Is pump play losing steam outside of MCB?

[Psycho91]

I have played pump since I started and will always own a pump for as long as I'm into the sport, hell iv kept my trracer since i started it never leaves the bag, but I also like pump cause I'm a cheap ass, my next big purchase I think is gonna be some brass

[Chuck E Ducky]

How tho? other then more options how dose hurt? doesn't the phantom fall pretty much right in the middle of the Azodin and a CCM when it comes to price point.

Do new pumps really sell all that well? (Other then the collectable stuff)

[Cdn_Cuda]

Maybe I have an anti-Phantom bias (I do own one again!) but as an ignorant to pump player it would be hard to spend that money on a brand new phantom. It looks underwhelming for the cost. A Sniper you get a lot more for a similar or lower price. Almost need an Axe/Mini equivalent for pump. Is it the greatest? No but they sell easy and offer good bang for the buck.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Even the Phantom takes some PB knowledge to operate properly so I don’t think it makes a good first time pump player marker I agree. They make great pumps if you set them up properly and they really do every style of pump play well. It’s a very well rounded universal pump.

[OpusX]

We have a pretty tight, moderate group of pump players in KC. It is certainly a group of nerdy ballers who know whats up. Walking on with pumps does get the attention and attraction of others who want to know more and join in. We even work to snag our own small games to highlight the style, then loan out some gear to try.

As many have mentioned its harder to convet players when they cant easily buy kit.

If a new Empire Trracer, or similar cheap Nelson, came around I think more would easily move into pump play.

EDIT: Wanted to add an idea. A commercal Spump kit (guide rod, pump handle, rod, striker/hammer, easy back block/bolt connector) could help the DIY spirit. Spyders are $30 on fleabay and craigslist, offering a path to those interested while adding back that old school "mod and diy" spirit.

[Ordo]

Came to say this!

I think in theory a lot of potential lies at the feet of pump players to organize clubs/teams and events to increase visibility and accessibility of the style. Which is tough when you’re a rag tag group like us. 😂. Just a matter of harnessing that potential.

But there’s theory and then there’s practice, as they say.

[JeeperCreeper]

First time I played pump, I went to the field with my Spump and a PGP with the feed tube taken off. Definitely a cheaper option, but again for newer players, not as feasible. Most new markers are barely customizable. I would say because of that, less people are into the tech side of paintball. Unlike us who have been around for a while and are used to being able to build something completely from aftermarket parts.

[Melrosejedi]

I wish the price and options for pump were better, but honestly I think pump is an acquired taste.I personally love playing with a semi auto marker and in the beginning that’s all there was for me.I reached a point where it was a personal decision to rechallenge myself in the game. The result was a sense of pride eliminating players with much faster guns, and there was no turning back. Players evolve into greater players this way,if they stay the course. Today our sport is under attack from the air soft side, as those players would have been paintball players years ago.The appeal of firing rates is real and hard to turn away from as a new player.We can only hope the sport keeps attracting people and the industry will accommodate the needs of the players.

[OpusX]

Paintball should reclaim fun as a focus leaving airsoft/milsim to itself.

[Bow]

Pump may be faltering a bit but magfed is picking up.

Atleast it's limited paint. I still prefer my pump for any game, but magfed is pretty fun too.

[OpusX]

There is a local field that does dedicated magfed play but allows pump too. It is a good crossover.

[Impactfour]

I've managed to get a few people from my local fields "team" to convert. Pump get togethers like MCB NE do definitely help spread the message.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Yeah it’s definitely cool when you can convert local players. Considering how well our pump group has grown this year I think pumps doing just fine.

[Impactfour]

Yea, none of them are permanent pump users, a few just needed convincing to brush the dust off old pump markers they had pump the more the merrier!

[JeeperCreeper]

I guess we're just spoiled here in New England. Seems to be the pump mecca. I got back into paintball in 2020, picked up a pump in 2022 and haven't looked back. And people still want super unique custom brass even as we head towards 2024. You just need to know where to look, or start hosting some events.

I'll also add that I have met players with pumps at the local fields that don't have a clue what MCB is.

[CommonCold]

Brass is just sexy. If it wasnt insanely expensive I would have a lot of brass accouterments. Anno just doesn't have the same warmth to it.

[Jordan]

Pump play around here seems to be super popular as long as it's just being talked about, but when actual pump days get organized all the talkers disappear.

Makes it tough to actually play pump.

[Jonnydread]

I totally get that struggle. We have had our ups and downs with that, forming semi-organized groups helps, but you gotta be patient and consistent.

[Euphie]

I feel like in the pacific northwest mechanical has taken a bunch of the steam from pump, but as others have said, as mech speeds increase it will lose the appeal that it has right now. Personally I have pumps but, there is usually only one or two people playing pump when I go, so Automag or Shoebox is my goto gun. I would love if there were a stock class scene here, but if there is it isn't at my local field.

[Skeitzy14]

Idk about where you are, but in Maryland, we got a whole team that is trying to bring back stock class, some of our team has started to play it (myself included) and it’s fun. Were gonna try to bring it here

[coyote]

Northern California has had a healthy pump sub culture for 20 years. The mechanical resurgence has taken a bite out of the pump scene. I have a theory on why.

Current modern paint quality is shameful.

Pump guys such as myself thrive on high quality top shelf paint; Hellfire, Anarchy, Dynasty GAP, Ultra Evil, legit good stuff. I have not had a case of paint worthy of my hard earned scratch since 2019.

