Anyone still 'Rockin' Sidearms? (G1's STBB)

[Rolling Thunder 67]

Hello MCB:

I was curious if anybody is still Rockin' any of the G1's from yesteryear? I know there a few tinkers amongst the group as I have spoke with them during a bit of rehab on a couple G1's I own. Given there finicky nature there kinda of love/hate relationship and can be reworked a bit to be more reliable.

Feel free to express your opinions of the G1's

[Trbo323]

I very much have a love-hate relationship with them I love the concept of a pistol but actually using them on the field I really hate them. That said I do a decent amount of work on stuff like G1 PT extremes and in general Zeus clones right now I'm working up a full auto variant slowly but surely using a piranha e Force frame

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[uv_halo]

I think sidearms are generally a fad. The individual guns (i.e. the G1s, T8s, TiPX) get interest when they are released, a lot folks carry them for a while, and then they realize they're carrying something redundant, given how fast a paintball gun can be reloaded so, it makes more sense to just carry more paint.

The problem is that sidearms don't really provide capabilities beyond just another shooting platform, often no more reliable than the primary someone is using.

In my own case, with my primary being a customized FN303 sniper platform, a primary would be good for providing my own close-in support should someone manage to make it close to my position before I acquire them, or if I'm about to be overwhelmed. I would belt off a bunch of rounds to cover my relocation, possibly with an elimination. The problem is that there really isn't a sidearm that can do this. I'd need a good 30 rounds, not even necessarily .68 cal (at close range, .50 would make most folks duck), with its own air source.

Some people do the reverse, a primary roundball gun with a First Strike sidearm but, this makes less sense since without decent optics (at least a crossbow scope), you're hamstringing the First Strike capability.

If someone is rocking a sidearm as a primary (without another secondary) then, it's not really a sidearm anymore.

[Chuck E Ducky]

I got one I have been trying to fix for a teammate. I got a leak I haven’t been able to figure out.

[Trbo323]

I think Halo got most of the points there

Most of the time the 2 reasons I see most people make for why they carry a side piece is

1) I need it to clear rooms. In which case almost always their main marker has become so large that it's basically not capable of the same task so I guess it's a "need" at that point but one that they have made for themselves

2) "as a backup" in which case I always ask, do you believe your primary will break today? In which case the answer is always "no" with some excuse to then justify the pistol

They don't make much sense as a primary except to hamstring yourself so if you are looking for a challenge sure I guess but yeah, as a side piece typically there are more excuses than actual reasons why to carry one.

All that said, "because I like it" is a good reason to carry one but most people try to justify some advantage to carrying it. It almost strikes me as buyers remorse

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[IcePhoenix]

I still use the old school side arms....mainly because I'm old. I have many Zeus and variants. PT's, Deltas and up to Tipx.

[IcePhoenix]

These are also mine. I think I should be buried with them.

[Jonnydread]

I struggle with choice paralysis so I think I would only use a sidearm as a main or I’d just end up at the 50 sobbing

[russc]

I remember some of those old STBB pistols had massive bores, and that was in like '05 or so when you still got big paint on the regular.

[MrKittyCatMeowFace]

I love running just a pistol. Only way I like to play now. First was a TIPX run off a remote line. Then a BT SA-17 with it's lever changer. .

[Cdn_Cuda]

I have pistols but never use them. Have at least a pair of Tippmann TIPXs with all the fixings. They are heavy and annoying as a secondary without a good holsters which I don’t have. I suppose I keep them in case a situation calls for a pistol dual?!

[Drunkscriblerian]

Back when I played as a teen in the 90s I carried a sidearm (PGP) for one big reason; for situations where my main marker (a VM-68) had run out of gas and announced that fact to the world by going "BRRRRRP!". Back then tanks had no gauge to tell you how much they had left in them, and since you had to A: have your tank bled dry for a fill and B: had to pay for it, you always ran your tank down to the bone before refilling. When would it run out? When it was least convenient.

I tried carrying a spare tank, but swapping tanks while under fire basically did not work; I tried it once, long story short RIP my spare tank's O-ring. So I bought a PGP off a fellow player with the idea of having a second gun when and if my main ran out of gas. Now, that worked like a charm; indeed, I got a fair number of tags due to my main gun running out of gas and making what I jokingly call the "Burp of Impending Doom", which would inevitably cause someone to rush me. Out would come the PGP and BLOOP! Often the would-be bunkerer would find himself with a painful welt, and I'd be able to keep playing for a bit.

These days of course it's a vastly different game; HPA tanks let you know how much gas you have left, just pay attention to that between games and you'll be fine, especially considering air is free and unlimited, and its possible to "top off" whenever you want. Add to that how modern markers are oodles more reliable than the paintslingers of yore and really, there's no reason to carry a sidearm. Just carry more paint, take proper care of your marker and watch your tank's gauge.

ETA: One of the many reasons I traded in the VM-68 for a Pro-Lite a year into my paintball career was how the Pro-Lite came with a shoulder sling. I figured that would make transitioning between my primary and my secondary much easier and Young Me was right. I remember practicing the transition in my bedroom after school.