Paintball Haven

Going to play ball?

2010-08-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

Then dress for the occasion! This thread will be a basic discussion of what it is that you need to be safe, cool, and comfortable. More after the break!

So I just got some new threads and I am in love. Check it out!

I am not one for pads. I believe pads are used for first time players and small children. That being said there is one pad that I have always wanted. The crotch pad. I don't know if any of you have ever been bunkered in the crotch but I have....and it sucks. So no hating on the crotch pad.

The great thing about this outfit is that it is baggy in nature which helps paint bounce. Nothing is better than getting popped on the run, looking down and having no mark on you.

The pants have built in leg and hip pads for sliding and simple ground movement. They are Kevlar reinforced and super durable! They are also surprisingly lightweight which is deceiving due to their bulky appearance. The pants are lined with mesh fabric in "non active" areas to help the pant breathe making it a bit cooler in your under regions.

The jersey is super light and also breathes very well! The gloves come in both full finger (shown above) and half finger. Some people like to feel the trigger on their bare skin but I have always played this way and it is what I like. Gloves are very important because when it is hot outside gloves help with the grip on your pow pow making every shot count. Slippage is a bummer and can mean the difference between winning and losing!

Anyways, get you a good pair of pants and gloves at the very least. They will save your legs and help keep you cool on those hot summer days of paintball.

Enjoy and happy hunting!

Call to Duty Scenario this Saturday!!!

2010-08-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

So it has been a while since we have been able to play paintball. Work has been crazy which is a good thing but has hindered our ability to shoot our pow pows. That will change this weekend! More after the break!

Click the link below to see details on the scenario:

Call to Duty

I will be playing with a team that I have been talking to recently known as the Texas Roughnecks. I am not a member of their brigade yet but will be playing with them nonetheless. It is going to be nothing short of sick! If you like scenario style paintball then hit these guys up!

I may be going on this one alone as my partner in crime, Jon, is going to have to be AWAL due to work. However if you guys have some spare change laying around and are looking for a rocking good time!!!

Above is the flyer for the scenario. I must say that being a player of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare game this one makes me very excited! I took my pow pow to the gun tech at Paintball Players Supply to get a quick run through on it. Everything is in working ordert. i will be taking care of the rest of my gear on Thursday.

I hope to see everyone there!

Getting Back Into the Mix!!!

2010-03-27T15:57:00.000-07:00

We have taken a hiatus from paintball over the past few months due to disgusting weather. April is almost here which makes perfect temperatures for all day paintball play! So what needs to be done to prepare for the upcoming season?

More after the break.

Paintball is not only about gun maintenance. A lot of little things can hinder your performance on the field. Let's discuss some of those now.

1. Gun Maintenance: Most paintball guns today are owner maintenance friendly. If you do not know how to clean/lube your gun yourself you can easily find instructions online to do it. If not, take your gun to the nearest paintball store with a gunsmith that you have researched and know is trustworthy. A happy gun means many welts on your opponents.

2. Hopper Maintenance: Clean the inside of your hopper to make sure that it is clear of debris. Also make sure that the eye on your hopper is clean so that balls feed when you need them. This could mean the difference of a kill or a splat on your mask! The Dye Rotor is what I use and is the easiest hopper to clean on the market today.

3. Tank: There is not much you can do yourself in regards to your tank and the maintenance it needs. The most you can do is fill it and listen for leaks. Also make sure that your hydro test is up to date or you may be getting to the field and not being able to play due to an expired tank. Trust me, it sucks.

4. Barrel Maintenance: A drunk monkey could figure this out but make sure that your barrell is clear of debris and has no scratches in the bore. Easiest way to clean your barrells is to fill a sink with hot water and dishwasher soap, let your barrells soak in there for a few minutes, and then run a squeege through a few times. Happy barrell = straight shooting paint.

5. Pack/Tubes: You should clean all of this stuff after you play but if you hadn't then make sure you look at this before going out. Junk in your tubes can contaminate your paint and make balls bust in your pods. You just then threw away 200+ paintballs. Also make sure your pack's velcro is working as intended or you may be losing your pods.

