What to look for buying a mag? (noob to mags)

[Spyderd68]

I am looking to buy an automag, and wondering what to look for or to look out for. I have been away from paintball for a few years now, so i know the tech has advanced. (I noticed all the electronic guns on ebay now.) I have a spyder compact, i think i bought one of the first off the assmbly line, and needless to say i never liked it from day one. I am trying to stay away from buying a spyder e-99, but it has my attention. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks for helping a NOOB to automags out.

Dave

[Miscue]

Well, that depends on what you are willing to invest... and what kind of trigger you're looking for.

[Spyderd68]

I was looking to spend a few hundred(300) on gun and then another 100-200 on the upgrades. That would be at max. I have a ford mustang i would much rather dump money into, but i want to get back into paintball and i am not dealing with my old spyder. Thanks.

Dave

[backtrack2pb]

Stright up, it takes about $700 to get a mag set up and working flawlessly. A new mag, make sure it is a lvl 10 is about $350 and then you need a drop forward, revy, nitro tank (I strongly advise staying away from co2 unless you live in flordia) new barrel, and about two cases of paint to get used to the trigger. Others probably disagree and will say that the mag comes pretty much ready to play with out of the box and that you don't need to spend $700 bucks to get a reliable gun but keep in mind that that $700 includes the price for a new 68/4500. Anyways, if you buy a mag make sure that it is a level 10 or is a level 7 with the level ten upgrade, accecpt nothing else. If it is a three star mag, check to see how many stars are left as this can help tell you about the history of the gun. But of all things, just go to your local field and check out what kind of set up the fellow maggots are playing with.

[askman]

you can probably go used mag for about 200, 68/3000 used tank for about 100 bucks, and new level 10 bolt for 80 bucks. add a drop forward and revvy(which you may already have), and you are done.

if you have to have new, I would go with bko powerfeed mag for 280, aci 47/3000 for 90 and level 10 for 70 bucks. total of 440.(from pbgear.com)

[backtrack2pb]

Watch out for a 47/3000. Mag's are gas hogs and the lvl 10 doesn't help out. Expect 700 shots out of a 68/3000 and only around 450 for a 47/3000. If you want to play in any tournaments you need at LEAST a 47/4500 or 68/3000. For $200 you can get decent 68/4500's, which I think is the perfect tank for the mag. The other downside is that if you ever play somewhere where there is not N2, then you won't be able to get through a bag of paint with a 47/3000.

[Spyderd68]

So i take it CO2 is a definate NO NO? I read on here that some people have used co2 for the life of their guns with no problems and i have read about horror stories.

Dave

Thanks for the advice so far, keep it coming.

[backtrack2pb]

Before I could afford N2 I played with a 20 oz CO2 tank. What saved my butt was that I was running a remote system and so liquid almost never got into the gun. The thing with the mag is that liquid CO2 causes the power tube o-ring to freeze up, shrink, and make the gun leak out the barrel. If you can keep liquid out of the gun you'll be fine. The other thing about CO2 is that it's dirty. The gas doesn't carry dirt, but sometimes the liquid will carry bit's of metal from the inside of the source tank, to your CO2 tank, to inside your gun. Oh, if it's less than 50 degress outside, forget using CO2 on a mag unless you are running remote with an expansion chamber.

[askman]

CO2 is really depended upon the weather. If you live in florida, you can probably get away with mounting the bottle vertically in the vertical asa and have no trouble year around. in cold weather country, you are talking about anti siphon tank minimum with possibly running remote. (ex-chambers are over rated in my book) if it is freezing cold, you will have problems. N2 is the way to go, if at all possible. If you are front player, 400 round out of small tank is still reasonable for even a tourney player. I do recommend 68/3000 as minimum. (600+ shots)

[Spyderd68]

I am seeing a lot of guns with out two-finger triggers. Where can I buy one, and which ones perform best?

Dave

[BlueTies]

double finger trigger

If you are looking for a good well mad dependable trigger then I and many other ag users would probably reccomend the intelliframe made bu airgun designs these run around 115$ form AGD's online store. They are well designed and come i blade or grove. Of course it depends on what youare looking for it you want to go electro then i think the centerflag hyperframe sems to be better then the Booh-yeah. I would not recomend the benchmark stick to AGD products

[Dave]

Ok, first of all, mags that are properly set up should run flawlessly no matter how much you spend on them. Since a lot of what determines the performance is in the valve, there is not much left to do, except go to an X-valve.

I've ran my warped retro Z-mag on a standard bolt, no Level 10, and had no problems other than the warp be sluggish sometimes. A mag with a respectable hopper should run fine w/out level 10, its an added level of protection + a little softer on paint. I will probably get the level 10 for my mag, it just wasn't a neccessity.

Mags are not gas hogs per say, they're about middle of the road. I get about 800-950 shots off my 68/3000.

Ok, lets say you find a good used mag...

$325...it has classic valve, p/f body, Intelliframe, Level 10, standard rail, standard barrel.

$150 on a good preset fiber tank


spend $60 on a nice drop and ASA

spend $60 on a nice CP or Lapco barrel

Polish up that body...

$595

This is a reasonable deal...I've seen retromags for around $300 in the classifieds.

-Dave

[Spyderd68]

What about something along these lines? Can you pick this gun/package apart for me?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=2717840094

Thanks

Dave

[Dave]

ok, first of all, 800 is way way way too much for that mag...thats about a $350 mag at most.

Basically, you want a mag that has a classic valve, w/ NO ans junk and preferably level 10. You want a powerfeed body, not standard feed. It would be nice to get an Intelliframe on it, but the single trigger will work to start out with. Its good to stay away from non-AGD stuff on your mag, including anything for the valve, and trigger frames. You can get a mag w/ Level 10 and intelliframe at the only upgrades for about $350

-Dave

[breg]

Well, I can tell you the route I went.
I satrted out with a Sypder TL Plus. I got fed up with that really quick, and then I got an RT/Pro. I had a Prue Energy 68/3000 tank, an Armson Stealth Barrel, and a revvy. Also, dropforwards are a matter of taste. Some Like them, some don't.
But, I will tell you, and I think most Mag owners will agree with me, any mod that affects the function of the marker (aside from barrels) are best bought from ADG itself. As far as double triggers go, get an intelliframe. They rip. Yes, Mags are gas hogs, so you want to go with at least a 68/3000 tank. 45/4500 tanks are ok as well, but I play back, so...
One thing that really got to me when I was buying my Mag is price. They are kind of pricy, but remember: you get what you pay for. Also, you should keep in mind, ADG has THE BEST customer service of any company I've ever dealt with.
Just remember, Mags are a lot like a person. The better you take care of them, the better they take of you.
All in all, I spent about $1,000 dollars when I got setup. But, I got an RT/Pro, not a 68 Mag. Both are excellent. Both are Mags.

Later, Breg