched myself up, ate lunch, and went back out for the 5th game, where I got shot out, 6th game, shot out, and 7th game, ran out of air again(the guy needs to learn how to give full co2 fills... really...). Packed up and came home.

Guess what? On any other day, I would have said it was horrible. I shot a total of two people out all day, fell and now I've got bandages all over my fingers(yes, it's hard to type), and I lost two games of play(the field only played 7 all day) because I ran out of air, through no fault of my own. And guess what? I had a blast!

[spaz66777]

Step one...practice with your phantom! A sight may help. Run a few cases of paint through it. Practice shooting while running...bunkering... and shooting some while they are running.

Step two...run to the fifty every game. The closer you are the better you can hit your target. Keep your eyes open, use your team they shoot a lot of paint to keep your targets down. Then they pop out and you shoot them.

[vivalamexico]

I had a phantom when I worked at my field and I loved playing with it. Your chances of getting out playing against the semi autos are obviously greater. You are playing accuracy by accuracy not accuracy by volume. However, once you practice enough with your marker, and it becomes an extension of you its more engaging than any other type of marker. Speedball, where you seem at the most disadvantage, is actually the most fun. Nothing like playing tape runner running top speed, diving, rolling, and plain old out-maneuvering your bulky opponents. Except if you run out of ammo then its a game of tag... still fun..

[d4m4don3]

Hey guys I got my *** kicked the 1st few months playing pump. But you gotta make up for the lack of firepower with movement. You have a smaller hopper and lighter gun. Try and move even if the backman in you says to try to long ball the guys. The closer you are the easier is to mark a person.

[PumpMag]

Don't forget to work with the guys on your side.

If they've got the firepower, have them cover you. That should get you in closer while they tuck in.

When your opponent pops out - snap shoot. Try not to miss. If you do, tuck in quick before you get showered with paint.

It helps when you and your teammates talk. Communication will keep you in the game.

[KingCocker]

Pumps definitely take time and patience to master and once mastered, you will notice an improvement 10 folds not only on your pump game, but also playing semi. What I recommend is taking some time snap shooting in your backyard with placed targets or at a paintball field. Everytime you snap out to shoot, tuck back in after and pop your head out to see if you infact hit the target. Likewise, markers used can also affect the way you play. If you are using a Rock and Cock stockclass you will notice that it may be much more difficult than playing with a pump such as an Autococker Sniper II which are known for accuracy and can allow you to take down opponents much faster with the amount of paint you have in a hopper vs. the 10rd tube horizontal feed. Hope this helps. :dance:

[Lenny]

COMMUNICTATION IS KEY! Sure you'll do good alone after some practice, but you'll play much better when communication is used.

Thank God the people I play with often are good field talkers. Josh, Joe, Snowball (the "Neck Guy")...

[Lenny]

Pumps definitely take time and patience to master and once mastered, you will notice an improvement 10 folds not only on your pump game, but also playing semi. What I recommend is taking some time snap shooting in your backyard with placed targets or at a paintball field. Everytime you snap out to shoot, tuck back in after and pop your head out to see if you infact hit the target. Likewise, markers used can also affect the way you play. If you are using a Rock and Cock stockclass you will notice that it may be much more difficult than playing with a pump such as an Autococker Sniper II which are known for accuracy and can allow you to take down opponents much faster with the amount of paint you have in a hopper vs. the 10rd tube horizontal feed. Hope this helps. :dance:
First, WELCOME TO AO!

Second, Snipers are no more accurate than any other gun. But you do have a point. I just got a Sheridan P68SC. Basically, it's a Sniper before the Sniper existed (just for those of you that don't know. And I WILL be posting pictures!). I usually play with some kind of Sheridan base just out of preference (more recently, my Trilogy pump). The modern guns allow aftermarket barrels to be used, thus increasing your ability to properly fit the paint to the barrel. My old Sheridan with the HUGE ID'd, non removable barrel can't. So, if the field is using uber small paint, and I plan on using the Sheridan, my accuracy will be poo!

Just some food for thought.

[PumpMag]

Pumps definitely take time and patience to master and once mastered, you will notice an improvement 10 folds not only on your pump game, but also playing semi. What I recommend is taking some time snap shooting in your backyard with placed targets or at a paintball field. Everytime you snap out to shoot, tuck back in after and pop your head out to see if you infact hit the target. Likewise, markers used can also affect the way you play. If you are using a Rock and Cock stockclass you will notice that it may be much more difficult than playing with a pump such as an Autococker Sniper II which are known for accuracy and can allow you to take down opponents much faster with the amount of paint you have in a hopper vs. the 10rd tube horizontal feed. Hope this helps. :dance:
KingCocker - congrats on your first post. :headbang:

[AGD]

Congratulations, you have graduated to learning a paintball SKILL which is in short supply these days.