6. Mask Maintenance: Your mask is the singlemost important safety equipment piece in your arsenal. Make sure that the lens is clean and has a limited number of scratches and NO CRACKS. If there is a crack then throw the lense away and buy another. If you like to see, you will take this advice!

After all of these items are completed you are ready to play! Enjoy a great summer of paintball and maybe we'll see you out there. As always, happy hunting!

"We Were Soldiers" Scenario Review

2009-10-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

The scenario game was unbelievably fun! The day started with a helicopter flying over head that made you hearing impaired to all that was going around you including paintballs flying over your head!

There were not as many people at the game as I had hoped. About 125 total heads were counted at midday of the event. Of course not all of them stayed the entire time. About 30 stayed until the very end which was at 7:00.

There were many hardcore fights including taking "mustang village" which is basically a small village with buildings. Not only that taking individual areas on a huge battlefield.

All in all I would rate the Scenario Game as follows: 3.5/5 STARS

Not as many people as I hoped but great organization and loads of fun.

No paintball for me for a while!!!

2009-10-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

So here is some bad news......I am not going to be playing ball for about a month! Why?

Look at the picture after the break for your answer!

This is very graphic so if you are queasy, please don't look!

Friggin nasty!!!

So how did this happen exactly? Well there are some kids that live behind me that have been "ding dong ditching" me now for 2 years. It happened again the other night and I ran out my back door, barefoot, and hopped on the fence. When I did, the 90 degree angle of the 2X4 on my wood fence caught the knuckle of my big toes. It then tore, not cut, the meat of my big toe. 12 stitches later, well, you see the picture.

It stinks that I couldn't show the inside of the toe because the tear goes all the way up the inside of my big toe. Needless to say it was a pretty epic injury.

I saw the kid that did it though but the parents don't really care. So did I do it for nothing? pretty much! So no paintball for me. I guess I will be watching "Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story" for my paintball fix.

Car Crash May Prohibit Play.... /sadface

2009-10-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

So our resident poster Jeff was in a minor car altercation last week. Let me break it down for you what happened:

I am sitting peacefully in my car at a stop sign underneath an overpass. I was behind a black POS truck with no one behind me listening happily to the brand new, and awesome, Breaking Benjamin CD. Feel the tension rising!?!?!?!?

More after the break.

All of a sudden the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand up. It was almost like Spider Sense but I hate spiders so I am going to call it "Baller Sense". My Baller Sense was going over time. I knew something terrible, tragic, and down right rediculous was about to happen.

I was at that moment the car behind me slammed into my rental. Why a rental you may ask? Because my car was in the shop getting fixed from a D-Bag that pulled out in front of me after cutting through a parking lot to miss a traffic light. Yea, I T-Boned him. What a moron.

Anyway, back to the story at hand. I was on my way back to the dealership that had fixed my car. I was literally 5 minutes from the dealership. So what happened under that overpass? A teenager slammed into the back of my car. I was surprised by the speed she gained because not 30 yards behind me was a stop sign that she had to accelerate from.

She hit me going about 25 mph. Not too fast right? Wrong. When you don't know that you are about to get hit you do not tense up and brace for the impact. So what happens to poor ole me? My neck and back get all f*&%#d up!

She told me that her "brakes have been failing" and that she "could not stop". I got all of her information and she got all of mine and put it in her wonderfully decorated PDA, an IPhone I think, and we were on our way. I later spoke with her insurance adjustor and he told me that the father said that it had been raining and the roads were wet, per his daughter. Pfft.....she was texting her teenie bopper friends and decided not to pay attention while driving.

I will still be attending the scenario game but doubt seriously that i will be doing anything too athletic on the field which kills me to say. Oh well. I guess I will put heads down and let my teammates run up and have all the fun.

I would not be at all surprised if the person driving this automobile in the desert was the chick that hit me. Unreal!

We Were Soldiers Scenario Game...Almost Here!!!!

2009-10-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

All right ballers, I am getting very giddy. And no, I am not gay. The title of this post says it all. The time has almost come for the "We Were Soldiers" scenario game!!!

