Hardballer Recon

Charity ideas list

2015-09-23T10:25:00.002-07:00

So since my last post about being an ambassador for paintball, I have thinking about what someone can do in their communities & this is what I came up with

These are general ideas that you could use to raise money or aid for specific charities. Generally you would contact the organization ahead of time. Too many people have done “charity” work for organizations, without their consent and often keep the proceeds.

A good idea is to canvas the area ahead of time. You can make up flyers to let the residents know who you are and what you are trying to do. People will often leave bags out for you if they know ahead of time.

Bottle Drive
Clothing Drive

o Jackets

o Shoes

o Mittens/gloves

o Blankets

Food Drive
Toy Drive
Conduct a neighborhood drive to collect used furniture.

These basic ideas can be done once a year and are a great way to help the community.

Seasonal

Ring the bell for Salvation Army during the holidays
Decorate a Christmas tree at a nursing home, hospital, school or homeless shelter.
Organize safety trips in your neighborhood for youngsters during Halloween.
Distribute leaf bags during the fall encouraging residents to clean leaves from their streets and yards.
Clean an elderly neighbor's driveway and sidewalk after a snowfall.

General Ideas

Collect unused make-up, perfume and other cosmetics for a center for abused women.
Write a kids' book author and ask them to donate signed copies, auction the books off and donate the money to local library.
Check railroad crossings and make signs to promote safety.
Paint over graffiti.
Paint a mural over graffiti.
Hold a used book sale and donate the money.
Collect children's books for the needy.
Provide child care during a PTA meeting.
Design and paint a community mural.
Help cook and/or serve a meal at homeless shelter.
Make "I Care" kits with combs, toothbrushes, shampoo, etc. for homeless people.
Help with repairs at a local homeless shelter.
Donate art supplies to kids in a homeless shelter.
Make a care package with mittens, socks, T-shirts, etc. for a child at a homeless shelter.
Pack and hand out food at a food bank.
Find out about low-cost housing in your area for the homeless people.
Build a ramp for a person in a wheelchair so it is easier for them to get in and out of their house.
Clean a neighbor's yard who cannot do it themselves.
Help neighbors paint and repair their homes.
Volunteer to teach classes on a sport you enjoy and know a lot about.
Petition your city to make drinking fountains and/or restrooms in public areas available.
Volunteer to clean up trash at a community event or county fair.
Make signs to label community buildings and sites of interest.
Organize a campaign to paint storm drains to prevent dumping of hazardous materials.
Adopt a pothole and raise funds to repair it.
Plan native flowers or plants along highways.
Campaign for additional lighting along poorly lighted streets.
Clean up vacant lot.
Help fix a run-down playground.
Organize a campaign to raise money to buy and install new playground equipment for a park.
Paint a mural or clean up a local park.
Plant flowers in public areas that could use some color.
Mow the lawns and care for the plants of neighbors who are away on vacation.
Build park benches.
Paint fences or park benches.
Lend a helping hand at a local community center.
Identify corners where bushes and trees make it difficult for drivers to see.
Provide refreshments at a local race or sporting event
Make bird feeders for public places.
Adopt an acre of a park or a mile of roadside to keep clean.
Clean up trash along a river or in a park.
Replace trees that have died.
Clean up a beach or riverbed.

How do we grow paintball as a sport?

2015-08-28T12:06:00.002-07:00

I was on Reddit earlier today and I found a post about what we need to do, as paintballers, to grow our wicked sport. What most of the people ended up posting was that the "cost" of the sport is so high, While I agree that you can spend yourself into oblivion, this isn't the reason that the sport isn't as big as it could be. Two sports that are incredibility expensive, Hockey and Golf are very popular. The cost of your sport or hobby is something that YOU control. You decide on where to play and what kind of gear you are using. If you are letting someone else tell you where to play and what kind of gear to use, you may have bigger problems.

