Paintball Buyer’s Blog

I remember working at our Milwaukie, Oregon showroom two years ago when a group of woodsballers came in for paint and air before heading out to play. I looked at their funky camoflauge and asked “What camo pattern is THAT ?!?” Thats where I learned about Digital Camo, the new pattern many of the Armed Services were switching to.

Fast forward to today and now Digital Camo is everywhere on the paintball field. Not only with the woodsballers but on the speedball field as well. At first everything was either the light-colored ACU or darker Woodland Digi, but now the sky is the limit. Take a look at the new Empire E-Vents goggles…

… in Urban and Blue Digital Camo (Green Digi will be available shortly). We just got these in and the response has been unreal! I’ve seen the 2008 Empire and Invert lineup as well… let’s just say that digi fans will be very happy.

Tippmann listened to customer’s requests and have dropped the Mossy Oak tree camo for an awesome green woodland digi pattern as well. The A5, Custom Pro ACT and 98 Custom ACT can be purchased in these new skins…

The affordable Gen X Tactical Vest in ACU and Desert Digi just came through the warehouse door this week. This feature-loaded vest is our best selling tactical soft good ever, with lots of pockets for pods, tank, equipment, pull-down map/ID flap… and it doubles as a chest/ back protector!

NXe already has the awesome Elevation Series Digi Harness (which I personally use) but they wanted to put out something else for the scenario player whose budget can’t quite afford their excellent woodland Tactical Vest. Due in next week is their new Light Infantry Vest. Its got room for pods, tank and hydration system and features a wraparound waist belt for a snug fit and back support.The shoulder harness straps help distribute the weight. I like this design, it looks like it would be a lot cooler to run around with this in the summertime!

And of course, no digital camo paintball discussion would be complete without mentioning a clothing and goggle line I personally love, PCS. Their economy Evasion line of pants and jerseys in Universal (ACU) and Jungle (green) digi are a lot cheaper than throwing down a ton of money at the surplus store, while their Retribution line brings tournament-style looks and function to the woods without standing out like a sore thumb. The PCS 20/20 Goggle features a thermal lens and built-in fan (great for players with eyeglasses) and digi camo in both colors to match the rest of your gear.

Digital Camo is hot and definitely here to stay in paintball!

We just recently picked up a range of scopes and electronic sights from NcStar. This is a company that has been in sport optics for 20+ years and when I found them I decided to take a look at their product line. One thing that definitely caught my attention was that NcStar provides a limited lifetime warranty on almost all their products against defects.

Wow…

I was very impressed with the quality and function of everything I’ve seen. They are perfect for paintball and airsoft without breaking your bank account. Already a hot seller for us has been the 30mm and 45mm Red Dot sights.

These fit on any picatinny tactical rail and are easy to take on and off. They have 10 settings for the brightness of the dot and full windage and elevation. The tubing is all aluminum for durability and they are lighter than they look.

The 25mm Red/ Green Dot Sight is a winner (I bought one myself for my 98 AK Project). You can choose between red or green for the dot and the outer frame of the sight is all aluminum. Its small, compact and not a lot of money!

For those looking into a scope, NcStar has your needs covered too. A lot of scenario players like to use scopes not so much for lining up the shot but to scan the field for opponents. Its nice to be able to count how many of the other team are holed up in that fort a hundred yards away before you try to take it, and hey… look at that, now you can see a 6 inch hole at knee level where you can pick them off! We picked up a 4X scope with a 30mm objective lens for clarity and a good field of view. The crosshairs are in the P4 Sniper pattern. Just pick up some 1″ scope rings (they are on the way to us) and its ready to mount on just about any paintball marker.

If your paintball marker or airsoft gun has an M16-style Sight Rail, you have a few options. You can get the 5″ Rail Mount or US Force Tactical Rail Mount which fit on most M16 rails without tools, thus providing a picatinny rail to mount any of these sights and scopes on. Or, you can choose from these three…

A 30mm Red Dot with an M16 mount and see-through lens caps…

A light, compact and economical 4X Scope with M16 Mount…

or a 4X Rubber Armored with M16 Mount scope with illuminated crosshairs so you can make out the crosshairs when zeroing in on a camoflauged opponent! This one is by far my favorite in this category. The rubber armor protects from dings and nicks while the see-through endcaps make it easier to keep your lenses clean.

If you already have a rail on your marker but want to raise it higher for mask clearance I recommend checking out the Trimount Flattop mount…

Not only will this let you sight easier but it provides more rails for any other goodies you want to slap on there. Besides…rails, rails and more rails just plain looks cool anyways!

There’s also an assortment of laser sights and tactical flashlights as well. Keep checking in with us… we plan on carrying more optics from NcStar as they keep pumping out more great quality and priced products!

Starting now, the Proto Rail in standard colors and Ultralite frame is available together in a special combo for a super low $424.95!

Follow this link to here. That’s saving almost $175.00! This offer is only for a limited time so if you’ve been wanting a Rail now is the time. I mean, think about it. Get one of the fastest and lightest markers on the planet and the comfortable UL Frame for just $25 more? Why would you not go for it? That leaves plenty of money left over for upgrades like Hybrid UL Grips (Hellcat, Skull or Gunslinger), a Smart Parts Q-Lock Feedneck, an aluminum Bolt Cap or Eyeplates, or Virtue Laser Eyes!

Added… If you like this article, check out Part II here.

The more I’ve been playing paintball big games and scenarios, the more I’ve been itchin’ to build a complete scenario marker. I mean, running around with one of my various tournament markers is fun but its not in the spirit of these popular formats. While trying to decide which marker to buy, along comes this new product from Tippmann…

Now one, I’ve always liked the look of AK47s. Two, I remembered I had a Tippmann 98 Custom sitting in my paintball closet that hasn’t seen any action lately. What better base to build off of than something I already have and know is reliable?

First thing to be installed was a Response Trigger Kit because any self-respecting scenario marker needs to fire full-auto! The Tactical Conversion Kit is comprised of four components: a foregrip, mock magazine section, grip plug and a 1 piece stock. Installing the stock will require disassembling the 98 but the foregrip, magazine and grip plug simply requires removing the screws and nuts and fitting the pieces in place…

I liked the stock that came with the Tactical Conversion Kit but I’ve always had a thing for side folding models so I added a Tapco Folding Stock on there for easier stowing in a gear bag. Note the CORE Cocking Knob Cover that I have been testing… that very helpful upgrade will be available soon!

The front shroud is generously sized to accept a wide variety of aftermarket barrels. We just got in the excellent Smart Parts 16″ Tactical Barrel in 98 threads and the flash hider front would look perfect! An X7 AK Front Sight from Tippmann completed the front end…

Here’s how my project currently looks. Its comfortable, reliable and provides plenty of mil-sim look and feel while still being practical. I added a BT Fixed Sight Rail for an aiming point. We just got in big shipment of really cool red dot sights, scopes and mounts. All it needs now is maybe a 30mm Red Dot Sight on the Sight Rail and this Tippmann will be game ready. Hmmmm, there’s an SPPL Qualifier at Splat Action in a few weeks…

Added…. The project continues in my second post here !