More after the break.

There is more to be excited about. My previous post was about a nightmare of a day of paintball last Sunday was. Wet, rainy, muddy, and just plain nasty outside. Our very wise news casters are predicting Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to be sunny with the highs in the mid to upper 60s!!!

That will give the ground a bit of time to harden. We here at Paintball Haven know that God wants this scenario game to be nothing but epic! Which I promise you all....it will be! I will see you all there at 9:00 am with gun in hand.

Last Weekend's Outing...

2009-10-08T23:25:00.000-07:00

Was a nightmare!!!!!

"Was it really that bad?" you may ask. Ummmmm......yes! The post before this one commented on a rainy week. The phrase "rainy week" is not really giving the storms justice. It is more like the "oh crap it is time to build an ark" rainy week.

More after the break.

So I went out to play at DFW Adventure Park and the fields were, well I just have to say it, WET!!!!!!!!!!!! To give you an idea how muddy it was I had to compensate my slides by starting the slide into a bunker about 5-7 feet away to avoid busting my a$$. Not to mention mud getting all in my gun and underwear! It was not the best of conditions.

I still got 4 games in though. They were quite successful even though there was no one there... My best game was my last game of the day. I hugged the left tape on the famous "Trench" field and took out 4 ballers before what I call the "walk of fame" happened.

We touched on this in a previous post about the "Art of the Dead Man's Walk". It was my last game and I knew it. A ball broke in one of my pods, which would not have happened if I was using the Dye Lock Pods. I had 250 balls to start the game with. After I shot out the 4 ballers mentioned previously I had maybe 15 balls left in the hopper. Well....I never go out and have been known to bunker people with only air.

So what did I do? I stood up, head and gun down to the ground, and walked up the left tape line. The opponents saw me do this and just assumed since I was just walking very casually that I was out of the game. LOL. I went around the corner of the hill where they were dug in like ticks, dropped to a crouching position, and surrendered both of them. All one of the guys could say is "Wow....that's messed up".

So boys and girls, the next time you are low or out of paint just remember the Art of the Dead Man's Walk. It could mean the difference between victory and defeat!

You telling me this Clown Zombie wouldn't do a Dead Man's Walk? He doesn't have a choice in the matter people!!!

Must See Movie!!!!!

2009-10-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while since our last post but to be honest the weather here sucks right now and paintball is not happening. And yes, there is always indoor but lets face it....indoor is terrible. Always slipping on the fake turf, twisting ankles, and air conditioning is for the weak minded.

So what is there to do on a rainy day? More after the break.

If you read the title of this post you will know the answer to this question. Watch a good old fashioned American movie on Netflix. Now what movie could I possibly post about on a paintball forum? 300? Saving private Ryan? Spaceballs? None of the above my friends.

We are talking about the best, and only if memory serves me correctly, paintball movie on God's green Earth. Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story

I am a subscriber to netflix which allows me to watch certain videos instantly straight from my PC. I came across this little gem and the users gave it an average of 2.5/5 stars. I had my doubts at first I must admit. I figured why not. Since I can't play paintball due to the torrential down pour I may as well watch a movie about it. And, since I love you all so much, I have provided a link to watch the movie courtesy of our friends over at HULU. Click here to watch the movie in its entirety!!!

What I got was a hour and a half of genius!!! This is hands down one of the funnier movies that I have seen in a long while. I caught myself laughing out loud which was not too popular with the wife at 12:30 in the morning.

The movie stars Rob Corddry which you may know him from some of the following films:

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
Blades of Glory
Old School

Not to mention television:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (anyone? yea he is hilarious)

The movie is basically about a baller that wiped once in a tournament and the lingering shame has "blackballed" him from the sport for a decade. When he returns, ready to play again, he is faced with multiple rejections from people that he used to ball with. All Bobby wanted was a team that he could play with. So he recruits a rag tag group of players; trains them, mentors them, conditions them, and plays the big tournament with them.