So how do sports that are super pricey, keep people paying the big $ to play? They have "Ambassadors" that establish the sport as a good thing to do. Don't believe me, take a look at junior rep hockey. Each player is "required" to wear a suit to and from each game. It doesn't matter what that player does on the ice, they still look like a presentable young man. This goes a long way with the parents, who in most cases, are going to control whether or not their kids are playing paintball. Think I am full of it? Have you ever heard of Dave "Youngblood" Dehaan? I bet you have heard of his company...DYE Precision-Dave Youngblood Enterprises. Why do I bring this up? Because Youngblood used to "play" wearing a suit!

Now I am not suggesting that we all adopt this as our new attire, but I am suggesting that we all start looking at ways we can become ambassadors. Something that takes away from that takes away from the "war" crazed image that so many people have about paintball. Well a super easy way to do that is to get your friends or team mates together and volunteer for something. There are so many things that you can do around you community it is crazy. Go put your jerseys on and help out at a soup kitchen, take a couple of pictures and post them online. Better yet call the newspaper ahead of time, they might even send someone down to do a story on what you are up to. The point is, if the community sees you as benefit and not a problem, doors open for you and life gets a whole lot easier.

There are hundreds of things that you could do around your community and a little effort goes a long way. So the next time you are wondering what we need to do about promoting paintball, have a look at what is going on in your own town.

All That Gear

2015-08-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

So I hope that you are not like me, in that you have "piles" of gear for this great sport we love. Sadly, most of the players I have met over the years have totes and bags full of gear. What I would like to show you here is something simple that may help you to at least organize some of this stuff.
I simply call it a wooden dummy.

I would like to thank ITS Tactical for posting this and I found floating around on Pinterest. I have included a link to their website and invite you to check it out. I have used this stand to wash and dry my tact vest. You can also use it to prep your gear before you head out.

I sure hope that this will help you to organize and keep organized all of that crazy gear we all seem to collect.

Comms

2015-07-06T13:02:00.001-07:00

Radios are the best way for you and your team to stay in contact, this is nothing new. The use of headsets is not as common. I know that some people don't like using headsets, they find that the earpieces are hard and that they are uncomfortable with their masks. and yes, the wire can get snagged. These are all concerns and they are all very small and fixable when you weight them to the advantage of having instant updates to your team.
So the first thing you want to do is to avoid something like this:

All of the arrows are snag points. They can all be avoided by taking a little prep time and secure the wires to your vest with velcro, tape or zap straps.

Now depending on the radio you have the option for an extended antenna is possible and should look something like this:

Notice how neat the wires are. This also allows you to keep your radio up front in case you need to change frequencies.

As for the comfort level, most headsets come with different sized earpieces. You should be able to mix and match to find one that works. You can also contact a hearing aid company, they can make a mold of your ear and custom fit your ear piece. This is by far the more expensive way to go.

Capture The Flag

2015-06-23T15:50:00.000-07:00

One of the best games of paintball I have ever played was also one of the most frustrating games I have ever played. The teams were split up and sent to our spawn points. Then a soccer ball was placed in the center of the field. The objective was capture the ball (flag). What you did, once you captured the flag, was to put it as fair into the other teams territory as possible. You could kick it or throw it you just have to get in over there. Now they can throw it back, the ball will pass back and forth until the time is up. The team with the ball in their area at the end is the loser.
Now when I played we played for 30 minutes with unlimited re-spawns. It was one of the most frustrating games, because on more than one occasion I was just feet away from the the ball, but couldn't get to it because of the massive cover fire the other team was putting on the ball.
Other options you can try are:

More than one ball (odd numbers work best)
Try using a football or rugby ball
Change the length of the game (shorter or longer)
If you get hit by the ball you are out

Make the game your own but whatever you do, HAVE FUN!

Pay Attention

2015-06-18T11:14:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing in life that we all need to do more is;

PAY ATTENTION!

So it is an easily transferable skill that we all should use more in life & it will help us on the paintball field? The one thing you will never hear is, "I wish I hadn't paid so much attention". If you were paying attention then you probably would have seen that person flanking you!?! If you were paying attention then you probably would have noticed that the left side of the field is super weak and could be easily over taken. The list goes on & on!

