Pumps

I personally have a thing for Sheridans, but that's just me. There are better pumps out there that cost more and are more polished around the edges, but these are the "old-school" work-horses of paintball!  They are very durable and easy to maintain.  I personally own a PGP and the P-68 (which is just a PGP with a longer barrel and 15 round mag, rather than 10) I like both of them and they are both equally accurate. And let me tell ya, they are accurate. At first, I was apprehensive at the thoughts of facing everyone else with only a pump, but as long as you use good-quality paint that matches nicely with your barrel, it's a walk in the park! 

CCM makes them, and you'll be spending a pretty penny on one more than likely. All it is is CCM's cocker with their pump kit on it. You can make the same thing for less. Phantoms are awesome pumps and there are many styles of them. Carter buzzards...amazing pumps, expensive but well worth it.

If you're just starting out, I'd say look into an old-school pump, like a SL-68 II, to see if you really like pump play because it is quite different from the other types of play.

As far as upgrades, most paintball sites sell stuff for pumps, like barrels. Wevo is a great pump site.

sinisterNorth wrote: .If you're just starting out, I'd say look into an old-school pump, like a SL-68 II, to see if you really like pump play because it is quite different from the other types of play.

Excellent advice.  You don't want to spend a bunch on your first pump marker and then find out you hate playing pump.  Here's info on the pumps I have personal experience with.



Splatmaster

• First mass produced marker specifically made for playing paintball
• First marker I ever played with (since this was before the invention of safety equipment, we used shop goggles-lucky there were no serious accidents)
• Not a true pump-it was rock and then push the bolt (protruding from the rear) back into the marker
• Can usually find one on e-bay in the $20-30 range
  

Vulcan

• First marker I owned
• Non-adjustable velocity preset at approx 260 fps
• Standard firber optic front and rear peep site-amazing accuracy for a molded plastic barrel
• Very stiff pump action
• Cheaply made-but should last long enough for you to decide if you like pumps
• No longer in production but can still be found for sale at very low prices (I paid $10.00 U.S. apiece at Wal-Mart for mine back when they carried them.)

BE Tigershark

• I had several of these when I was supplying paintball equipment for my son and some of his friends for friendly outlaw games
• I was never that impressed with the accuracy or operation

BE Talon

• Stiff pump arm and plastic neck did not feed well
• Surprising accuracy-If I had to have a BE pump, this would be the one

ZXS 200 (AKA Point Zero Beetle-I think Winchester had a version of this one also.)

• Not a bad lightweight little marker-probably the cheapest decent pump still readily available new for those who want to test out playing with one

BE Blade

• Cheaply made newer BE pump
• One of the markers responsible for BEs current reputation
• Fired one once-had no desire to ever do it again
• Hard to operate pump
• Hard to aim
• Some markers of the blade family have the annoying tendency to blow up during use

Kingman Hammer (I)

• Picked up two of these used and broken
• Easy to fix with parts from the hardware store/my spare parts bin
• Fairly easy pump action
• Quite accurate
• Wide bore barrel and no detent system-keep the barrel pointed up
• Will accept all current Spyder barrels
  
• If someone could find one of these cheap, it would also make a good starter pump. (No longer in production)
  

Kingman Hammer (II)

• Saw one used once
• No longer in production
  
• Would love to have found one of these-the folks who do have them swear by them
• The folks who have them also don't seem to be willing to part with them

Tippmann SL68/SL68 II

• Have test fired these and purchased an SL68 which I returned because seller was not forthright about it's condition
• Built like a tank
• Still command hefty prices considering the age (in demand)
• In original configuration the molded aluminum feedneck only accepts the original hopper
• This feedneck is also prone to cracking which makes it hard to find one in pristine condition
• Barrel is held in place by a pressure collar-not any alternate choices that I know of (although I heard an unconfirmed rumor that J&J might have made a limited number of barrels for these.)

CCI Phantom

• Own one of these and love it
• Accurate
• Quiet
• Very smooth/light pump action
• Did have trouble getting it down to legal velocities
• Kind of expensive (I didn't get this until after playing with the Hammers to see if I wanted to go pump occasionally.)
• Lots of options and accessories both from CCI and aftermarket sources
• There are more expensive mass produced and custom pumps, but this is good enough for me

Edited addition:


I can't believe I forgot the PGP

• I got to borrow an older one of these for a game once
• Very well made
• Accurate
• 10 round capacity and rock and cock operation (not my cup of tea)
  

When considering playing pump, remember there is more than just one style.

• Stock class, which I'm not an expert on but has the following limits:
• 12 grams as only CO2 source
• Limited size feed tubes which require rock-n-cock as opposed to hoppers
• Pumps that are equipped with compressed air and revvies
• Every possible combination in between is also possible
• I play with a 6 oz, a 45 round hopper, and 4 extra tubes of 10 rounds each when I use my pump
• I have a lot of fun
• I am considering adding a semi-auto pistol though, just for when things get close and nasty. (In other words, for when I screw up on the field.)
  

Edited by Mack - 18 September 2006 at 12:46pm

yeah, i'm a phantom owner but don't forget mavericks and hornets. they are nice guns for 1/6 the price of a phantom used.
i got my maverick off ebay for 25 bucks but my phantom... not 25 bucks.
phantom pic1
pic2


Edited by pattison - 18 September 2006 at 2:53am

mack <3

i'd recommend a kingman hammer.  they're cheap and pretty abundant. 

My favorite so far, though is the PGP2k1....  i'm in the process of rebuilding it.

I also like my phantom though...

If you can find an Amp- Illusion there pretty sweet but they are hard to find because they dont make them any more.

I have a Trracer with 14" J&J Ceramic with bottomline and a Phantom. The Phantom is definitely the superior make with many options and upgrades available. The Trracer is a fine pump but upgrades and parts are not as available.

Some pumps like the phantom and trracer have an auto-trigger which means you can fire as fast as you can pump with the trigger pulled (vs. pump, pull trigger, pump, pull trigger.)

The nice thing about pump is that you use less air and paint and you'll notice your accuracy most likely will increase since your rate of fire is way down now (you'll make your shoots count, picking them more carefully)

Mods for the phantom can be found on CountySports, WevoPaintball: I have yet to buy any for my Phantom but they are on my wish list.

My Trracer was upgraded a few years ago. I sent my Trracer to ACI (Maverick) and they put a new grip and bottomline on it. I can't remember where the barrel came from.

If you play with one vs the other you aren't going to be at any great disadvantage playing with the Trracer against someone with a Phantom. But I believe you'll like the 'feel' and action of the Phantom. 1 exception. The grip on the Trracer to me feels better than the M-16 grip on the Phantom. If you get a Phantom, you may want to consider the .45 grip for it.

If you ask me, I would buy a used Phantom (one with a .45 grip, and removable barrel) vs. a Trracer.

I've never played with any other pump (Besides briefly with a PGP, but I'd stick with the Phantom)

Hope this helps, good luck!

PT

Definitly go with the phantom
-very quiet
-accurate
-don't break easily