This is no spoiler so you will just have to watch for yourselves. Believe me when I say that you will laugh hysterically at this movie and nod your head in agreement to some of the things that only a paintballer would understand. Not to mention, Rob Corddry has some pretty decent moves and you can really tell that he has been a player for a while. Pay extra special attention to the way that he switches hands with his paintball gun. Fluid movements and a nice little teaching tool for anyone. Did I mention he is hilarious?!?!?!?

A must see. Paintball Haven gives "Blackballed: the Bobby Dukes Story":
***** 5 STARS!!!
=b d= and 2 HUGE thumbs up!!!

If it is not raining, get out there and shoot some one. If it is raining, watch this movie!

New Pack!

2009-09-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

Empire Liquid Hinge Pack 3+6 Acid

Superior pack guys and gals!!! I just bought this exact pack, design and all. This pack is perfect for the casual player. Tournament players will probably want to use the 4 + pack.

Let's give an overview of this pack (which is superior):

More after the break.
1. Velcro is operation grade with double stitching.
2. Easily cleaned with vinyle-like material on most of the pack.
3. Elastic pod ends for "ejection" style pod delivery.
4. Material that meets back is slip free eliminating pack movement.
5. Holds up to 9 pods or 1,260 paintballs!!!

As I said this pack is ideal for the casual player. I had a 4 across Redz pack that carried 560 paintballs. It has since seen better times and is basically falling apart. Not bad for a 10 year old pack! I will be attending "We Were Soldiers" scenario game on October 17 at DFW Adventure Park. This pack will allow me to hold more than half a pack of paint on me while I go out on the field. Couple that with the air efficiency of the Protege (1,800+ shots on a single 4500 fill) and that is more than half of a day's play.

Ladies and Gents, that is a lot of play time with one pack. This pack is durable, sleek, attractive, and has a warranty!!!! That's right folks, this pack has a warranty! If it busts while you are kicking ace on the field, Empire and it's partners will give you a brand new pack if yours busts.

Folks, I play hard as do a lot of the people I play with. I have had packs bust on me in the past and have just had to buy new ones. I can play as hard as I can with this pack and don't have to worry about it busting and having to buy a new one. I can tell all of you that I do not have to worry about this bad boy busting because it is made to last! plus, it is sexy. Check out the picture!

I will be buying some Lock Lid Pods with this new pack because they are far superior and will ONLY OPEN WHEN YOU WANT THEM TO. That means sliding into a bunker will no longer result in pods popping open and losing paint. I need to buy at least 6 of them though and at $4.95/pod, that is quite the price tag. But my friends, for every pod of paint wasted is is like dumping $4.00 on the ground so it is definitely worth it.

Hope this helps you make the right decision in your pack purchase!

We are back in business!

2009-09-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

We are sorry but an event in our resident poster's life, Jonny, has prevented us from contributing to the blog. That and work, which sucks but that gives us more $$$ for PB!!!

That being said, we are definitely back. I could not play this weekend but will ABSOLUTELY be on the field on Saturday. More than likely I will be playing at DFW Adventure Park since they are far superior and there is always a plethora of bodies to shoot! The Protege will be out in force!

Although Jonny will more than likely be with his baby, I will be out there getting painted up. I hope to see everyone out there on Saturday.

I hope that the village is open for play on Saturday. it is an amazing course. There are basically 4 buildings that are multi-tiered. They have many windows and it is just like being in urban warfare! Going to be a sick day.

Hope to see everyone out there!

But He/She Has a Better Gun!!!!

2009-09-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

As my English friends would say, "Bollocks"!!!

It is all about the player. Do you really think that a casual woods ball player with a DM9 could beat Ollie Lang with a Pirhana? Maybe; with a lucky shot. Why? Because players such as Ollie have a few key factors needed to be the greatest in the world.

More after the break.

Mike over at techpb has a great video about this very subject. You can view it here.

Follow these steps. You may not be as good as Ollie but you sure would stand a better chance against some one of his caliber. And the next time you think that the gun is the #1 driving force of a good baller, remember, it is not about the gun but about the player.

Practice, practice, practice!

What Hopper Should I Use?

2009-09-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

Great question! Back in the day the bees knees of hoppers was the VL Revolution. It could pump out an amazingly fast 14 BPS keeping up with the quickest of guns.