When faced with overwhelming odds, (ramping guns) you need to pick one thing and do that well first. Take satisfaction in executing a plan that gets a man out with one shot. Its worth about 50 spray and pray kills.

As an example (not pump related but similar situation) I was talking with Tom Cole captain of Bad Company. He knew that his team was not good enough to beat the crap out of the top pro teams. This was a similar problem to going out with a pump against semi's. He noticed that pro players would spray out one side of the bunker for many seconds and then take a peek out the other side, usually without the gun. He would set up his guys to key on the empty side of the bunker and just wait-for-the-peak.

This is a great example of something that a pump guy can do to kill suckers. You see, it becomes a brain game, your strategy against his, you have to read, analyze, plan and then execute. This is the reason old school ballers keep saying "it's not the same". Paintball has degraded into high speed checkers when it used to be "chess with finesse"


AGD

[KingCocker]

Hi Lenny and Pumpmag, thank you for the warm welcome as I enjoy communicating with the paintball community here. Unfortunately it seems like the cocker forum has been pretty dead lately so I thought I'd try and join the automag community eventhough I don't own an automag and really a diehard autococker fan. Hope the automag community don't mind me joining the AO being that i am from the WGP religion.

[Lenny]

Hi Lenny and Pumpmag, thank you for the warm welcome as I enjoy communicating with the paintball community here. Unfortunately it seems like the cocker forum has been pretty dead lately so I thought I'd try and join the automag community eventhough I don't own an automag and really a diehard autococker fan. Hope the automag community don't mind me joining the AO being that i am from the WGP religion.
Dude, don't worry about it. We love all different types of guns and are widely accepting of that! I, too, am a fan of 'Cockers. I just prefer them with pumps. ;)

Lol.

[turbo chicken]

what works for me is practice snap shooting get some practice balls (yes i know they are expensive) the investment is worth it ... my wife lets me use the hallway and into our bedroom i've gotten pretty good at hitting pop cans within 2 shots ... and in an effort not to duplicate more info ill just say look here (http://invisionfree.com/forums/StockClassPaintball) there have 2-3 recent post with the same type of info posted in the past couple of months ...

[mag_lover05]

what works for me is practice snap shooting get some practice balls (yes i know they are expensive) the investment is worth it ... my wife lets me use the hallway and into our bedroom i've gotten pretty good at hitting pop cans within 2 shots ... and in an effort not to duplicate more info ill just say look here (http://invisionfree.com/forums/StockClassPaintball) there have 2-3 recent post with the same type of info posted in the past couple of months ...

DFW huh...come out to ao tx.


anyways... i use to do the same thing...only my mom let me. im not married, it worked well :cheers:

[neppo1345]

Yeah, it's not a skill easy to learn.

I still remember my first pump games, the frustration and anger.

I thought I was a half way decent player; I was wrong.

It's made me a better player (in my eyes at least, and thats all that counts).

It's made me more friends. Theres just something about meeting someone else at the field shooting a pump.

The biggest thing I can emphasize:

When you're snapping, Aim before you shoot. Eye down the barrel, pop, squeeze, pull back in. If you have to wait to aim before you snap you're either going to take to long and take a walk to the dead box, or just miss.

Just my $.02

[wanna-b-ballin']

i mainly play pump now.
it all about snap shooting and posting. literally. if you can't snap, you will get shot first.
being a ninja also helps. so dont go leaning on your bunker and **** unless you really need to. if your in the snake, you dont want the bunker your at to be moving and telling the whole field where your at ya know?
paint to barrel match is also important.
then there is patience and practice too.

[geekwarrior]

You see, it becomes a brain game, your strategy against his, you have to read, analyze, plan and then execute. This is the reason old school ballers keep saying "it's not the same". Paintball has degraded into high speed checkers when it used to be "chess with finesse"


AGD

I haven't played alot of pump yet, but the more I play pump, the more I see the truth in this statement.

Another thing to watch is the players dominate hand. Most players that shoot right-handed will come out the right side first after their first move. (if their right handed) It's little things like that that can make a difference.

I have to say, I had alot of fun watching Pump Mag play at Socal:AO SC village. You don't know how many times I saw him suprise the crap out of a player. The guy would move up close, post up on the side of the bunker, wait for the guy to come out, and it was over. He has inspired me to play more pump. :headbang:

[JimmyBeam]

Good post, I'm considering picking one up just for the hell of it.

[Lee]

try adjusting your stock to different lengths: see if you shoot better and feel more comfortable.
some people prefer and do well w/ a longer "reach" regarding the stock length, others like it tight.
it does make a difference when shooting a phantom.

also, try a right or left off set feed stock class breach. between finding my ideal stock length and an offset breech, my shooting improved.

instead of 12 grams, go to a 3.5 oz tank for awhile. shot to shot will stay consistent longer and you'll learn the "feel" of your phantom without having to change 12'ies in a tight spot.

when snap shooting: take an imaginary picture of where you want your shot to hit. set your self up behind the bunker with your gun in a line so that all you have to do is pop out and fire it off at that spot. takes some practice, but it's doable.

don't be afraid to snap out when your being shot at. pop out at a spot on your bunker higher than where the opposition is targeting. many players expect to see a stream coming back thier way and they won't key in on just one round headed at them.

as was said earlier: paint to barrel match is important. i have found that phantoms work better when the paint is pretty snug in the bore. and, the higher quality the paint, the better. your buying less paint when playing stock class, so you might as well buy the best you can afford.

for all your pump and stock class needs: www.wevopaintball.com

^ shameless plug for my homie!

[StygShore]

practice you snap shot like half the people in this thread have stated.

I set up 2 Liters on their sides in various spots throughout the field ( woods ball ) I figure the bottom end of a 2 liter is roughly the space you have to hit to hit a hopper and that's what most of my hits are. Practice shooting the bottles from different positions throughout the field - this helps you practice snap shooting, and teaches you some decent angles of the field. If you have a willing volunteer, get someone to lift the bottle from the bunker and shoot at it for a variation.

If you have a buddy that wants some practice, or you don't have access to a place to set up 2 Liters. Get a 4X8 sheet of plywood, cut it in half. Set them about 30-40 ft apart and you both get behind one and snap shoot at each other ( over and over until one of you goes home crying ) this teaches snap shooting, teaches you not to telegraph your movements ( makes you use the whole bunker and not keep coming out the same spot ) and teaches you to shoot your pump under incoming fire.

Lastly... when you are bored, your friend wont let you shoot at them anymore, and you cant get on the field for practice. 20 oz pop bottle, throw it in the air and shoot it as many times as you can before it hits the ground. This teaches you some snap shooting at moving targets.

These are the best drills I have come up with to practice, but I'm sure there are many alternatives. I built a sniper II pump to use for the end of last season, and it was configured differently than the pump I had previously sold to my cousin ( god that was stupid - I loved that gun ) I got TORE up for the first 3 months trying to get used to shooting the gun in a different configuration. I got better, but the other pump I shot for 6 years - so I have a ways to go to get as comfortable with this gun. As for phantoms... I can't shoot them to save my life, but the owner of the paintball field I work at can throw a 20 oz up and hit is 2-3 times before it hits the ground ( I've made about 120.00 bucks in bets on that one)


Styg

[SR_matt]

ok well to tired/ lazy/ in a bad mood to read through everyone else psots so ill just give my 2 cents

pump will take you back to your skills that you had when you started, it will also bring back that extream rush at first too.

pratice pratice pratice is what you are going to have to do. some good ways to start out will just be doing some basic target shooting keeping the gun up and steady and a decent sized target, then go to draw and shooting. try to keep taking the size of the target to smaller and smaller items. then try snaping shooting at it.

also you might need to adjust the stock or adjust other things on the gun to get used to the marker. ghost rings might help you aim better since it will narow down the view of your targets a lot. but remember your used to your other guns that didnt have another tube on top of the tube the barrel is connected to so you will have to adjsut you aim slightly.

it takes a little tiem and pratice but once you get good at it your semi game will get better... but now you do realize you have no excuse for shoting more than 1 ball at a time at a pump player when you get in a snap shooting battle.
-matt

[paintballfiend]

I have another question. Is it worth getting a barrel kit for my Phantom? I mean, are they any better than the stocl barrel? I was thinking about getting a J&J Elite barrel system.

[SR_matt]

from everythign ive heard over on scp and mcb just get some detent rings and you should be good to go
-matt

[RavishingEddie]

If you want a pump veterans advice then I will give it to you. I have been playing pump since 1999 and I use a SL 68 2 with a J&J ceramic barrel and a 68/45 nitro tank. Yes it works much better with air as good as anyother pump. I see that you are using a Phantom. That is a very very good pump the accuracy of it is amazing and if you got the CCM phantom kit for it you should have the advantage, but that is not as important.

Basically you have to go where no one goes. When I play scenario I try to stay away from the semis on my team, because they usually are gung ho and love to shoot and give away their spot. If you are near one then you will be part of the fire fight. Basically try to stay away from fire fights. Although this does not apply to speedball IMO it does for scenario ball.

