Buying an AutoMag

[viking7]

Hi, I'm thinking about buying a Classic AutoMag. My only problem is that, I do not know what to buy for the gun. I don't want to buy something for it and end up not liking the performance. I don't know anyone who ownes an Classic AutoMag or an Automag in general, (I live in a small town,) so this is my last resort. If I buy the Classic AutoMag what upgrades should I get?

[Grasshopper]

Intelliframe - One of the BEST upgrades you can get. A very nice trigger frame.

X-Valve - Another GREAT upgrade. This will be even better when the ULE trigger comes out. Basically, it makes your gun have no shoot down, and fire faster.

Nitro (if you don't have already) - Mags run waaaay bettter on nitro than CO2. If you buy an X-valve, you'll need N2.

Drop forward - Especially with N2. Since N2 tanks are bigger than CO2 tanks, drop forwards make your gun much more compact and help out alot.

A nice barrel - A nice barrel (or a set of barrels), or a nice barrel kit. A good paint to barrel match is one of the biggest factors on how your gun will preform. A good barrel is a must.

[ASDadam]

And young Grasshoppah has summed it up better than i think anyone else can.

[Rumble]

ummm if u cant afford an xvalve rite away, get a lvl 10, it will stop all chopping.
But it does come with the x vlave so dont get both!

[Woogie12]

Yes if you are on a tighter budget, hold off on the x-valve and get a lvl 10. That is the best upgrade you can get for the money IMO. I was never happier the first day i played with my level 10. No more chopping!!

[GoatBoy]

Erm, if you're on a tight budget, DON'T buy ANY upgrades for the gun until you've either tried them out, or at least tried the gun out to realize you really do need more performance out of the gun.


While some of the facts that the others have stated are true, they somewhat disregard the budget thing. I.e., the intelliframe is nice, but it's NOT $100+ worth of nice. Considering what other equipment could be purchased for $100, and if you're really on a tight budget, it sort of shoves the intelliframe down in the rankings.


Ranked by value (price+performance+versatility), the hiearchy might look something more like this:

1. barrel (usually the first thing I go for; don't buy an expensive multipiece heavily ported piece of crap. buy a quality 1-piece like J&J ceramic or Lapco. Paint match does matter to a degree, but don't go thinking you need a 100+ dollar barrel.)
2. dropforward/bottomline (switches between guns)
3. motorized hopper (helps reduce chops, can switch between different guns)
4. HPA (or possibly a palmer stab; roughly same price, both can be switched between different guns. I'd go for the HPA myself)
6. Loaders/packs/protective gear (generally make your experience more pleasurable.)
7. X-Valve (yeah, do you really shoot fast enough to notice shootdown in a regular mag?)
8. Level 10 (the x-valve comes with it. what are you going to do with two L10's, besides lose money)
9. Intelliframe (man, stock trigger/frame isn't THAT bad as to necessitate a $100 double trigger)

The x-valve, L10, and i-frame went to the bottom of the list. Why? Because they're expensive! And they're specific to the mag; you can't move them if you switch guns! And lastly, the performance increase you get from them might not justify their high cost, considering your mag may perform just fine without them!



Don't get me wrong, they're good upgrades. I've got an x-valve/level 10 myself. I'm probably going to upgrade to the intelliframe and a ULE sometime soon. But the difference is I played with an almost stock minimag for 5+ years, and it served me just fine. I got to know the gun, did the reading, did the thinking, and got my use out of the old AIR before deciding it was time to move on and trade up. I didn't just go dropping money because someone else said it was a good idea.

That, and the fact that I'm gainfully employed so the budget thing isn't so much of a deal, although I'm still a tightwad.

[zippy]

Very well put Goatboy,
I thoroughly agree with the goat, it is definately smarter to just get the classic first and see hoew you like it, you dont wanna go buying lots of upgrades that are mag specific until you really decide that the mag is the gun for you. I played with a classic for a good four years. As you evolve as a player you will be able to ake better decisions as far as what needs to be udgraded to suit your specific playing style.

Good luck in your purchases and remeber to be smart and check around for the best deals.

Oh yeah and A HPA is a good idea sometime in the near future, because CO2 just blows. But give it some time you will figure that out for yourself.

[Dryden]

I'll agree with GoatBoy also. While the new valves, bolts, frames, yada yada are all really cool, you may not even need them immediately. I've posted elsewhere about playing with a stock MiniMag for the first four to five years of owning it and not having any problems with it.

While it's true the Level 10 bolt kit is awesome at eliminating chops, you may not ever be shooting this new, wildly thin shelled tournament paint which is more likely to give you problems. I can run a full case of either Marblizer or PMI Premium through my Mag with the stock Level 7 bolt and not break a ball in the marker. Start with barrels, vert grips, drops, bottomlines, etc., and then decide whether your playing style requires the other upgrades.

[silentdeath55]

And, think about how much you are going to be using you gun. More than once a week, once a month, or even once a year(whats the point if thats the case). If you do use it a lot, then start looking into upgrades, dont just buy them without knowing what they do.