Bringing Back Electric Autocockers

[masterchiefmurph]

It’s come to my attention that there indeed was an Autococker “dark age” in the late 2000s early 2010s where nobody wanted them because of the advent of the “space gun”. Only now it seems a large portion of the community desires autocockers and eBay scalpers are afoot, but also there IS an increase in demand, what was a $180 pro stock is $300 easy if it’s pristine.

What I mean to say is: Cockers are back, but electro cocker enthusiasts rely on discontinued parts; grip frames, solenoids, etc. New boards are made occasionally by sci fi paintball in small numbers, and mq2 valves (which modernized electro cockers sort of) can’t legally be produced anymore.

I think they’re the best of both worlds, mechanical autocockers are awesome, but I wanna go fast or have a tournament level build. I know others want this too.

What are even the chances of a major paintball company producing “e-blade” “select fire” conversion kit? Is there a plan like that with a company already?

I encourage people to email planet eclipse is I have done and others to do what they once saw no profit in doing. Tell them demand is here again.


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[ford]

Keep dreaming.

let’s say you’re right and the demand is there and the fools in the paintball industry don’t know what’s really right in front of them. Why don’t you build a conversion kit?

Let’s break down what a kit would look like.

Firstly a trigger frame. A notoriously costly part to make then you need a PCB board, all the components for that. Do you solder or leave it up to the buyer?

Lets get the parts for a new solenoid/housing…

What’s the plan for eyes? Customers need to send cocker bodies to you for modification?

I get the nostalgic aura of the cocker days but it’s not going to happen.

[devilzcall]

I mostly agree with your sentiment, but designing and fabricating an assembled pcb has never been easier (and cheaper, but only if you stay away from popular microcontrollers)

A solenoid could be picked with a manifold that is threaded for barbs directly and it could make use of a nylon sintered mounting bracket.
Similarly you could also have your frames 3d printed which would be a much more straightforward process than multi-axis machining (which has also gotten cheaper).

I can not imagine that the common clapper solenoid is a particularly difficult or expensive part to source

Modern hoppers are far more consistent so eyes could be left somewhat optional if the board defaults are timed accordingly.

[iamthelazerviking]

Autocockers are hot again, but I haven't seen that electro cockers have much of a desire unless it's something extra special.

[Grendel]

Why would they, where is the profit in it for them to do so? I guarantee to make one electronic Autococker a paintball manufacturer like PE can build multiple Etha, Emek,....etc.

An Autococker was (is) a cobbled together bunch of pneumatic parts to take a pump [Sniper II] and make it semi-automatically Cock the hammer and load the next round. In its turn an Electronic Autococker is another cobbled together mess of pneumatics and electronics to take a pump and turn it into a semi-automatic paintball gun. In both sakes they were, no matter how finely made, interim development of semi-auto cocking pump markers and at best a Rube Goldberg solution. The current markers came about because of the original development of the early semi-automatic paintball guns and now have evolved far beyond the Autococker in any form for manufacturability, simplicity, functionality and other various attributes that the Autococker is not.

By the way Jack Wood already said they (PE) is not going backwards and building Autocockers.

An Autococker today is more of an enthusiasts marker and really a very small niche corner of a very small niche sport. Enjoy, collecting and building them, then tinkering away but I would highly doubt anyone in the Paintball Industry, other then a small boutique shop, will take on building electronic autocockers ever again.

[MrBarraclough]

From the perspective of a long time Automag guy, cockers have always seemed like insane Rube Goldberg contraptions and it was always a marvel that they worked at all, much less that they could even work well if properly maintained. Adding the complexity of an eblade seemed even more insane.

[Brokeass_baller]

MrBarraclough I've always been a Mag guy as well, but I do love Autocockers as well.

But I have to say, that's a hilarious, and insanely accurate way, to describe them. Lol

[Shaftski]

even if you make a "tournament" level cocker today, it's base technology is just too antiquated. would be way too expensive to be worthwhile when an emek will probably outshoot it anyway for a fraction of the price. spool valves changed everything.

[MrBarraclough]

Every time I think about buying this or that part to upgrade/tinker with my beloved old Automag, I resign myself to the realization that no matter what I do to a classic Automag, my upgraded EMEK will run circles around it at a fraction of the weight. It's a little bittersweet.

But then I look around the staging area at all the different single-tube spool valve markers and remember that in the very core of their designs lives the Automag. They are all part of Tom Kaye's legacy.

[Brokeass_baller]

MrBarraclough It took them 30 years, but they've finally caught up with, and in some ways surpassed, Tom Kaye's brilliance. (I still shoot the Mag though)

[masterchiefmurph]

Welp was worth a try gauging opinions. Thanks for the input. Was born too late into this sport of ours!


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[Grendel]

No sweat, this question comes up in some form around the Autococker. There are 10s of thousands of Autocockers out there and not all of them natively are desirable by the hip crowd of collectors. Nothing is stopping you from doing your own builds and make them as competitive as possible. I have a friend who's go to marker is an Osiris he bought back in the late 2000s and he refuses to "upgrade" to a newer marker. We (MCB crowd) in general are enthusiast paintballers/collectors as a group. I am sure you will find many members who share your love of electronic Autocockers (sorry I am not one of them never really was a fan of the Autocoker to begin with I prefer it in its proper form as a pump). If you stick around here long enough you will see a very eclectic group of people with an even more eclectic assortment of markers.

[Ecapnation]

Pipe dream.... The whole point back in the day with eblading cockers was to make them shoot faster and keep up with the electronic guns.

Now the same electric guns are regulated down to shoot 10.2 mrof and most struggle to be as fast as early electric guns because they were never designed to do 20 bps.

In today's market an eblade is almost a downgrade

[Myrkul]

To your point, one of my buddies showed up to the field last weekend with a B2k4 with the stock board and good god it was insane. Haven't heard anyone lay down paint like that in ages.

[devilzcall]

I think a big part of the cocker craze is also the resurgence of mech play, which e-cockers don't qualify for. A factory built pneucocker frame in the style of the emek with integrated reg and possibly from composite would be pretty dope though.

[masterchiefmurph]

Kinda just wish someone would make some of the less common parts.


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[flyweightnate]

I think a mech Excal might be the more interesting closed bolt throwback, in today's market. Especially if someone could design it down to two tubes.

Would it be better than a modern spoolie? Nope. Cooler? Oh yeah.

[Jonnydread]

This I am into.

[Knuckle Dragger]

Pumzele here was or is working on his Styn valve. Brandon at Sci-Fi did a video on a prototype sent to him. Pumzele also has a plan for a board, frame and cocking solenoid system. Neat ideas and I hope to see some updates on his valve and other projects

[maggot]

The companies you see making cocker parts are all labor of love deals. There's no money in it, so you can forget about any large companies making parts unless they decide to do it out of the goodness of their hearts.

Take your pro stock cocker example where you said: "what was a $180 pro stock is $300 easy if it’s pristine". That $300 gun would cost in the ball park of $500 to $800 to manufacture right now depending on scale.

[DocsMachine]

Kinda just wish someone would make some of the less common parts.

-That's basically my job description. What are you looking for?

Doc.

[Meleager7]

it would be fun to see a company bust out a new electronic frame kit for todays autocockers (Inception, Shocktech, Freeflow, etc ) but Mech play is so hot right now, and that is what is capturing manufacturers attention these last few years .

[kevin qmto]

I'm all for new E-cockers. These are my two chariots these days. Both happen to be System X versions (both have swapped to Eblade boards), one plain, Ol' Blue, and one flashy, the Dragon.