After a hiatus of ten years or so, tomorrow I’m going to go play paintball – I used to be very good, and enjoyed a good rep as an airsmith and a player, but I suspect I’m a bit rusty. I went to the paintball store yesterday, and discovered that the face of the game has changed a bit.
I was really sad to see that Worr Game Products has been knocked completely out of the industry – they were the manufacturers of the Autococker, which was a great gun. I had an original Sniper from way the hell back (even had a lefty model made for me back in ’89), and when I updated in the late ’90s I got myself one of the early Autocockers. Still have it back in my storage space in the states.
So I went to the store yesterday to pick up some kneepads to save my legs from getting crunched tomorrow, and saw all the fun toys…and couldn’t resist. I picked up one of the new guns (a nice mid-range model with an electronic trigger), and I’m psyched to see a few of my original mods still going. Ages ago (’88 or ’89, can’t really remember), I ported a barrel for my Sniper and discovered it worked great – I’d figured it would work similarly to the porting I saw on real firearms used in racing competitions. I started doing those mods for friends and other folks who were shipping their guns to us back in Virginia, and within a few years, manufacturers were putting them on every gun. They’re still there. I’m pretty psyched about that.
So I picked up a new gun, tank, mask, etc. – I’ll probably write up a review of the gun after this weekend (if I’m not confined to a wheelchair afterwards). Fantastic looking machine, and I love that it’s a good quality set of electronics. We’ll see…I always had my doubts about putting a circuit board in a machine that would regularly get splattered with water-soluble paint or be used in the rain.
Looking forward to some shooting!
Update: Okay, I survived…and had a great time. Top-notch field, lots of fun all around. Got shot up a lot! And…also managed to destroy my big toes in the process. My boots were less than forgiving, and I’m likely to lose the nail on the left big toe…right one might go too, but doesn’t look nearly as bad. In spite of my hobbling around like an invalid (okay, technically I am one), I’m definitely going back.
Update: It’s February, I have new boots, new toenails, and an itch to go shooting again…