[Robotech]

Originally Posted by buddhistgandhi

Its the rifled barrel, not the straightshot version, so the rifling matches the fin pattern on the skirts of the FS - it adds like 5 FPS and about 25 - 30 feet, and accuracy, but you cant shoot normal paint through it. Puts an strange rotation on every roundball and makes them travel all wonky.

http://www.hustlepaintball.com/Lapco...-Blasted-Black

As an aside, anyone I catch telling people that rifled barrels are great for normal paintballs is going to get punched directly in the throat.

Yes, I know the barrel...They make one in a cocker thread that fits the DAM.

http://www.hustlepaintball.com/Lapco...rch_id=1687536

Disapointed to hear about it's effects on regular paint...may have to try it anyway. LOL Here's mine with a Hushshot tip.

[vijil]

In the middle of the woods, stalking someone, the last thing you want to worry about is running out of battery

I come from a speedball background where we used exclusively electro markers and put far more paint through them (like, five cases a week or more per gun) than an SP1 or Phenom is likely to see. Problems? None. Change out the battery before a major event and you're fine.

Batteries are not a problem. Repeat: not a problem at all. A battery will get you around 10-30,000 shots depending on the gat. If it worries you, do what every sane baller does and carry a spare in your vest and gearbag. I suppose you could make the case that it's one more thing to worry about, but at the very least the issues are blown way up out of proportion.

[BatmanLiera]

I would say g1 or crossover from tippmann. Awesome guns

[NoX13]

Originally Posted by vijil

I come from a speedball background where we used exclusively electro markers and put far more paint through them (like, five cases a week or more per gun) than an SP1 or Phenom is likely to see. Problems? None. Change out the battery before a major event and you're fine.

Batteries are not a problem. Repeat: not a problem at all. A battery will get you around 10-30,000 shots depending on the gat. If it worries you, do what every sane baller does and carry a spare in your vest and gearbag. I suppose you could make the case that it's one more thing to worry about, but at the very least the issues are blown way up out of proportion.

The sp1 /G1 is VERY picky about power..

If the battery is not pulled when the marker is off the battery continues to drain.

Batteries have to be New name brand alkiline batteries or issues show up 9 out of 10 times.

alot of times several batteries will need to be tested before marker works if batteries sat for a little.time..

l in all not too much of a real problem but they cause issues that would appear as something more then.a battery issue so users who dont know this will.often start to appempt troubleshooting and repairs that wont fix the issue and not often is the battery checked becuase it was "new"

other than that I agree with you.. carry an.extra battery or two and a small allen key for the grip.
Ive had to do this and change in a firefight. a few times..

[Robotech]

Once thing I like about the DAM's stock...a little compartment that will hold a battery or two. Always have a plan B...

[buddhistgandhi]

I have yet to get around to the camo on my markers, but I think this winter I might sell them and get a SAR12... The only thing that worries me is that I do play big games, and sometimes I like just abusing paint/firing off 100 rounds for no reason. I'm still trying to mill through it.

[Robotech]

Originally Posted by buddhistgandhi

I have yet to get around to the camo on my markers, but I think this winter I might sell them and get a SAR12... The only thing that worries me is that I do play big games, and sometimes I like just abusing paint/firing off 100 rounds for no reason. I'm still trying to mill through it.

Hence why I got a DAM. Flip a switch...First Strikes on Semi-auto...flip again...hopper fed to lay down paint. It's good to have the option.

[ubermick]

Well, from shockingly limited experience, I can tell you that while the jury is out on Tippmann, I'm REALLY not impressed by the SP1. Showed up, and finally got a chance to futz with it yesterday. Hooked up a 9oz CO2 canister (I know, waiting for my HPA tank to arrive), gently screwing it in per the instructions, and test fired it. 5 shots in, heard a pop, and the gun basically turned into a fire extinguisher, with CO2 leaking from the grip and everywhere else. Hastily unscrewed the gas, had a search through the completely useless instructions which basically show you how to field strip the bolt and nothing else, searched the web for any instructions, and called ANSgear (who basically told me "tough luck, as soon as we sell you something we don't really care, call GOG"). So will either have to send it back to them and wait X amount of time, or pay the money and head to a shop to have them look at it. Sheesh.

Least the X7 should be here tomorrow, along with my HPA tank!

