New Magfed Formats and Field

[P.I.C.T. Tactical]

So here is a little background; I am an OIF veteran with benefits I never tapped. I was illegally terminated from a govt contractor position and am at the end of a federal court case with a settlement conference a month away. Oddly enough, I am also in a premesis liability case where I have to get one more surgery (I was injured on an unsafe property in California I was renting by the ocean. So in other words, $$$$$.

My point is that I have waited long enough to settle down and use my benefits and I already know what I will be investing in with my awards. Land. I need to find exactly where. Washington state is too gloomy so I am looking at Oregon. I fell in love w the West Coast and have decided to invest here.

I own a security consultation business where I often teach clients how to clear their homes and I use those .43 paintball trainers when I can get a facility to use. I will be building an indoor facility where I can mimick clients homes and businesses to get some very in depth training and for my personal use I will be building a from scratch Mag fed field for future events with all the trimmings.

No hay bales or junk from local businesses, every field will play into the bigger overall field and be purpose built and located. What is difficult to work out before I have , the land is the overall shape and size of the field but I always liked the old Specops paintball idea of two main bases and one swing base situated on one side exactly centered.

Now I have managed public fields, played for years and I’m certain I will not have a public venue for a myriad of reasons. I plan on spending $$ on this field, as it is something I have always wanted and I plan on making it the best Mag Fed field in the world. As I will not have John Q Public blasting away with 20 bps I will not require as much power washing and upkeep.

I am thinking of a club where I somehow differentiate the people who have an interest in playing Mag Fed ball with good sportsmanship and all the rest. People like Greg Hastings (Awesome dude) and other great names in the industry that I haven’t met and partied with so we can have some epic scenario games and events with a smaller, more vetted crowd.

I am working on mission specific formats and games other than just Mag Fed scrimmage and would love to hear from other Mag Fed ballers on all of this. More to follow.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Sounds like a very difficult business model. Not saying it can’t be done but your talking about less then 1/3 of paintball and building a sustainable business model around it. Location will be key.

Your going to rent mag fed markers 😬 gunna need a good tec. If not you just narrowed your clientele that much more I would be interested to hear how you plan on working around the traditional paintball business model.

Luxury sports would be the last thing I would invest in right now honestly. If your coming into cash do yourself a favor get a good accountant and invest in real estate.

[BrickHaus]

Im with Chuck. I get doing it simply because you want the outcome of a private field that rocks, but I wouldn't go into this as a business venture. Its likely not going to net much income, or offset its initial cost to build. As long as you realize you are going to be sinking money into a pet project that costs l you everything to upkeep, then rock on.

Especially if mag fed only, and private as well. It just seems like a super niche within the niche of paintball.

I too have a semi dream of owning land and building a dope paintball course there, but at the same time. I was just at a killer field built in this guys back yard, and I couldnt help but notice how the landscape was scared with bunkers and beaten down trails.

Im torn on the other side to owning land, and grooming hiking trails through it for my own benefit, but keeping the land pretty.

Id say you have better luck building a private stock class field than mag fed.. that or airsoft would net more magfedeque players than ball ever will.


What about doing a private simunition training facility? That would pull your hardcore ex military guys who really wanna have fun.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Sim training will have more money behind it I agree. But location is still going to be key.

[Meleager7]

Do you think you'd consider partnering with local law enforcement, and provide them your facility for their close quarters training? For that type of customer, you could switch to the less mess powder filled ball. Those powder balls are expensive, but those cops wouldn't be paying the bill individually either, their Dept police budget would be paying, so you could charge a premium for the special ammo, and of course access to your field.

[P.I.C.T. Tactical]

Oh no it’s not to make money! It’s to have somewhere to play and put my ideas into practice. I have a training business for that. I ad an idea to try attaining local LE contracts but past that it will be a private venue.

[P.I.C.T. Tactical]

I play stock class too but really love Magfed. I was told there are NO fields in Idaho at all but then again, I’m not really looking for public customers. I need to find where the gloom ends here on the West Coast and buy there.

[Lt. head-shot]

Oh no it’s not to make money! It’s to have somewhere to play and put my ideas into practice. I have a training business for that. I ad an idea to try attaining local LE contracts but past that it will be a private venue.

So don't get me wrong, not here to crap on your idea, but I want to be real with you.... are you willing to sink $1M+ into a project that won't make money? My guess would be no.

I am local and I can tell you that looking for land for any sort of field is an absolute NIGHTMARE. Oregon and Washington are extremely volatile growth markets. You can't buy a 1000 sqft house for less than $300K. Interest rates are up, but real estate is still a bonkers market right now. But even with that you would need to get a location that is not only viable for you, but one that is able to be zoned/used for the commercial use you need it for. And that is NOT cheap. Commercial properties are a whole other beast compared to residential.

