Buying a new minimag, newbie here needs help

[FalconGuy016]

Hey everyone thanks for clickin here,

I'm a newbie to paintball but I've been getting advice to upgrade guns (I've got a pro/carbine). I've researched a bit and I've come to the minimag. I still need to use c02 so I found out that an expansion chamber is neccesary and a bottomline (which is what I want anyways). But I cant find any resources or anything to help me find out what I actually need to get, like adaptors or hoses and other things, and I dont know if I need to buy a specific kind or brand or something that is best for the minimag. Please help, all I really want is the simplest setup I can get with an expansion chamber, bottomline, and a dropforard, but something that works wells with the gun. Thanks ahead for helping.

P.S. whats with the HUGE price differences on the minimag? I can buy the same gun for 500$ or 279$ at the same website!! And in APG the prices in the ads vary so much too!! I dont understand, is there a difference I dont know about ?

[Cristobal]

Not sure about the price differences, but I can tell you a little bit about what you need for you air setup.

First, if you're running CO2 on-gun, you'll want an anti-siphon tank. That will greatly reduce the danger of getting liquid CO2 in the gun. (You could also run a vertical tank or remote which would do the same thing -- but if you do this you don't wannt an anti-siphon)

You'll need a bottomline asa and air lines to connect the asa to your expansion chamber and the epansion chamber to the valve. Braided stainless steel or macroline works best. Avoid microline because it won't flow as much air. If you go with the ss lines, you'll want a quick disconnect for sure. (Though a qd and a degass slide check are good things to have even on macro, and especially with the lvl 10) Be aware that the quality of quick disconnects varries, and the cheapest ones may not last as long.

Lots of guys do fine with and anti-siphon and x-chamber, but if you're really going to do CO2 right, you'll want an inline regulator to ensure that the mag valve gets a constant input pressure, no matter how hot or cold it is outside. With two regulators (there's on inside the mag's valve) you'll get better consitency. That said, for the price of a good regulator that works well on CO2, like a Palmer Stabilizer, you might want to cosider one of the cheaper HPA tanks.

There's lots of info to be had using the search function too. If you look for info on the stabilzer or CO2 you'll find lots.

Oh, and if you look around in the classified forums you can often find some good deals. CoFFeY[NiTrO] has a good third party trading service (see thread in the dealers forum) that can be used to make sure you get what you pay for.

[FalconGuy016]

Thanks for the help, Im still trying to work out what you said but I have another question.

Would it be better just to buy an hp air setup and not a c02 setup?? Or is c02 just fine if I have the expansion and all the stuff you mentioned?

btw thanks a lot

[FalconGuy016]

Would you think it would be an option to buy a few 4 oz c02 bottles and just use them vertically??

[personman]

yes, that would be an option, but if your going to use your gun like that forever, it might be wise to invest in a palmer sideline stabilizer to help keep out the co2 and also keep the consistancy good.
http://www.palmer-pursuit.com

[Cristobal]

If you're going to run CO2, I would suggest for starters to get a larger bottle (12-20oz) and run it horizontally on a bottom-line setup. Then make sure your tank has an anti-siphon: see here for more info (http://www.docsmachine.com/tech/siphon.html) Also a small angle on the bottom-line may be beneficial.

Then you can use an x-chamber or inline regulator as a for-grip, depending on how much money you have to spend. If you've got the cash, then you benefit from using a regulator rather than an x-chamber. Palmer's Stabilizer and AKA's Sidewinder are known to work well with CO2 and not freeze up. Palmer's in particular has earned a reptutation for keeping liquid out of the valve (although the Sidewinder may be equally effective at this, I don't know).

The only thing you have to consider is how much a nice CO2 setup will cost vs a cheaper HPA tank. Look at this thread (http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46994) for more info.

[FalconGuy016]

Yah thanks everyone, I think i'll be going with a HPA setup. For an HPA setup though do you actually need anything special ? or is the bottomline all you need?

[FalconGuy016]

And also, the price differences of the minimags are really really scaring me, I think there is something wrong. I found a place to buy the minimag for 279$. I also found a place to buy it for 600$. Is there something I dont know?

[Cristobal]

Originally posted by FalconGuy016
And also, the price differences of the minimags are really really scaring me, I think there is something wrong. I found a place to buy the minimag for 279$. I also found a place to buy it for 600$. Is there something I dont know?

The lower number sounds more like it. Just be aware of what you're getting in the package, because some vendors (like painballgear.com with their TKO automags) sell a whole package with aftermarket barel and gas lines all set up and other vendors will just sell the gun.