Don't shoot at anything you see either. If an enemy is at your range, but it is a hard get a shot at him be patient and wait. Usually more will pop out since they think its safe since no one shot them from where you are at.

Be agressive but not too much. I used to just rush in the beginning of the game but I found out that it got me in big trouble because several rec ballers on my team thought I was from the opposite team. I let several go before me and then I make my move where I know I will not get so much heat. On my way to my location I talk to my team mates and let them know where I am going so I don't get friendly fire and get hints on enemy locations in the same time.

Last thing is to imagine yourself as a hunter not a fighter. Hunt them but don't let them spot you moving.

[JOESPUD27]

Phantom stock barrel + detent rings is the way to go.

My friend has a CCM barrel kit, and I can shoot paint he can't.

So $6 for the rings that work for every paint and the barrel that comes with the gun

OR $150 for a kit that doesn't even shoot really small paint...

That is a tough one...

Jay

[Lee]

i have heard that J&J's barrels have issues w/ threading depending on the age of the body, so i'd stay away from them unless you can actually try it out before buying it.

CCM's kits are good as well. but, the detent rings are good too. i've used both but prefer the CCM kit over detents. best bet is to try the detents first since that is by far the less expensive option.

[StygShore]

obly problem with the detent rings...

Look at the design of the gun - when you pump the gun, it pushes the ball past the detent ring. If you chamber a ball that is smaller OD than your barrel, it will still roll out the front :(



Styg

[SR_matt]

have you used a phantom with detent rings? the distance sets it up so the ball sits in it when the bolt is closed.

-matt

[StygShore]

Ahhh OK, I was just going off what I spoke with Mike at CCI about just before those rings came out, they were originally to sit at the rear of the barrel, and they were just designed to keep more than one ball from loading in at a time.

Must have been some changes made to use them as a sizer to hold the paint - cool.



Styg

Anyoen got apic of their barrel with a ring installed? Migth pick up a set for my bosses gun.

[SR_matt]

^^ i could be mistaken but from what ive seen, been told, and handled it seems to me the ball rests in the ring (the distance it is forward i dont think would really help much preventing a second ball from at least half loading)

but i could be mistaken
-matt

[Lee]

the rings don't go into the barrel. they go in to the body then the barrel is threaded in.

[paintballfiend]

So should I try the detent rings then?

[SR_matt]

the rings don't go into the barrel. they go in to the body then the barrel is threaded in.
ya but it still holds the ball at rest doesnt it?
-matt

[StygShore]

Anyone have pics of how the barrel rings work?


Styg

[JOESPUD27]

I've seen some posted on the PhOG. www.bunkerboyz.com/phog I think Pun took them...

Jay

[MuKen]

I've used detent rings, the ball rests on the ring, you won't get rollouts with the correct size ring.

That being said, they ARE a huge pain in the butt. They are small and will get lost easily, esp if you have to swab your barrel at any point. I have also used the CCM kit and frantom, side by side. For larger balls they perform about the same, except the CCM is far quieter. For smaller balls the frantom completely blows away the CCM for accuracy.

Using JT Evolve, size about .682, I can consistently hit a <1 in. thick post at 40 ft in my backyard with the frantom. With the CCM I can barely hit it at all. The shortness of the sizers makes a difference when handling smaller paint.

The frantom in a phantom is actually far better than a normal freak barrel in another gun. In a normal freak barrel, the insert is held in place by an o-ring, and is otherwise not tight in the barrel. It shifts during firing and may move and is generally not exactly in alignment with the barrel front. In the frantom, however, the honed bore of the barrel is a very tight fit for the insert. More importantly, though, the freak insert actually protrudes out of the barrel a little bit. Thus, when you screw it in, the insert makes contact with the breech, and is held firmly between that and the front when you screw it tight, completely eliminating all movement.

EDIT: Anybody else think the thread title sounds just a little bit dirty? :rofl:

[Lee]

SR_matt: yes.

paintballfiend: it's worth a try. if they work for you then problem solved for a few $$.

[RRfireblade]

So I have been using my Phantom VSC with Telescope stock for a couple weeks and I have probably marked about 3 people while I am shot out every game. I know I am doing something terribly wrong with my technique. Can the pumpers on AO give me some tips on how to shot like a champ.
Thanks,
PBfiend


It's all about snap shooting ,

Keeping quiet till you have a shot/target ,

Moving swiftly and quietly .

You never want them to know where the "Pump guy" is till till they're being lined up in your sights. ;)

Lastly , use the best quality paint you can get your hands on. You have one shot , it better fly straight.