Thinking about a Blazer

[M3Progressive]

Well I was thinking of ordering a AKALMP viking but i saw the Blazer in the forums here...and i really like it, being picky i DONT want another electro, ive spent $80 on batteries and crap so i just dont like electros that much.

The blazer im thinking about:

-Stock Black Annodized Blazer
-Centerfeed 2" highrise
-12" Barrel Matched to gun
-Spiral Ported
-Benchmark .45 Double Trigger Frame
-Nickel Highlights(on gun)

total: $669

Anyone got anything else they'd like to add? Ive done ALOT of research on them and i really plan to buy one as soon as i get the $$$ :) i like the low matinence aspect too.

A Few more questions... is the 12" barrel really neccisary? i play front and currently use a way too long 14" so any chance to get smaller i'll take it. Im gonna spring for Spiral Porting too...

If i cant get Centerfeed I'm gonna go crazy :xeyed: I am Centerfeed Dependant....so a RF or LF would be new, But if its on a Blazer...I wouldnt mind that much :P

Any help is Appreciated.

P.s. I WILL be running HPA on it...I just prefer HPA over Co2 and my Bob Long torpedo Reg Works soo good on HPA...so i dontneed to spend $100 on a Stab :)

EDIT: Added a few things....Updated price.

[PBKoko]

its takes around 9 weeks to let them build it and ship it. you dont necissarily need 12 inches even, 10.5 is fine for the blazer... that's pretty much what my blazer is, cept eventually, i would want to dual stabe it.

[ballyhoo33]

I own both a Viking and a Blazer. I've been shooting Blazers for around 4 years and I've been shootingthe Viking for 2 months. I love them both.

Both go with me to the field and both get used by myself and others who want to try a new gun.

They are completely mechanically: open bolt electropneumatic vs closed bolt.

Both require little maintenance: a few drops of oil in the ASA and bolt and you're good to go.

The Blazer has an advantage in that it's been around for awhile and PPS has knocked the kins out of the gun. AKA is trying to keep up with the demand of the Viking and there are some programming issues (not a big deal unless your a ROF freak).

The Viking is very gentle on paint. The bolt will stop on a ball, not chop it. As the Viking breaks in, the low pressure regulator can be turned down to decrease the operating pressure.

Both guns have a limited upgrade path, the barrels and frames being the only upgrades (other than D/F, grips. etc) offered by the manufacturers. AKA has both a single and double trigger frame, PPS offers the stock frame, and a Benchmark 45 frame. Both can have single or double trigger. Only the PPS frame can have a Pro-touch trigger job. The stock barrel (ported or unported) on the Blazer is going to be the best barrel for the Blazer. The Javelin barrel that comes stock on the Viking is also great. The only downside to it is that it's small bore (.684). It shoot Bigball and Premium great. The upside is that the Viking accepts Cocker threaded barrels.

I have a 10" matched spiral vented barrel on the Blazer and it shoots great. I also use an 8" unported barrel on the Blazer and it also shoots great. Thee is no reason to get a barrel longer than 10 inches. The only esception is if you play a lot of Sup-Air fields and use the barrel to push on the bunkers, the extra length may help.

Since you have to have centerfeed, the Viking comes with the choice of a hirise or lowrise. Centerfeed Blazer bodies are available for $40 more and expect a delay for those. I owned a Centerfeed Blazer and had some major feeding issues.

Both guns can run off of Co2 or hpa fine. The Viking requires a secondary reg (AKA recommends the PPS female Stab) and an anti-siphon tube. The Viking comes stock with a Sidewinder reg, a very,very good reg. I would put it on par with the Stabilizer.

Both guns are very effecient. I run a 20 oz Co2 and female Stabilizer on both and can get almost a case of paint on the Blazer and a case on the Viking.

The Viking is the first and last electro I will own. It's everything I could want in a gun, even an electro gun which normally I don't like. AKA has put a lot of effort in the Viking and it's worth every penny. It's a no frill gun with the best parts already in the gun. I turn it on and it's ready to go, no loading, configuring, just shooting the gun. I got 10k shots on a half-charged 9V battery before I switched batteries.

I have had a few Blazers and with the exception of the Centerfeed Blazer (an early CF model), I have loved every one of them. My current set up has a righthand feed body, Benchmark 45 single trigger, female Stab with a ring mount mounted on a Lapco drop forward, 10 inch spiral ported and matched barrel, and gas-thru grip. The gun is very compact and light weight. It shoots very fast. It would take a lot for me to give up the Blazer.

Price-wise, the stock Blazer is cheaper than the Viking by $300. The setup you are looking at is still cheaper than a Viking. BOth are worth the money and both will hold their resale value.

I have probably confused you more than help you out. The best advise I can give you is to try them both out. Shoot them both a lot, especially the Blazer. It takes one game to get use to the Blazer, and a second to master it.

If you have any other question about either gun, post them and I'll try my best to answer them.

Jeff

[Twister123]

i agree totally with M3, i have GOT to have my CenterFeed, without it i'd suffer from CF withdrawal!! Using my Impulse for the last year and a half has spoiled me i guess..

Any chance that PPS will thread the CF, rather than welding it?? not a big deal at all to me, cuz i only like high rises, but just curious. I'd pay a little extra money to have a threaded rise.

[ballyhoo33]

I'm curious, how does centerfeed spoil you? I don't want the "it just feels better" answer, why is it better?


Jeff

[Twister123]

i cant stand my gun being weighted to the left or the right by an offset hopper.
the other thing is, if the hopper is to the right, you have to remember not to tilt the gun too far to the right, otherwise you cant feed, because the feed tube was diagonal in the 1st place, before you even tilted it..

but mostly its about the unbalanced feel that an offset hopper gives, for me anyway.

[EasterBunny]

yea, i with twister123, i cant stand sprint to a bunker with a elbow that doesnt hold tightand slips, it just makes the gun more compact and more solid

[FirePro84]

bu...bu...but...r/f owns!!! V/F guns get in my sighting...

i would prefer r/f over V/f any day

[whaarfrat]

My Blazer is set up with two regs, a female stabe on the drop forward, and a MacDev as the "front grip". I have the Benchmark 45 frame and I lightened the springs a little, trigger pull is about 1/4", and nice and light (not like an electro, though) Doc Nickel has just announced a replacement part for the "P block" that looks like a cool idea, and you should get an extra bolt, as I have had two of them snap their pins in action. Palmers replaces the pins for free, and a new gun will come with the upgraded pin, still an extra makes sense. Oil the bolt frequently to avoid drag, and it won't give you any problems.
I have an aftermarket barrel - a 14" boomstick. If you want a barrel converted, Angel barrels have a long shank that is about perfect. Palmer will do the machine work very reasonably. I have both 10 and 12" stock blazer barrlel and they are accurate, but louder than the boomy. The difference in loudness is significant from the 12 to the 10" - the porting pattern is different and the shorter one is way louder. I love my Blazer - the guys I play with have electros, but I won't switch. A Blazer is what an autococker wants to be when it grows up. WR

[EasterBunny]

HEY whaarfrat....

could u email Doc and get some pix of the Pblock? i really wana see it, i tried to contact him last week, but no response, probably my mother ****ing AOL:mad:

[SplatMagnet]

Why not just take a look for yourself. It's on Doc's site and it's purty.

http://www.docsmachine.com/quick.html




BTW: I'm waiting for delivery of a CF blazer from MGMO4, purple acid-wash custom anno. I'll be sure to post pics of it when it finally arrives. :D