TANKER TIPS
TANKER TIPS
The military calls it mechanized. You call it riding around in some kick $@% vehicle last weekend when you played paintball.
I love the fact that paintball has evolved into what it is today. My father introduced me to paintball in 1989. The Sheridan pump pistol was all they rented. And those with the Bushmasters ruled. But what I wanted even then was to go to a game where a hundred or more would do scenarios. So here we are today and we even have people who bring mock military machinery to use in these hundred to even thousands of people scenario games
DEPLOYMENT FROM A VEHICLE INTO HOSTILE TERRITORY
How to deploy from a vehicle while under fire or even just deploying into Indian country.
- 1. Watch your body parts while entering and exiting the vehicle. It’s very easy to have a body part slammed, pinched, and banged around while entering and exiting under hostile circumstances.
- 2. Prior positioning (and training is the key for this so train) get together and say “ok when we get out you will go here and you will go here etc. .”
- 3. You must cover every angle and keep low. The gunner for the vehicle will be going to town on the enemy if you are in a hot zone. Have 360 degrees covered. That means out of all the men you have, adding everyone’s position and field of fire they will equal up to having every angle covered.
- 4. Get 10-20 meters away from the vehicle the minute you exit. The vehicles draw fire and you are in the path of those rounds. Plus, if the vehicle detonates it can take you and your men out.
- 5. Once you have drawn your weapon; exited the vehicle and taken your assigned position, you will now go prone (laying down position). This gives the enemy less of a target.
- 6. Your team leader will decide to either Charlie Mike (Continue Mission), OR scramble back onto the vehicles and get out of dodge going cyclic on the weapons.
- 7. Deploy smoke to block their view if you must move from the area on foot. A good I.A.Drill is best for moving from the hostile area on foot.
- 8. Engage targets and move when told by team leader. You can deploy ordinance if you are within range. Your team will not get up until killed or told to move.
MOVING WITH ARMORED VEHICLES
In today’s battles victory is not won by man or machine alone. The tank cannot survive without soldiers protecting it. In today’s military tank platoons are accompanied by mechanized ground pounders. If a tank is ambushed by many targets then the mech comes in to help out. I DON’T SEE THIS IN PAINTBALL! I can’t tell you how many times I’m off the road watching the enemy tank go down all by itself into no mans land. Where is the support? A tank commander should talk to his general and have no less than 3 men assigned to just follow the tank around. It is too too easy in paintball to take out tanks. So here are some tips for ground pounders who run with the tank.
- 1. Stay 10 feet away from the tank! It’s the Rules! (at most fields) You wouldn’t stand right beside a tank in the real world anyway. They rotate on a dime and you will loose a leg or even worse all of you.
- 2. If the tank engages a target make sure you have your flanks secured. Expect a flank attack on the opposite the tank is engaging.
- 3. Engage what the tank is targeting as well if you have the right ammo for the job. It will save ammo for one of you. And that other could save you later on.
- 4. Let the tank take point but don’t be so far back you can’t see his front view as well.
- 5. If the tank is hit the least you can do is avenge his death. It will also clear the way for the next tank if there is one.
- 6. Use what they have against them. If you have enough anti tank guys; assign them to the mechanized group. Let them fire right back at those who are hiding in bunkers and bases attacking the tank. DO NOT SHOOT AT INDIVIDUALS WITH A LAUNCHER! Do I need to repeat it?
- 7. In most cases if a tank is hit it just has to drive back to its insertion point. Wait for it till it comes back if you are assigned to it. You can set up an ambush and kill many just waiting for it to come back. Plus, gather info and help out a unit till it gets back. If that unit pushes on, after helping it stay and wait for the tank.
- 8. Once reunited follow step 1-6.
TIPS FOR TANKERS
I have never ridden in a tank(on it, yes) so I don’t know a lot but I will tell you what I know from having a tanker father who also went Airborne and Mp. So these are not SOP for military but what I would do if I was riding around in a coffin.
