[DarkTamer]

READ THESE TWO PARAGRAPHS FIRST:

This is a quick guide for anyone wondering what gun to buy. It is by no means all encompassing, so still feel free to post your own thread asking people what they think of your choices, this is just to help narrow the choices. I will not cover every single gun, that would take too much time and be pointless. I will try to be as unbiased as possible. Keep in mind, this is a speedball oriented thread, I will not talk about what guns are best for woods/scenario play.

I will cover a handful of guns in 12 categories, starting from $1-100, all the way to $1101-1200. This will not cover guns that haven't come out as of this date (September 21st, 2006), and will only cover guns that are still being produced/sold. This for guns sold being new from the retailer, not used. Some retailers have different prices, have sales, prices change etc. so you may find you can’t find the gun in some category in that price range, or perhaps you’ll find it cheaper; I can’t control this, I’ve tried to be as accurate as possible with prices.

I may decide to update or create newer versions of this thread in the future.

This thread was inspired by 98customplayer1's thread in the new player section, essentially the same idea but focuses only on lower end guns for new players looking for their first gun. Check it out if you're in that situation:

Are you new and looking for a gun? look no farther

[Note to Readers: I'm an opiniated human being, I'm not a true expert. This is all my opinion, it is by no means fact!]


$1-100 Category
This category is for the cheapest of "weekend warriors". You will not be able to effectively compete at any level with guns in this category. I don't even recommend spending any money whatsoever on upgrades for these guns. Save up for something better.

-PMI Eforce GTI 2006: The Piranha line of guns are cheap and pretty good performers, they perform exactly like spyders except are built at a higher standard and use standard parts, while spyders use metric parts which are very hard to find. This gun is cheap, electric (meaning faster than a mechanical gun) and pretty durable. My top pick for this category.
*Stacked tube blowback
*Spyder threaded barrel
*Works on either co2 or HPA (must be a High Pressure tank, LP will not work)
-Kingman Spyder Imagine: Same performance as the above Eforce, but built more cheaply. I would stay away from spyders if possible, they have always had a bad reputation for quality, and still do. It’s still worth looking into however, as most guns will generally hold up okay so long as you do perform regular maintenance.
*Stacked tube blowback
*Spyder threaded barrel
*Works on either co2 or HPA (must be a High Pressure tank, LP will not work)

$101-200 Category
This is a good price range for anyone who wants to have their own equipment just to fool around and not play competitively or seriously.

-Kingman Pilot ACS: It’s cheap, relatively fast, and easy to maintain; it has the “ACS bolt” that is advertised to reduce/eliminate chopping. While the ACS bolt probably helps a bit, it won’t actually completely eliminate chopping.
*Stacked tube blowback
*Spyder threaded barrel
*Works on either co2 or HPA (must be a High Pressure tank, LP will not work)
*Anti-chop bolt
-PMI Eforce Evo: Again, same operation as a spyder (stacked tube blowback), but this time it comes with a very nice set of break beam eyes, which will do a far better job of reducing chops than the “ACS” bolt.
*Stacked tube blowback
*Spyder threaded barrel
*Works on either co2 or HPA (must be a High Pressure tank, LP will not work)
*Break Beam eyes
-Smart Parts Ion: Most definitely the undisputed king when it comes to bang for your buck, in any category. They have a bad rap for many different reason that I won’t really get into, but the fact of the matter is they’re pretty decent guns: they’re light, pretty robust, and fast. The real problem with these guns is the way they’re designed, you must take apart the entire gun to access the bolt assembly, which needs to lubed regularly. On top of that the electronics and internals are rather cheap, and since they must be handled very often to get to the bolt assembly they tend to break a lot. This is gun is definitely the best buy in this category, if you feel confident that you can strip it down and reassemble it without a problem. It’s not complicated to do, you just have to be extra careful.
*Blowforward (Similar to spool valve but simplified)
*Impulse/Ion Barrel threads
*Replacable plastic body shell
*Break beam eyes
-Tippman 98: It's not very fast, or light, but it's a fairly decent performer. What makes it such a good choice is it's near indestructibility. So long as you put a bit of oil through it once in a while, the only thing that will ever break on this gun is the feedneck when is something like a $10 replacement.
*Single tube blowback
*Tippman 98 barrel threads
*Works on either co2 or HPA (must be a High Pressure tank, LP will not work)
-Diablo Wrath/Slayer: It’s a poppet valve with a spring return ram; this design seems to have a bad rap, although the design isn’t the problem here, it’s simply the gun over all. When they are working, they seem to be pretty decent guns, but I personally haven’t seen many of them working well, or even working period.
*Stacked tube spring return ram driven
*Break beam eyes
*Autococker tbarrel threads

