New to the Sport (sort of)

[Dawg047]

dont get a mag. go on ebay and find a cheap used ion or another marker of the same target market. with a mag you might as well keep your spyder and just invest in a decent air tank.

Wow, lets get the kid something with a thousand air hoses inside. Hmm, lets see, I run a field, I am the gun tech aswell, I fix about, 10 Ions every weekend. I would keep the Spyder Extra or get an Automag any day.

There was this kid running his mouth this weekend about guns. I grab a Spyder Xtra off the rental rack and go play 4 on 1. A 2K5 Shocker, Ion, Epiphany and Mini played against me with a Spyder Xtra, 200 rnd. VL hopper and a 48ci.3000psi tank. I took all 4 out with about 35 rnds. It doesn't matter about the gun. It is all about the palyer. The more you play, the better you get. I have owned just about anything out there and what I go for is reliability and consistency. Other than that, I don't care what I shoot as long as I am not working on it more than I am playing.

I would upgrade your Xtra with a new barrel, motorized hopper, compressed air tank and possibly a delrin bolt. Other than that, spend your money on playing. My friend, it will all come to you.

[devildog]

dont listen to all the tools about what they say about ions. they are just jumping on the smart parts hate train. ions are cheap, and they shoot well. they do what they are designed for perfectly.

best advice is, go to your local field. you will see all kinds of different guns. tell the people you see that you are looking to buy a new gun, and ask if you can hold it, or shoot a couple of rounds. then make a decision on what you like.

p.s.

I dont own an ion. I just dont hate smart parts because its the cool thing to do.

[vivalamexico]

dont listen to all the tools about what they say about ions. they are just jumping on the smart parts hate train. ions are cheap, and they shoot well. they do what they are designed for perfectly.

best advice is, go to your local field. you will see all kinds of different guns. tell the people you see that you are looking to buy a new gun, and ask if you can hold it, or shoot a couple of rounds. then make a decision on what you like.

p.s.

I dont own an ion. I just dont hate smart parts because its the cool thing to do.

who said anything about hating smart parts? My cocker has a maxflo inline reg on it, i own a freak kit, I use shocker lube on my lightning bolt.. my parts are smart.

Also thanks for calling us tools we love you too.

[Carnage Inc]

I'm not just looking to upgrade just for the heck of it, my spyder just isn't in great condition. I've put a lot of wear and tear on it.

I'm fairly familiar with cleaning up mags, because I've cleaned my brother's. I just don't like having a gun that's too much hassle or worth too much money. I know I'm not a pro.

I could use some advice though. I have an offer of a DM3 with: clamping feedneck on it, LCD screen, tentacle trigger (as well as the stock trigger), Angel mini reg used on it once or twice, aftermarket LPR (not sure who exactly makes it...) and a parts kit for it.

Is it a bargain? It sounds like a good deal, but again, I've been away from the sport for a while, so I'm looking for advice. I know the guy always broke down the trixs after any play and relubed them, and he kept it in great condition.

[malJohann]

..Is it a bargain?...

Where do you stay? Can you get it serviced locally or tech it yourself? Out of your choices of DM3/Ion/Mag/Mini/Proto I would go for the one that feels good to me and that I can fix when it breaks. That said I do lean toward the Mag/Mini/Proto side more and away from the DM3/Ion side. Do your research, shoot some markers, then make a decision based on your personal experience and not what others say.

[ultralight]

Pick up a used classic mag for about $100. you can find them for that price, and if you don't like it, you can always sell it for that price. The nice thing about a mag is that you won't be fiddling with it every two minutes, just keep it oiled and it works. Heck, it'll keep working for a long time even if you don't oil it often (but it's so simple, why not keep up on it.).

as far as the ion suggestion goes, for the same price you could get the 08 slg which is simpler to maintain (less parts, NO hoses, user friendly) and comes with a better, if uncommon, reg. Remember, the ion, while not bad for what it is (first affordable "mid end" electro) is an aging design. markers like he slg were designed to fix the ion's flaws. you don't make a marker if you know it's going to get spanked by the competition, you see what you're up against and plan accordingly. And don't be put off by the sear, think of it as the 08 e-mag

[Carnage Inc]

...Can you get it serviced locally or tech it yourself? Out of your choices of DM3/Ion/Mag/Mini/Proto I would go for the one that feels good to me and that I can fix when it breaks.. .

Yeah, I can take care of it myself. I really like the way it shoots, and I don't need a gun that shoot 200bps

[Dawg047]

dont listen to all the tools about what they say about ions. they are just jumping on the smart parts hate train. ions are cheap, and they shoot well. they do what they are designed for perfectly.

best advice is, go to your local field. you will see all kinds of different guns. tell the people you see that you are looking to buy a new gun, and ask if you can hold it, or shoot a couple of rounds. then make a decision on what you like.

p.s.

I dont own an ion. I just dont hate smart parts because its the cool thing to do.

No, I don't hate SP. They made great guns like the Shocker and Impulse. The Ions are just very hit or miss. It took two before I could get one to work out of the box. I have had 5 that the triggers have just snapped in half. The Ion is a good platform to build from aftermarket parts but the factory job is not great at all. The banjo fittings are way to hard to get the hoses out of. The banjo's strip really easily. The design is just stupid when trying to field strip. You have to take the frame off, take 3 hoses off and mess with some wires just to get a bolt out. Now, the Ion XT or whatever and the Vibe are better in this perspective but the stock Ion is just a terrible finishing job on a marker. Oh, lets not forget about the Impulse threaded feednecks. Quite possibly the most shallow and crappiest threads out there to hold a 2 pound boat ontop of your rig. I cannot tell you how many have fell off because of the shallow threads or how many have just stripped from carrying the hopper. Not the greatest quality there. I don't hate SP, it is just the Ion was rushed and is built poorly. There are other guns I hate like the Proto PMR that are once again poorly made and rushed. I am not going to go there though.
Oh, and we are not tools. When you have owned and operated a field for 8 years, sold about 100 Ions in which 46 have come back for service, the Ion is not highly regarded around here. Now, SP's orther products such as the NXT and the Freak barrel, great things.