Paintball Gun Chopping Paint

It is a very common thing when a paintball gun starts chopping paintballs. In most cases, it is caused by the loader that is feeding paintballs to not be keeping up with the rate of fire the gun is putting out. Let me start by saying there are two totally different things that can happen that have fairly mixed terminology. My gun is chopping and my gun is breaking paint. These two are totally different and are caused by totally different things.

My gun is breaking paint means that the ball is being fed into the gun perfectly and when you pull the trigger, the ball breaks in the barrel of the gun. Not to get too far into this but that is usually caused by low quality paint, old paint, bad weather conditions or too high of velocity. That is a subject for a different time because this article is written to focus on chopping paint.

When a paintball gun is chopping paint it means that a paintball is not all the way into the breech and the bolt begins forward progress. In most cases, the bolt has enough force to chop the ball in half and send half of the paint into the barrel already broken and half of the paint back into the loader. Once this happens, you will need to clean out your loader, paintballs and barrel in order to shoot another accurate shot. If you find your paintball gun to be chopping paint you need to determine the cause of the problem. In most cases, there are two different things that would be causing your gun to chop.

1. If your paintball gun has electronic anti chop eyes, your eyes may not be working. This is a simple fix that begins with checking the eyes of your gun. For this you would need to remove the loader and paintballs but leave the tank on the paintball gun. Make sure the eyes are turned on and fire the gun. If the gun instantly shoots, you have a problem with your eyes and it is allowing your gun to fire without a paintball fully dropped into the breech of your gun.

2. If your paintball gun does not have a set of electric eyes then your chopping is due to the loader on the gun or the rate of fire the gun is set at. In most cases, people are using a standard gravity fed hopper and when your gun is shot at a rapid pace slows loading to the gun. With paintballs not being constantly fed because you have to shake your loader, there is a delay in the drop of the ball. If you pull your trigger as the loader is delayed; well, you just chopped.

The easy fix for this would be to purchase an electric paintball hopper/loader. These electronic loaders have an agitator built in so when you fire your gun, it moves the balls around and causes them to load faster. Examples of that type of loader would be the Halo TSA, Revlution, VL Eye Force, Extreme Rage DB. Those loaders all feed about 10-12 balls per second and are priced around $30. If you need a faster loader you would want one that is force fed. The force fed loaders are about $65-$150. The force fed ones don't just agitate the paintball in your loader but force them into the gun. This lets them feed anywhere from 18-40 Balls per second. If you need something in that range, I would recommend the HALO B for about $85

Smart Parts Ion output pressure

The Smart Parts Ion paintball gun is very durable and does not tend to have a lot of problems. If your Ion is not shooting the way you want, it usually has something to do with the pressure your inline regulator is allowing to flow into the gun. The Inline regulator is the front grip on the Ion and serves the purpose for controlling the Pressure (PSI) that is allowed to go into the gun.

The Regulator Pressure controls how your gun will shoot as well as the velocity of the paintball. The higher the pressure, the harder it is on your gun and the faster paintballs will shoot. The lower pressures give the ball a lower velocity and tend to cause problems with starving the gun for air and making it lock up. That is why it is so important to get your gun set at the right pressure.

The Regulator adjusts with a wrench or special tool provided by Smart Parts when you purchased your gun. The when you screw the nut at the bottom of the regulator clockwise, you decrease the PSI. When You screw counter clockwise, you will increase your pressure. The Ion paintball gun runs best between about 160 and 185 PSI. You should see great consistency in your FPS as well as have the gun function great.

Dye I4 Pro Camo Mask

Dye has finally released their brand new I4 Mask Camo. The Dye I4 Camo matches the 09 dye Rotor in camo as well. The DYE I4 paintball mask is the lightest mask to ever hit the paintball industry and has quickly taken it over by storm.

When I first saw the Dye I4 mask, I realized it was pretty cool and had a lot of potential. It has a great side view so you can see all of your surroundings. This mask comes stock with all of the features listed below.

• The i4 Rapid lens change system - The i4 has a revolutionary patent pending rapid lens changing system that allows you to change lenses in under 10 seconds. It is the quickest and easiest lens changing system in the sport today. The unique design of two tabs allows you to remove the current lens and replace or clean it with ease. Simply push on each interior tab arm, slide them forward and the lens is free to be removed. Insert the new lens and pull both tabs back to securely lock the lens in place. No separate parts to take off, no extra pieces in your hand.

• 290 Degrees of Horizontal and Peripheral Vision - The i4 offers more vertical and horizontal peripheral vision than any other mask system on the market today. Clear unobstructed vision both up and down allows you to clearly see all of the field details without constantly moving your head. Movement is much easier to recognize and provides a clear visual advantage. This is also combined with our optically correct tirodial impact lens that provides optical clarity and sharpness while protecting your eyes.