Example - I helped the local airsoft guys (Thunderkiss NW) for a long time, including getting their field up and running in 2018. Bill spent years looking for a place that would allow them to have either an indoor or outdoor field. In the end they settled with a place that used to be a metalwork factory, was complete crap and covered in 20 years of metal dust, needed $20K in renovations... and that place STILL cost $1M for the building. At the cheap end (I know its more than this) I would conservatively say their costs for the location were $10K a month. And that was for a 10 year lease.

So with no public clientele, you would need to clear $10K a month just to pay your lease/rent/mortgage and utilities. As soon as anyone steps into the building you need insurance. Add $1K/month. If you had a small fleet of rental equipment, lets say 10 MG100's, plus masks/tanks/gear, you'd probably be around $10K for startup. Not even going to include maintenance since you say it won't be a "public" field but that also adds some $$. Add $3K-10K for a compressor, or rent tanks for several hundred per month. And then if you do plan on having any groups of people, add in some labor costs. Add in any renovations/additions to the property (as you say not hay or junk). Then your costs for paint... At the low end... lets say $15K a month total.

So if you had 4 clients a day, 5 days a week. You could break even if each of them were paying $185ish a session. Not including paint, thats rough, but not as rough as what some folks cost for "training". But lets be honest, is 20 clients a week, every week. every month, realistic? Probably not. Take that down to 20 clients a month (aka 1 a day) and then you are talking $750 a session. OUCH.

Again, not trying to poo on the idea. But limiting your clientele to a private group of a very niche part of a niche sport with huge business costs is very limiting. I know you say that this isn't to make money, but fields do need money in order to keep things alive. Don't get me wrong either, I totally understand not wanting the general public coming and causing a huge hassle. But at the same time, little Timmy coming in and renting out a field for a birthday party is a lifeblood for fields. Just like selling cases of paint to the guy who dumps 6 pods in a 10 minute game.


Oh and the "gloom" ends when you hit California, but you'll get taxed into oblivion. Nevada is hot as balls and you won't have client draw. Idaho is similar, not a big enough population to get the client draw you would need.

[P.I.C.T. Tactical]

Guys I’m not building it to make money. A small indoor training facility will do that. This is a project for me as something I have always wanted. Outside of special events I won’t even have people there. For me it is about having a great venue to play - at no point did I ever intend to invite the public or make it a business.

I wont be putting a mil into the field but I will be building it purposefully from the ground up. I’ll save money building wooden models (downed plane, vehicles to shoot around and through) And put the real $ into my small indoor training facility reserved for clients. I managed a field in California long enough to know I want nothing to do with a public business.

I say again, this is NOT a business model. It is a custom field built to spec that I can host events at for the people in the community who want to play a real mag Fed format. My business and my pension pay the bills. This $$ is for the field I have always wanted.

Also so I won’t be near a major city but probably an hour or so outside. I will also be building a number of guest houses for when my friends and family visit which made me consider building like a barracks or something with cots etc so once I host a game I can do overnight camping or something as well. I have friends with RVs.

[Rainmaker]

I like the idea, and would love for this field to exist, and would be honored if I was ever extended an invitation 😀

[Lt. head-shot]

Ok I guess I retract my statement then.

But there is a difference between making money, and losing money. And considering the cost, I assumed you didn't want to lose that much.

I guess its maybe more like some of the exclusive "gun clubs" in places like Vegas and Scottsdale. Super private, exclusive, but really cool.

Regardless, some sort of insurance policy would not be a bad idea, just fyi. "Waivers" don't hold up in court, and the last thing you want is to be sued by someone getting injured. Even in a "private" event.

[P.I.C.T. Tactical]

Well the only thing in this market that I feel comfortable investing in his land. If the money sits in the bank inflations going to eat the hell out of it. I figure a purpose built mag fed field with one or two events a year so as not to keep me too busy cleaning up other peoples trash would be perfect and I was never really interested in making money so much as having the field for my personal use. It’s about location, I was really hoping to find a sunbelt somewhere north of Cali but time will tell. I appreciate all the input guys!

[P.I.C.T. Tactical]

So don't get me wrong, not here to crap on your idea, but I want to be real with you.... are you willing to sink $1M+ into a project that won't make money? My guess would be no.