$201-300 Category
-ICD Promaster: It’s light, quite fast, and efficient due to it’s poppet valve innards. It doesn’t come with a bottomline, so you’ll have to spend at least another $15 or so bucks to actually get it up and shooting right out of the box. Beware, I personally do not like anything from ICD, as I’ve seen too many of their guns having strange issues, particularly with their regulators, both the LP and HP.
*Stacked tube air ram
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
-“Private Label” Ions: Many websites are offering Ions that already come with upgrades installed. Due to this forum being sponsored by xpaintball.com, I can’t mention the specific websites, but just browse around, they are good deals. They’re a lot cheaper than if you were to buy the upgrades separately and try to install them yourself. Such examples are the “Redz Ion”, and the “Ion Pro”.
*Blowforward (Similar to spool valve but simplified)
*Break beam eyes
* [Barrel threads and body shell may vary]
-Diablo Wrath LTD: Same exact thing as the regular Wrath or Slayer, except with a bit lighter and smaller.
*Stacked tube spring return ram driven
*Break beam eyes
*Autococker barrel threads

$301-400 Category
There aren’t many guns in this price range that I would consider worth their price tag. It’d probably be a better idea to buy something in the last category, spend a bit of money on a few upgrades, or instead save some more money for the $400 and up categories.

-Worr Games Mini E-Orracle: It’s appealing for essentially the same reason many people would dislike it: it’s an autococker with a select fire frame. Because it’s an autococker, that means it will shoot great; because it’s an autococker some may find it to be finicky and more difficult to maintain. Because it has a select fire frame, it will be fast; because it uses a select fire frame, it does not have much adjustment (compared to the E1/E2 or Raceframe).
*Autococker operation (true closed bolt function)
*Autococker barrel threads
*Reflective eye
*On/off ASA

$401-500 Category
Guns in this category teeter on the edge of mid-end and high end; good for someone who plays lower level tournaments, or a serious player looking for a decent backup to a more expensive primary.

-Bob Long Defiant 2: Essentially a stripped down intimidator, similar performance. Only problem is it doesn’t come with a clamping feedneck or bottomline.
*Stacked tube air ram
*Break beam eyes
*Autococker barrel threads
-ICD Lasoya Promaster: It’s just a milled down promaster. Comes with a different board and trigger.
*Stacked tube air ram
*Break beam eyes
*Autococker barrel threads
-Smart Parts Nerve: It’s efficient, relatively light, and pretty reliable from what I’ve seen. Can keep up with pretty much any other gun too in terms of speed. Definitely a good buy.
*Stacked tube air ram
*Reflective eye
*Impulse/Ion barrel threads
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA


-Continued in next post-

[DarkTamer]

$501-600 Category
This is really where guns can start to be considered “high-end”; if you want to be truly competitive, you should be reserving at least somewhere around this much money just for the gun alone.

-WGP E2 Karnivor: Arguably the best autococker ever. They’re relatively light, quite fast, and shoots like an autococker. Again though, it has the con(s) of simply being an autococker which could turn some people off it.
*Autococker operation
*Autococker barrel threads
*Reflective eye
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA
-WGP Black Magic 05: Another autococker from the same company. It’s smaller and lighter than the Karnivor, but comes with a select fire frame rather than the E2 which offers more adjustments.
*Autococker operation
*Autococker barrel threads
*Reflective eye
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA
-Smart Parts Shocker: Small, light, and fast. Works absolutely terrific if it’s not broken, unfortunately they tend to break a lot, and becomes rather finicky in colder weather. Terrible efficiency as well with the stock bolt. Also, it does not come with a clamping feedneck.
*Spool valve
*Shocker barrel threads
*Reflective eye
*On/off ASA
-Alien Paintball Interceptor: A light poppet valve style gun. Fans of the line claim ego-like performance for half the price. What’s unique to the Alien line is that they come with what they call the “Sweep Trajectory”. I won’t explain the system in detail, but they claim a flatter trajectory and better accuracy; whether it is just hype is still being debated. Beware though, as Alien Paintball and their line of markers are still relatively new and untested.
*Stacked tube air ram
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA


$601-700 Category
-ICD F-S8: The latest in the freestyle family. Even the first generation of freestyles shot quite well, but were plagued by many, many bugs. Thus the reason why they’re onto the eight generation within two years… I still don’t trust ICD, but I’ve heard many good things about the FS8’s and very few bad things about them. The regs are still the standard ICD fare, thus if you choose this gun, I would still suggest swapping out both the LPR and HPR as soon as possible.
*Blowforward (similar to an Ion except with an LPR)
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break Beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA
-Bob Long Alias: It’s an intimidator, nothing particularly special about it. Medium weight, fast, and efficient, but has some kick like all poppet valves. Does not come with a bottomline.
*Stacked tube air ram
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck

$701-800 Category
-Alien Paintball Remains: Essentially the same as the Interceptor except milled down to be a bit lighter and slightly more efficient. They are extremely light, rivaling even the SL66 line of Egos.
*Stacked tube air ram
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
-Proto M6: The little brother of the DM6. Shoots pretty much the same, but doesn’t come with some of the nifty features the DM6 has such as the Ultralite frame or self cleaning eyes. It’s also a bit heavier.
*Spool valve
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA
-Evil Minion: Same exact thing as the PM6, but milled down a bit more and has metal eye covers, and come with an evil pipe for the stock barrel instead of the proto two piece the M6 comes with. Same exact performance, the choice between the two really comes two style preference.
*Spool valve
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA
-Planet Eclipse Etek Ego: Like the PM6 is to the DM6, the Etek is to the Ego6. Main differences is the ram does not have integrated QEV’s like the Ego6 has, and the trigger is a spring return instead of magnet return; the board also utilizes a series of LED’s versus the LCD screen the Ego6 uses.
*Stacked tube air ram
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA
-Smart Parts Dynasty Shocker: This shocker comes stock with a clamping feedneck, different trigger, HE bolt kit, and the special Dynasty milling along with a few other perks over the standard shocker. Unfortunately it still utilizes a single reflective eye, versus the newer PL shockers that come with break beams. Perhaps the next Dynasty shocker will come with break beams.
*Spool valve
*Shocker barrel threads
*Reflective eye
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA

$801-900 Category
-FEP Quest: Size of a shocker, better efficiency than a shocker, from what I’ve seen more reliable than a shocker. A very nice little gun. Only downside is that FEP (First Endeavor Paintball) is very new, so how they are in terms of customer support is pretty unknown. I have yet to hear anything about thus far though.
*Spool valve
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
-Dye DM5: The version of the Dye Matrix that was before the DM6. It’s bigger, heavier, does not come with the UL frame, or the self-cleaning eyes, but it’s still a DM which means it’s reliable, fast, and shoots awesome.
*Spool valve
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA


$901-1000
-Macdev 06 Cyborg: Cyborgs have always been known to be fast, efficient, and reliable. With the 06 version, they've made it even faster, more efficient, and now it's very light too. It matches, possibly even surpasses, even the legnedary vikings in both speed and efficiency.
*Stacked tube air ram
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
-Bob Long Intimidator Infamous/Empire 06: The lightest and most efficient intimidators to date. The Infamous and Empire are exactly the same with only some different milling on the body.
*Stacked tube air ram
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck

$1001-1100 Category
-Smart Parts Russian Legion Shocker: Crazy milling, break beam eyes, the new style regulator (essentially the same as the Ion reg believe it or not, supposedly more consistent than the Max Flos), and other goodies are some of what this gun offers. If you like shockers and are a fan of RL, this is an excellent choice…
*Spool valve
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA
-Smart Parts Naughty Dogs Shocker: Similar to the RL shocker, but with much more subdued milling and a different trigger. If you like shockers and are a fan of ND, then this instead would be a good choice.
*Spool valve
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA
-Smart Parts Evil Shocker: Once again, same perks and specs as the ND and RL shockers, but with different milling and trigger. This is personally my favorite of the three, although I don’t like the trigger much.
*Spool valve
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA

$1101-1200 Category
This is pretty much the highest echelon of paintball guns. Anything that costs more than these guns won’t really perform any better, they’re simply a bit lighter and some sort of special edition.

-WDP Angel 1: The smallest, lightest, and most tricked out Angel ever. Some users have reported some small bugs, but these are definitely a heavy contender. WDP has also had a reputation for quality and fast guns, this doesn’t appear to have broken that tradition. This is a poppet valve gun, which means great efficiency but more kick than a spool valve.
*Stacked tube air ram
*A1 barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA
-Dye DM6: Currently the latest edition to the DM line. It’s quite small, very light, very fast, and shoots like a matrix… they added a very unique UL frame; this is a love-it-or-hate it type of deal, as the UL frame is very thin. Most people tend to love it. They also added self-cleaning eyes: many users reported bugs concerning the self-cleaning system, but supposedly the later generations of the DM6’s have had this problem sorted out.
*Spool valve
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA
-Planet Eclipse Ego6: Egos took the market by storm nearly over night. They are quality shooting machines for sure. Light, reliable, and efficient. Unfortunately like many poppet valve guns, they tend to have a fair amount of kick, so they’re not terribly accurate.
*Stacked tube air ram
*Autococker barrel threads
*Break beam eyes
*Clamping feedneck
*On/off ASA







The end. I hope this helps people, and I hope you all respect how long this took me to make. Constructive criticism would be welcome for when I update and/or create later versions.

[Zues]

Sticky material for sure

[BlueShox]

pretty sweet, I like it

[Jester of Paint]

stick this for sure

[p8ntballweird]

looks good, I'd put dm5s as cheaper, but w/e floats yoru boat.

[DarkTamer]

Originally Posted by p8ntballweird

looks good, I'd put dm5s as cheaper, but w/e floats yoru boat.

If you go froogle a DM5, that's the range.

[p8ntballweird]

ah, msrp
my bad.

[JH]

very nice information. how long did this take you to do?

[DarkTamer]

In total, about... an hour-ish.

[JH]

well, very nice work man.

[DarkTamer]

Thank you. I got the idea from 98customplayer1's thread in the new player section. Come to think of it, I should probably give him credit for inspiration... first post edited.

[Barber]

Nice work, I have no problem with it being in this section.

If you want it stickied, let me know.

[DarkTamer]

Thanks Barber, I'd appreciate it.

[Barber]

Stuck.

[DarkTamer]

Thanks Barber!