Paintball

[Spider!]

Originally Posted by heinous

because the members here are all over the hill and they would like to have markers that are the same still perform well in order to live vicariously through them

You mean like when the teenage ref asks if my minimag can do PSP? Or when they look at my EP classic mag and say "that's an old mag"? You can call me old, but I'll be waiting in my bunker with paint to share.

I like dragging out the old hand finished and tuned markers that, with today's loaders and bottle regs, run just fine against the new $1000 markers, capped or not.

For the same reason that people like to play pump, I'll drag out an alleycat, or a tuned and cocker-threaded nelspot, not because they are old, but they perform at the level I'm looking for.

There have been a lot of improvements in seals, regulators, loaders, etc. that the old markers missed. You feed them well and they will run. You can also build and mod the old markers easily to fit your purpose. If you don't like your new Bob Long for any reason, you're going to have to sell it. Good luck getting your money back.

[bond commander bond]

Some older guns are better made and can be upgraded!

[DocsMachine]

Originally Posted by RatFink

Look, there is nothing wrong with it in my opinion, but, I am constantly amazed that older markers that perform on a mediocre level by todays standards are still so sought after and some still demand such a high price.

-Well, there's the first flaw in your reasoning.

When you boil it down, the only thing a "modern" marker has over an older one is rate of fire. That really is about it.

Accuracy, as always, is purely about the quality of the paint itself and it's match to the bore. Range, too, as always, is purely a factor of the muzzle velocity and the weight of the ball.

I've had Nel-Spots with rust-pitted barrels that shot darts- five shots on a 12" target at 120 feet. I've also had a $1500 Adrenalin Angel with an interchangeable-bore barrel closely matched to the paint, that couldn't hit that same target five shots out of twenty.

Assuming the same or similar bores and the same paint, that 25-year-old Bushmaster is exactly as competitive as the Phantom. At best, the Phantom might be a few ounces lighter, but range & accuracy will be virtually identical, and shot count will be virtually identical.

Pick up an original 1995 Spyder, and a brand-new Victor. Feed 'em the same paint and they'll be virtually the same for accuracy, range and consistency. My first-gen Etek, while easier to shoot fast, is no more accurate than the 'Cocker I built back in '96.

Since it's not a performance issue- except for ROF- to answer your question, it's both nostalgia and the cool factor.

The sport is now old enough we have players younger than many markers. It's like driving an old car- it doesn't matter if it's a '73 Plymouth Valiant, people still notice it, it stands out from the sea of lookalike modern cars.

Go to a paintball field today, and half the players will have one of three or four top-end markers (Shocker, Ego/Etek, Geo, etc.) the other half will have some cheap blowback (Tippmann, Spyder, JT, etc.) You show up with a 22-year-old stainless-body Automag, and people notice.

Show up with a wood-stocked Palmer Hurricane (that Glenn himself might have built in 1994) and they all wanna be on your team.

Doc.

[Keebler]

Hey kid wanna be as good as the pros. Buy this players pack it comes with all the stuff the pros use. Never mind that all of it together will cost you a few K but hey once your as good as the pros (ya know since you bought their stuff) than you'll have no trouble making that money back with your first advertising deal right. Wanna see your face on an extremely awful xbox 360 game? Buy the same crap that this guy, you have never met and couldn't care less who he is, uses.

That's about why I don't like most modern things. Most mind you there's still a few new gems out there

[Axel]

Posting this question on MCB is kind of like asking the Bieber Fan Club why so many people are into pop.

[nofxkid2005]

For me it's all about the character of the marker. I find older pumps/mechs/electros have way more character then newer markers. When I shoot something like an Axe, Ego, G6R, ect. it feels clinical. Said marker was built with performance kept strictly in mind. Even my personal DM feels like this. They feel like someone designed it with winning being priority number one, not having fun. Character in a marker is hard to describe. I find that the more I've put into a build, the more character it has for obvious reason. You really can't do that with modern markers.

[maggot]

Originally Posted by Riddler

Perhaps leet performance is less important to a group of people that largely play just for the fun of it?

You nailed it! There are some people that play for fun, and others who play to dominate their opponents.

[Kermit]

Would you rather have a brand new 2013 Mustang GT500, or a like new '68 GT500 that was maintained and left in some guys garage?

One will be performance driven, and one will have that pedigree. Same with markers I suppose. For me, I'm not really into old guns anymore, but some people really enjoy them.

[Frgood]

It all comes down to the visceral response. Look at the picture below. If there is no response then check back in a decade.



The second picture? .... Because I can

[HurtCow]

Old guns are more fun for me than new guns. I play paintball for fun. I don't play to win any more than I have sex to make babies.