I am local and I can tell you that looking for land for any sort of field is an absolute NIGHTMARE. Oregon and Washington are extremely volatile growth markets. You can't buy a 1000 sqft house for less than $300K. Interest rates are up, but real estate is still a bonkers market right now. But even with that you would need to get a location that is not only viable for you, but one that is able to be zoned/used for the commercial use you need it for. And that is NOT cheap. Commercial properties are a whole other beast compared to residential.

Example - I helped the local airsoft guys (Thunderkiss NW) for a long time, including getting their field up and running in 2018. Bill spent years looking for a place that would allow them to have either an indoor or outdoor field. In the end they settled with a place that used to be a metalwork factory, was complete crap and covered in 20 years of metal dust, needed $20K in renovations... and that place STILL cost $1M for the building. At the cheap end (I know its more than this) I would conservatively say their costs for the location were $10K a month. And that was for a 10 year lease.

So with no public clientele, you would need to clear $10K a month just to pay your lease/rent/mortgage and utilities. As soon as anyone steps into the building you need insurance. Add $1K/month. If you had a small fleet of rental equipment, lets say 10 MG100's, plus masks/tanks/gear, you'd probably be around $10K for startup. Not even going to include maintenance since you say it won't be a "public" field but that also adds some $$. Add $3K-10K for a compressor, or rent tanks for several hundred per month. And then if you do plan on having any groups of people, add in some labor costs. Add in any renovations/additions to the property (as you say not hay or junk). Then your costs for paint... At the low end... lets say $15K a month total.

So if you had 4 clients a day, 5 days a week. You could break even if each of them were paying $185ish a session. Not including paint, thats rough, but not as rough as what some folks cost for "training". But lets be honest, is 20 clients a week, every week. every month, realistic? Probably not. Take that down to 20 clients a month (aka 1 a day) and then you are talking $750 a session. OUCH.

Again, not trying to poo on the idea. But limiting your clientele to a private group of a very niche part of a niche sport with huge business costs is very limiting. I know you say that this isn't to make money, but fields do need money in order to keep things alive. Don't get me wrong either, I totally understand not wanting the general public coming and causing a huge hassle. But at the same time, little Timmy coming in and renting out a field for a birthday party is a lifeblood for fields. Just like selling cases of paint to the guy who dumps 6 pods in a 10 minute game.


Oh and the "gloom" ends when you hit California, but you'll get taxed into oblivion. Nevada is hot as balls and you won't have client draw. Idaho is similar, not a big enough population to get the client draw you would need.

All good points for a traditional field. The money I sink into my indoor training facility will pay dividends but the field is really a hobby. Like I said, I really only invest in real estate (if you can’t touch it you don’t own it) so turning said land into something I can get up and enjoy every morning is really where I am at with the idea.

I will not have rental markers, or masks or even refs on staff. It will be a private custom venue for mag fed scenarios and big games where vetted players can show up and plug in their RV and set up their campsites and play some really good Magfed ball, hopefully with a nice view of the ocean, mountains, etc.

Regular fields have to take birthday parties and then kiss moms ass when she threatens a bad yelp review after all her kids feel entitled to trash your gear because she paid their rates. My business model deals with training simulations and live fire practice (at the local gun range) so I won’t be doing a lot of the stuff a regular field does.

I want everyone vetted as they will be will be on my land next to my house and I look into the background of anyone I train so as not to have anyone with priors etc learning anything from me. I did have some thoughts on trying to attain some LE contracts for the sake of financial support but I will have to play it by ear.

[P.I.C.T. Tactical]

Ok I guess I retract my statement then.

But there is a difference between making money, and losing money. And considering the cost, I assumed you didn't want to lose that much.

I guess its maybe more like some of the exclusive "gun clubs" in places like Vegas and Scottsdale. Super private, exclusive, but really cool.

Regardless, some sort of insurance policy would not be a bad idea, just fyi. "Waivers" don't hold up in court, and the last thing you want is to be sued by someone getting injured. Even in a "private" event.

Yeah the insurance would be the only thing I would need to figure out

[P.I.C.T. Tactical]

I like the idea, and would love for this field to exist, and would be honored if I was ever extended an invitation 😀

Count on it. I recently played paintball at the Oregon super game with some MCB members for the first time and there’s no question that you guys are on the list

[P.I.C.T. Tactical]

So I’m looking at different fields across the United States for inspiration on how I want to build the aforementioned field. Obviously it’s difficult before I know the shape of the land I’m going to get but I have to mention back sometime during the spec ops paintball era they had some big games and they had like a triangular field where the swing base was exactly the same amount of distance from either base and it seems like a great idea.

I also really enjoy situations and scenarios preferably realistic more than aliens versus predator type of thing and I’m thinking I’ll be building a number of structures for that very reason as far as objectives and things of that nature.