Paintball Buyer’s Blog

Some of the coolest hardware you see at all the major scenario and big games are the rocket launchers. Paintball tanks are a hard target to take out and thats where specialized “tank killers” come into play. They lay in ambush waiting for the right moment to rise up and shoot the tank with a foam rocket, thus eliminating them from the field. They also serve as “bunker busters”… shoot a tower or bunker with the rocket and the refs pull every player out of the “blast radius”. Rocket launchers definitely add a new twist and coolness to a big paintball game.

Many are built from PVC tubing and plumbing parts, and while these are often serviceable they tend to look like, well, a bunch of PVC tubing and plumbing parts. They are also potentially dangerous if not built correctly… regulations for many fields and series only allow commercially manufactured launchers on the field.

That’s where JCS enters the arena. A few years ago the introduced the Alias MKX Rocket Launcher and it has quickly become the launcher of choice for scenario and SPPL teams.

The Alias MKX runs off either CO2 or compressed air, with your tank screwing in vertically just in front of the trigger. The regulator knob sits just below the muzzle to adjust the velocity and a tactical rail on riser angles out from the top. You can use it as a guide for sighting or mount a red dot on there. It loads by pressing a button at the front, sliding the barrel forward half an inch and pivoting upwards to expose the breech. You slide the rocket in, slam it shut and you’re ready to blast that thing out to almost 100 yards! With practice I have seen players shoot 4 rockets in a minute and quite accurately.

JCS has even improved the rockets, too. Traditionally players used the fin stabilized mini Nerf footballs but they had disadvantages. The skin of the footballs don’t hold up so well and the fins would fall apart after a few shots. JCS makes the F-69 Foam Rocket in their own manufacturing facility. They are softer so the material doesn’t crack up from impact and molded in one-piece… no more plastic fans breaking off and flying every which way!

We are carrying several other awesome JCS products including the infamous Mark 30 Tripwire Paintball Mine. This mine is expensive but definitely worth the money! It uses one 12gr CO2 cartridge to pressurize the paint. You can set up a pull line to detonate it or use line as thin as sewing thread across the trail for a tripline. When these things go off they make a HUGE mess! Of course, for the discerning scenario player there is the Keychain Remote Upgrade to let you detonate the Mark 30 Paintmine up to 100 yards away! This mine is reuseable and is definitely a game-saver when you place it under the flag to blast any opponent who gets through your defense.

Two more JCS upgrades are specifically for the Tippmann fanatics. There is the xShort 5 1/2″ Barrel for A5 and 98s. This is a quality barrel made ultra short for those that want their marker compact, maneuverable and REALLY LOUD! The other is a real lifesaver, the Jet Click Shaft and Ratchet for Cyclone Feed systems. This replaces your standard plastic ratchet with a polished aluminum unit for less drag and more durability. In my opinion, one of the first things I would upgrade for a Tippmann X7, A5 or 98 Custom with the Cyclone Feed System upgrade.

Hello again,

Been busy the last couple of weeks but I had a lot of work behind the scenes here getting a lot of new paintball stuff in the warehouse for everyone. Today came the limited edition PM7 in Slick finish from Proto. They’re only making 100 of these and you bet they’re going to go quick!

These markers are gorgeous! The bodies are done with a complicated plating process that produces a colored mirror finish reminiscent of oil in a puddle of water… a swirling rainbow of colors that shift and change over the curves of the marker when viewed from different angles. The effect is amazing and will definitely turn heads on the field! To make this marker even sweeter, Proto has thrown in a 14 inch two piece Proto Barrel and the awesome Ultralite Frame in with it. All that, and the price tag is … wait for it… $799.95. The marker, a $60 barrel and $250 frame in a jaw-dropping finish for well below the cost of just the marker and frame.

Know what would go great with that? Another special we are running, the Dye I3 Pro Goggle in Gold for $64.95 and we throw in a Blue Mirror Thermal Lens for free! While supplies last you can pick up this great mask with a cool spare lens and save some cash at the same time!

After delays, delays and a few more delays I stepped out on the receiving dock here at Paintball Online this morning and guess what is sitting there?

Yes, Tippmann fans… the X7 with E-grip is finally here! After I was done jumping for joy I grabbed one to snap these pics with my webcam. The X7 E-Grip was originally expected in February but production was pushed back as word of a major redesign went the rounds. The reasons for the wait soon became obvious and for very good reason when I opened the box.
The rest of the electronic Tippmann line utilize the standard WAS circuit board which is micro-switch activated, with that “clicking” feel like a computer mouse. Microswitch activation does have one drawback… eventually the switch wears out or can occasionally break from improper trigger set-up. The X7 E-grip features a Hall-Effect trigger similar to the Invert Mini, using magnetic attraction to activate the firing cycle. This leads to a very light triggerpull with only the return spring offering any resistance. More importantly, no microswitch to wear out or get snapped off during maintanence!

The gripframe has another sweet feature… a 3 position selector switch that lets the shooter choose between safe, semi and burst modes on the fly! Just like previous WAS boards, you can program the board for full auto, 3 round and autoresponse (two shots per triggerpull).

And of course, it has all the features that make it the must-have woodsball marker this year. Cyclone Feed and more accessories than any other scenario set-up ever.

Alas, quantities are still limited. After filling all the pre-orders we could there are still X7 E-grip markers in stock but the first huge shipment of just the gripframes were all bought up in two hours! We already have more orders in with Tippmann so if you want one I suggest placing a pre-order to secure your place in line. These are sold first come, first served as soon as they arrive!