[Robotech]

Sorry to hear that ubermick. Sometimes stuff like that happens and it sucks when it does. Best thing to do is post up here and see if anyone has experiance with that marker and can tell you where to start looking for issues.

I'm assuming you bought this marker used. If you did, keep in mind the issue may not be the marker but the previous owner. This is why I always warn people who are not well versed in the art of gun tech to be very very careful about buying used if not avoiding purchasing a used marker all together.

Some questions. You said it is leaking from the grip and I'm assuming you're talking about the grip you hold with your firing hand (the trigger grip) and not the foregrip/regulator.

Second, are you using a CO2 tank with an anti-siphon? If not, you may be getting liquid CO2 into your gun and the regulator on the SP1 will vent that excess pressure at though it is leaking. The issue shouldn't happen with HPA.

Third, did you remove the bolt and check all the orings per the instructions to make sure they were all there and all in good order? May not be a bad idea, if this is a used gun, to replace them all anyway just for peace of mind. Do this, lube the bolt and orings with the proper lube specified in the manual, and see if this corrects the issue.

Let us know what happens.

[The Inflicted]

Well that's disappointing.
When you contact GoG, let us know what they say.

[ubermick]

Actually no, bought it new from ANS Gear. Ordered last week, arrived Friday, and like I said didn't get a chance to arse about with it, since I had to build a deck over the weekend. In answer to your questions...

1) Yep, it's leaking from the trigger grip and not the regulator. Although based on the sheer volume of gas that's venting, it's probably somewhere in the body and the gas is just continuing on the path of least resistance.

2) This I genuinely have no clue about. But in an effort to discount that, I tried keeping the tank and marker completely upright when I tried screwing in, and had the same issue.

3) I did remove the bolt per the instructions, and it all SEEMED fine - but again, I'm a complete novice at this, so what's fine and what's not fine likely all looks the same to me.

Think the plan of attack is going to be heading to a pro shop with it tomorrow after work and have them take a look at it. It's still firing with the CO2 attached, which leads me to believe it's just an o-ring or something, as opposed to a blown solenoid or board. Given that, I assume (doing that a lot here!) that having someone who knows what they're doing will cost not much more than sending it back to GOG and waiting indefinitely for it to be returned? (Their site won't accept a return, since I have to register it first, and there's no way of registering a Smart Parts marker that I can find!)

[Robotech]

Originally Posted by ubermick

Actually no, bought it new from ANS Gear. Ordered last week, arrived Friday, and like I said didn't get a chance to arse about with it, since I had to build a deck over the weekend. In answer to your questions...

1) Yep, it's leaking from the trigger grip and not the regulator. Although based on the sheer volume of gas that's venting, it's probably somewhere in the body and the gas is just continuing on the path of least resistance.

2) This I genuinely have no clue about. But in an effort to discount that, I tried keeping the tank and marker completely upright when I tried screwing in, and had the same issue.

3) I did remove the bolt per the instructions, and it all SEEMED fine - but again, I'm a complete novice at this, so what's fine and what's not fine likely all looks the same to me.

Think the plan of attack is going to be heading to a pro shop with it tomorrow after work and have them take a look at it. It's still firing with the CO2 attached, which leads me to believe it's just an o-ring or something, as opposed to a blown solenoid or board. Given that, I assume (doing that a lot here!) that having someone who knows what they're doing will cost not much more than sending it back to GOG and waiting indefinitely for it to be returned? (Their site won't accept a return, since I have to register it first, and there's no way of registering a Smart Parts marker that I can find!)

Wow...new and you have these issues. That's something else. But it happens from time to time. Good news is you do have the ability to send it back under warranty. Contact GoG (who is Smart Parts these days I believe) and see what you can do to register it and have it sent in for service. I know it's a pain and you want to play with your new gun right away but they should really make the gun right FIRST.

[ubermick]

Yeah, good point. Just frustrating, but even more frustrated at ANSgear - basically told me tough luck, not their problem, everything they sell is as-is, contact Smart Parts, good luck with that. Pretty horrible customer service, that.

