A-TACS Water Transfer Printing

For those of you itching to have your firearms/markers done up in A-TACS, there is now an A-TACS water transfer film being offered. Full release below.

"Wanna add A-TACS to your firearms, scopes or other hardline equipment? Digital Concealment Systems now offer A-TACS film for aftermarket hardline decoration in an exclusive partnership with TWN industries and it's hardline decorating affiliates across the US. T.W.N. Industries, Inc. is the largest supplier of hydrographic camouflage films worldwide. Hydrographic decoration utilizes a specially designed water tank. Printed film is floated on the surface of the water and a chemical activator is sprayed to dissolve the film leaving the printed design suspended on the surface of the tank. Specially prepared and coated parts are "dipped" into the tank and the design adheres to the finish of the product. A protective top coat is applied and the product is ready to be re-assembled for use. For more information or to find a certified decorator  near you contact TWN industries at 305-258-9622 or e-mail them at: info@twnindustries.com"

The TDI Vector done up in A-TACS looks pretty awesome. If you're looking to outfit something in A-TACS (and with hydrographics you can coat pretty much anything) and reside in the U.S., look no further than TWN's website. And for my fellow Canucks, stay tuned to Grey Ops for more details...

If you're unfamiliar with hydrographics, check out OCC's trip to a water transfer facility.

The First Milsim Paintball Marker?

Introduced to the paintball world in 1987, the Tippmann SMG-60 was the first semi/fully automatic paintball marker. Also, it is arguably the first milsim marker ever, bearing a remarkable resemblance to the Sten mk. II (pictured below).

For more information on the specifications of the SMG-60, see Vintage Rex.

Some SMG-60s can still be seen for sale on various paintball forums, and on the occasional local listings. It is considered a collector's piece, and doesn't have a home on most commercial fields due to its unconventional caliber (.62). However, it does have a much harder to find (and considerably more expensive) cousin chambered in .68 caliber, entitled the SMG-68. 

SMG-60 firing (not me).

As you can see, the SMG-60 has a rather spectacular rate of fire (600 rpm), which, combined with its lack of any safety mechanism, led to the banning of the SMG-60 on many fields in its heyday. Even today, it commands an intimidating presence on any field.

P.S. (Shamelessly) Should anyone want to part with their SMG series marker, you know where to find me... 

A Question of Sportmanship

A recent post on a woodsball forum drew my attention to the video shown below. It is a great example of unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of the players who ignore a surrender (though to be fair, there may have been no surrender rules in place) and then continue to curse at and mock the player that they lace with paint.



Ask yourselves this, would you have reacted as well as the eliminated player did in this situation? To see more on how people have reacted to this video, check out the comments section on the video's page.

Update (March 31st 2010) - It would appear the video has been removed by the user, it's a shame I didn't download it before he took it down.

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Arnold Paintball Indoor Featuring FSQ Review

Field: Arnold Paintball Indoor

Location: Montréal, Québec

Type of field: Indoor, Western Themed

First Impressions: Upon walking into the facility, there is a large staging area and pro-shop counter and I was very surprised as to how large the field itself was. There is an upstairs area where non-players or those sitting out a game can observe the main playing area through glass windows. 

Gear: Nobody that I was with rented anything, but the proshop appeared to have a fairly good selection. XO brand paint was used. I had a rather serious issue with one of their fill stations, in that it explosively (and dangerously) expelled my fill whip due to a loose QD fitting (their fitting that is).

The field: A large westerm-themed field with lots of buildings with two floors and connecting gantries. One of the more unusual and interesting features is a "mountain" built into one of the walls, complete with branching tunnels and walkways. As seen in the picture above, the central feature is a gallows. Apparently there used to be streams running through the facility, but no longer. A bit of a minus in how dirty the walls/buildings were. Every surface is coated in yellow paint, as you can see in the pictures, and if you lean against anything you get coated in it. Dirt floors were a plus, making kneeling etc. a bit more comfortable.

Gameplay: A variety of scenario style games and all out deathmatches were played (more in Staff section). The field lends itself well to attack and defend situations, with plenty of seemingly easily defendable buildings that feature multiple points of entry. 

FSQ: Every other Wednesday night, FSQ (Forces Spéciales du Québec) runs a milsim night at Arnold, which we were attending on our visit. While the actions of the FSQ members in attendance may not reflect their team as a whole, I was left with a rather poor opinion of the team.