As we all know this is no longer the case. Not even close! More after the Break.

So which is the best for my style of play?

When looking at a good hopper it is not so much "your" style of play as much as your gun's style of play. You may have heard the addage "your gun is only as good as your hopper and paint". Guess what kids, it is! You can have a DM9 or Dye NT and if you have a gravity feeder on it, you are in trouble....and not so intelligent.

Mike over at techpb did a great review of three of the top end loaders on the market today; the Prophecy, Dye 09 Rotor, and Pinokio. He breaks them down for you here! Click the link on the page to watch the video.

I personally like the Dye 09 Rotor for its ease of maintenance, sleek design, and super durable features. If I were to choose, and I have, the Dye 09 Rotor is the hopper of choice. This video actually helped me make my mind up. Well, that and the 50 bps feed speed!

Of course any one of the three hoppers will shoot just fine on any gun on the market today. The best thing to do is some research. Ask from blogs, product sites, and word of mouth. Good luck in your decision!

Beware the bad hopper!

Your Requests

2009-09-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

Have a topic about paintball that you would like for us to discuss or research? Place it here! We will do our best to get you all of the up to date information on the topic at hand in a timely manner. Go nuts people.

The Art of the Dead Man's Walk

2009-09-20T18:14:00.001-07:00

Some may not have heard about this. Those that have probably have never seen it done. Those that play more than likely don't have the guts to do it.

I personally in my years of playing have only seen this done once. I saw it in a 5 man novice tournament by one of my teammates. It worked like a charm. Never seen it since then, until today!

More after the break.

Our resident blogger, Jon, in his infinite wisdom decided it a good day to take a walk; a Dead Man's Walk. You read it right. I am not easily fooled, never have been. It was done during our last 3 vs 4 game. Jon and myself were the only ones left from our team since our weakest member was already out. We were outnumbered and trapped.

Jon knew this, felt this, and had to act. So what does he do? He stands up, head down, yelling at himself. Not only was his head down but so was his gun! That's right, he never got hit and never held the gun up. He walks off and the other team believes it is just me left, and so did I!

So as Jon is giving himself a hard time walking off the field he walks right up to the first person he sees, sticks his barrel against the guy's nipple, and asks him to surrender. With Jon behind everyone we took the field. I then gave a chuckle and admired the guts it took to pull that off.

The Emmys are tonight and I believe Jon deserves one! So here you go Jon. You've earned this one!!!

A Successful Day Indeed!!!!

2009-09-20T18:06:00.000-07:00

As stated yesterday, Jon and I played at XDrenaline Zone in Grapevine today. We showed up at the butt crack of dawn (9:30) and were the first ones there.

We thought that we would have to do some preliminary work on the Bob Longs but to our surprise the factory settings were spot on. I shot about 15 balls over the chrony and only saw a +-5 fps to put me at a mean average of 289. Not bad at all!

More after the break.

So what happened today? Well, a lot! Jon and I started the day off with some one on one at the x-ball field. It is a really great way to break in the day and get the legs warmed up. We did a quick skill honing as we were waiting for bodies to shoot. Jon is the king at whizzing paintballs past my face!

About 4 guys showed up, got their gear all prepared, chornoed, and we hit the first woods ball game with fervor. It was 3 v 4 at that time having Jon and I as 2 of the team of 3. Really it was more like 2 v 4 because the guy on our team was just a hot headed rental that didn't move. We played well winning 2 out of 3.

When we got back to the staging area about 10 more people showed up. Now we're talking! The rest of the day was mostly x-ball. The domination, of course, did not stop at woods ball. We won every game we played on x-ball and had a large kill count.

There was a tragedy on the trip, however. The last woods outing that Jon and myself were going to partake in hit a large boulder. It was more like a small rock but small rocks are easy to trip over on the break as our resident poster Jon found out very quickly. That little rock put Jon on his face, Vice flying, Hopper separating, but luckily nothing but his pride was hurt. His gun, however, was not so lucky. When the hopper flew off it left his feedneck completely exposed. It was basically raped by a load of dirt.

