The Nova N-1:In an age of "optimization", someone got weird

[Drunkscriblerian]

So, as most of you know I've come back to paintball after a long hiatus. I played hardcore in the mid-to-late 90s, played sporadically in the 2000s/2010s, and by 2014 had pretty much hung up my gear. Then late last year my SO brought home a Tippmann A-5 from her job as a hotel clerk that was about to be thrown out, and I took it as a sign that I needed to get back into the game. So I did. Since I'd never thrown away/sold all my old gear, outside of buying a new mask and tank I decided to try to use my old stuff on the field.

It was a letdown to find out its basically rental-grade these days.

Even the A-5 after mods just can't compete. And its not the gun's fault, its really the paint. The paint you can load in a blowback these days is quite frankly terrible; its out-of-round, inconsistently sized, tiny, thick-shelled...blech. So I started shopping for a new-style gun, something that could cycle the good paint.

Unfortunately all the ones I tried were just...boring. The EMEK that everyone on Reddit recommended shot good and was nicely balanced, but using it was like driving a Toyota Corolla; nice, safe, sensible, reliable and about as exciting as eating a plain bagel. There was no spark of joy. Worse, every mechanical gun out there seems to be copying the EMEK. I wanted something more interesting.

Then one day I was on the field and got tagged by someone who was (I thought) way out of range. My first thought was "How the (BLEEP) did you hit me??" and my second was "What the (BLEEPITY BLEEP) gun are you using??" . So on my way off the field I walked past him, just to see what he had.

Y'all, let's be real; these days most modern mechs are so similar you basically have to either read the stamping or see a manufacturer's logo to tell them apart...but when I walked up on this guy, from 20 feet away I could tell this guy's gun was Different. And I very much liked the look of it; what I saw was basically a blood-red TEC-9. Right away I was like "oooh, me want". I found him in the staging area and asked about his gun; he told me it was a Nova N-1 and asked if I wanted to shoot it. I was like "um, yes please".

Shooting it was even more fun. The two-stage Autococker-style trigger, the absolutely silent operation (which I assumed was something aftermarket; more on that later)....man, I was sold. Trouble was, I didn't have the money for a new marker.

Enter my SO (again). She listened to me when I raved about how cool this marker was, asked me what version I would buy if I had the money, listened to me more about what I'd need to run it, etc. The result was her rallying my family to buy me this package as an early birthday present;



So, I thought I'd take some time to actually review what I got.

First Impressions

Y'all, right away the N-1 impressed me. Taking it out of the box for the first time I was flabbergasted by how well-made it is, especially considering the $250 price point. Pretty much from stem to stern mine is "right and tight". The finish is rich and full and the lines are clean. Definitely both better made than an EMEK and much prettier. My only two bum notes were 1: the marker was supposed to come with lubricant and it didn't and 2: the lower part of the trigger guard is a bit sharp in a way it shouldn't be (as in, there's a noticeable burr on the inside edge). Other than those fails, the quality is top-notch.

Secondly, the build itself is just...well, clever. Example; unlike every other marker I've ever seen with a regulator gauge, the N-1's gauge is built into the back of the marker and deeply inset into the frame, rather than hanging out somewhere on the side of the ASA or the front grip where A: you can't see what its reading unless you stop shooting and glance at it and B: its vulnerable to all kinds of damage. I'm trying to figure out a situation where the N-1's gauge could get damaged and I'm drawing a blank. Plus, you can see it while you're shooting. A neat bonus.

Another example; doing some handling in my living room, I found the lack of a front grip isn't a problem...you can just put your off-hand against the oversized,squared-off trigger guard and that's fine. Your hand being there also makes switching shooting hands a real quick exercise. At least that was my result in practice, we'll see what happens on the field. But right away, even without pressure in it I'm already loving this gun.

Airing it up

Most of the videos I watched about setting up an N-1 referenced a lot of stuff that I didn't end up needing to do; people said the feedneck could be loose and you might need to loctite it (I didn't, the feedneck on mine ain't going nowhere) there were bolts on the front collar that could be loose (nope) and the o-rings on the reciprocating barrel might need to be lubed (I did that anyway, but there was already lube on them). So, Nova apparently has improved their out-of-the-box functionality a lot in the year since those videos were shot. Long story short, I was basically able to plug the front half into the back half and air it up without a problem. So, good on them for that.

Airing this thing up though...man, for someone who is used to running and shooting vintage Tippmanns, the N-1 is mind-boggling. Flip the on-off ASA to the rear (!!), screw the tank in, flip the switch back and it comes to life. Such a nice feature. De-gassing it is even easier. This little honey might have spoiled me forever regarding guns that don't have on/off ASAs.

