Paintball Buyer’s Blog

New to our inventory is a selection of hard parts from one of the oldest and most respected names in paintball, Bob Long Technologies. Bob Long has been in paintball forever… I remember him at a field I visited in 1989. He started off doing custom versions of other manufacturer’s markers and equipment before designing his own. The Intimidator was the marker that pushed him to the top and he continues to crank out more designs such as the latest Gen 5 ‘Timmies’ such as the Protege and Vice as well as the groundbreaking Marq platform and super hot scenario M-Tac.

While best known for his shooters, Bob Long and company are less known for their quality hard parts. Made from high quality materials and machined to very tight tolerances, each piece fills a niche that almost every player needs. One other fact about Bob Long’s hard parts sets them apart from the majority of the paintball industry… THEY ARE MADE IN THE USA! Bob Long insists on this. He could outsource to cheaper labor and materials but he refuses to lose any of the quality control he has built his reputation on by using select  US machinists. First up is the Bob Long Gear Drive ASA. One new trend is the rail-less ASA which bolts directly to the gripframe without needing a second piece as a mount. The problem in the past has been that the frame screws needed to go through so the ASA tended to be rather long, heavy and with small air passages that could constrict pressure flow. Bob Long fixed that by developing the Xpress Mount. This system puts two stainless steel threaded posts into your gripframe first. Then you slide on the ASA and secure it with two side-tapped set screws. This allowed Bob Long to slim down the ASA and still retain structural integerity. The macroline fitting is a straight model attached to the front and goes through the on/ off knob. The knob is geared inside for a smooth action that doesn’t bind up under pressure. In other words, you can still easily turn your pressure on or off even with paint-slick fingers! The Gear Drive ASA is available in Polished or Dust finishes.

Of course, some people still want to use their favorite ASA or want a few more options of where to mount their tank.  We now have three models of Bob Long rails to accommodate your needs! For those players who want a low profile mount right under their gripframe their is the Bob Long Dovetail ASA Rail Mount. Machined from aluminum with great attention to detail, this mount accepts the frame screws through the bottom first, then you slide the ASA on. Unlike similar designs that are prone to cracking, Bob Long left more metal in the middle of the mount for strength. A side tapped set screw secures our ASA and your air tank to the marker for a lightweight, low profile set up.

Some people need the tank a little more forward, whether its because of shorter arms or just wanting a better balance. For those players there is the Bob Long Xpress Mount Horn Drop Dropforward Rail. This mount utilizes the Xpress Mount system again to make room for the dovetail section to be moved forward. This places your ASA and tank approximately 1″ forward and 1/2″ down, placing the center of weight more under your hand and not towards your shoulder. With better balance your wrist does less work and thus less fatigue.

Drop forwards are often frowned upon by the ‘tournament’ crowd, but for the wrong reasons. In their quest for ‘high speed low drag’, they have forgotten that long-term comfort is often more important than short term comfort, small and tight configurations. The huge dropforwards of yesteryear are a hinderance and no longer necessary because of today’s smaller HPA tanks. However, many player’s still need small to mid sized dropforwards for proper fit. A good example is my wife, who at 5 foot 3 inches can’t reach the foregrip of her marker with a 68ci tank on there  unless she has a mid-sized drop forward installed! It also helps younger players by moving the center of balance between their hands so they aren’t working to just keep the marker level. For these players there is the Bob Long Dovetail Mount Mid Drop Dropforward. This quality built dropforward locates the tank forward 2 1/2″ and down about 1 1/2″. This is a comfortable placement for probably 95% of the players out there. The Mid Drop is extensively milled both for looks and to reduce weight. One set screw located in an easy to reach position secures your favorite ASA to the dovetail rail.

Everyone makes feednecks these days, but not all are created equal. Some are good and some are awful. Bob Long Lever Lock Feednecks are a step above the ‘good’ category. Every cut, carve and thread on each of these feednecks I have seen are perfect! The locking lever utilizes purpose-built screws and a brass pivot that fitted to the lever arm. This allows a smooth lock and release without binding or the edges grinding under tension. Metal is cut away where it can be spared but left in place where its needed. In the quest for lighter weight I’ve been seeing a lot of snapped feednecks coming through our pro shop so I appreciate a little thought into making things that last. we currently stock the Lever Lock Feednecks in threads for the older model Smart Parts Ion/ SFT Shocker, the new Smart Parts thread (Ion XE, NXT, Eos) and in Dye thread (DM series, Proto Matrix, Rail and SLG).

At Paintball-Online we stopped carrying most aftermarket bolts for the Smart Parts Ion/ Ion XE.  They were no better than the stock bolt and were snapping left and right. However, the Bob Long Ion Pillow Bolt made the grade and is now part of our catalog. Bob Long designed the Pillow Bolt for his top of the line Marq series markers and the technology has trickled down to the Ion. The design features a cushioned rubber ‘pillow’ at the face of the bolt to lessen the impact of the bolt contacting the paintball. Rather than slamming a fragile paintball with what is essentially a high speed cookie cutter, the ball instead is pushed along on a shock absorber from breech to barrel. This reduces breakage when shooting even the fragilest tournament paintball or when playing in cold winter conditions that turns paintshell brittle. I put one in my Ion, then in my wife’s Ion and now I recommend it as an essential upgrade!

One last piece of Bob Long parts that has been in out catalog awhile but deserves mention is the Bob Long Filtered Fill Valve. This is another must-have that I installed on mine and my wife’s HPA tanks.  These are precision machined fill nipples with a threaded dust cap. The cap screwsin place and is held tight by a friction-providing O ring. No more lost caps! The fill nipple itself is hardened for strength and has a replaceable filter to keep dirt, metal shaving and other debris from entering, preventing damage to the seals of your tank regulator and marker. The last fill nipple you will ever buy!

Bob Long continues to lead the paintball industry in design and innovation. Bob Long has played and won at every level and every style of paintball and won’t sell anything he wouldn’t use himself. You can’t go wrong with any Bob Long product!