What's frustrating to me is that I like to think of myself as intelligent, and good with my hands. Built a deck, rewired my house, welded a homebrewing system and automated it, built several computers, woodworking... but a leaky paintball gun has me staring at it in confusion! (Although the manual is a waste of paper, with absolutely zero direction on fixing anything)

I have an X7 Phenom (that one's used) showing up tomorrow along with a tank I need to get hydroed. I'll take everything up to the local store, 31st Outfitters to get the tank sorted, and I'll see if I can talk them into taking a look at the SP1 while I'm there. It'd be about $20 to send the thing back to GOG, and if I can have them fix it for a couple bucks more on the spot, might as well.

[The Inflicted]

In the meantime, ubermick, if you want to give it a shot there's a pretty good disassembly guide with pictures here: https://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=3031499

The G-1's manual is a bit more comprehensive than the SP-1's, and it's available for free here: https://www.gogpaintball.com/docs/manuals/g1.pdf

If you do want to try tackling the leak yourself, I would advise against disassembling the regulator, as this is a bit more involved than working on the rest of the gun and it sounds like it's not the problem.

[vijil]

Have a horrible feeling the noid went. Old SP guns had some issues with that.

As for "tough luck, as soon as we sell you something we don't really care, call GOG" - that would be all kinds of illegal here in NZ. Lifetime right of return here guaranteed by law (even if you sign a supposed waiver) if the product is defective.

So, might be worth looking into consumer law in your area or talking to someone.

[Henchman]

GOG enmey is the way to go.
Fully mechanical gun, no batteries to worry about, and extremely related and consistent.


Being a previous owner of A5's, 3 Phenoms (Which suck a$$ for reliability) and a big Automag fan. Have to say the GoG Enmey quickly became my favorite marker. And for an additional $100 you can turn it into a tactical marker. And it will be lighter and mo efficient than any Tippman.



IMAG0119_1_1 by markwhensley, on Flickr

[sambob117]

Henchman, did that body require any modding or is it an easy swap out? I'd like to get an enmey but I'm not really a fan of the body

To address the topic of Tippmanns I've always had a 98 in my gearbag. If mine or a friends gun goes down it's always a reliable backup and I have a phenom in the past and never had a complaint

[dblj44]

Umbermick, try changing the battery. I've heard of several SP1 being shipped with bad batteries. You may not be getting enough juice for the solenoid
to function correctly.

[Henchman]

Originally Posted by sambob117

Henchman, did that body require any modding or is it an easy swap out? I'd like to get an enmey but I'm not really a fan of the body

To address the topic of Tippmanns I've always had a 98 in my gearbag. If mine or a friends gun goes down it's always a reliable backup and I have a phenom in the past and never had a complaint

The only mod is you have to ge the Enmeys breach threaded. I have a guy here who has the tap set, and it costs $30.
If you have a local guy, you can use him.
You also need to make a hole in the front so the ASAcan fit through and connect to the power tube.
I did that myself with a dremel and some cutting disks.
Other than that, the enemy power tube slides right in.

[Danny96211]

Tippmanns are known for their durability and reliability. Also for their companies great customer service. I have owned an A5 and a 98custom in the past. Both served me well. Only issue i ever encountered was the e-trigger in my A5 failed me one day at the field. I called tippmann, shipped it off to them, and they fixed it and sent it back for free.

That being said, tippmanns (the blowback ones) are loud, heavy, inefficient and have lots of kick compared to spool and poppet valve guns. Its a trade off. Would you rather a gun that you can run over with a car and keep on shooting, or a gun that requires more maintenance but shoots much better? Maintaining a gun really isn't hard. As long as you dont treat it like crap, you shouldn't have any problems.

The crossover and x7 phenom are different then the other tippmanns. I believe they utilize the spool valve platform. This is much more consistent, efficient, and better overall.

If your looking at an A5, i would suggest skipping that and buying something like a GoG envy or extcy, maybe even a G1. Also, take a look at Azodins new Z2.

[ubermick]

Well, the Phenom showed up yesterday and love the thing. As I mentioned to someone else, the SP1 felt like a toy, whereas the Phenom (granted it's modded with stock, flatline, and I tossed a red dot on there as well) feels like a weapon.

Turns out the SP1 blew the solenoid. Spoke to GoG over the phone, and they basically just told me to RMA it. Suggested sending out the replacement to me rather than ship it out, have them install it, and ship it back, but they wanted it there for some reason. So that's winging it's way east now.

Anyways, thanks again to everyone for the words of advice and encouragement. Makes a newb like myself feel all warm and fuzzy...