Pulling the trigger

...Yeah, remember how I said that the first N-1 I tried was whisper-quiet and I assumed that was due to aftermarket mods? Well, apparently I was quite wrong. Out of the box they are totally like that. Even inside my house, my SO could not hear it discharge from another room. And when I went outside, the thing was so damn silent I wouldn't recognize its sound as that of a paintgun. These things have to be heard to be believed. It is more silent than my vintage Phantom with a "rain cover" installed was. That is just wild.

Tomorrow I take the N-1 to the field and actually put paint through it...will report on that experience, but so far I love this thing. We shall see how it actually performs on the field. Stay tuned!

[Cdn_Cuda]

Great initial review and looking forward to part 2 after you’ve hit the field. I really like Nova stuff (had an N3, still have N4) and now this is making me more and more interested in an N1 is some wild anno. If I order their cocker parts I need to spend enough to justify the shipping….

Good hunting tomorrow!

[Jonnydread]

I too get bored of any guns that functions too well without quirks. I bought a first run Emek and it was great, but it was so boring and mild to shoot it just didn’t that funky factor to me. Same reason I ditched a CCM in favor of more awkward markers with far much more personality- no shade to the fantastically built and designed markers, but I like a little dirt in my mouth.

[scottieb]

Fantastic review! Thank you for taking the time to write up your thoughts and impressions.

When I can squint and all new/recent markers look the sane then I've lost desire to own one. I like what Nova has done and is doing.

[Nish]

That may be the best description of an Emek that I have ever heard. Only I felt the same way about Tippmanns.

[Painthappy]

I too get bored of any guns that functions too well without quirks. I bought a first run Emek and it was great, but it was so boring and mild to shoot it just didn’t that funky factor to me. Same reason I ditched a CCM in favor of more awkward markers with far much more personality- no shade to the fantastically built and designed markers, but I like a little dirt in my mouth.

I think a lot of us do enjoy a guns quirks. I had (still have) and old wgp sniper and the cocking rod and barrel always came loose. It was habit for me to check them every 10 minutes. Almost like a tick. I didn't even know I was doing it at the end. I would do that to every gun for quite a while until people asked me what I was doing. I eventually dropped the habit since it was no longer needed as the guns got better, but I truly see what you mean. I love having guns with character.

I didn't buy the N1, but I did purchase the N2. It's actually been my goto gun for scenario games.

[Drunkscriblerian]

Nova N-1 Review Part II: Mechanic Boogaloo

I took the N-1 to the field today, so as promised here is my report on it:

The first thing I noticed once assembling it and getting my paint is that the "good" paint (Valken Graffiti) was much closer to the paint I remember; nice and round, no dimples, consistently sized etc. I'm glad to have a gun that can actually shoot this stuff. The second fact that immediately became apparent after I loaded up the N-1 and headed to the chrono range was...wow, I really needed to relearn how to shoot.

I'm used to 90s-vintage blowbacks, which tend to have a trigger like a nail gun. The A-5 that I switched to also doesn't care if you reef on the trigger; after all, underneath all its bells and whistles it too remains a blowback. However, the N-1's operating mechanism does not like the user having a rough pull, and it expresses its displeasure by either refusing to feed or chopping paint. Five failed feedings and one chopped ball later, I was able to realize my mistake and adopt a gentler technique. A couple turns on the velocity screw and I was in business.

However, one fact I did determine about the N-1 due to the barrel break; thanks to the combo of the twist-lock front end and the on/off ASA, clearing a barrel/chamber break in it is freakin' child's play. Just shut off the gas, twist off the front end, clear the entire paint-carrying platform (barrel, insert), put the front end back on and turn on the gas. Hey presto, your gun is totally clean...and you can visually verify that by looking down the front end assembly before you put it back on.

Result; once I learned how the trigger works and cleaned the front end, the N-1 did not break a single ball in the gun for the rest of the day. If I ever meet the engineer who thought this thing up, I will buy him a drink.

Once I got it out on the field, the N-1 performed very, very well. The whisper-quiet operation actually let me use stealth to a limited degree, I found that shooting at people who were already getting shot at by someone else on my team was a good idea, as they would often fail to pick up on my incoming fire until a ball broke on them. Also, the weight of my aluminum tank was the perfect amount of ballast; the lack of a front grip is, in fact, not an issue. Just hold it like an oversized pistol and you're good.

Did have some minor problems with dry-shots, but I entirely blame my ancient hopper for that. Otherwise the N-1 ran like a Swiss watch all day. It attracted a lot of attention, too; plenty of people have apparently read about them but never seen one, so my N-1 did spend some time getting passed around and examined.

Y'all, this gun is absolutely dope. I am so glad I have it. It's quirky and weird in all the right ways, with many of those quirks adding up to really nice features no other gun has. I wouldn't recommend it as someone's first gun, but if you are an older returning player disappointed with the "same-y-ness" of modern mechs, this little honey is a gun you should definitely take a look at.