All of AO,
While going through old subdirectories and deleting stuff I ran across these old files form 1991 that showed what we went through to get compressed air (nitrogen at the time) accepted into the paintball community. Remember, at that time it was us against the world and no one wanted to listen. The first letter I believe was going to be published in APG by the International Paintball Players Association (IPPA) and the second was our rebuttal. While your reading it think about how different a world it would be if compressed air never happened.
AGD
From the IPPA:
The majority of paintballers we've spoken with are very concerned about the explosive hazards of such a high-pressure gas.
If a hose leaks or a burst disc ruptures, the high-pressure nitrogen jetting out of the hole can slice through skin like a razor and if nitrogen gas enters the circulatory system, an embolism (gas bubble) can cause a fatal heart attack in a matter of seconds.
If one of the fittings blows at a joint, the escaping nitrogen will whip the metal-tipped hose with approximately four times the force of CO2 hard enough to rip through muscles and crush bones instantly.
And if nitrogen gas at 3,000 psi blew past a seal and into the valve housing of most currently manufactured paintguns, there is a real possibility of either the valve housing RUPTURING, exploding like a grenade or the power tube blowing out of the barrel like a bullet.
Current two-stage regulators with rupture-disc safeties are not safe.
AGD response:
Airgun Designs, Inc. has always been on the leading edge of paintball technology and in the middle of controversy. All of our products have met some form of resistance when they were first introduced but went on to become very successful in the marketplace. The Micro C/A was the first 12 gram changer to have a back check valve that held gas pressure at all times. This feature was banned from many tournaments. The 6-Pak+ changed cartridges so fast it was just like constant air and by the next season all but one of the national tournaments was back to CA. Our semi-auto the 68AUTOMAG when custom tuned, has recorded chrono strings as fast as 9 shots per second. This blurs the distinction between semi and full-auto and is prompting the major tournament directors to consider limiting the number of semi-auto's per team.
Nitrogen is our latest project causing the industry to stand up and take notice. In the world of paintball technology there are only three areas that can be improved on: 1) the paintballs, 2) the guns, and 3) the power source. As we all know, the guns have evolved tremendously while the paintballs and the power source have remained virtually unchanged. Nitrogen is our attempt to bring the power source into the twenty-first century. Nitrogen is advantageous because it is stored as compressed gas with no liquid. The disadvantage, and hence the safety issue, is that in order to store enough shots in a small tank the pressure can be as high as 2500 psi. Although these pressures are unfamiliar in the paintball industry, they are being safely used on a daily basis in other industries such as scuba (3000 psi venting into lungs), fire fighting (3000 psi plus high heat and flames), and welding (2500 psi plus explosive gases). Even closer to home are the nitrogen gas springs in hatch back cars that are under thousands of pounds of pressure.
Airgun Designs, Inc. has been a long-time supporter of the IPPA and applauds their efforts to establish safety standards for our industry. We feel that we are acting responsibly in not selling nitrogen systems until the safety questions have been answered. At the time of this writing, there are less than twelve nitrogen systems in existence. One of our systems has recently been tested by AUTHORIZED TESTING INC. a DOT proved testing facility and consultant to the IPPA on safety issues. Page seven of the report states "BASED UPON THE TEST DATA OBTAINED AND DOCUMENTED HEREIN, THE AIRGUN SYSTEM SUBMITTED FOR EVALUATION APPEARS TO BE WELL ENGINEERED AND HAS INHERENT PRESSURE CAPABILITIES WELL IN EXCESS OF THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH NORMAL USE." Complete copies of this report are available from Airgun Designs at no charge.
In the end the players will decide if they want to continue with co2 and the temperature/pressure fluctuations along with its contribution to global warming, or join Airgun Designs in the 21st century and enjoy the rewards that come from being on the leading edge.
Airgun Designs
While going through old subdirectories and deleting stuff I ran across these old files form 1991 that showed what we went through to get compressed air (nitrogen at the time) accepted into the paintball community. Remember, at that time it was us against the world and no one wanted to listen. The first letter I believe was going to be published in APG by the International Paintball Players Association (IPPA) and the second was our rebuttal. While your reading it think about how different a world it would be if compressed air never happened.
AGD
From the IPPA:
The majority of paintballers we've spoken with are very concerned about the explosive hazards of such a high-pressure gas.
If a hose leaks or a burst disc ruptures, the high-pressure nitrogen jetting out of the hole can slice through skin like a razor and if nitrogen gas enters the circulatory system, an embolism (gas bubble) can cause a fatal heart attack in a matter of seconds.
If one of the fittings blows at a joint, the escaping nitrogen will whip the metal-tipped hose with approximately four times the force of CO2 hard enough to rip through muscles and crush bones instantly.
And if nitrogen gas at 3,000 psi blew past a seal and into the valve housing of most currently manufactured paintguns, there is a real possibility of either the valve housing RUPTURING, exploding like a grenade or the power tube blowing out of the barrel like a bullet.
Current two-stage regulators with rupture-disc safeties are not safe.
AGD response:
Airgun Designs, Inc. has always been on the leading edge of paintball technology and in the middle of controversy. All of our products have met some form of resistance when they were first introduced but went on to become very successful in the marketplace. The Micro C/A was the first 12 gram changer to have a back check valve that held gas pressure at all times. This feature was banned from many tournaments. The 6-Pak+ changed cartridges so fast it was just like constant air and by the next season all but one of the national tournaments was back to CA. Our semi-auto the 68AUTOMAG when custom tuned, has recorded chrono strings as fast as 9 shots per second. This blurs the distinction between semi and full-auto and is prompting the major tournament directors to consider limiting the number of semi-auto's per team.
Nitrogen is our latest project causing the industry to stand up and take notice. In the world of paintball technology there are only three areas that can be improved on: 1) the paintballs, 2) the guns, and 3) the power source. As we all know, the guns have evolved tremendously while the paintballs and the power source have remained virtually unchanged. Nitrogen is our attempt to bring the power source into the twenty-first century. Nitrogen is advantageous because it is stored as compressed gas with no liquid. The disadvantage, and hence the safety issue, is that in order to store enough shots in a small tank the pressure can be as high as 2500 psi. Although these pressures are unfamiliar in the paintball industry, they are being safely used on a daily basis in other industries such as scuba (3000 psi venting into lungs), fire fighting (3000 psi plus high heat and flames), and welding (2500 psi plus explosive gases). Even closer to home are the nitrogen gas springs in hatch back cars that are under thousands of pounds of pressure.
Airgun Designs, Inc. has been a long-time supporter of the IPPA and applauds their efforts to establish safety standards for our industry. We feel that we are acting responsibly in not selling nitrogen systems until the safety questions have been answered. At the time of this writing, there are less than twelve nitrogen systems in existence. One of our systems has recently been tested by AUTHORIZED TESTING INC. a DOT proved testing facility and consultant to the IPPA on safety issues. Page seven of the report states "BASED UPON THE TEST DATA OBTAINED AND DOCUMENTED HEREIN, THE AIRGUN SYSTEM SUBMITTED FOR EVALUATION APPEARS TO BE WELL ENGINEERED AND HAS INHERENT PRESSURE CAPABILITIES WELL IN EXCESS OF THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH NORMAL USE." Complete copies of this report are available from Airgun Designs at no charge.
In the end the players will decide if they want to continue with co2 and the temperature/pressure fluctuations along with its contribution to global warming, or join Airgun Designs in the 21st century and enjoy the rewards that come from being on the leading edge.
Airgun Designs
Problems or questions with the site or your account? Email me: 
Comment