This skill won't make you a better shot, help you run faster or play harder. It will make you a more well rounded player.

So how do we do this? How do we make ourselves be more attentive? The simplest answer is always the most effective. So when you are out playing next time, try to remember to check your sides and don't just keep your blinders on focusing on that one person you can see.

Also when you are in a firefight, stop and take a 1-2 seconds to check your sides. The easiest time to take someone out is when they are focused on someone/thing else. Don't get caught in that trap!

So this picture is an awesome example of PAY ATTENTION! These 5 guys are stacked up ready to breach a door, They are all thinking about that door and the job they have to do to get inside but they aren't just staring at the door. In fact they are all looking in different directions, making sure they don't get surprised just before they execute the breach....PAYING ATTENTION!!!

Give in a try!

Product Review: Tech T Zero Kick Hammer Bolt

2015-06-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

For the past 6 months I have had the zero kick hammer installed on two different markers. The first marker is my X7 with a response trigger. The second marker is my 98 Custom with a cyclone feed. Two very different setups but both were enhanced by the same upgrade. The X7 has a significant reduction in recoil allowing for far more accurate burst fire. This has several advantages, aside from the obvious, such as single handed firing.
The 98 is a total different setup, this was my first marker and one I used as a sniper style of play. It is very quite and very accurate. By adding the zero kick hammer I found an increase to my accuracy. Now I would like to also add to this that the initial accuracy on both the X7 and 98 decreased. This was due to the change from the reduction of the recoil, which I was anticipating, from the stock hammer bolt.

So I am not saying that if you want to be more accurate buy this part or that if you buy this part you "WILL" become a better shot. NOPE! Both of these can only really be increased with practice. What this product can help with is; the amount of time or effort that "MAY" be required to improve these skills.

Training costs

2015-06-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

We all know that Paintball can be an expensive sport to play, equipment prices, field fees, & of course PAINT & AIR! The easiest way to cut costs is of course "Sponsorship". For those of you that have not tried this avenue, it can be difficult. Companies are not just going to give you something for nothing. You will have some kind of commitment that will need to be fulfilled. This can cut into your free time, you may have to help run the next big event instead of playing it! So make sure that you know ahead of time what is going to be asked of you before you say yes to sponsorship.
So how can we keep practice costs down? So let's say that you have a piece of property that you are allowed to go to that doesn't cost you anything for practicing. What's that? You don't have that? Well, how you have your first project, Go find somewhere you can practice for free. Drive 20 minutes into the country, find a wooded area, make sure that no one is around (for safety not hiding). Be respectful! Clean up after yourself, let's stop giving people a reason to dislike paintballers. Maybe you know someone who has a large backyard? Be creative!
Next is air, if you are still using CO2, stop! Switch to compressed air, it is far less harmful to the internals of your marker. Your maintenance will go way down and it is way cheaper to fill your tank. Next is filling your tank, what do you do at the end of the day after playing paintball? Probably pack up all your gear, do you get your tank filled before you leave? Why not? Fill your tank before you leave so you have a full tank for your next practice. Look into getting an used scuba tank, you can check scuba shops and the classifieds ads. This might be a group effort, if the cost of a tank is to high for you alone, you can find scuba fill adapters just about anywhere for a descent price. Make sure you check when the scuba tank was "Hydro Tested". If this has expired, you will be looking at additional costs, again you might want to see if some of your friends might want to help with this. When it comes time to fill your scuba tank, your local dive shop can help, make sure that you let them the tank is for paintball and not diving. This way they don't have to worry about getting the "mixture" right and can simply fill the tank with compressed air. In my experience I can get my scuba tank filled for what it costs to fill my paintball tank!
So paintballs can be a huge expense, especially if you like running full auto. Here are a few options to help bring this cost down. Community paint! This only works if you are practicing as a team, so everyone brings some paint and the whole group gets to use it. You will have to arrange this ahead of time so that everyone knows how much paint to bring. Another option is leftover paint, this is paint that doesn't get used at the field. Many fields won't allow off-field paint. This generally has to do with their insurance carriers, not them wanting to "screw you over". So if they can't identify their paint, you can't play with it. This makes for some great practice stock, so instead of burning it off, save it for your next practice. It helps to keep a few large "zip-loc" freezer bags with your gear. Ask around when everyone is packing up if they want to sell their open bags of paint, you might be able to buy some open paint for cheap. Lastly, check with your local field or pro shop to see if they have any broken bags or returned paint. Let them know that you are looking for some "practice" paint and you would be willing to be there "bad" paint at a discounted price. This is stock that is probably going to be thrown away, so if they can make some money back they will probably be more than happy to help.

