Potential pump player :D

[Meaples]

Hi all, I am a Malaysian student currently studying at Edinburgh University and was looking to buy a pump. I've done my research on what pump I dream to get but I'm not entirely sure where or how to get it. So far, I've found that CCI phantoms and Empire traccers are really good buys for the price and looks. I played both scenario and speed back in Malaysia but was interested in pump. Sadly, the pump community there is non existent so going in with one on a usual Sunday slugfest was almost as bad as playing chicken with Bob longs ( Our birthday runs there were chicken with Axes ).

Anyway, I am 100% new to the pump game and was wondering what extra skills you need to be a good/above average pump player ? Also, I was wondering how much more convenient/inconvenient it is running a stock class marker over an open one and whether set ups that go for Mini CO2 over small 13Cu 3k Psi HPA tanks are any better. How much of a difference is there in weight between the two?

Lastly, on the cost and maintenance side, will Mini CO2 set ups run into really expensive play prices compared to HPA ? I understand that most pumps are made to last and they generally do but is there any general problem always associated with pumps over long periods of time?

On a slightly unrelated note, I have 2 markers back home and would like to ship them from Malaysia to the UK, is this action generally frowned upon/not advised ? If this is really out of topic and inappropriate, feel free to remove the last part.

Thanks for the help guys,
Shaun.

 

[H]

If the sites you play at can fill air then I'd always advise going for HPA over CO2. The improved consistency particularly in cold weather is very worthwhile

I run a 13ci out the back of an Empire Trracer I picked up cheap from these forums, it works as a nice butstock. I use a small 50 round hopper or a Proto Primo loader depending on how much paint I want to shoot. I generally use a Freak barrel as paint needs to be a tight fit otherwise you'll get rollouts. It looks like this:

I don't often use the Apex on it, I just put in on because it looked cool.

Maintenance is no hassle, the traccer is pretty tough, every few events I've stripped, cleaned and lubed the firing system. Adjusting velocity is a bit of pain but it's seemed insanely consistent so it's not something I've had to mess with much. I don't think there's any massive reliability concerns for pumps over electros, in theory there's a lot less to go wrong but on the other hand they are taking a bit more physical abuse by being pumped for every shot.

It's a different skill set playing with a pump gun, particularly against people shooting semi. On one hand you need to be sneaky because you cant really lay down a hail of paint to move behind but on the other I generally find myself playing more aggressively and taking advantages of gaps more readily as you need to get closer to be sure of kills. When I play with 'normal' markers I'm pretty ambidextrous, in fact I often prefer to shoot with my left (off-hand) but when playing with the Trracer I'm hopeless out my left, partly due to the right feed and also it just feels wrong.

 

[Meaples]

Nice set up. About the barrel, do 14" barrels make a difference here at all or are the stock 11" barrels good enough? As for the CO2, I was referring to the mini capsule like ones but I forgot what it is called.

How does your marker weigh in comparison to say a "standard" tourney loadout of say Axe/etha with rotor loader, standard aluminum tank/CF tank ?

Also, on the rare chance ( not sure if rare actually ) that someone does want to sell a phantom, I'd seriously consider having a go at it. Have to get privileges first to post in the classifieds but I'll get there soon enough.

Thanks,
Shaun.

 

[silver-fox]

I used to use a Razorback boar (14"barrel) and a Phantom Tourney (10/11" barrel), I found there was very little of differance as the Razorback used to seem more accurate at slightly longer ranges.

The 12g caplets are ok but they only give you 20 - 25 shots out of one, I would seriously consider using an air tank though.