Some rather unorthodox rules instituted by FSQ's leader included:

• No referees.
• Bounces count.
• Some members of the FSQ carried plastic knives that they could draw across the throats of fellow players to eliminate them.

Other rules that were interesting but poorly implemented include:

• A medic is designated for each team, any hit to a player's arm can be healed by a medic (i.e. player can play again) but may not use that arm after that. Medic's were never chosen, and the rule was basically forgotten.
• Replica flashbangs (that produce an actual sound) could be thrown into a room, and all the players inside would be stunned for five seconds. Only FSQ was supplied with flashbangs.
• Replica grenades could be thrown into rooms, eliminating every player inside the room. Only FSQ was supplied with grenades.

The thing that truly irked me however, was the lack of fair play demonstrated by FSQ members. The very first game that was played, I observed multiple FSQ members ignore rules put in place, and set themselves up in a location that they were prohibited from. By the end of the night, more rules had been broken, with the members boasting of the eliminations they acquired whilst breaking rules set in place by them. The odds in many of the scenario were stacked in favour of FSQ. Two extreme examples include: the small group of rentals being placed in a defending position and rushed by all the equipment owners, and the intimidation of a female rental to the point of her crying and demanding to be let off the field.

On the bizarre side of things, all attending players were forced to run "drills" at the beginning of the night, including:

• Shooting at a target, running at said target, taking a knee and then shooting it again, in a relay fashion.
• Two players squaring off against each other down a corridor, advancing and taking three shots until one player was eliminated.
• In the strangest case, all the players lined up in two lines facing each other, and then shot each other.

Update (April 8th 2010) - I'd like to take the opportunity to thank those that spoke English to us, going out of their way to ensure we understood what was happening. It was greatly appreciated.

Overall: I would most definitely visit Arnold Paintball again. However, FSQ appears to be an unprofessional and bizarre organization that I would not willingly seek out to play with. I am not saying by any means that readers should avoid them, but just wish to profess that they failed to gain my respect or camaraderie.

Marker of the Week - Premiere

The first weekly feature for Grey Ops, every Thursday I will upload pictures/details of a user-modified/created or custom-made milsim paintball marker of note.

This week:

The Cheytac M200 A5-"Last Breath"

Created by AirH0g of Hog's Den as a one of a kind marker for Will Conlee (a.k.a. dbug) of Conlee Custom Camo in 2008 and then duracoated by Will, the Last Breath is breathtaking (no pun intended).

Specs:

• 10 round spring feed 
• Collapsible stock 
• 22" barrel 
• 180 psi operating pressure 
• Pneumatic trigger 
• Closed bolt operation

For build pictures, click here.

New RAP4 Soy Based Paintballs

Available in either white or green shell/fill, the new RAP4 Field Paintballs use soybean oil in their fill. It would appear the use of this fill alternative drives down the price of the balls, as they sell for $30.00 for a case of 2000. While there are value paintballs out there that retail for the same amount, they're often "whitebox" paintballs, the factory rejects. I could see a lot of people picking these up as practice balls, due to their price and supposed environmental friendliness.

Kanuck's Custom Kreations

Operating via the X7OG, operator Kanuck (not a Canadian) creates custom Cordura gear from a multitude of different camouflage patterns. His build quality is excellent and his prices are fair. At this time, his services are only available to the Operator's Group community, but he has a public website in the works.

Needing some CADPAT MOLLE gear, I turned to Kanuck, and he provided me with three 12 gram panels (two vertically oriented and one horizontally) which allows me to carry 10 round tubes and 12 gram powerlets in my preferred configuration (as seen above).

In addition to the aforementioned panels, I also procured a MOLLE tank pouch, which fits my Myth'd 68/45 perfectly. As soon as the K.C.K. goes live, I'll be sure to update everyone.

Canadian Paintball Laws

Too often, new players in Canada are unaware of the laws governing paintball. This is due to inaccessible legal information on the government's part, and the existence of many grey areas. For prospective milsim players, an added complication is thrown in with markers and devices that try to mimic or even replicate real firearms and accessories.

Disclaimer: I am not an authority, legal or otherwise. I will not be held responsible for any criminal/negligent/boneheaded action on your part. For hard, firm and official laws contact your municipal, provincial or federal government.

