Best long shot marker for use with first strike?

[JeeperCreeper]

I would say anything that fires consistently. I have shot FSR out of my modified PGP with great results. I also have my modded mech Ion rifle that shoots FSR beautifully, and it is whisper quiet with any ported barrel. I tend to use a Freak with .684 and the thing is super consistent, hardly any fluctuations in velocity. I hand load both. With the rifle, I'm just about as fast as any mag fed bolt action, plus if anyone gets too close I can jam paintballs right in, no switching mags, no need for a secondary either, so my rig stays relatively lightweight as I only carry a pouch and an air tank if I'm using the rifle, no air tank if I'm using my PGP.

So basically anything you can jam first strikes in will work. Get creative with it.

[Chuck E Ducky]

This thing is cooler the the other side of the pillow. Whisper quiet dead accurate and it’s got great ergonomics. I love how functional it is and it Looks bad to the bone to.

[Seajay]

Muzzle load PE LV2 is the best. haha



Closed bolt tend to shoot the farthest more accurately and can be the most consistent. Otherwise if buying new the EMF100 is really the best out of the box option to just go and play. The majority of ranges you'll most likely play at will be closer than 100 yards, so the flatter trajectory will be more advantageous being up in the action than lobbing shells far out from the bushes.

I shoot a T8.0 and a x7 Phenom with T15 magazines.

Whatever you decide to go with take some time to learn it. It's much much better now, but FSR can still be finicky.

[procarbie]

This is the way to go.

I use a single shot phantom with a 20" rifled hammer head barrel. It is deadly. I love single shot with the FSR as it keeps me from wasting too much paint.


Here is a pic.

https://i.imgur.com/BGeUguN.jpg

Holy crap that thing is cool!

Just wanted to add for macaco that if you do choose to go the route of hand loading FS rounds (this is also what I do as events that allow FS use are few and far-between where I am, so it never totally made sense for me to spend a lot on a dedicated FS marker) the discontinued but still somewhat easy to find Empire Trracer (they pop up on ebay and elsewhere fairly regularly) has a breech that’s designed to accept first strike or roundball, and besides being a great little first strike shooter out of the box it’s also very air-efficient and just a solid (not as nice in the hands as a Phantom but extremely durable and with some modern touches that make it very customizable) Nelson pump.

I assume you already have an idea of how often you’ll be playing with first strikes, but due to their price point and the fact that they are not allowed at many fields, I would just caution you to consider whether or not it’s something you’ll be doing enough of to justify the purchase of a mag-fed marker if you ONLY want to use it for first strikes. That being said, there is a growing mag-fed community and owning one of those markers will also mean you can participate in mag-fed only events, some of which do allow FS, some of which don’t. But mag-fed (esp for roundball) is a tough way to play when you’re in a roundball-only game against people using hoppers, it’s almost like an alternate version of stock class but far more expensive, as you need to buy multiple bulky magazines instead of using 10 round tubes (and reloading magazines in the field is a pain in the ass).

This is all kind of a roundabout way of saying that if you really aren’t sure exactly how often you’ll truly be shooting FS, and you aren’t sure whether or not you’d also enjoy playing mag-fed or if it’s worth owning a marker that might just collect dust when not being used for its singular purpose, then a marker like an Empire Trracer is a great choice. With no modification it will be a single-shot FS marker or a standard pump for roundball, so if your circumstances are similar to mine then you’ll just get a lot more use out of it.

Now there are some mag-fed semi’s that can be converted to hoppers as well (the EMF100 is one of them), and there was also a mag-fed pump that had the ability to switch to a hopper made by Kingman years ago, called a Hammer 7. I never owned one but from what I heard they had some feeding issues and due to the craze about them after they were discontinued, you now only tend to find them for sale at drastically inflated prices for what they originally sold for, and for what they are. The Trracer however still can be found used for around the same $120 or so ballpark it used to sell for.

Don’t let me dissuade you from going with a mag-fed marker if that is what you want and you already have a plan for it, but just in case you haven’t considered this stuff I thought maybe I could help you save a little $$$. I am certainly someone who gets really excited about an idea and sometimes sinks way too much into it only to later realize that what I was trying to do wasn’t as practical as I thought it was, so in case you’re like me I just thought I’d give you some food for thought.