For HPA, the lower-cost tanks are fixed output screw in types which will screw right into your asa, just like a co2 tank. They have built in regulators which are preset to output ~400 or ~800 psi. For an automag you'll want to make sure to get the 800 psi output. Steel tanks cost less and are heavier, fiber wrapped cost more but are lighter (a tank cover is also a must for a fiber tank). 47 ci is the smalles size, but most people given the money go for a 68 (and some go even bigger). For more money you can get an adjustable output tank (like AGD's flatline) that will need a drop with a dovetail or cradle to mount on the gun instead of an ASA. In that case the air line connects directly to the tank.

[PyRo]

YOu can pick up an HPA tank for $80. By the time you pay $25 for a 20oz Co2, and 25 or more for an expansion your arn't saving all that much.. Think about going HPA.

[FalconGuy016]

Hey thanks, so I think I will go HPA ( a cheap steel one I guess) yah and with the price differences they were the all the standard minimags, nothing really came with them.

[FalconGuy016]

So for me I will want to get these things,

-Minimag
-HPA Tank (steel, cheapest I can find for 68 cu)
-Drop forward
-Hose to connect to dropforward

is this a runable setup??

[PyRo]

A year or so ago they sold for about $400. Now the price dropped alot. I guess their sites suck, and havn't updated the prices yet, or are trying to rip you off. Anyway, by the time you get a Co2 tank, antisypon, and X chamber you could have bought a cheap N2 tank.

[FalconGuy016]

Yah but these guns are like on the same sites, and they are updated sites, they must really really want to rip people off.

So would

-Minimag
-HPA Tank
-Dropforward
-Hoses for this

work?
do I need that forward grip thing?? Im used to a rifle grip cause of my procarbine and I like that.

[Remington]

Falcon, yes that is a usable setup. I know what you mean with the foregrip on your pro/carbine. I use to have a 68 Carbine before I went to an Automag about 2 weeks ago. Trust me, you'll want to get a foregrip and with it a vertical ASA. You'll get use to the new foregrip style real quick and will absolutely love your new 'mag (they're even easier to take apart and put back together than a Tippmann.) Good luck!

[FalconGuy016]

What is a vertical ASA? Is that where gas can come through the grip? Im not so sure about vertical grips... if I can like them, I mean its so close to your other hand wouldn't it be uncomfortable??

lol I hate taking apart my tippman, the main reason I went with a minimag over a autococker is because of the simplicity.

[Cristobal]

Originally posted by FalconGuy016
What is a vertical ASA? Is that where gas can come through the grip? Im not so sure about vertical grips... if I can like them, I mean its so close to your other hand wouldn't it be uncomfortable??

lol I hate taking apart my tippman, the main reason I went with a minimag over a autococker is because of the simplicity.

The vertical ASA (air source adaptor, threaded so you could screw in a tank) comes standard with the minimag and attatches to the rail just in front of the grip frame. Originally it was designed so you could run a vertical CO2 tank there -- just like the picture you posted. Most people though lke to use a bottomline ASA setup and keep their tank horizontal below the grip frame. The vertical ASA can then be used for an x-chamber or regulator (both unnecessary with HPA) or a gas-through foregrip. Runing HPA you can either go straight from tank to valve or tank to gas-through-grip to valve. Its personal preference really. You can also take off the vertical ASA and just put a regular non-gas-through foregrip in its place (like a smart-parts gadget grip for example). Foregrip extenders are also available to move the foregrip further forward.
As for comfort, you'll just have to try it out and see what you like, and if one option doesn't suit you go for another. They also make hinged forgrips that can be positioned vertically or swung up and locked in place horizontally below the barel. Some guys even like to put pump grips on their gun even if they don't have a pump mag.

[FalconGuy016]

Cristobal you are amazing... you all are, thanks a LOT LOT LOT!!!

[Cristobal]

You're welcome, thanks for the compliment:D

Oh, and a correction: ASA stands for air standard adaptor -- not "source"

It was invented by Tippmann by the way

[FalconGuy016]

Thanks for all the advice everyone, you all rock, but after some serious consideration I decided to go with one of these hot babys... I almost cant stand how sexy it is!!!

[Cristobal]

Originally posted by FalconGuy016
Thanks for all the advice everyone, you all rock, but after some serious consideration I decided to go with one of these hot babys... I almost cant stand how sexy it is!!!

Oh, my goodness! What is that marker?? I have to have it:D :cool: