Paintball Teams

[blackrain]

Store Wars:

First off I would like to say thanks to Festa for loaning me a gun. It really made my day being able to play this event.

Glen for paintball Gateway,I like what you are doing with the .50 and glad you are taking the approach you are. Top Notch approach. Enjoyed our conversation on machining.

Todd,Remember there are no such things as enhanced triggers on a pump and there is no ON/OFF switch on them
Had a great time playing on your team. Like your attitude about pump play. Please keep promoting it.
Yes Team Blackrain is just a one man team,but we have sponsors

MCB members,it was awsome to have met and played with and against you. Yes I realized I was on the wrong team near the end of the game.


Team Blackrain played Store Wars today. Basically it's Pump event where Golden State Paintball takes on Paintball Gateway/Check-It paintball. Let me just say there was alot of TESTOSTERONE between a few players. It was competetive for some players and I understand,because that is the level they always compete at.

Personally I had my A$$ handed to me a few times. I didn't send many packing either. It was a very windy day on Camp Pendelton. I saw alot of curve balls today. It rained a little this morning,but it cleared up real fast.

PB Gateway had about 40 people and Golden State PB had 30. So Golden State was allowed a few resurections (Not all in one game Todd )

I actually used one,should have just let someone else have it,I got shot almost right away. That was pretty much my day

Main gun seemed to be the Sniper/Cocker. There were alot of very nice ones. Gilly has a very nice looking CCM.
Bored was shooting a MAG pump,but then switched over to his KP. That got alot of attention from old school players and new players. It's amazing how so many players have never seen a KP in person,more or less touch or shoot one.

I took a few head shots,ran alot and even climbed some hills. They seemed like mountains.

We had a few raffles and STIMPY was the big winner. He won a check-It V2 Sniper. Besides the Sniper,many people won bottle covers,Tshirts,Hats,50 rnd hoppers and 50 rnd APP pods.

We probably played about 10 games on various terrain. 2 games per field. Camp Pendelton paintball was very crowded. There was like a Mommy Day thing going on. An Elemetery school event,local players and Store Wars. I haven't seen that many families in a long time. I think the youngest player I saw was about 5 yrs old.

The Hot Dog Stand was nice. I thought the $4.00 on a hot dog was a little to much. Store Wars did provide pizza,when you have hungry players,it goes fast.

So here's some pics of the day:

Cali MCB Clan:




Me and Todd Martinez:




peachesaretasty friend, peachesaretasty,and Blackrain:




PB Gateway/Check-It Crew:




I had a great time. Glenn from Check-It/PB Gateway is a very smart guy. We had some good machining conversation and I learned alot about tolerence. He has a great attitude towards introducing .50. He's basically going to let the players make their own minds up about it. He, like all of us, can see an application in paintball for .50,and we discussed a few things such as CQB tourneys using .50.
His crew was a great bunch of guys and had an awsome attitude towards paintball and promoting pump.

Todd Martinez. Nice guy, great attitude. We did talk awhile and found out that he started out as a pump player. I teased him that there was no on/off switch on a pump nor enhanced board. He held his own as a pump player and I wouldn't doubt if you see him forming a pump team at a later date. His attitude of promoting pump is a very positive one. He was having a good time even though he had a bounty on his head.

My over all opinion of Store Wars. I think it's an event that will continue to grow and promote pump play. By this time next yr I see about 200 players if not more showing up for this event. The rivalry of stores is a healthy thing, HELL I buy from both of them. It's events like this I don't mind paying for and stores like this I don't mind buying from. So please keep up the good work and keep pump play alive.


So let's talk .50:



Check-It bought out a .50 modded EGO. To be honest I have never shot an EGO. So Glenn and I spoke a while on what was going on in the world of paintball and .50.
He figures let people shoot it and form their own opinions.

Well that's just what I did. Didn't play a game with it,but went to the range and took one for the team.







First thing I noticed was how lite the gun was. I imagine they are always that lite. So I squeezed off a few rounds and couldn't stop shooting. I liked the trigger and how smooth the gun itself operated. Now before this time I have never touched nor shot or played with an EGO. So I ripped off about 500 rnds and reloaded and shot some more. Noticed a drop off,so we checked air and found it was low,so fill up the bottle. Back to shooting. Every target I shot at was hit and I laid each round almost on top of each other (I can do that with .68 as well).
It was windy,but just to be fair,the netting does stop alot of wind. So no one get to excited that wind doesn't change the course of a .50.,there was a slight curve.
The wind was curving .68. I thought I was at a baseball game with all the curve balls.

So I had to test the theory that .50 hurts less. I don't know who made or came up with that fact,but they lied. I tested only wearing a T-shirt. That's what rec players usually wear when they show up to play,so no extra padding. So I went out about 25-30 yards and took a few hits.






I was shot at 5 times. First one hitting me in the mask,second one bounced and the last 3 hit me.




Does it leave welts or marks?

You tell me



The hit to lower left (looking directly at picture) of my belly button is a .68 hit that I took from about the same distance about 30 mins before this pic.

Did it sting,yep just about the same as a .68.

Now I'm sure there will be someone who spouts up and says[B],"well you didn't have on your vest or an extra shirt"[B]. Well of course I didn't silly,I was testing as if I was a rec player.


So what do the welts look like the next day: 5/24/2010

Note that the lower right hit by my belly button is a .68,everything else is .50. So you guys make your opinion. By the way I was wearing two shirts when I was hit with the .68.




Now to be fair,the .50 was sitting out all day in a hot truck. So not sure if that matters or not.Alot of 68 was sitting out in hot cars too. However we did have several different brands to use:

GI MILSIM, Kingman, and the loose Orange was Kingmans tourney grade. We used the rec grade to shoot and test with.




So what's my opinion on the .50 movement. You'll just have to make your opinion on it. I know what mine is. That's until someone steps up and makes a drop in kit for my Cocker,I won't make the change anytime soon. If it's all the field has and I'm REALLY HARD UP to play and I have no choice in the matter, I guess I have to.

I do admire companies such as Eclipse and BLAST who have stepped up and made kits for their guns. I think a few other companies should do this. If .50 does take off,I'll be honest if you just buy a .50 specific gun your dumb for doing it. Get your monies worth out of what you own already. So companies should concentrate more on making drop in kits then making new guns. Money is tight everywhere regardless what others think.
I have friends who have invested in AR-15 drop in kits,just so they can save a few bucks on ammo and shoot .22 cal.

My money is going to be invested with the company that goes the extra mile to make the player happy and produces the less cost to me.

So .50 is all about personal pref and what the players want. But think before you leap. I personally hate the way the barrels look. To tiny,just leave them a full size and I think the gun will have a better look to it,but that's just my personal pref.

Later,
Blackrain

[peachesaretasty]

Haha, theres no ramping either Todd!
Did you use any Ultra Evil? Like Todd says, "Its evil, its yellow, its on your face!"
Edit: I look like a retard.

[blackrain]

Well the Cali tour is almost over. I have a few big Games to hit when I get back home. I think Forest Fire is haveing a DDay game and then local Aliens VS. Earth. So lots of paint grenades in the next few weeks.

Wife just bought me a new Garmin GPS for Fathers Day,so guess I'll be able to find my way to more exciting places to play paintball. Sometimes I get lost looking for places.

Aug thru Nov will be a busy time for me,lots of paint grenades to be made. Final end of scenario and big game season,so have to make sure I have plenty of supplies on hand.

Later,
Blackrain

[dundadun]

Probably have to catch you next time BlackRain, take care and come back down this way again!

[blackrain]

I'll be at Mr. Paintball USA on Saturday and Mirmar on Sunday. So if you can make it out there,look me up.
Later,
Blackrain

[blackrain]

So packing up the gear to head home. My job here is finished. I can say that I had an Excellent time. Met a lot of GREAT people. Met some GREAT MCB players. The fields were all excellent. If I was living here,I would be playing every weekend.

Thanks to everyone for meeting me at the fields and for the gun loan. I hope to repay the favor one day.

My Wife wants to fly down one of these months to catch a Big Game at Jungle paintball. She feels we didn't get to enjoy the event like we should have and thinks it's a worth while trip to make later in the yr.

I really had to UP MY game while playing here. That's fine,it felt good to play like that once again. I felt like the old me. Now I'm ready for my trip home to play local.

N ot sure when I'll be back again,but I will drive my own truck next time. That way I can meet up at SC Village, Hollywood Sports Park, CPP and Tomb Stone. Those were the four fields I missed.

Mirmar will be a regular stop for me. although it's small,I had a great time doing building to building. The fields were just a perfect size for an old guy like me.

I'll bring my pumps next time. That way I'm set for all events.

So guys had a great time and looking forward to my next trip. Now I have to prep for 300-400 paint grenades and get them ready for my local events. It's going to be a long week.

Will be buying a new bigger lathe this month.

Later,
Blackrain

[Gillymonster]

Yeah it was nice meeting the whole "Team"

Although you spent all your time down in SD and saw some good fields, we have plenty more to show you just a little North of LA.

See ya next time Stephen.


Gilly

[blackrain]

Originally Posted by Gillymonster

Yeah it was nice meeting the whole "Team"

Although you spent all your time down in SD and saw some good fields, we have plenty more to show you just a little North of LA.

See ya next time Stephen.


Gilly

Actually you only met half the team. Festa,Henious, and a few others met the whole team at Jungle Island . My Wife flew down for a week.
Later,
Blackrain

[blackrain]

So latest news is:

Team Blackrain has purchased a lathe and possibly a mill. Figured I'd start doing some of my own work and save a few dollars. I won't be open to do work for others. I just can't take on that responsibility.

I will be under the guidance of Red Neck Sniper for a while. Learning how to freak barrels and possibly half block and make some pump handles.

Later,
Blackrain

[blackrain]

So how is our season so far. It all began in Japan and it's still going great. I really had to "UP" my game in Cali. I really enjoyed playing all the Cali fields that I played at.

We picked up a few sponsors and trying to do our best to promote them.

We bought a new used lathe and plan on freaking a few barrels and making some pump handles among other things.

We've added a few new wapons to the Arsenal,our recent addition is an ION. We now have an A5 and an MG7.

No more new guns for the remainder of this yr. I neeed to concentrate on finishing up projects The LCD Angel is finished and an LED is in the works to be finished. Will be rebuilding the BT4 and getting it back up to shooting shape. I really liked the BT4.

We'll try to attend a few more big games this yr. Our next Big Game is July 5th 2010.

Later,
Blackrain