I don't get it...I really dont.

[Gibripper75]

So I am getting back into paint ball, after 3 years of hiatus I wanted to come back with a Mag. I always wanted a Minimag, but now I have pieced together 68 classic. I have a bunch of guns and here is what I have concluded and don't understand....

AGD's have to be the easiest and simplest guns I have ever worked on. They shoot great and I am loving...yes loving, the twist lock barrel design. I mean it makes sense to have the ball already breached in the barrel-> smooth exit. Super high quality materials all around. Rock solid gun...

So why the heck aren't they in high demand anymore?? I have a bunch of Tippmanns and their basic internals design really hasn't changed in like 20 years, so why is it when I go into my local Paintball shop I am told my Automag is old technology?? I mean if it aint broke then why fix it? The army still uses the 1919 Browning don't they? I like having and things that not everyone else has (Palmer Stroker)but this isn't really helping out AGD as a company. Just my 2 cents.

[OPBN]

Here's the kicker.. the new Tippmann Phenom essentially uses the same "old technology" as an E-Mag...

[hill160881]

The mini is a mini e-mag. hell its a blow forward and even looks like a e-mag, even when taken apart, minus the reg on the back of the valve.

Same with the tippman TPX pistol. Blow forward and looks like a mag when apart.

One wonders if TK helped or if they just blatantly copied the design.

The reason AGD went down hill was they would not change the design to a low pressure design. That is what sold markers. Wether or not low presser is of any benefit is beside the point because that is what sold markers. That and a constantly changing body design to keep up with whats new and cool(hype).

But they are not gone yet and there are some very cool mods for the mag, pretty much what ever you want to do is possible with a mag.

[cyberave68]

So I am getting back into paint ball, after 3 years of hiatus I wanted to come back with a Mag. I always wanted a Minimag, but now I have pieced together 68 classic. I have a bunch of guns and here is what I have concluded and don't understand....

AGD's have to be the easiest and simplest guns I have ever worked on. They shoot great and I am loving...yes loving, the twist lock barrel design. I mean it makes sense to have the ball already breached in the barrel-> smooth exit. Super high quality materials all around. Rock solid gun...

So why the heck aren't they in high demand anymore?? I have a bunch of Tippmanns and their basic internals design really hasn't changed in like 20 years, so why is it when I go into my local Paintball shop I am told my Automag is old technology?? I mean if it aint broke then why fix it? The army still uses the 1919 Browning don't they? I like having and things that not everyone else has (Palmer Stroker)but this isn't really helping out AGD as a company. Just my 2 cents.

OK so i have to ask, How old are you? In todays market age is the biggest facor in buying a marker. Most of the younger generation is about the new HYPE> this one shoots faster, it weights 1/1000000th lighter than last years model, blah blah, BLAH. It becomes a status symbol of how AGG you are. I have had a fews different types of markers, tho i like my e-tac the most, i enjoy playing pump for the SKILL of the game/gun, not spray and pray...

Its nice to see another fellow baller who has picked up the mag fever, though i warn you watch your wallet. Its going to get a BIG hole in it soon...LOL

[hill160881]

A black hole in the wallet is what he ment. Im like 1200 in this one and not even anodized yet. But nothing looks or shoots like it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7kjFdloRQ8

[aerosaaber]

I just picked up my first mag after getting a chance to borrow one from a guy at my field.
Had a blast playing all day, so I decided I'd get one. Can't go wrong with a marker that's dead reliable and doesn't require batteries (my first marker was an ion which is very battery picky)
I played all day with the tacamo gravity feed and only out shot it like twice so I don't even need a battery operated hopper for it(yet)

I'm still figuring out what I want as far as a rail goes and probably a ULT.

There are a lot of killer looking body and rail combo's but they're all too rich for me at this time.

[going_home]

Cocker Threading

Personally I dont care for the twist lock barrel system.
Its large and bulky and sometimes pretty weighty.
I prefer to be able to use my barrels on all my markers.
Cocker threading is the best IMHO.
Most newer markers are all coming out with cocker threading.

Even the new Trracer is cocker threaded.

[factoid]

twist-lock barrels are super convenient for servicing. I like them a lot for that...but they were bad for a number of reasons.

For efficiency: You can't directly match the bolt to the breech so you lose transfer efficiency with every shot. It's not a massive loss, but it's there, especially with large bore barrels.

For manufacturing: It's more expensive and more complicated to manufacture

for accuracy: the twist-lock barrel has quite a bit of "wobble" in it. It may not be all that significant except at very long distances (probably longer than most paintballs travel) but it's there.

As for the markers themselves, I think AGD was a victim of the electro era. They, for some reason, were not able to successfully license the technology (either it was too expensive, someone didn't want them to have it, or they weren't willing to pay) to keep making electronic guns, so they couldn't really maintain relevancy with that part of the market.

There's still a pretty devoted following though.

[maniacmechanic]

There's still a cult following though.

fixed

[Gibripper75]

Cyberave68...I am 30 I got into paint ball in 2000 first with a...you guessed it 98 custom. When all was said and done I had dropped $400-500 in a 98C, yeah I know. Bought a Spyder a few months later (2001) sold it in the same week>>Never again. Still am a Tippy guy, why? I love things well made...Period. AGD and Tippmann strike me as well made. The last Tippy I bought new was a A-5 when they first came out like serial #1000, the newer stuff I can pass on. I wish all the best to AGD in their future and I will be intently following them.

[Tombola]

hm

Yes, AGD lost it in the electronic market. But there is still one for mechs, especially as rentals. Automags are a bit more expensive then 98Cs, but they are much more reliable. And how much cooler it whould be for a newbie to play with a mag?

[Tunaman]

Highest quality markers ever made. For this and many other reasons...like being the fastest too...are the some of the reasons that the Mag will never go away. Long Live AGD!

[factoid]

Fingers are crossed that the Smart Parts bankruptcy/buyout enables AGD (and other manufacturers who were driven out / stepped out of the electro market) to get back into the E-Mag and X-Mag...maybe a next gen ULE EP-Mag? That's where I'd go if I was AGD...today's tournament level markers are at least a pound lighter than emags....so if you switch to EP you can drop the heavy battery pack.

Anyone hear anything new about White Hats LLC and their buyout offer for smart parts? Have they or anyone else been successful in making a deal yet? Seems like it's been quite a while since anything new came out. Smart Parts has been dead long enough now that if there wasn't a serious buyout offer in the works then the court receiver would have already had an asset liquidation auction.

[SteelSoul]

Fingers are crossed that the Smart Parts bankruptcy/buyout enables AGD (and other manufacturers who were driven out / stepped out of the electro market) to get back into the E-Mag and X-Mag...maybe a next gen ULE EP-Mag?

I was wondering if AKA would come back into play. Didn't they stop making markers cause of the letters that were sent my the SP lawyers???

[Maghog]

Funny, no one even mentions Autocockers anymore. It used to be the biggest rivalry, then it was deemed that the cocker won the battle...but who won the war?
Dan@Triggernomics