• Co-molded Soft Low Profile Mask - Designed with the Professional in mind, the i4 goggle system provides you comfort, rigidity and lightweight protection with our one piece, dual injected mask. The comfortable, ergonomic, low profile mask not only allows you to sight closer to your marker, but also allows freedom of movement with its lightweight design. The small, compact, lightweight design of the i4 will almost allow you to forget you are even wearing a mask at all.

• Soft, Lightweight Ear Protection - The sleek, light, low profile soft compression ear pads provide the protection you need while offering style and hearing clarity. Ear protection is important and the i4 provides it while not being obstructive, bulky or heavy. Additionally, the i4 ear pieces are backed with a Cool Max liner that wicks sweat away while providing comfort and keeping your ears cool.

• Comfortable Anatomic Mask Fit - The anatomically correct i4 mask system offers the best in comfort for all facial contours. Designed with the ultimate comfort in mind, the i4 mask is the latest in anatomical facial fit and is supported by its lightweight construction. The i4 is also tested at twice the current impact ASTM standards. The i4 is built for comfort and built to last.

• Renention Strap - The i4 retention strap system needs to be adjusted once and once only. This sure lock feature is made possible by the woven rubber that is in the strap material itself. Unlike silicone that eventually breaks down and peels off, the elasticity of our rubber straps will out last the competition. The i4 is designed to fit your head and stay that way.

• Extreme Multi-Directional Venting - One of the i4’s greatest features is the Multi-Directional Venting. Utilizing precise blade angling and a proven venting configuration, the i4 Multi-Directional Venting will make communication with your teammates effortless. This unique patented design drastically reduces re-ventilated fogging and will throw your voice farther and clearer than any other vented mask on the field.

• 20% Lighter Than Previous i3 Pro Goggle System - Now one of the lightest goggles on the market In professional paintball, lightweight is crucial to performance. The less your equipment weighs, the better you can perform and focus on the game. We’ve reduced the overall weight by 20%, giving you every possible edge.

• Upgraded With a High Definition Thermal Lens - The i4 comes equipped with our enhanced High Definition Lens, providing optimal lens clarity in any weather situation. The high contrast tint greatly increases your visual perception an

Overall, I think the Dye I4 camo is a great paintball mask.

Bob Long Victory Marq Paintball Gun

The Bob Long Victory Marq Paintball gun is the newest creation from Bob Long Direct. The Bob Long Victory is a light weight gun weighing in at just under 2 pounds and will be able to shoot about 14-17 pods off of a fill from a 68/4500 tank.

The Bob Long Victory gun is designed and does not have any external hoses. That means no macro line on your gun. The bob long victory has a short regulator and has insane rates of fire. The Gun is not currently on the market but will be retailing soon for just under 1200.

Stay updated and when we get our hands on one, we will be the first with a review.

Techt Ion L7 Bolt

The Techt Ion Bolt is a great upgrade for your ion paintball gun. The light weight bolt replaces your standard Aluminum Ion bolt that is very heavy. This bolt is very easy to install and will reduce the kick on your paintball gun. Also, since the bolt is so light and your moving mass of the gun is reduced, you will also get more shots off of one fill.

The super reduced weight of the L7v2 along with its

* Hand Polished Surfaces
* Teflon Impregnated for REDUCED ORING DRAG
* The Highest Flowing Face and Air Passages along with it's feather-lite design make it the best Ion Bolt in the WORLD.



The L7v2 is the latest in Ion bolt technology. It takes speed, accuracy and reduced kick to the highest level in paintball. It literally makes your marker shoot smoother than other marker. This includes markers that cost 5 times more than the Ion.

Due to the way that the Ion operates, reducing the weight of the bolt allows for the lowest possible dwell settings and the highest rates of fire.

Its commonly known in paintball that the larger you make the firing chamber the more you can lower your gun's operating pressure.

The L7 Bolt takes both of these ideas to the EXTREME!!!

Due to our patent pending <----(fair warning to all the wanna be copy cats) "back plug" design, the L7 has the largest firing chamber of any Ion bolt. This means it runs at the lowest pressures possible.

The new plug is a stationary part that is designed to seal and maximize the size of the firing chamber. The front oring seals the firing chamber, and the back one is used to hold it in place.

This bolt has tested to be the fastest and most accurate (consistent) bolt we at TechT have ever shot.

-It is compatible with all firing chambers and after market bodies. The L7 Bolt System will now work with any:

Ion, Ion XE, Epiphany, EOS, Vibe, SP-1 and SP-8, just be sure to order the one that is made for the gun you have.