Empire has incorporated a unique, patented valve and flow technology design into this high performance tournament-grade marker. The single tube poppet system is innovative, and delivers incredible velocity, consistency and accuracy. The Mini is small, but ergonomically designed to fit right and exceed your expectations.
Empire MiniWhere the Ion set the bar for affordable and reliable mid-end markers the Mini takes it to the extreme, introducing a reliable and simple gun in an all aluminum body with all the bells and whistles...
Where the Ion set the bar for affordable and reliable mid-end markers the Mini takes it to the extreme, introducing a reliable and simple gun in an all aluminum body with all the bells and whistles of its higher end counterparts. Now with all of the available upgrades this is a great deal for those looking to get a little bit more firepower onto the field.
Comes out of the box with all of the things you'd normally spend money on to bring a gun at this price point up to code so its a nice alternative for those that want to pick up a gun and be done with it. Just aid paint and air!
This review has been rated:
Currently 5/5 stars.
Empire MiniTHIS WAS THE FIRST PAINTBALL GUN THAT I OWNED AND FOR THE PRICE I PAID I CAN SAY MONEY WELL SPENT. GREAT BEGINNER GUN
THIS WAS THE FIRST PAINTBALL GUN THAT I OWNED AND FOR THE PRICE I PAID I CAN SAY MONEY WELL SPENT. GREAT BEGINNER GUN
This review has been rated:
Currently 5/5 stars.
Empire MiniI bought my Mini off of PBNation. It arrived in it's box. the first thing i noticed when i opened it was the nice foam cutout and the marker lying there, I picked it up and inspected it. I am tall...
Little side to side trigger play, counting flashes
I bought my Mini off of PBNation. It arrived in it's box. the first thing i noticed when i opened it was the nice foam cutout and the marker lying there, I picked it up and inspected it. I am tall at 6 3 and have large hands, don't let the name Mini fool you the grip is still the right size, and has nice grips soft and provide a good amount of grip. After holding it up i couldn't be more amazed at how light it is. I got it in Dust Black and the finish has an excellent feel to it, it feels almost soft kinda like sanded wood (though it does not feel like wood). I also like the lack macro line seeing as the mini has the gas run through the grip. all together the marker feels very well made and sturdy.
I give the appearance and finish a 4 out of 5.
the next thing i picked up was the barrel, though short for my taste ( 12" ) it was actually very accurate. I used the stock barrel for about half a day of play at really get a feel for it. I found at short range it was really awesome because the short length of the marker combined with the short barrel allowed me to play very tight to the bunkers and maneuver easily. The next thing i noticed is the marker is quiet. not in the uber quite nature of some guns, but i got at least one or two complements on how quiet the gun was. after i switched the barrel our for a full freak kit the accuracy got nuts. I was shooting valken redemption and it was some kind of nuts. In one game i was Arcing the gun up maybe an honest 30 degrees, and with three shots i hit a guy at the very end of the range. it was like dropping mortar shells on them. when close range ball spewing was needed the mini really did a good job, i have pretty quick fingers and could really get the thing shooting a good stream of paint. it has shot like no $200 gun i have ever seen.
I give it 5 out of 5 in the performance category (after all this marker should be compared to others in the "low end" section and it is GREAT)
reliability, now is where i must be a bit honest, and pretty embarrassed. i was playing a round and i had just lubed it and the bolt holding the whole internal assembly fell out while gassed up. the whole thing started venting air like nothing else and i guess i missed the bolt and spring when i brought it back to staging. Only there do i realize what has happened. I managed to leave the bolt and spring on the field! i rush back out and found that someone had stepped on the spring, I bent it back into shape enough to slip over the bolt and cleaned and re-lubed everything it took maybe 15 min (though that includes carefully re bending the spring). to my amazement i took it to the chrono station and it shot +/- 10! for what has happened to it i thought that was awesome, and it still ripped through paint! I made sure to tighten down that bolt securely and played for the rest of the day NO ISSUES. If that is not the definition a reliability I do not know what is.
I give it 5 for 5 for being a trooper and even when people step on internal moving parts and bend springs you can just throw it back together ( i got a new spring for it since just because a though i might need a new one in the future cost me 3 bucks! )
Value i have never fired a gun that has the same accuracy, less kick, faster rate of fire, and is as quiet for 200 bucks or under.
The only issue i had is no LCD screen for changing firing modes and the like, but once i got the hang of it i can do it kinda quickly. nothing like my a1 fly though which i cam completely reprogram really really fast. those two are not in the same category though.
Also the stock trigger has a bit of left/right play it is not bad some don't mind it, I am among the ones who appreciate it if there is none, but do not mind a little.
This review has been rated:
Currently 5/5 stars.