When we got back to the staging area there was dirt caked in his ram, breech, bolt, and feedneck. Luckily it is a Bob Long and happens to be one of the most maintenance friendly markers on the market and no long term damage was sustained to his marker or Rotor..

A good outing. Jon will more than likely not be playing next week but I will probably be out at DFW Adventure Park on Sunday. I did a small write up on this park but will be doing a more extensive one, with pictures and video, in the very near future. It is by far my favorite field in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Also a bonus, no shots to the neck this week. Woot!

Not Jonny but you get the idea. LOL!!!

Update on Location of Play

2009-09-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

It has been written. We will be playing at XDrenalin Zone Tomorrow. We are planning on being at the field at 9:30 am. Hope to see everyone there!

Tomorrow....it is on!!!

2009-09-19T17:44:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow Jon and myself will be visiting either DFW Adventure Park in Roanoke or XDrenaline Paintball Park in Grapevine. At this time we are undecided. Either way we go to shoot some one!

I hope to see you all out there shooting and getting shot!

Paintball Haven goes Tweeting!!!!

2009-09-19T17:25:00.000-07:00

Find us on Twitter!

Name: Paintball_Haven

Thank you to paintballonline.com for being the first to follow our awesomeness that is Twitter!!! All seriousness though, we are still learning to use the phenomena known as Twitter. Bare with us and keep reading!

"I was on Twitter but then some one shot the bird"

"WTF is a __________?"

2009-09-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

Don't know your A.S.A. from you A.S.S? What is a LPR and what does it do? Does my Pirhana have one or two regulators? How do you make a good cheesecake?

The answers, with help from Mike at techpb, after the break!

As usual I was cruising the videos over at techpb. Mike, in all his infinite wisdom and common sense, made a video about the lingo and function of your most common electronic markers. This is a perfect video for anyone that doesn't feel like visiting warpig to look up definitions of paintball lingo.

In this episode Mike takes his Bob Long Marq and tells the average Joe about the "ins" and "outs" of the gun's parts. These are all fairly universal terms as guns of this caliber are mostly all set up the same.

Check it out here.

It is a very good review of gun parts and their uses especially for less than a nine minute video. Thanks to the guys over at techpb for a good video!

Buying Gear Online

2009-09-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

I get a lot of questions on the best web sites to buy from. What is the best site? Who has the best prices? Who gets it right the first time? Who has awesome promotions? Who is honest?

All very valid questions. More after the break.

So who is it? For me, I would have to say Paintball Online. I have purchased all kinds of new equipment from them and this is what I have found:

There prices are generally 15-20% lower than their competitors on guns and equipment.
There selection is great from guns to pods to packs to loaders. Did I mention their prices are unbeatable?
Their web site is very easy to navigate through and everything is up front pricing. Oh, and their pricing rocks!
Customer service is great. I got a hold of an actual person when I called. Pick your jaws up....I know!
Promotions: Right now they are giving away free paintball gloves. What do you have to buy to get them? NOTHING!!! Weird, huh? Just have to pay for shipping. Also, for any gun purchase above $199 you get a free gun bag! I have this bag and it fits my Protege beautifully and also serves as a maintenance mat after a hard day's battle. Their prices are sexy too!
Want a chance to win a DM9? Click Here and test your luck! As we know, DM9s are quite pricey......but they are the least expensive on Paintball Online!
Delivery......it got there the day they told me it would. Also, the packaging was nice and tight assuring me that the transit to my home from the Northwest was a safe one. And guess what...the shipping was free!

All in all, if you want the best prices, honest business, and fantastic selection, go to Paintball Online! You will not be disappointed.

Spouse of a Paintball Player

2009-09-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

"Spouse of a Paintball Player" is a post for all of those spouses out there that do not play the sport of paintball but have significant others that do! This is your chance to tell all of us ballers about how you feel about the sport of paintball. This also gives you the chance to share your stories (either good or bad), head aches, and confusions that you may have and your spouse can not, or will not, answer for you!