If you do choose to go with an Empire Trracer, send me a PM. I’ve been using them for years and can help give you some advice about good ways to set them up for pump and FS play. Best of luck in whatever route you choose!

[pearcem]

I will share my thoughts as well. Shooting FSR at scenarios is hands down my favorite way to play paintball, and I have owned a lot of the platforms, and had some experience with others.

short version: get a CCM if you really want to go the dedicated long rage FSR route, and you can both find one and are okay with the funds. If not, get and EMF100

the SSR/M40/SR1 is in my opinion the best platform for a dedicated long range shooter. They are amazingly consistent, and in turn, accurate. The mag design is excellent. Highly customizable, top notch build quality, and CCM will drop what they are doing to help an owner of one of their markers for as long as they are around. The only real downsides are scarcity (to include mags), cost, and you are locked into 12 grams unless you can find or want to try to make a CA adapter. And then you are either stuck running remote or more than likely end up with a very functional, but not very Milsim looking gun (if you care absolutely that). The regulator is very good, and i have used 12 grams below freezing with great performance, just lower shot counts.

the EMF100 is the best bang for the buck, and the most versatile platform. It addresses almost all of the issues that have plagued magfed guns, and is reliable, consistent, air efficient, has awesome mags (critical piece to think through) and backed by a stand up company with regards to warranty and service issues. The ergonomics, while not as pretty looking, are amazing for actually playing with the gun. Not having to use a giant riser to run an optic is great. There’s also a ton of aftermarket options to get as customized and carried away as you want, or keep it stock and it will be great. It’s also one of the only magfed guns i have used that handles paint like a modern paintball gun, so it’s a great option for roundball too. I will also say that unless you are really pushing the extreme long range of shooting FSR, an EMF100 will have no issues shooting consistently and accurately at long ranges. I have gotten a lot of eliminations between 100-110 yards with mine over the years, and i was never really able to shoot accurately past that with my CCM’s. That’s a me limitation, not a gear limitation. It takes a lot of time, both in practice, but also round weighing and sorting, etc. With an emf, decent optic, and good rifled barrel, you can reach out to ~100ish yards without a ton of practice (same goes for the CCM)

don’t knock the single load breech shot setup. They are fun to build, pretty cheap, and in my opinion the most fun way to play. I shoot my guns that are set up this way more than my custom inception EMF’s. You can be surprisingly effective with these markers, and your setup is super light. It’s really freeing to go onto the field with a lightweight marker and a small pouch of first strikes, and just run around and have a good time.

stay away from the DMR. I have owned 70+ guns over the past decade or so, and the DMR was hands down the biggest piece of crap I have laid hands on. The mags are terrible to the point that they usually wouldn’t feed after the first round, the build quality is atrocious (tolerances to the point that i hade to sand the body to get the bolt to cycle), and the overall design is terrible. Also, tank in stock only means you need a goofy mile high riser to maybe use any optic effectively.

i would also personally stay away from the SAR. I have seen some work extremely well, and a lot that didn’t. There have historically been a few versions of the mags, some with some flipping issues, some without. They are finicky and relatively high maintenance for the kind of marker they are. They are also quite large and bulky, to include the mags. Most importantly, i have had a really bad experience with them with warranty and service. Sent a defective supremacy (bought new) back to them almost two years ago for an agreed upon replacement, then they went dark on me. Never responded to email, phone call, or Facebook message, and they still have my scope. I am not shelling out $1200 or whatever for a needy marker from a company that does that kind of crap. Especially when the alternatives are companies like CCM or PE.

whatever you end up with, plan for budgeting for an optic of your choice that suits your play style, a good rifled barrel (if applicable), and put as much time into figuring out how you want to comfortably carry your mags and gear as you put into picking the gun itself

[XEMON]

The only real downsides are scarcity (to include mags)

True about the gun, but the mags can be 3d printed.
I made a few for myself and they work really well 👍
(No, I will not make/sell without CCM explicit approval, but if you want to make your own, they are easy enough to reverse engineer)

[coyote]

Avoid MCS products like Herpagynasyphalitis.

The material is shoddy, the craftsmanship is poor and service and support are embarrassing.