Go find somewhere you can practice for free
Fill your tank before you leave the field for the day
Bring your SCUBA tank out to the practice
Community paint from your team
Ask to buy open paint when everyone is packing up at the end of the day
Check with local fields & pro shops for any broken bags or returned paint

Good luck I hope this helps you out!

Here is a link to an earlier post, might be helpful if you can get some opened or broken paint

Where have you been?

2015-05-29T08:59:00.001-07:00

Honestly? I really don't know what has happened to the last few years! I lost my marriage, changed jobs 3 times, left the on-call fire department and the list goes on. I guess that is life and the crazy things that happen along the way. So what do we do next?
I am going to start writing again. I hope that you will follow along, I don't have any kind of format or plan any more, so things are going to get a little weird. One thing that has always kept me going when the bizarre becomes the norm, is something I saw from the movie Kuffs....

Life is what happens while you are making other plans!

Pie Plate Target

2012-05-28T11:57:00.002-07:00

So over the long weekend, I spend sometime down @ a lake cabin and as a true paintball addict, I took a “few” of my markers to play with. While there, I used to standard targets, such as trees and rocks, not to exciting. After a trip into town and a little brainstorming, I came up with a new target range. At a bargain store, I found 9” aluminum pie plates, these plates are almost the same size as a pair of goggles or a mask.

So for this recipe I took two pie plates, a simple garden stake, and a single 8x1” screw. With the plates doubled up on the top of the stakes and the stakes cut at different heights, I had a great shooting range setup. With these targets setup I was able to work on all kinds of different drills. Standing, kneeling and prone firing positions as well as moving right to left and then left to right. All of this practice came from a simple setup that took all of ten minutes to create.

So here is an example of what I was trying to make, sadly after a full weekend of bulls eyes the pie plates were hardly recognizable, so we will have to visualize what I had from this image. So I hope this gets your creative juices flowing and you get a chance to give something like this a try.

We Want to Say Thank You

2012-05-09T08:08:00.004-07:00

We would really like to say THANK YOU to everyone who reads our blog. To do this, we are going to be giving away one of our new travel mugs. These aren't even available for sale yet but we are going to be sending this out to one or more lucky readers. So how do you win one of these mugs?

Sign up as a "follower" of this blog thru Blogger and that is it. We will draw names and announce the winner or winners on June 4th, 2012.

Now you might be wondering what we mean by "winner or winners"? Simply the more followers we have the more prizes we will draw for...if we can get over 25 followers we will draw a second name, if we can get over 50 followers we will draw a third name, and so on. Good luck to everyone!!!

Goodbye

2012-05-01T21:50:00.001-07:00

On Monday I said goodbye to a great man, my uncle, Bruce Mitchell. Like so many others, Uncle Bruce was taken from us early. It was this fact that I contributed to the feeling of lose and sadness that seemed to be taking over me. I came to a revelation as I talked to friends & family about the numerous stories that we all had of Uncle Bruce. The sadness wasn't so much for the loss of the man I knew but it was for the loss of the those who didn't get the chance to know the man we all knew and loved. So I say goodbye to my uncle and my friend, you will be missed but never forgotten.

This Weeks Post

2012-04-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

I am sorry, but this is all I can muster this week. Due to a sudden death in my family, I really can't think of anything worth writing about...