You can't be the match grade player with 5th grade birthday party paintballs.

[Euphie]

I get the choice of GI one star or once every few months some “premium” paint that will be god knows what. Last weekend one bag was .680 and the other bag wouldn’t roll out of a .693 insert there is just no consistency

[JeeperCreeper]

I tend to agree, but I just recently had some Evil that was the cats meow. I'm talking every ball went where it was aimed at, and broke beautiful. There's still some decent paint out there, few and far between. I definitely miss Anarchy though

[redsquirrel]

Pump play is nonexistent where I’m at and unfortunately the speedball scene is making a major comeback. Last two times I’ve gone there’s only been 1-2 open players so games are 1v1 or 1v2. Then speed ball guys jump in after their practices. No one plays pump, all electric mostly and everyone wants to ramp. Still have a great time playing pump myself though and games are still fairly enjoyable. Far cry from the top notch northeast scene I was lucky enough to experience for a bit, but I’ll take what I can get. Just glad there’s still a field in operation close to me. Others are always interested in my gear and I get em excited about pump, but I just don’t get out to the field enough to keep up the momentum, and they honestly wouldn’t have a great time unless more players adopted it.

[JeepDVLZ45]

Sounds like it’s time to move back up to the North East!!

[redsquirrel]

I wish 😭! Am planning to fly up there for an event next year. Just have to figure out how to fly with these markers…

[JeeperCreeper]

I'm sure it's not too bad, but if you want to avoid the hassle, we have an arsenal for you to borrow from!

[BrickHaus]

Where I play is a pretty good mix. Mainly people with nice electros and 6 pods ripping at you, but also a good mix of pumpers, and people just shooting mech, or playing hopper ball. There's also good mix of old school guys who play with 2x 100 round pods on their belts then open class pump, or mech depending on the game. I would say the sport as a whole is on life support as it has been for a decade, but pump play relative is fine.

[Refoogee]

It seems like the majority of current regular players are still lamenting the switch to 10.5 bps capped speeds, so I'm not surprised the sport seems like it's on life support.

I think the guys over at Splat Tag are looking to try and focus more on hosting bigger pump/magfed crossover games this year than just the monthly ones they have been hosting. At least that's the impression I got last time I played at one of those games. Hopefully that see's more of a push, this years turnout was not so great at the magfed only ones.

[BOOSH]

Here's a long winded story and hopefully some help for you to get your pump scene moving - I moved to the Houston area about 9 years ago from Southern California. I hadn't played in a while and ended up meeting someone in my small town through MCB who put together a group of stock players - we ended up playing in walk in games - fast forward the guy I met built a really great group of about 8-10 stock players. They played once a month. Fast forward to the middle of 2022 the group was basically only 4 guys (the guy who set the group up had dropped out) and at this point they started to allow any pump in the group - after a day of 1 on 1 on 1 I told the new guy running the group I wasn't coming out for any more of this bulls**t.

We are in the HOUSTON area, the 3rd or 4th largest metro in the country, we can only get 3 guys out? So I proposed a long term strategy:
1) we promote the fact that any pump gun can play with a 10 round stick feed - we'll even let electros play with us if they load single balls/no feed of any kind
2) I started a new facebook group page and re-branded the group: Houston Pump Gun Association
3) we set our schedule 3 months in ADVANCE (most of the time they had no idea when they would be playing each month)
4) we moved the day from saturdays to the (usually) the 3rd Sunday of each month - sundays work out for most people better and there is usually no holiday or event on the 3rd sunday.
5) we play at a different field each month to get more exposure to other players
6) we made cards with our logo & face book group to give to people we meet at the paintball fields
7) we make a new flyer every month and post it on every pump/stock/mech/houston/texas facebook page each month.

We decided to be very systematic about how we approach the issue and it really just comes down to getting the word out and not being flaky. I also want to stress that there are TWO of us doing this. I have my part and he has his part, if there was just one of us, I don't think it would be sustainable. Our group is up to about 8-10 guys playing each month now (we do lose people in the summer) but it's been a year and our over all roster is hovering at about 16. In another year we are hoping to get the roster up to 24, it's a marathon not a sprint. We are an "association" but there are NO fees or anything else involved.

We suggest new players purchase the cheaper sniper style guns ($200-$250) to get started and we have guys in the group that will let them borrow a stick feed and we have guys that will 3-d print a stick feed for them as well. We also have loner guns if people bring friends or new players.

The thing we will be implementing next year will be 6 month patches - the core group will chip in to purchase them and give them away to anyone that has played with us for at least 6 games. We believe this will also help us get and keep new players.

I'm willing to help anyone here on MCB with logo design (I'm not going to do your monthly flyer - that is a lot of work) and club cards if you would like. Or if you have any questions on how our group operates shoot me a PM - just know, that I'd much rather talk to you on the phone then send endless PMs back and forth.

Below is our flyer and the cards I had printed at office depot. I cut the cards by hand from a sheet of 12 - it's a 100 times cheaper this way. --

[Jonnydread]

Nice job. Agreed that flakiness is absolute kryptonite when trying to set something like this up. Good on ya!!

[Chuck E Ducky]

We should make up cards to hand outs all official like. I guess we would need an official name then.

[chrislognshot]

so cal and north cal have huge pump groups playing so cal can get huge at times