Popular Mechanics October 2002-- TOM!!!

[Dayspring]

Hey Tom, you got mentioned in an article they did specifically on Paintball. Unfortunately, they show 4 cockers and a Model 98. But you and Budd Orr got mentioned in the article. Nobody else really.

Way to go, but I would think they'd put a pic of a Mag in there if you get mentioned...

*EDIT*-- The article is 5 posts down. Took me an hour to accomplish. And I type fast. My brain hurts now...

[shartley]

[Dayspring]

I don't know if I can do that. Copyright infringement and what not. I'd scan it, but there's that whole legal thing you know?

[shartley]

Originally posted by Dayspring
I don't know if I can do that. Copyright infringement and what not. I'd scan it, but there's that whole legal thing you know?

[Dayspring]

I'll scan it. I just checked their site. Not there. Dad's on the computer with the scanner though. Give me 20 minutes.

[shartley]

I am looking too.... why not just type it all out? If it is small enought to scan, it should not take long to type... and if not, your posted picture will be HUGE.... Please don't post a graphic image of the article.

(added: Seems they don't have the article online yet.)

[Dayspring]

LONG

Ok- here goes-

Color My World
By Rich Taylor (www.popularmechanics.com)

Like other extreme sports, paintball started in the 80's. The story goes that farm kids in the Midwest who were supposed to be marking their family dairy herds with identifying color splotches decided it was more fun to mark each other with the carbon-dioxide powered paint guns. The idea of combat with balls of paint was developed by a handful of paintball pioneers- Bud Orr and Tom Kaye, among others- men who are now legends in the sport.

By 1990, there were already specialized paintball parks where teams of players could compete. The game quickly evolved into a combination of hide-and-seek, capture-the-flag and Shootout at the OK Corral.

Classic paintball consists of a flag planted in the center of a field and opposing teams of 5, 7, or 10 players. The first team to capture the flag and carry it off to its flag station wins. There are many variations on this basic theme, from superhero costume parties to 3-day theme events in which thousands of players divide into opposing armies and coordinate mass infantry attacks reminiscent of "Braveheart" or "Band of Brothers."

Paintball gear has evolved too. Most paintball guns- still called markers- in quaint remembrance of the original cow-marking days- have an open breech design. Gelatin paintballs feed by gravity into the breech, the bolt slides forward to create an airtight seal, and compressed air shoots through the hollow core of the bolt, propelling the ball of paint out of the barrel. The bolt then slams back, ready to receive the next paintball from the top mounted hopper.

The standard paintball breech mechanism was designed 16 years ago by Orr. His gun, the Autococker, is completely mechanical in operation and semiautomatic. This means it fires one paintball with each squeeze of the trigger. Experienced paintball players can fire off 8-10 shots in a second.

In the last few years, "electronic" paintball markers have hit the market. These typically use electromechanical servos to move the bolt back and forth, speeding up semi-automatic shot rates to over a dozen shots a second. Fully automatic paintball markers are illegal at most parks, tournaments, though Asian companiesare flooding the US market with inexpensive markers that claim rates of 20 shots per second.

The problem is accuracy. A gelatin paintball has a muzzle velocity of 300 fps and a range of not much more than 100 yards. Because the paintball moves slowly- and has a diameter of almost an inch- air currents can affect it dramatically. At 30 yards, a skilled player can reliably hit a targetthe size of a pieplate. At 50 yards, it's pure luck whether he can hit a person at all. A fully automatic marker- like most fully automatic weapons- is almost impossible to hand hold with accuracy to be effective.

To score a "kill" in paintball, you have to shoot your opponent hard enough to splatter the thin gelatin ball. If the ball hits and bounces w/o breaking, the shot doesn't count. This basic fact, plus the inaccuracy of the markers and the slow velocity of the projectiles, has determined everything else about modern paintball. To ensure a reasonable kill rate, combatants typically hold their fire until they are within 30 yards. At that distance, however, a paintball hitting bare skin at 300fps leaves not only a dramatic splatter but a red welt.

Paintball critics say the sport is inherently dangerous- close combat with almost-real weapons. The defenders say properly regulated paintball has fewer injuries than golf. Most paintball parks measure and restrict the muzzle velocity of each marker brought through the gate. They also require head to toe protection.

The mask is self-explanatory: Getting shot in the eye, mouth or ear could be seriously dangerous. The gloves, elbow pads and kneepads are necessary not as protection against the balls, but as protection against abrasion as the players dive, jump, slide and bang into obstacles in their haste to hide from the enemy. Every player has favorite footwear selected for traction and ankle protection. Paintball shirts and pants have that baggy grunge look for a very good reason. When a paintball hits a firm surface it's likely to splatter. Loose, baggy clothes will often cause the balls to bounce or roll off without splattering. Remember, no splatter, no kill.