Replicas: Any paintballer marker/launcher that is a 1:1 scale replica of an authentic firearm/launcher is illegal to import into Canada. It is legal to purchase a replica marker within Canada. 

Examples of replica markers/launchers include: Many of the RAP4 .43 markers (e.g. P99 RAM), and any M203 replica.

Silencers/suppressors: Any modification that allows you to temporarily modify the volume of the sound output by a paintball marker is prohibited. Furthermore, charges may be laid against you. This is because any non-permanent suppressor (e.g. a barrel attachment) that allows you to reduce your paintball marker's loudness could potentially do the same for a real firearm.

Criminal use of paintball markers: If you strike someone with a paintball that did not consent to be fired upon, you may be charged with "Assault with a Weapon" and face up to ten years in prison. The same applies for threatening to harm someone with a paintball marker.

TC stamp: Any compressed air tank used for the sport of paintball must possess a valid TC (Transport Canada) stamp to be legally transported across official borders in Canada. This includes provincials borders, and the U.S./Canada border (for U.S. laws, search for DOT stamps on google). Any tank that is found to not have a TC stamp will be seized at said border.

Hydrostatic testing: For a paintball tank to be filled, it must have a valid and current hydrostatic testing stamp.

Age restrictions: There is no age restriction on who can play paintball in Canada. However, most retailers will not sell a paintball marker or accessory to someone under the age of 18. In addition to this, fields require minors to have written parental consent before playing.

Paintball on Crown Land: This is a large grey area. It can be legal (but not in all cases), but isn't always a good idea. The best way to find out if you can play on Crown Land is to contact both your local police and the RCMP.

Paintball on private property: What you do on your private property is your own business... until you endanger the safety or well being of others. Once again, contact your local police and talk it over with them first, and make sure that you have consent from every party involved (this includes the landowner, participants, neighbours and the community).

Update to private propery (March 21st) for Ottawa readers: The City of Ottawa by-law definition of "firearm" is a lot more lax than the Firearms Act definition. Under Ottawa By-Laws a paintball gun is considered a "firearm". Generally a resident is forbidden from discharging a firearm anywhere in the urban limits, but in the rural limits there are areas where there are excepted. There's a map in existence that shows the areas where firearms by-laws don't apply, and your local city of Ottawa service centre could provide it to you. But generally if you're in Kanata or Gloucester and start to play "backyard ball", Ottawa Police or by-law services will come knocking on your door shortly (depending on how paranoid your neighbours are about PB markers, or how annoyed they get by the sounds). Posted by Mike Gatti

Paintball on public property: Illegal unless organized through the governing body.

Liability as a promoter: As a promoter of a paintball game, you are potentially liable for any injury that occurs during play. This is true even if the players have signed waivers.

Sources:
Canadian Criminal Code
Firearms Act
Importing a Firearm or Weapon Into Canada (CBSA)

If I have missed anything or you disagree with anything that I've said, please comment here or email me at Connor@GreyOps.net.

Heat Stippling the Goblin Solo

Inspired by a video on how to heat stipple plastic grips (see embedded video below) but hesitant to try out the technique on an expensive marker, I figured it would be fun to heat stipple my new Goblin Solo.

I started off by pencilling in the perimeter of any area that my fingers touched the Solo when I held it.

Then, using a 60W varying voltage soldering iron set to around 16W (I think this may have been a bit too hot, as there are some black marks where the plastic burned a bit), I practiced the stippling technique on a broken fast mag that I had lying around. 

Once I had gotten the knack of it, I stippled the line I had drawn with a pencil earlier on the Goblin.

After this point I just filled in the area outlined. The entire process took about half an hour when I got down to business.

I'm very happy with the result, and the grip provided is superb.

One thing I should mention is make sure you do not stipple over the median between the clamshell halves, I only realized this after I had stippled the outside line (as seen above).

As you can see, the stippled portion matches up with where my fingers go perfectly. This is my first time doing this, and first time working with a soldering iron. That just goes to show how easy this process is. If you take your time and think it through before you start, you'll end up with a great finished product.

SURPAT Camouflage Pattern

Update (June 10th 2011) - SURPAT now available on Crypsis.ca: click me!

Developed by Survival Corps, the SURPAT (SURvival PATtern) camouflage pattern is designed for use in mountainous, urban and forested areas in Russia. It is currently in use with the Police and Federal Security Service of Russia.