Web Site Review: GhillieSuits.com

2012-04-10T14:06:00.001-07:00

I would like to show you a website that has little to do with paintball directly, but that is a fantastic resource. The site is for Ghillie Suits.com. It is a very impressive site dedicated to the art of camouflage. Most of the products they offer can be used for hunting or paintball. They also offer tips on constructing your own ghillie suit, as well as a color guide for picking the right color for your environment.
Having these tips on a website is refreshing to see, more often then not companies are reluctant to give free advice that might take money out of their pockets. With their selfless act, we as paintballers have a great asset. So if you are looking for your next piece of gear for crawling thru the bush or hiding in plan sight I invite you to have a look @ Ghillie Suit .com.

Rain - Playing in it

2012-04-03T09:39:00.001-07:00

Now with Spring here, we hardcore players have to deal with the rain. Here are just a few things to help overcome the weather. The simplest option is often then most practical, keep your barrel dry. To do this, either switch to a non-ported barrel or tape up your porting on your barrel with some black electrical tape. You might also want a barrel swab of some kind out on the field with you, just in case. For those of us with electronic markers and hoppers, you want to look into protecting the boards. If you are thinking ahead, the use of conformal coating will protect your boards from moisture. However this could void your warranty so double check with the manufacture. If this isn`t an option for you then try to cover or seal any seams with more of the black tape. By simply wrapping the battery cover or grip handle with tape you should be pretty good. Hoppers with speed grills or feeds are a terrible thing in the rain. If possible, change to a lid, if that can`t be done, place a heavy plastic bag over your hopper. It might look stupid but you will save your hopper & paint.
Now we are going to move to yourself, when it rains, your mask will fog up. Your only hope is to use an anti-fog agent. If you can't treat the lens before you head out to the field, find a dry place like the inside of your vehicle. Once it is on, try to keep the inside of your mask as dry as possible. If you don't have waterproof footwear, get two plastic bags and put them on your feet before you put on your shoes. This will help to keep your feet dry, also have an extra pair if socks. An extra change of clothes couldn't hurt, even if they are just for the ride home. If it is a long game, take an extra pair of socks with you in a zip-lock bag. If you don't have a bag on you, you can roll your extra socks from toe to calf this will help to keep your feet dry.
Carrying a ground sheet or tarp in your gear bag can really help as well, by placing it on the ground before you put your bag down and then covering your gear will make some of your fellow players a little jealous. I am sure that you might be thinking that with a non-ported barrel and bags on your feet you have lost all stealth. Thankfully all of that rain is going to help cover your noise.
Here is a list for rain gear we talked about bringing to the field:

Black Electrical Tape
Heavy plastic bags
Zip-lock bags
Anti-fog solution
Ground sheet
Extra socks
Extra clothes

My latest post???

2012-03-26T16:11:00.002-07:00

So I have a post that I have been working on for a while off & on. I finish and posted it earlier however, it was back dated on the blog. So if you are interested in seeing it, this is where you can find it: http://hardballerrecon.blogspot.ca/2011/12/some-big-changes.html

Product Review: Magpul Angled Fore Grip

2012-03-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

So to be completely honest, when I first saw the AFG and how it modified your grip on a marker/rifle. My initial impression was that it was mostly for "posers". Tactical wannabees just looking to add gear to their markers. Several weeks later, most of the local players I know where all talk about the AFG. It seems the week before one of the players had had an opportunity to use a marker fitted with the AFG. They all asked me if I was going to be try it out, so I sucked up my pride and ordered one.
I very quickly changed my opinion, once I had this gear in my hands I really was impressed, once it was installed on my marker even more so. The first thing that I noticed was how comfortable the grip was, even when the AFG is placed at the front of your marker. The second thing and the more important of the two, the marker is incredibly stable while using the grip shown here.

I very quickly adapted to the use of the AFG and my accuracy at distances over 75 ft was greatly increased. So for the past six months I have been using the AFG and it has changed the way I shoot. I have been using with my Tippmann X7 & I really can't see myself changing to anything else for a primary assault set-up.

As always, let me know what you think of my post and the blog, see something like or don't like...tell me!

