Modern STBB/Spyder/Clone Users?

[iamthelazerviking]

I've been thinking of going "full circle" and getting myself a PMI Piranha again. Not only was the Piranha my first marker ever, they are just really made well and have sweet features for being "Spyder clones" that made me really like them much more than Spyders.

A couple posts in the "unpopular opinions" threads mentioned STBBs which is also what got me thinking. Being "the most fun per dollar", as well as their design being better than most give credit for.

Who still regularly uses a STBB Spyder/clones?

[kevin qmto]

Me! big surprise there I'm sure. Though hate to alienate you right off the bat by saying that I'd take an old Spyder over an old Piranha any day lol.





Main reason I think would be most old Piranhas I've had have a lot of trouble dry firing on HPA. They need back pressure of a ball in order to re-cock. And if you use a modern force feed loader, or even a revy, the balls tend to jam up the side of the powerfeed, causing the gun to not have a ball in the breech and then I gotta recock after it fails to when it inevitability dry fires in a game. I think its the modern small paint that gives them trouble. Really annoying, and I just don't have that issue with any of my Spyders. Maybe their powerfeed is a different shape, but they also have no issue cycling on HPA.

[iamthelazerviking]

You, of course! I remember seeing this beautiful purple Spyder in one of your videos.

Good input, I also wonder if vertical feed vs powerfeed has anything to do with it. I highly prefer VF.

[Brokeass_baller]

Ooh. Spyder Sonix with a Dye frame. Very nice. The Sonix was one of my first markers.

[Cunha]

I love piranhas, and don't love spyders.

After years though, really like 20 years I have come around to the tippmann camp. 98's 98 customs, pro carbines, 68 carbines.

The main reason is that velocity adjustment is a flow restrictive set screw in the bolt face. The spring tension on the hammer never changes, so cycling is always full reliable.

They really are peak reliability and easiness of upkeep though not as easy to disassemble as a piranha or spyder. After years I think I hear less Tippmann do the full auto outa gas / recocking problems sputter than I did piranhas.

Otherwise you know I'm all about those piranha g2 and g3 pros! Though the unbreakable plastic trigger frame is actually better, in my book.

[snoopay700]

I've always been a big fan of Spyders and Azodins, but the field I used to ref at had Piranhas as rentals, and I developed a hatred for them. They never worked as well as my Spyders, and when I had ones that weren't abused they just never worked as well for me.

I also have never been a big fan of the trigger frames on Piranhas.

[scottieb]

Spyders all day, every day. They are the bulk of my collection and I've been shooting them for a quarter century.

I am also looking at getting a Piranha and upgrading it, because I've not done that yet. The R6's in a gloss anno are a really nice looking Piranha.

[kevin qmto]

Continuing my previous post, I'll say this. I think on paper, Piranhas were almost always better than spyders. Like this gun, I think it was the G3 LE, came with an HPR, cool cutaway body where you can see the blue bolt cycle when cocked. Vertical feed, VA with a gauge from factory, and an internal cocking system, all for the a lower price than its competitor, the Spyder Shutter.



BUT - this better-on-paper gun is really not better in practice. That neat chrome VA has about the cheapest plating I'd ever seen on a marker, flakes off like crazy. It had a site rail and I trashed it because it looked awful. The stock clear rubber detents are woefully inept at preventing double feeds, especially these days. And the sears just seem to be much lower quality, I swear I hardly used it and the sear was rounding pretty badly by the time I sold it. Frankly I'll take the Shutter.

[Fubarius]

Now I have plenty of STBB's, but really my preference are in-line's, with those ICD vertical valve's being one of my favorites at the moment.

I always felt there needs to be a sort of Stock Class (metaphorically) for us players who started in the late 90's early 2k's. I didn't start with a pump/12 gram/10 round tubes. I started with a blowback, 9oz CO2, and just a hopper. Just needs a catchy name, and of course they're "guidelines" and not actual hard rules of course, especially since you can't always get a 9oz filled.

So these days we have "Classic Paintball" defined as mechanical or 5.5 electro, which is fine and digging out a mech blowback on those days you do feel completely competitive if not at a slight advantage, if everyone else is using a 5.5 electro a blowback with a good trigger job can easily out shoot them on the break out.

[OpusX]

Just call it STBB. Any classic or modern make of STBB, gravity or agitated loader (no force feed) and choice of air source (48ci 3000k or 20oz max).

[Brokeass_baller]

The ST part would nix Tippmanns though.

[Fubarius]

Not to mention ICD, Stingrays, Titan/Mirage, Sheridan XTS, and plenty of other fun single tube guns.

[Jordan]

I've settled on ICD blowbacks... I like powerfeed and RF stuff over vertical feed anyways, and my 'Cat hasn't let me down yet once I dialed it in to work on HPA properly.

[kevin qmto]

The only thing I didn't like about my ICD cats was the back bottle. I HATE back bottle guns lol.

[Jordan]

I do too... so I generally run a bottomline setup with a CCI .45 frame block.

[OpusX]

I have a few Spyders in the rotation currently, and would gladly pick up more of them as they come up on the local craigslist. They are always fun, easy to work on, "customizable" and present a great opportunity for a loaner to turn into a gift. Mark my words, Spyders will go all crazy cocker pricey in this next decade.

[kevin qmto]

If that's true I might finally be a rich man!

[MrKittyCatMeowFace]

Never letting my raptors go till i die, no matter the price.

[MrKittyCatMeowFace]

I like my raptors
kevin qmto and i still own that piranha, never let me or who i loan it out to at the field down

[Brokeass_baller]

Man. Those are gorgeous Raptors.

[Melvin]

My go-to loaner is a spider pilot I fixed up with a single trigger frame, clamping feedneck, and an apex tip barrel. Usually slap on a revvy and send it out for a day of abuse. Never had any feeding issues or chops even with the funky ACS bolt. Spyders are fun and cheap, I just like the way my limited paint 98c fits in my hands better

[OpusX]

Just to add to the thread, had to unpack a few Spyders. These are the most common to make it to the field.

[ChoSanJuan]

STBBs FTW! I've got a wall of them and have a Kingman banner in my workshop. Gotta agree with QMTO... All my Spyders work with HPA. The stock Fishy I have set as my loner has issues with recocking with anything but Co2. Either way, hit the field and rock it!

[Chaos]

Those of you that know me know that other than pump guns the only semi-automatic I use are stack tube blowbacks.... Guns of preference as well known by many to me is a vm68 the Spyder SE as always been a favorite as well. Though I don't currently have a vm68 in my possession I do have one being worked on.

Here's a Spyder pistol that I'm building that is made up of parts from an MR1,2,4 and 5.... Also here is the Spyder Pilot SE that I made and my most recent vm68 which is in the process of getting a new milled body

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