Empire MiniIve bought my mini, and ever since I have loved every minute of shooting this thing. Ive owned a lot of guns high and low end and this gun is seriously one of my favorites. Shoots amazing, has a nice...
Ive bought my mini, and ever since I have loved every minute of shooting this thing. Ive owned a lot of guns high and low end and this gun is seriously one of my favorites. Shoots amazing, has a nice look, very light and compact, smaller target to hit, but the only thing that i have found kind of annoying the the on/off button. but other than that, I will have to say go get you a mini. all around good gun.
This review has been rated:
Currently 5/5 stars.
Empire MiniThis gun is great I've had my mini for about 6 months now and I haven't had any problems but the stock barrel and maybe that was just a milling problem easy to fix + maintain plus requires very...
This gun is great I've had my mini for about 6 months now and I haven't had any problems but the stock barrel and maybe that was just a milling problem easy to fix + maintain plus requires very little maintenance
This review has been rated:
Currently 5/5 stars.
Empire MiniGreat gun
easy to use
tight light and looks good
definatly a great choice for a marker
Empire Mini__FEEL__ I've used the mini for a while now and got used to it. I'm 5'2 With pretty small hands but i don't like the tightness and sharpness of the front grip.
Shooting__ Well it can go as fast...
__FEEL__ I've used the mini for a while now and got used to it. I'm 5'2 With pretty small hands but i don't like the tightness and sharpness of the front grip.
Shooting__ Well it can go as fast as you can pull (If you cant pull faster then 25 BPS). And doesn't shoot as good as the axe but good. I had period when the gun just chopped alot. But i just lube the bolt with thin lube then it wen't to normal.
Sound___ Well its not that loud.
Efficiency___ I can get about 3 pods at 4000PSI
Easiness___ Ok call me stupid but at first i thought the back cap was to take the bolt out(FAIL). But No there a screw at the bottom of the bolt.
Maintain___ You don't really have to lube the gun lot only like idk every 2-4 cases.
Board__ Not the Best but its OK . Can't really change mode in game like on an ego.
Reliability__ A reliable gun
Package__ Now they come in a cardboard box with Allen keys,lube,barrel sock,and o-rings
Value__ WOW this gun is a steal for 300
Barrel___ just get a one piece CP then your good
Overall__ The main thing you should do fill you tank every game. Also most of the stuff i said doesn't matter most of the time what matters is it works.
This review has been rated:
Currently 5/5 stars.
Empire MiniExperience: 11 years playing
Guns Owned: Too many to list. Currently an 08 Ego
Initial Impressions:
Pro's
-Obviously very light... I don't think any one can really imagine how light this is until...
Stock barrel could be better, front decal is tacky
Experience: 11 years playing
Guns Owned: Too many to list. Currently an 08 Ego
Initial Impressions:
Pro's
-Obviously very light... I don't think any one can really imagine how light this is until you hold it - even people who don't play have commented on its weight.
-Seems very solid, and built with quality.
-Cocker (Standard) Threads
-Gauge is black to match the gun, body and background. Very nice visually, and just shows attention to detail.
-Case/Packaging is the best I have ever seen in any marker (Lockable hard case). Also, comes with "Dog Tags" or Key Chain... which is another attention to detail cosmetic thing... shows care and quality.
-Rubber tipped bolt... easier on balls? Who knows, but I'm sure it doesn't hurt.
-Clamp-On Feedneck with Lever.
Cons:
-A little sloppy trigger, can't adjust tension/magnets... may be an easy fix with some magnets and superglue.
-Grips are fairly uncomfy with bare hands. Also, design doesn't allow you to swap them for standard grips.
-Feedneck has a clamp, but not a thumb screw to adjust the tension, which doesn't allows for fine tuning, or keeping the clamp secure to the feedneck well the hopper isn't in it without the use of an Allen (or a properly used thumb).
-Front grip sticker doesn't quite "fit", doesn't look horribly, but just another thing to fall off.
-Adjusting modes is a little finicky, takes practice.
-No on/off in the asa; Really not that big of a problem once you get used to it, but it'd be really nice to have
-Gauge is up to 600 PSI with a 0-200PSI at a much larger scale than the rest, the gun operates under 200. Not quite sure what Invert was doing with that one.
-Edit: It as come to my attention that Invert has fixed the gauge issue. Which is very cool to see a company admit they made a mistake and change it.
Design Review:
-Wow! Talk about revolutionary. You can slide the front grip right off without disconnecting any wires... just 2 set screws and it slides off. Grip frame disconnects easily too, and not wires to disconnect, just slides off. No wires to play with for the eyes, although I have not taken the optimus board off, I imagine its more expensive if the eyes get damaged, and possibly harder to clean thoroughly.
