A semi even a pumper can love.

I think we all know why pump players dislike most semi-autos, it’s a whole “overkill” thing, with some attitude & cost thrown in there… I guess. So why do they then, actually tolerate some semis? Or even stranger still, really LIKE, a very few? Who knows, its as mysterious as trying to decode a conversation between 13 year olds. I do have some theories though… as you might suspect.
Classicality- Yeah, it’s a word… and it means an old damn gun, or at least an old design. Take a VM-68, a classic blow back semi most pumpers at least tolerate & many would love to have a perfect specimen of. BUT it’s not that simple, the Tippmann 98 is almost as old, so why no love there? Popularity? Looks? Cheap, crappy materials? All possibilities, nobody knows for sure.
Closed bolt- Could that be a criteria for a pumper-loved semi? Lets see… Cockers, Excalibers, old Shockers, rainmaker (sort of), most electros that are based on pumps, Palmer’s, Sovereignses… probably a few more I cant think of. That could be a winner! I can think of only one closed-bolt semi that is not generally liked or tolerated by pumpers, the Evil Omen. And that is just a crap gun, so “closed bolt” seems to be a winner for the “things a pumper might like about a semi” list.
Innovation- I think that is a given, pumpers seem to be drawn to the cool new design… But don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean the “cool new design, of the same old operating system from 10 years ago, but milled down to be lighter… plus we moved the LPR to a new place, different from the place we moved it to last year!”. That’s not innovation, it’s just making your customers have to buy a new gun every year, if they want the newest thing… pumpers actually seem to HATE that.
Rarity- If you can have a semi that nobody else in your area has, that seems to move it up on the list, towards “markers pumpers like”. But like some of the other factors, it seems that being a rare gun alone, is not enough… especially if the rarity is derived from anodized team or company logos, again pumpers seem to actually hate that.
Looks- This factor is variably subjective at best, and irrelevant in many cases. In fact it almost seems like a gun that would specifically be seen as ugly by most, will attract the attention of pumpers especially.
Operation/functionality- This one works kind of like looks, as in that at times pumpers oddly LIKE operating systems that others would find overly complex, loud, heavy, slow or clunky & inefficient. 7 times out of 10, if a pumper owns a semi, it’s as heavy as a medium sized dog, twice as loud, & shaped more or less like a brick with stuff glued to it. But weather it really does or not, the pumper in question will swear this particular ugly block of aluminum shoots VERY accurately. So yeah it must, at least be perceived as, accurate.
Down to business, what are these unpumpables that pumpers don’t mind? Automags, at least in my area, Mags are a favorite of almost all pumpers. Even those that don’t own a mag & never have, still appreciate them. I mentioned most of the closed bolt semis already, some that pumpers cant seem to ge enough of, are- Anything with the word “Palmer” in the name, AKA stuff, and of course Cockers. From the category of big, bulky, heavy guns, you get- Old matrices & Angels. Some rare old guns that turn pumpers on are like the Vector & Nova. There are others of course, many are guns the average semi player has never seen… or even heard of.
So what’s the point of all this? After all, if your a pumper you know what semis you don’t hate… and if your not a pumper, you probably don’t give two ##### what guns pumpers may like. The point is, I want pumpers to look at a new gun, well not exactly new, but one I think most pumpers have written off as just another tourney-boy agg-o-matic. My wife recently bought me a Invert Mini, and after figuring out how it works, I was very impressed.
Not only is the Mini a totally new & pretty cool operating design, but after some thinking, I see many similarities to the much vaunted Automag. Is it a copy of the Mags operating system? No, not at all, its different in many ways as well… oh hell, let me just go through it-
At first glance, the Mini and its much older distant cousin (thrice removed) have a good bit in common, single tube rear-valve design, rear velocity adjustment, one bolt valve removal, and a low profile. Even some things that seem different at first really aren’t when compared to a later incarnation of the Automag, the E-Mag. This high-end electronic version of a Mag has a fore-grip battery, center feed neck, a hall effect magnetic trigger and even has Cocker barrel threads, all features the Mini has adopted. Finally a feature of the Mini, that while not standard on any Mag, was a mainstay of Automag configurations since HPA first came out- a bottom line mounted adjustable regulator. On the Invert, it regulates incoming pressure, feeds air up through the grip into the valve & acts as an air reservoir. The 18 year old relic typically used grip mounted regulators, because they were the standard before screw in tanks were popular. Is that where the similarities end, do you get inside & find totally different operating systems? Yes and no, the Mini does have some internal parts very similar to the Mag’s, most obvious the return spring and bolt of its FASOR style operation. Both systems also have a bolt guide (called a power tube on the Automag) that keeps the bolt in line & delivers air to the bolt to propel the ball. Another thing these markers have in common is a revolutionary operating system, AGD was years ahead of the other spool valved markers with the Automag, while KEE has delivered the holy grail of modern electros, with an MQ based single tube marker.
