ADA: Ask Doc Anything!

[The Great Equalizer]

Fascinating history for me.

I feel that the trigger pull on the Equalizer trained me to have a "fast finger" on all subsequent single trigger guns I've used. Against my original group of 12 players in middle school (Stingrays, Pro-Lites and Spyders) I had the second fastest ROF using an Equalizer. The one guy with the cocker was faster. Did I get shootdown to the point that the balls were landing at my feet? Yes. But they were still landing at my feet FAST (or at least that's what I remember from 25 years ago).

I'll also note that Sheridan did a really bad job educating retail stores and their own customer service people. I wanted a longer barrel soon after getting my Equalizer and the store owner told me there were no barrels longer than the stock barrel. I called Sheridan and I was told the 8" stock barrel was the only barrel for the Equalizer. They didn't advertise the Equalizer in magazines and I don't remember seeing a picture of the actual thread on a VM barrel in a magazine, so I assumed they were right. Three years later I found this tiny shop in Worcester MA that had an un-ported barrel with a thread I recognized. I'd never been so excited when the clerk explained that the VM was one of the most popular guns of all time and there were hundreds of different barrels. Of course I bought the one he had and it defiantly improved my accuracy for the 3 months until the Equalizer's final death.

[ford]

Tried searching through this thread but forgive me if this has been asked before.

How do you set timeline expectations with customers for custom paintball work? Is there anything you wish impatient customers could keep in mind while they wait for projects to get worked?

[DocsMachine]

You want to see a picture of my what?!? Sorry, that's Onlyfans content, you'll have to join my...

Oh, wait. Right. Cat.



Kitty zonked in his bed in the mudroom.

Doc.

[Jonnydread]

May I see a picture of your cat please?

[Carp]

I have not the foggiest of a clue. I'll go with your answer until I find a different option.😁

[DocsMachine]

DocsMachine In your extensive and vast paintball knowledge... Do you know why the ASP cocker threaded phantom body is called a "Roundhead"?

-Wasn't it because the original ASP bodies were square-topped?

If not, I have no idea.

Doc.

[Carp]

DocsMachine In your extensive and vast paintball knowledge... Do you know why the ASP cocker threaded phantom body is called a "Roundhead"?

[DocsMachine]

And which Material, the irony being Doc's Nickels are not actually machined from Nickel!

-That's not really irony.

But yeah, I've thought about things like enamelled TWB pins and "Challenge coins" and the like, but really, I have a hard time just keeping up with my regular inventory stuff. And, I suspect, the total market for a "Doc Challenge Coin" or whatever would be, like, five.

This coming year, I hope to be able to pour a lot more time into that kind of thing, but as always, it depends on all sorts of other work.

What would be Doc's opinion on Hard Moutain Dew?

-Doc are not a drinker.

Not out of any sociopolitical teetotalitarianism or anything like that, I just never really liked the taste. (And, I have to say, I never really liked the slowed and distorted thought processes, either. Doc was also never any kind of a party animal.)

It's also worth noting that, even with all the other Dew variants out there, I stick with the original Green Death flavor.

Doc.

[Pyrate Jim]

What would be Doc's opinion on Hard Moutain Dew?

[un2xs]

Perhaps it's too obvious... but brass?

Anodized aircraft grade aluminum isn't meant to be heavy.

[Meleager7]

Ok, so this idea is obviously a not-so-clever play on your last name, but have you ever thought of doing a run of Paintball Collector Coins, naming them "Doc's Nickels" of course !

I would say they'd have to have some decent weight, so they make a good clang when they hit a table, and on at least one side would have your Polar Bear mascot !

What should go on the other side though?

And which Material, the irony being Doc's Nickels are not actually machined from Nickel !

[Brokeass_baller]

I had a Gemini kit, and I can tell you it's more of a hassle than it seems like it would be. If you have too high of a pressure difference, the switch (6-way) will not want to reset and hang up on the forward trigger stroke. If the pressures aren't too different, it'll probably work alright, but I don't see much benefit from only a 5psi drop. That's my 2¢. Maybe I missed something important when I had it. I was 18 when I was messing with it.

[Super Nova]

Awesome, just glad you got them. yea doesnt have to be tomorrow that I ship em out or anything.

[DocsMachine]

It's worth noting that I ordered a cheap .50 cal barrel off eBay when I looked for the post above, and two bags of that "blowgun" 50. (Which will probably be crap paint, but it was cheaper than buying- and shipping- a whole case.)

When the parts come in, when I get time, I'll do a quick write-up on that kind of "drop in" conversion. I've been wanting to try one for a while, ever since I saw the PE kits for Eteks.

... Anyone know what the actual bore measurement for a decent .50 cal barrel is?

Are you still doing custom work on pball markers? We talked a long while ago about doing some work and I have acquired the bodies, been trying to contact ya to see if you are still in the biz and interested. LMK thanks.

-I've gotten your messages, but have been holding off answering for a bit. At the moment I'm booked pretty solid through at least the middle of September. I'll try to get you a proper reply this evening and we can hash out a timeline.

Doc.

[MrBarraclough]

.50 cal is big at some fields that offer "low impact" play for younger renters. It's a huge part of the business at CAPP (Central Alabama Paintball Park, near Birmingham). They have a whole rental fleet of Tippmann FT-50s, which are just .50 cal versions of the FT-12. Along with gellyball and Nerf, that field has a complete ladder of offerings that eventually get up to true .68 cal paintball. In the coming years, I will be very interested to see if that kind of graduated system is more successful at drawing new players into the sport, compared to just starting with normal paintball at 10-12 years old.

When I played in a mech hyperball tourney there in July, one of my teammates (it was a draft tourney with randomized teams) was a local teenager who had been doing really well at .50 cal playing walk-on with groups of renters. His very first game of real, .68 cal paintball was the opening game of that tournament. We had him play as our snake front. He got all the way down to the other side's snake insert bunker, shooting out three dudes on the way, before losing a gunfight. In his case, at least, the system of cutting one's teeth in low impact .50 cal play seems to have worked.

I have noticed that ANSgear offers 2000 round cases of .50 cal Empire Marbelizer.