What's Happening with Tippman's Propane Gun??

[JRingold]

The C3's seemed to work well in the cold weather here in Minnesota. A few guys had them at the outdoor pumps and pistols event last weekend. The high temperature for the day was about 25F. They are a bit slower than the phantoms and the pump stroke is a little longer.

When one gets really into a pattern, they can get warm, which is good on a cold day.

Based on the usage and functionality, I think they will go over well with the recreational, back yard, wal-mart paintball player who plays on his own land and doesn't want to worry about filling HPA or CO2 tanks all the time. Besides, when you are done playing for the day, you can attach the can to the portable grill and have dinner! With the tanks going for a few bucks, I can see that they will be popular with people who don't want to spend a lot on playing (a.k.a. recreational "outlaw" pump players).

The product has a niche market, of people who we all don't consider to be "serious players", which means that it will probably be a successful product. The average joe who plays one or two times a year is probably going to look at this product and like it. They don't have to make much of an investment past the marker and mask, so there is an appeal there. Since these players really outnumber the "serious players", I can see that it will be a successful product in terms of units sold. I don't think that we will see a lot of them on "commercial" fields.

[SlartyBartFast]

And as a side note: where the hell are the propane 12 grams? That'd rock so hard.

They are available. I even posted a link to them in a C3 thread here on AO (or perhaps PBN). But it may only be butane that's available.

Normally, they're used to power micro-torches.

A little pricey, but would be great for the C3.

[ShooterJM]

Making a semi auto version is harder than you think becaues you have to clean the air out of the chamber each shot. Thats what the pump action does. Probably doable but way more complicated.

AGD

I'm sure I'm missing something, but couldn't you use a 12 gram c02 (or a 4 oz or something) to provide a micro burst of air to vent the chamber before the firing sequence restarted?

Man I need to buy a C3 and start messing with it.....


(if anyone uses this I get a couple free markers )

[awilli234life]

ok heres my problem with the marker if you arn't grounded you get a nice hefty shock
you can't autotrigger and it is huge
also not haveing a changeable barrel sux

[SlartyBartFast]

ok heres my problem with the marker if you arn't grounded you get a nice hefty shock

Seems to me that would only happen if the wiring was faulty. (And electrically speaking, I think you mean INSULATED not grounded.)

you can't autotrigger

Seems to me that that's one thing that could EASILY be remedied. It should be easy to autotrigger the ignition.
Wouldn't the marker just require a switch or sensor to detect the forward position of the pump to fire the ignition spark if the trigger is pulled?

and it is huge

Don't see that changing EVER. The amount of air and propane required makes the size unavoidable. Perhaps if someone built a model that used both butane/propane and oxygen cylinders like the micro torches the combustion chamber could be smaller.

also not haveing a changeable barrel sux

That's pretty stupid on Tippmann's part. While changing barrels is usually more about fads and hype, only Palmer's can get away non-changeable barrels.
Considering Tippmann's existing lineup, I would have thought that they'd use one of their exisiting barrels at least.
But, you CAN change the barrel. It's just the barrel includes the breech. IMO, one piece is the way to go anyways.

[SlartyBartFast]

How to make the C3-semi:

Currently, when the propane explodes, there is no movement of the piston required for the exhaust to vent through the velocity control piston.

If the piston was propelled back by the explosion before the exhaust gases could escape through the velocity adjusting piston, you could have one cylinder move another.
So, not one combustion chamber, but two horizontally opposed cylinders that are fixed to a common shaft.

Cycling the bolt could perhaps simply be accomplished by using an Automag type blow-forward bolt or Tippmann type blow-back bolt.

For some reason I can't get the idea of a liquid cooled, V8 powered, Tippmann 98 out of my head. :rotfl Then when asking how many RPM a marker gets, it won't be because someone made a type or slip-up while asking about bps.

DAMN! How the semi version would work seems absolutely clear in my mind. My attraction to paintball and my Bachelor's in Automotive Design unite!

Think Tippmann is hiring? lol