So, that being said, give us what you got! We are ready, and truthfully excited, to read the thoughts of a Spouse of a Paintball Player!!! (By the way....this is not Jon or I)

Upcoming Event. Join us!!!

2009-09-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

I have never been a huge fan of scenario games back when I was actively participating in tournaments. However, the game has evolved so much and equipment has gotten so much better that the idea is very intriguing.

More after the break!

Ideas for scenario games and implementation of the event have evolved ten fold. Add that to the fact the the "scenario player" is becoming increasingly popular. What this boils down to is that there are going to be a lot of bodies to shoot. Target Rich Environments = Happy Fun Times.

Click here for detailed information on the event. DFW Adventure Park is an excellent field. From speedball to woods ball this place has it all! I have been playing at this location for years now and they just keep improving.

"We Were Soldiers" is the 4th installment of this scenario. I have been speaking with the individuals involved in implementing this event and they have told me that year after year the amount of players that come out has been increasing. You can expect about 175-200 players this year.

The price tag is very fair for an all day event. Jon and I will be there with bells on popping as many people as humanly possible. I look forward to seeing you all out there shooting me in the face!

Jonny Boy

2009-09-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

My buddy Jon also has mediator rights to this blog. I grew up with Jon, went to college together, and we now own our own real estate company as well as placing welts on anyone we can on the paintball field.

We both have been playing the game of paintball since the ripe old age of 12. That puts us roughly around 30 years of combined experience.

More info after the break!

Jon sports a Bob Long Vice, which happens to be in my opinion one of the sexiest looking guns on the planet. It is blue and looks like liquid metal. The milling is unbelievable and the performance is even better. A steal at $750!

Through the course of this blog, Jon and myself will be taking videos and pictures of outings, reviews of equipment, answering questions, sharing tips and techniques, and basically trying to grow the sport of paintball.

We will also be following the awesome team over at techpb for their insights and expertise. This blog is for the ballers of the world. Jon and myself love this sport and want to share it with everyone we can. We will keep you posted on upcoming events, equipment, and Everything Paintball!

Why the monkey? Why not?!?!?!?!?!

Bob Long Protege Board Instructions

2009-09-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

The new Bob Long Protege has just come out. Like most Bob Long products this one did not come with a manual. Allow me shed some light on the situation for everyone.

This is from the techs at Bob Long who were kind enough to send me a .pdf with the following information on how to program the Protege. It is actually very similar to the Bob Long Vice.

Programming Instructions after the break!

Frenzy 4.0 Manual_2009 PSP Compliant

Turn on marker
push marker on button momentarily

Turn off marker
Turn marker off by pushing marker on button until RED LED then release

LED Indications for Programming
Green = Firing Modes (green LED only)
Violet = Debounce Setting (blue and red LED.s on)
Aqua = Dwell Setting (blue and green LED.s on)
Blue = Ball in Place Delay (blue LED only)
Red = Eye Modes (red LED only)
White = Max. ROF Setting (all LED.s on)

Program Settings and Examples
Firing Modes (green) 1=semi, 2=ramp, 3=3 shot, 4=full auto
Debounce Setting (violet) 1=1ms to 50=50mS
Dwell Setting (aqua) 4=4mS to 25=25mS
Ball in Place Delay (blue) 1=off, 2=2mS, 5=5ms (slows marker ROF)
Eye modes (red) 1=force, 2 delay, 3=eye off 19bps, 4=eye off 11bps
Maximum ROF Setting (white) 5 pulls=5bps Max. 10 pulls=10bps Max.
20pulls =unlimited ROF

Check settings (not in lock mode)
1. marker off, no air, barrel bag
2. pull trigger and hold
3. push marker on button momentarily
4. release ON button and trigger
5. LED.s flash slow rainbow of colors
6. momentarily pull trigger to move between program modes (LED will change colors)
7. when desired program mode is set pull trigger and hold until LED turns off
8. 1 sec delay
9. BLUE LED flashes current setting (1 flash = 1, 4 flashes =4)
10. RED LED turns ON
11. Wait 3 sec for RED LED to turn OFF
12. Marker turns OFF after 1 sec. RED LED will quickly flash