Disclaimer: the following is a bunch of technical crap, read at your own risk.
So you ask- “Yeah, yeah they have some similar parts… but how do these two markers differ in operation, and how are they the same?” well, lets go through how they work & we will see! The Automag, elegant in it’s simplicity, uses a regulator to adjust velocity. A simple direct trigger actuated sear to hold back the bolt & momentarily stop recharging the air reservoir once the bolt is forward. With a ball in place & target in sights, here is how the Mag’s firing cycle works- the trigger is pulled releasing the bolt to fly forward, pushed by the pressure in the valve chamber acting on the center piston of the bolt that rides in the power tube, compressing the bolt spring as it moves. At the same time the other end of the sear pushes up on the on/off piston & turns off the recharge air, making sure that this (and every) shot consists only of the air that has built up in the chamber… A given volume of air at a stable pressure, equaling consistent shot velocities. Once the chamber is empty the pressure holding the bolt forward is gone, so the bolt is returned to ready position via the uncoiling bolt spring. At some point the shooter will release the trigger, letting the sear return to the “front up” position (pushed by the on/off piston), capturing the bolt on the sear’s edge& releasing the recharge air to pressurize the chamber and ready the bolt to fire again.
The Invert marker’s operation is no less genius, from the ready state the trigger is pulled, the hall effect sensor signals the board that somebody wants a paintball to fly down range. The board checks to see if a ball is in the chamber with the break-beam eyes, if a ball is present it moves on to the next step. A current is sent to the solenoid from the board, holding the noid open the prescribed amount of time (the dwell), which vents pressure from behind the poppet to the bolt ram channel. As the bolt pushes forward on the pressure in the ram channel, air from the front of the poppet is vented to the back thru a small hole, to balance the pressure & keep the poppet closed. The bolt then passes a second pathway from the noid, adding air volume & increasing bolt speed, the pressure on the back of the poppet at this time still remains high enough to keep it closed. Finally the bolt reaches it’s most forward position, loading the ball all the way into the barrel and venting most of the pressure in the ram channel through holes, into the bolt guide. Since this causes the pressure behind the poppet to fall precipitously, the hole connecting the front and back of the poppet can no longer balance the pressure, the poppet is opened by the imbalance. With the poppet open, a full pressure blast of air funnels into the bolt guide & bolt, sending the ball on it’s way down the barrel. Before the ball leaves the barrel the noid closes again, having used up the dwell time, thus venting the air in the ram channel and letting the spring push the bolt back to the ready position.
Hmmmm… they kinda seem like two totally different operating systems, dissimilar in every way, except for the bolt, spring, and a guide tube the bolt rides on… right? In the details yes, but if you think about it more broadly, they both work like this- the trigger is pulled letting air push the bolt forward on the bolt guide, at a given point, a certain amount of air is dumped into the bolt guide from a reservoir, this air goes through the bolt & fires the ball. The amount of air released depends on the adjustment on the back of the valve, the bolt is then returned by a spring to await the next shot. So in a lot of ways that really matter, these markers are very similar in overall operation & configuration, and in a few ways that are really just details they differ substantially. The Invert Mini is not exactly like a Mag or even an E-Mag, but if AGD had waited 15 years or so to design the Automag, it might very well have been the Mini. So pumpers out there, give the Mini a look (or a second look) if your in the market for a semi. It may not be a 5lb. brick, 15 years old, or made by some obscure company… But it’s an innovative marker, made with quality craftsmanship, that shoots damn good. And while I compare it to a Mag, I know it’s not as cool an awesome E-Mag, might not even be the “next best thing” to one… But if you don’t feel like buying the latest incarnation of a Timmy, or as it has been more recently, the next improved version of a hollow-pointed Ion, try a Mini.
Animation of the operating systems of these markers can both be found at zdspb.com, along with lots of other cool stuff.
By- maldon007