Tactical Flashlight

2012-03-13T08:35:00.001-07:00

A Tactical Flashlight, sometimes called a Tac Light, might seem like a strange piece of kit to most paintball players. To be completely honest, I first added mine to try and bring up my bad-ass status on the field. It really did get me noticed before and after games. I still remember the first time I had it on my AK-98 @ a big game. One of the players came up and asked me how often I played night games? When I told him I hadn't and that I mostly had it for show, he was a little disappointed. I did, however, redeem myself later that day as he helped me clear a bunker and I used my light for the first time. You can imagine the surprise of the three guys in the bunker, when we spotted them with my flashlight hiding in the corner. The bright light blinded them for the half second that we needed to take them out.
Since then I have used it maybe a dozen times, not including night games, but every time it tipped the odds in my favour.
I keep my tac light on my marker, it's a Pelican M6 with a weaver ring and a pressure switch. I mostly use this set-up to keep the light at the ready. As I do realize that it might seem strange to some to keep a piece of gear on your marker if you have only ever use it a dozen times. For the tactical advantage that it can bring to the field and for the added 12oz it adds to my marker, I do not mind at all. I carry the light for the same reasons I carry two pods onto the field, even thorugh I rarely empty my hopper..."What if I need it?". For those of you who do not have your marker bristling with rails, might I suggest a small LED light that you carry on a pouch on attached to a carabiner.

As always, let me know what you think of my post and the blog, see something you like or don't like...tell me!

Cover or Concealment

2012-03-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

Is there a difference? This question was asked of me a while back; sadly I had to answer the question with a question. Do you think there is a difference? They really weren't sure and I can see why. They both do similar things but they are very different. Simply put, cover is an object that you can stay behind or you keep between you and the enemy that will prevent you from getting shot or seen. This can include all manner of things such as rocks, trees or fortifications. Now concealment is more of an effect like hiding, something that will break the “line of sight”. A good example of the difference between the two is “a shadow”. A shadow can offer great concealment but no cover. Just remember that most cover will offer concealment but concealment offers no cover.

Like before, let me know what you think of my post and the blog, see something you like or don't like...tell me!

Double Tap Tactic

2012-02-28T09:17:00.000-08:00

The double tap

A double tap shot is a shooting technique where two shots are fired in short order at the same target. The term hammer is sometimes used to describe a double tap in which the firearm's sights are not reacquired by the shooter between shots.

History

The origin of this technique is credited to William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes, British Police chiefs in Shanghai during the 1930s. This tactic is still used by advanced competitive shooters, and has also been adopted by many Special Forces divisions, counter-terrorist units, and police tactical teams. It is also taught to regular infantrymen in the U.S. Army. However, William Ewart Fairbairn is reported to have instructed SOE (Special Operations Executive) personnel in this technique during 1944–1945 at the SOE training school near Ariasag in Scotland, run by Fairbairn and Sykes. This was later perfected by the S.A.S. (Special Air Service) and was then adopted by other Special Forces groups around the world.

Theory

Control of fire has been an issue since reliable and effective semi automatic weapons became available in both paintball & the real world. The advent of fully automatic weapons further exacerbated the problem, particularly in the military. Analysis of tactics used in the Vietnam War revealed that soldiers spent too much time with their weapons set to full auto, wasting ammunition & showed a very low hit probability. Extensive testing has shown that after the third round of sustained fire, accuracy drops off sharply, as aim is thrown off-true by recoil effect. Consequently, when the United States Army's M16 rifle came up for revision to the M16A2, the full-automatic setting was removed and replaced with a three-round burst.

The double tap technique is meant to impose similar restraint and fire control on the users of a semi-automatic weapon, while maximizing the potential of that weapon. After the first round is fired, the trigger is pulled again, quickly, while maintaining the same point of aim. Ideally, both rounds should strike anywhere within the centre mass or chest, causing two sites of impact. Follow-up shots should be held for at least one second. This gives the shooter enough time to assess the situation and determine an appropriate course of action, such as the balls did not break and a second burst is needed.
While paintballs tend to have poor ballistic characteristics, a pair of such projectiles, traversing @ a target in close track, can produce incredible results. Since the center of mass is the most desirable target for a paintball, firing two rounds helps compensate for the possibility padded targets.