Change settings (not in lock mode)
1. marker off, no air, barrel bag
2. pull trigger and hold
3. push marker on button momentarily
4. release ON button and trigger
5. LED.s flash slow rainbow of colors
6. momentarily pull trigger to move between program modes (LED will change colors)
7. when desired program mode is set pull trigger and hold until LED turns off
8. 1 sec delay
9. BLUE LED flashes current setting (1 flash = 1, 4 flashes =4)
10. RED LED turns ON, begin pulling trigger slowly for desired setting. (1 trigger pull
=1, 3 trigger pulls = 3). Each trigger pull will cause LED to turn ORANGE momentarly.
11. After trigger pulls wait 3 sec for RED LED to turn OFF.
12. BLUE LED flashes new setting (1 flash = 1, 4 flashes =4)
13. Marker turns OFF after 1 sec. RED LED will quickly flash

Enable lock mode
1. marker off
2. push and hold lock button
3. push marker on button momentarily
4. RED LED lights up for 1.5sec
5. release lock button
6. LED.s flash rapid rainbow of colors
7. Turn marker off by pushing marker on button until RED LED then release

Disable lock mode
1. marker off
2. push and hold lock button
3. push marker on button momentarily
4. GREEN LED lights up for 1.5sec
5. release lock button
6. LED.s flash rapid rainbow of colors
7. Turn marker off by pushing marker on button until RED LED then release

Semi-only
1. Turn on
2. Pull Trigger and hold
3. Hold down lock button
4. Momentarily press power button and release
5. Aqua LED color
6. Release trigger and lock button. Green LED
7. Slowly pull and release trigger 13 times. LED will flash orange with each pull
8. If correct violet LED and board resets

Cancel semi-only
1. Turn on
2. Pull Trigger and hold
3. Hold down lock button
4. Momentarily press power button and release
5. Aqua LED color
6. Release trigger and lock button. Green LED
7. Slowly pull and release trigger 15 times. LED will flash orange with each pull
8. If correct violet LED and board resets

No full-auto
1. Turn on
2. Pull Trigger and hold
3. Hold down lock button
4. Momentarily press power button and release
5. Aqua LED color
6. Release trigger and lock button. Green LED
7. Slowly pull and release trigger 10 times. LED will flash orange with each pull
8. If correct violet LED and board resets

Cancel no full-auto
1. Turn on
2. Pull Trigger and hold
3. Hold down lock button
4. Momentarily press power button and release
5. Aqua LED color
6. Release trigger and lock button. Green LED
7. Slowly pull and release trigger 15 times. LED will flash orange with each pull
8. If correct violet LED and board resets

Factory reset feature
1. Hold down lock button
2. turn on marker
3. continue holding lock button until white LED turns on then off (10sec)
4. board turns off

That is basically all you need to know on how to set the board to your liking. A video of the basic operations and settings will be posted at a later date. The techs at Bob Long are in the process of getting these instructions posted on their web site under the "downloads" section. ETA is unknown at this time but I am sure that they are working diligently. The new board is extremely easy to use. You can change settings on the fly such as Rate of Fire (ROF), Dwell, Debounce, or firing type (Semi Auto, 3 Shot Burst, Ramp, Full Auto), and Eyes on/off. To view all of Bob Long's items you can visit the following:

http://www.boblongdirect.com/

The "Downloads" section has all of Bob Long's manuals that generaly do not come in the box with their markers.

http://www.boblongdirect.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28&Itemid=42

A nice new little tid bit for the Protege is that it now comes stock with a 14" instead of the 12" assassin barrel. I have shot with it and it works like a dream. To give you an idea I railed the gun at about 15 bps and had a paint radius of about 8 inches from 35 yards away. Not bad eh? I am more of a front player and every inch counts when hugging a bunker. For me, I would like more a 12". However, for the average player a 14" is suited just fine. No complaints at all with this barrel.

For $550 the Protege is the absolute best gun on the market. It is a reliable, maintenance friendly, attractive, tournament ready, advanced, and deadly accurate marker right out of the box. Get one and you will not be disappointed!