General marker care advice - and a bit extra

[motorbyclist]

Right, i'm about as green as they come in paintball so is there anything i should know before i do anything to ruin my marker?

just pick some numbers and go nuts, the more detailed explanations the better (i'm a mechatronics engineering student and a very capable mechanic/computer nerd so expect follow up questions if you've left stuff out;))


lube: i've read that manual and tried to remember what the guys at paintball shop told me, which basically covered oiling the o-rings, but how often?
corrosion: are the spyder MR1 markers aluminium or titanium or what? i know i can wash em out with water after chopping a ball but do i then need to lube it? any ferrous (iron) parts in there apart from the chromed springs?
i can see crap can get into most of the mechanisms: how prone are markers to contamination? is playing in a sandy environment a bad idea or VERY bad idea?
is dry firing a bad thing?
those holes at the end of my barrel: do they actually achieve anything? looks like a means to break balls and decrease accuracy to me rather than some sort of measure to reduce recoil
legal: is there anything i need to know? are there storage/supervision/liability laws like for "real" guns?
consumables: 2000 rec grade balls for $70 - ripped off?
consumables: 20oz CO2 refill for $12 - ripped off?
other costs: how much to play on an OGD at actions?
stuff i haven't considered: anything i've missed?


cheers guys


(with a bit of luck this could be a sticky resource for new paintballers to help get them started:))

[Chuckles]

Answers

1: Lube orings on bolt/striker occasionally. Mostly just once you've cleaned the marker after play. Once every month or two squeeze a few drops of oil into the asa (Air source adapter, where you screw the co2 tank in) and dry fire the marker a dozen times (remove detents first) to spread oil through valve.

2: MR1s like most markers are aluminium so are safe from corrosion. Get a pull through squeegee and fluffy stick for cleaning after chops. I'm not sure if the screws on MR1s are steel or stainless, springs, striker, and sear could all be steel.

3: Sand + markers = BAD. Try to avoid letting sand or other abrasive materials into the marker and if they do get in clean it as soon as possible. Although spyders are fairly good in that respect due to their low number of sealing surfaces.

4: Dry firing will kill your detents. Other than that it doesn't wear your marker more than normal firing, just can get on others nerves (it tends to be loud).

5: The holes at the end of the barrel (porting) reduce the noise of your marker, doesn't break balls and doesn't affect accuracy.

6: Are air guns so people under 18 without a firearms license have to be supervised. And you should keep them where people (mostly children) can't get at them.

7: Nope, seems like a fair price. With paint look for nice round crisp shells, with bright colours.

8: Can't really comment (I use air), probably a little on the expensive side?

9: ? (Not a aucklander)

10: Barrel length. The length of the barrel (after 8 inchs) has nothing to do with accuracy or range. Please don't be one of those idiots with 20" on the front of his marker.

[motorbyclist]

11: CO2 bottles: neighbour dropped it onto tiles outside, nicely gouged the paint to the metal on bottom and near top on second bounce but didn't hit the valve. didn't blow up, but is it a liability? we would swap bottles but his is secondhand so at least i know how many times mine has been dropped - agreed if i can't get it filled he'll buy me a new one.

12: O ring on barrel: my one broke. will repco/mitre 10 have one? is it important?

[Wheelz]

If it's only a paint chip and no damage to valve it should be fine. They have quite a thick section.

Without the oring on the barrel you'll spend every few shots tightening the thing. Pretty annoying especially when it's allowed to come too loose and you start breaking paint.
Hydraulics shops like Hydrolink and ENZED should have the best range of orings.

[motorbyclist]

http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=dys3cED3Sj4

don't dismantle unless you have to; just put a few drops of oil in the valve, attach bottle and fire a few rounds to lubricate the whole gun

sound advice?

[Jawa_nz]

I would still take it apart every so often to give it a good clean and a re-lube. Dirt and dust gets stuck to the lube inside the gun and needs a clean every so often. I'd usually put a couple drops in the ASA each time you stick a new tank on (i guess this varies from gun to gun). And also take your barrel off and shoot into a cloth when you are cycling the lube thru the gun. Just means you dont have to swab out your barrel to get rid of the greasy layer.

I found when i started out was to get to know my gun, so that should anything happen to it at a field, you might be able to work out what it might be, and how to get it apart (and more importantly back together again) without wasting the whole day without it.