Application of technique
How does all of this relate to paintball? At the very least you might want to reconsider your equipment. Players, whose markers have an E-grip, might want to consider a chance to the response or 3-shot burst setting. Eliminating the spray and pray shooting & cutting back on the wasted paint. To do this, you will want to practice these simple steps:

1. stand at the ready – barrel pointing down

2. quick target acquisition – bring your marker up to fire

3. steady trigger response – fire a two shot burst

4. return to the ready – barrel pointing down

5. repeat step 1

To start off I would suggest a simple plywood target and a lot of practice. Once you can effectively and consistently reproduce this technique you can employ it to snap-shooting and walking drills. Keep in mind that most competitive shooters, paintball or otherwise, fire thousands of rounds a week

Please let me know what you think of my post and the blog, see something you like or don't like...tell me!

Some Big Changes

2011-12-09T17:45:00.001-08:00

So this news is a little old but it does has some real impact on our beloved sport. Back in November of 2011 Angel Paintball announced that they were closing their doors FOREVER! I have a copy of a online post and it is the closest thing to a press release I can find:

A Sad Day
I learned that Angel Sports is ceasing operations. I don’t know all the details, not sure it really matters. I have been assured by the UK office that parts will be available to service your markers. The details of this arrangement should become clear in the near future, and should be announced by the UK office. For the near future, both myself and Bob at Fix My Angel (www.fixmyangel.com) have parts in stock in the US for your markers.
Many of you have become friends, and I feel an obligation to you. I’ll do what I can to help you and your team going forward. I have some items in stock personally, and will be willing to honor your team discounts (or give you an even better deal) where I can on those items. Anyone looking for accessories, or especially clothing, please contact me asap and we’ll see what we can work out. I will be offering these items to my dealers as well, and once it is gone, I am not sure I can get more. I also have some casual clothing and banners, and I would like to see those items end up with teams if possible. Call or email me for details.
Many of you may know, I have an interest in a retail paintball store, PB Sports. I am going to pass this email along to the guys there, and ask them that they look after you when possible. If you have a good relationship with your local store or field, continue to shop there and nurture that relationship. If you would like to start a relationship with PB Sports, you can reach them at www.pbsports.com, 260-471-4334, or sales@pbsports.com. I can assure you that they will give you good service, and should be able to help you on pricing and/or work out a sponsorship deal with you and your team. I know some of you have already done business with PB Sports, and hope that continues.
Because I feel an obligation to the teams and dealers I have worked with, I will continue to monitor and use thejay@angelsports.com email. I have been assured that it will work for some time. If that turns out not to be the case, I have set up a personal email account, pballjay@gmail.com that I will begin to monitor if the angelsports.com email fails or ceases to exist. I will continue to maintain and monitor my mobile number, 260-438-9760 so that any of you that wish to reach me will be able to do so.
Jay

This was a copy from the site ProPaintball.com and here is the link to the post as well. For those of you that are unaware, we owe a lot to Angel paintball. The Angel is one of the first electropneumatic paintball markers, manufactured by Angel Paintball Sports (originally WDP) in 1997, introduced alongside Smart Parts original Shocker. Oddly, Smart Parts has also closed it's doors. Which really brings me to the point of this article. As players we need to make sure we are supporting our manufacturers and local shops. We all want to save our money, but please make sure that by saving that $10 bucks from the cost of your next gear purchase you aren't crippling the local shops in your area. If we don"t have the local shops, we don't anywhere to get the basic stuff like paint and air.

The responsibility of keeping our sport alive doesn't just fall to the players. It also lies with the manufacturers. By this I mean that the makers of the gear we all use for paintball need to remember that you can build and charge whatever you want for the stuff you make, but if the "average" player can't afford it, your are only catering to the elite players. Sadly, it is my opinion that this was the downfall of Angel Paintball Sports. When you consider that most of their markers were over $1000, it is hard for me to come to a different outcome. I do not, in any way, enjoy the thought of the closure of a company and the loss of jobs that it brings but the industry really needs to make sure they are following the trends and adjust to them as they come up.

