Milsim markers - poor design for paintball?

[Gadget]

Is it just me, or are mil-sim markers really poorly suited for paintball?

You'd think that basing a gun design on a real-steel equivalent would be a good idea, but soldiers don't wear bulky masks, real firearms need the stock level with the barrel to cope with the recoil from an explosive round and bullets have enough accuracy to make use of proper scopes/sights.

We on the other hand, do wear goggles/masks, that make it next to impossible to rest your cheek on a stock and sight along the top of the gun, shoot guns with minimal recoil to absorb so can get away with a stock/tank fixed at any point and shoot ammunition that varies in shape so greatly as to make sights more of an inconvenience than asset.

It seems to me that anything with a stock that's in line with the barrel is unnecessarily putting form over function and forces you to twist your neck to try and sight along the gun. A 'normal' paintball gun layout of bottle/stock coming off an ASA at the bottom of the grip frame seems a far better layout, as when shouldering the bottle it automatically brings the body/barrel of the gun into your eyeline.

 

[M4rkm93]

Completely agree with you Gadget. It is near impossible to look down a sight on a milsim marker and get any reasonable amount of vision.

They're heavy, bulky, and look very ugly IMHO. XD

Tank and stock on the same gun just don't work together, and even if you try and get around that with remote coil it stops you from being able to efficiently change hands and hinders mobility even more.

 

[Tom]

If its Milsim then it should look like a real gun - otherwise its not sim
So Milsim paintball does not use poorly designed guns. It uses paintballs so you can safely shoot each other

But for paintball as a game or sport then the optimum is the speedball style gun. It is ergonomicaly destined for purpose. The cylinder is the stock, and if its a fibre cylinder the round base gives the benefit of rolling in the shoulder

On a similar vein @gommie404 redesigned shotgun stocks for the Olympics, and they were banned for an unfair advantage

Unnecessary add ons such as sights are of little benefit. A red dot can be used to turn a hopper invisible and see through it in front of your face and with both eyes open placing the dot on your target. If you practice then you can do this naturally and discard the sight
Either way you have to learn how the paintball shoots and either adjust a sight for range and drop, shoot below centre, or aim at heads to hit bodies

Stocks are available to be used with goggles, and remember that remote lines and carrying cylinders on your back was not invented for the 'milsim' crowd. It was in competitive style paintball, even though for a short period of time

Some people like it to look and feel like a gun, some like the weight, some think putting everything on makes it better

Sights with zoom had problems that they lose your perception of what is around you. Now with things such as first strike people are again making use of sights, but are better off with crossbow sights

Horses for courses - people want to play many different styles of paintball the way that they want to

 

[Magic Rat]

Buy one of each then you get the best of both worlds,
and a pump
and a couple of pistols
and an old style cocker
and pump shotgun
and a backpack fed mini gun.
Mmmmmm so much choice,but its still small balls filled with semi liquid,which only travel so far with limited accuracy,so go first strike.

 

[Gadget]

If its Milsim then it should look like a real gun - otherwise its not sim
So Milsim paintball does not use poorly designed guns. It uses paintballs so you can safely shoot each other

Fair point and probably a badly phrased question on my part - I'm thinking more specifically about magfed guns, most of which (all?) are unfortunately Mil-Sim styled. It would be nice to see some more ergonomically sound magfed options out there, which weren't designed for stocks or covered with rails. Best options at the moment seem to be the DAM (minus stock), Phenom (minus stock and plus a horizontal ASA) and Hammer 7 (with bottom line kit) all running a back bottle.

 

[Tom]

The dam will perform with a 13ci attached and the stock without it adding any difficulty
But won't give a high number of shots. This is ok if it's restricted capacity magfed, and avoids a remote line

But ergonomicaly you are right - the optimum is no stock and treat the cylinder as a stock

 

[Magic Rat]

Looks good to me.

 

[RobbyT]

i do agree in a way.. but.. milsim guns are designed (generally) to me look alikes and replicas..
i see what your saying they we have masks and gas tanks ect but our guns look more realistic thatother style guns like tourney..
for example my mk3 or hammer 7 look more like a real gun than luxe or a empire axe..

no company will be able to make a replicar gun that handles and feels like a real gun, but i dont think thats what companies aim for.. they aim for making guns that can be "realated" to real fire arms..

i do agree what yo usay about masks.. but i have a riser with my acog, and i know how my markers feel and fire so i fairly confident with aiming with a sight..

finally, if you dont like milsig guns, dont buy one .. i like the feel, and look of them and thats the only reason i buy them.. i dont care if its supposed to be like a real fire arms.... (apart from my desert eagle cos thats sexy)

 

[Gadget]

You've hit the nail on the head there mate - I'd love to buy a non milsim magfed marker - but no-one makes one! Hammer 7 is probably the closest, but I don't like playing pump.

 

[RobbyT]

on that note.... i just brought one