Given many of the geographical similarities, I would guess that SURPAT would be effective in Canada as well, especially during the fall or spring seasons. If I can I'll try and get my hands on some and see how it performs in the great white (western) north, possibly comparing it to CADPAT.

First Tiberius 9.1 Pictures

The Armed Lunch Lady and Tactical Jelly Donuts

The Armed Lunch Lady, a.k.a. gwargwar1981, is exactly that, a "lunch lady" with a penchant for firearms and other tactical equipment. He regularly posts obscenity laden cooking videos that I find quite enjoyable.

Warning: Foul language, alcohol consumption, smoking and sexuality are present in many of gwargwar1981's videos.

 The donuts above are definitely on my to-do list, as they look awesome. gwargwar1981's recipes are easy to follow, and use easy to find and cheap ingredients.

Milsig Fast Mag Review

Based on the real M4 Fast Mags, Milsig's Fast Mag is a MOLLE mountable mag pouch that holds one Milsig magazine. The selling point for this pouch is the ease of removal of the magazine, and the ability to hold magazines in an upward or downward fashion.

The clamshell design uses pressure from an elastic band and friction from internal rubber parts to securely hold the magazine in place. A small bungee cord with a nylon pull tab provides added security for downward facing magazines.

As far as construction goes, the plastic portions seem more than sturdy enough to stand up to regular paintball play. However, the clasps on the bottom of the Fast Mag do not seem very secure. In fact, one of the four pouches I originally received already had a clasp broken, and I have spoken with others who have had the same problem out of the box.

The mounting of the Fast Mags to my MOLLE system was simple. At this point, I noticed that the colour of the product is a bit off. While marketed as Olive Drab, it appears to be more of a Ranger Green to me. There is a pretty big range of what is considered to be OD, but these definitely lie outside of that. Pictured below is a couple of the Fast Mags on my CADPAT vest.

The pouches seem easy to use, and I found myself able to draw my mags very quickly. The magazines may need to be wiggled a bit to come out, but it's still easier than opening a flap to draw your magazine. A drawback to using these instead of a regular pouch is the need for a dump pouch, as it is way too inconvenient to jam your magazines back in the Fast Mag after use.

Goblin Solo Initial Impressions

I finally took the plunge and picked up a Goblin Solo the other day (the combined result of a deal I couldn't pass up and an unexpected paypal payment).

It seems that everyone these days is reviewing the Goblin, so I'll try and keep this short and maybe do some more interesting stuff in the future.

The build quality seems good overall, nothing feels cheap or easy to break. One of the first things I do with any new toy is test every part of it for wobble, and the Goblin has a bit of wobble around the barrel assembly, but the trigger seems nice and solid. The trigger also has a fairly strong pull, which came as a nice surprise.

After the initial lubing of my one included air cartridge i found it took me about a dozen dry fires to "break in" the valve system to a point where it would produce a satisfying bang with each trigger pull.

I have yet to test the cartridges with CO2 but instead used my Myth'd Crossfire (high pressure). A few negatives that I've found to date include the use of little brass shims for barrel sizing, and some slightly annoying iron sights. 

On the subject of barrel sizing, I had a little idea about finding some alternatives to the brass shims...

More to come... 

P.S. I apologize for neglecting the blog, I intend to catch up in the near future.

Tactical Corsets

Many of you have probably already heard of the oddity that is Tactical Corsets. Blending alternative fashion and military technology, the idea is unique if nothing else. 

Along with their regular MOLLE corsets, they have a stated goal of creating bulletfproof tactical corsets. I have no idea what kind of applications could come from that, but it's interesting nonetheless. 

Tactical Corsets will be showcasing their products at the upcoming Von Gutenberg Fetish Ball (yes, you read that right, and no, I'm not linking to it) in San Fransico on March 13th. If anyone grabs some pictures and reads this, send 'em to me and I'll post them up.

Operation Milsim "The Field"

Touted as Southern Ontario's Newest Milsim Field, Operation Milsim's field will be opening the weekend of June 5th 2010 at noon. The exact location has yet to be announced, as they do not want to swamped with players before the actual opening, but will be somewhere along the Niagara/Fort Erie line.

An example of one (just one) of the fields:

Keep watching the Operation Milsim website for more details.

Goblin Solo Phantom and Contest

Looks like Goblin will be releasing a clear Goblin Solo soon, with the moniker Phantom. With this new transparent marker, comes a contest. Details right here.