-Bolt comes out easily when you unscrew the back grip frame screw. Would've been nicer IMO if you could twist the bolt out... but I imagine the body design and weight doesn't allow for that.
-The mechanism of the gun is incredible. Unfortunately the spring gives a little inconsistency in the design afaik, but it probably helps with efficiency, speed, weight, and simplicity (rather than using air to reset the bolt).
-Unfortunately the board is capped at 20... I'm assuming the design doesn't allow it to go much faster then that... which is surprising. I'd like to see the actual cycle rate of the gun (I've heard 55CPS, but I don't trust that). Either way, 20 is all you really need.
Dry Fire:
I removed my detents, set my pressure to 160, BPS to 20, and Full Auto... Not 1 misfire, and no noticeable pressure change by sound. Can't say that about my Dm4 (Which of course cycles much faster).
Live Fire Shot 2 Hoppers
Ultralight Vs Stock Barrel
-Ultralight was more accurate, but the stock barrel is actually a decent mid-level barrel.
-Very fast and consistent in the firing. No chops or misfires.
-No noticeable velocity drop off during high ROFs.
-No noticeable FSDO in velocity.
- +/- 5 FPS - actual number, not exaggerated; pretty good considering most people lie about this number
-Update: After being broken in I get +/- 3-4 depending on the conditions, not uncommon if I do 3 shots with equivelocity or +/- 1. I can definitely depend on it being +/- 3-4 though.
Kick:
Yeah, a marker this light has considerable kick. I only noticed it when I tried to notice it, because like other mammals, I am capable of adjusting to current conditions (its called reflex). So as the marker kicks, you put down pressure on it, and it cancels out the kick. So seriously if you're concerned about kick, you're probably taken by hype, but you should play with this marker more and feel it yourself.
Speed: Faster than you could pull. The modes are fun as well, but are a bit tricky to access.
Efficiency: Not as good as a Timmy, not as bad as a Matrix. I'll try to get real numbers.
In owning the Mini for 9 months, I've only chopped during 1 day, which was just cold and miserable with old paint. That was the only problem I ever really had with it.
I put a lot of time into this review. Please rate it what you think is fair. Ratings effect where the review shows up on the page.
Review written by Greg Steinberg, MVPaintballer, of PbNation.com. Please cite and give proper credit when taking information from this review.
This review has been rated:
Currently 4.8/5 stars.
Empire MiniI love this gun.
When i got this gun, i opened it up and immediatly lubed it and screwed in a tank put on a hopper and unloaded.
I cycled through all the modes which is very easy to do. (hardest...
I love this gun.
When i got this gun, i opened it up and immediatly lubed it and screwed in a tank put on a hopper and unloaded.
I cycled through all the modes which is very easy to do. (hardest part is taking the cover off the foregrip, and you just need to take out one screw to do that.)
later i took it to the field for my first day of practice, and was blown away by its consistancy (sp?) and efficiency. before tuning it i was getting 1200 shots off of one 68/4500 tank. Now that i have it tune i can get a whole case
(2000) on my one tank. I was also surprised by the accuracy of the stock barrel. I have bought an aftermarket though because i wanted a kit so that i could have the best possible accuracy.
This is easily the best gun for anywhere near the price range.
The only problem i had with it, is that i had a deffective poppet. All i had to do was call Kee and they sent me the new spring returned poppet for free. It only took 3 days to get it after i called. If there was a rating for customer support, i would give it 5 stars also.
This review has been rated:
Currently 4.2/5 stars.
Empire MiniAppearance - This marker just looks great with an awesome design. With the gas routed through the grip it looks like none other on the market. I have it in black and it looks awesome with the...
Appearance - This marker just looks great with an awesome design. With the gas routed through the grip it looks like none other on the market. I have it in black and it looks awesome with the deadlywind CF barrel I have.
Performance - This marker shot great out of the box. I did replace the stock barrel and that helped the accuracy which is why I gave it 4/5, but if you are just playing rec ball the stock barrel works fine. Really good on paint as well. Ball breaks are a freak occurrence in this gun, i have maybe had 3 or 4 in a total of 20 cases, but that is probably due to the mid-grade paint I was using as it has never broken good paint. Also a lot of people (me included) don't like the stock trigger, I replaced with a CP sling because I like the spring return much better than stock magnetic return but really that is all about personal preference.
Reliability - Have never had this gun break down on me. I make sure to clean it after every day of playing and have not had any problems.
Value - Awesome. Got the gun off of ebay + velocity jr for 325. Definitely a great gun if you want good performance without spending a ton of money.
Summary - I would highly recommend this gun for anyone who wants a great performing marker getting into the sport that will also work if you are getting into tournament play. You will not be regret purchasing with this marker.
just get a one piece CP then your good