A paintball marker consists of four major parts. In addition to the gun, there's an air tank equipped with a regulator and connected to the gun by a stainless steel line. The carbon fiber air tank is pressurized to 4500 psi. There also a plastic hopper that holds 140 paintballs. The latest hoppers have an infrared port that determines if the next paintball has dropped into the breech. If it hasn't, a mechanical agitator vibrates the hopper to encourage the next shot to drop. "This is important," explains Sonny Lopez of marker manufacturer Worr Games, because if it's really hot your paintballs swell up and don't drop."

The paintballs themselves are made from the same material and on the same machines as the gelcaps to deliver medicine to your stomach. In fact, PMI is owned by the pharmaceutical firm R.P Shure. The paint used is a non-toxic water based product that washes out of clothes and off skin. Paintballs come in a variety of colors and patterns. Great American Paintball sells paint that mark with not only paint, but odor. The company's big seller is the Bananaball, which makes its victims smell like bananas for the rest of the day.

Paintball markers are priced from roughly $100 to $2000. You can buy a Tippmann 98 Custom for $200 and it will last forever, rarely jam and be as accurate as many more expensive guns. At the other end of the spectrum is the fast-shooting WDP Angel IR3, a limited production electronic marker with LCD readouts that retails for $1400.

But the paintball industry- like the motorcycle industry- is largely built around the concept of personalization. It's not cool to have a stock gun, no matter how fast or effective. The most popular and most copied gun is the Autococker because it's the easiest to upgrade and customize. A stock Autococker can be bought for $425, though you can easily spend $2000 for one that has been seriously customized.

There are more than 4000 paintball parks in the US, ranging from empty lots to SC Village, a huge facility in Corona Calif., that's generally considered the best paintball site in this country. Amateur and professional players can take part in a tournament every weekend, somewhere in the States. There are also world-class tournaments. Professional paintball teams include New York's Ground Zero, Japan's Far East Dragons, amd Ron Kilborn's Bushwhackers, which has team members from all over the world.

In this country, the most prestigious form of paintball competition is 10-man. In Europe it's 7 Man. Which one will be the world standard? "The future is 7 Man," says Worr Games' Lopez. "That's probably what they'll play in the Olympics."

Olympic paintball? Why not? Supposedly, paintball missed being selected as a sport for the Summer Olympics by one vote of the committee, a decision that will probably be reversed next time. Paintball jas everything going for it- it's a team sport, it's wildly popular with millions of people all over the world, it's simple in concept, exciting to watch, and requires extreme athleticism to play well. Fox Sportsnet is even broadcasting paintball tournaments on a new television show called "Splatter Factor." Besides, dude, paintball is not just awesome, it's X-treme.

Pictures- Worr STO Autococker, Dye Blue Fade Autococker, Dye Ultralite Minicocker, Tippman Model 98 Custom, 1 girl COVERED in paint (looks like a Monet) and one in full JT gear & Worr Oracle.

[AGD]

INTERESTING!! This is the first I heard about this, I'll have to get a copy. They screwed up a bunch of stuff but thats ok, we got into a big magazine!

AGD

[Dayspring]

Check it out Tom. You're "a legend in the sport." How does it feel to be a legend?

[Tron]

Originally posted by Dayspring
Check it out Tom. You're "a legend in the sport." How does it feel to be a legend?

Should of asked him 10yrs ago when he earned that status. =)

-Tron

[shartley]

Thanks for posting that. :)

[Dayspring]

Any time. Feel free to correct any spelling mistakes. I think I did pretty well.

[845]

Great American Paintball sells paint that mark with not only paint, but odor. The company's big seller is the Bananaball, which makes its victims smell like bananas for the rest of the day.

LOL I have to try these out.

[hitech]

Originally posted by AGD
INTERESTING!! This is the first I heard about this, I'll have to get a copy. They screwed up a bunch of stuff...

Boy did they! Maybe you could call someone at the magazine and help them with their facts. Even if they don't print corrections they will know better for their next article. They might even call you before printing it!

Originally posted by AGD
...but thats ok, we got into a big magazine!

The sport has come a long way since 1990, hasn't it!

[cphilip]

YAY one of my favoritest magazines too!!!

You know I bet I have heard that cow marking story a hundred times. It was not correct although they did mark cattle with these things too. Just not what was being done with the particular ones when the first Paintball game was done. That was tree's. But no biggy...