SA-17 Recall

2011-01-18T16:07:00.000-08:00

IMPORTANT NOTICE!

News from CPSC U.S. Consumer Product Safety CommissionOffice of Information and Public Affairs Washington, D.C. 20207
For Immediate Release Firm’s Recall Hotline: (800) 220-3222 January 19, 2011 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
Release #11-FOR CLEARANCE CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
KEE Action Sports Recalls BT SA-17 Paintball Marker Due To Injury Hazard
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of product: BT SA-17 Paintball Gun/Marker Units: About 1,400 Importer: KEE Action Sports LLC, of Sewell, N.J. Hazard: When users attempt to pierce the CO2 cartridge by closing the lever to the cartridge chamber, the cartridge can fly out of the marker, posing an injury hazard to consumers. Incidents/Injuries: No incidents or injuries have been reported. Description: The marker is made of aluminum and resembles a pistol. It is black with model number BT SA-17 printed on both sides. It uses a horizontally-fed magazine and requires a 12g CO2 cartridge.Sold at: Paintball fields/arenas, stores and retailers from May 2010 through August 2010 for about $130. Manufactured in Taiwan Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled paintball markers. Consumers can return the markers to KEE or the retailer from which the product was purchased for a free repair or contact KEE for the repair parts and installation instructions. Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact KEE Action Sports at (800) 220-3222 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT, or visit KEE’s customer service website at http://www.paintballsolutions.com/.

BT SA-17 paintball maker with lever to CO2 cartridge chamber open.
CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx
---The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $800 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals – contributed to a significant decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
Under federal law, it is illegal to attempt to sell or re-sell this or any other recalled product.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772, teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. Consumers can obtain this press release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov. To join a free e-mail subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx.

X7 Phenom Mag Well

2010-09-09T21:45:00.001-07:00

With Tippmann's release of the Phenom there have been some mixed feelings about the marker. Most like the smaller lighter look but there are many loyal Tippmann players out there that have been unhappy with the limiting look offered by the SMG magazine.
In true Tippmann fashion, they aren't happy until you are happy. Tippmann has just announced that they are now releasing 3 different Magazine kits along with an easy install video. The 3 Magazine choices will be M4, AK-47, & G36. Not surprising really. With these choices added to the growing options of the X7 line-up it is hard to see if anything can slow Tippmann down.

One Crazy Summer

2010-09-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

The summer of 2010 is almost gone and more than a few time I thought that I might not make it out alive. We have seen some cool gear come out & I have tried to stay on top of it but I have failed in letting you all know about it. So I would like to get back @ that ASAP.

Second Week Of Tests

2010-06-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

Last week I let you know about my first test with the JT QLS Status and this week I wanted to let you know what has gone on. As luck would have it, speaking only on a reviewing stand point, it was wet and rainy again last weekend. So with my fan installed on my mask, I set out to make this mask work. With a good coating of anti-fog spray applied before I hit the field I was ready to go. My JT mask however was not. As soon as I started to move, I noticed the tell tale signs of my mask fogging around the other edges. Now in most cases with my previous JT mask/fan I would engage my fan and after 20 seconds we would be clear again. This was not the case with the Status, I was forced to leave the fan on the entire time I was out playing in that game. It was a load and annoying sound that left me playing way back as I was afraid the the noise would give me anyway.
I only use the Status for that first game and after that I switched to something else. I also had a dual pane thermal lens but don't have a fan nor did it need it. I really am disappointed with the results of this test/review I had high hopes that this was going to be my next great mask.

I think the problem with the mask is that there is a lot of wasted space on the mask itself. The picture above has 3 arrows pointing the different spots on the mask or grill that is solid. Now this will keep paint out of your mouth if you get out there but it is also keeping "ALL" of the hot air you are exhaling in your mask. That is what I believe is causing this mask to fog up. I will be testing this in the near future and post what I find.