- 1. Make foot soldiers follow me .Not just ride around in it.
- 2. Make a cannon to fire nerf footballs. I can’t tell you how many alleged tanks I have seen which do not have a cannon, but instead have port holes and double paint ball guns. You can make a launcher if you take the time and want to spend about 100.00 bucks. I mean you took the time to make a vehicle into a paintball toy, why not go all the way.
- 3. Do not use plexiglass for your windows. You will not be able to see after your first go around on the battlefield. Use netting! ITS ONLY PAINT,.IT WILL WASH OFF OF YOU!
- 4. Assign someone to retrieve your rockets. Even if they are eliminated trying to get it, I can’t imagine someone telling them they couldn’t get it AS long as they didn’t run back up to the tank to let them use it again.
- 5. Destroy everything!
- 6. Wait for another tank to help assist on hitting a well defended target. Even if the enemy anti-tank team gets one tank, the other has a chance of spotting and hitting the target.
- 7. Be safe driving out there.
EXPANSION CHAMBER/REGULATOR FAQ
What is an Expansion Chamber?
An Expansion Chamber is a device attached to a paintball gun designed to reduce occurrences of liquid Co2 getting into the valve area. Expansion Chambers accomplish this by routing Co2 through a passage or series of passages, which allows liquid an opportunity to boil, or expand into gas.
When do you need an Expansion Chamber?
The introduction of liquid Co2 into a valve system can cause pressure fluctuations which lead to velocity spikes. This occurs most frequently on paintball guns which use a “bottomline” set-up. Since liquid Co2 follows gravity, the horizontal orientation of the bottle in combination with the various angles at which the gun is held by the user allows the erratic introduction of liquid Co2 into the system. Any gun suffering from this problem can benefit from an Expansion Chamber, although like any anti-liquid system it is not always 100% effective.
Since remote lines serve a similar purpose and are most often connected to bottles in a vertical position, guns with remote Co2 set-ups may see no real advantage from the addition of an Expansion Chamber. As in other cases, an Expansion Chamber should only be used in remote systems that are experiencing continued problems related to Liquid Co2.
Guns using HPA (High Pressure Air, a.k.a., Nitrogen) as a power source do not need an Expansion Chamber since the entire “liquid” issue is nonexistent.
What is a Regulator?
A Regulator is a device which controls the output pressure of the gas power source on paintball guns. The Regulator can only maintain or reduce the pressure of the gas coming from the source tank – It cannot increase the pressure. Aftermarket, or on-gun Regulators are adjustable through a certain pressure range as determined by the manufacturer – not all Regulators work with all paintball guns. For example, some Regulators are adjustable for 0 to 600 psi, which would negate the use of the Regulator with a gun requiring more than 600 psi to operate.
Co2 tanks are generally not sold with built-in Regulators, all though several companies manufacture replacement valves which include a built-in Regulator. For most Co2 powered paintball guns, regulators are placed in the gas line somewhere between the tank and valve.
All HPA tanks have a built-in regulator, since tank pressures are 3000 psi and above, which far exceeds the operating requirements of any paintball gun. The built-in tank Regulator is often used in conjunction with an on-gun secondary Regulator, especially in cases where the tank Regulator is not adjustable.
When do you need a Regulator?
Anyone wanting to control the pressure at which their paintball gun operates needs a Regulator. Whether Co2 or HPA is the power source, there are numerous advantages to controlling the operating pressure of paintball guns such as maintaining the consistency of the velocity, and more finite control over velocity adjustment. There are also some advantages to operating at lower pressure, which requires a Regulator.
A Regulator can also be used to help eliminate the erratic introduction of liquid Co2 into the system. Since liquid Co2 exist at higher pressures (at a given temperature), the lower the operating pressure, the less likely Co2 will exist in a liquid form. Like the Expansion Chamber, the Regulator alone will not totally eliminate liquid Co2 and should be used in conjunction with another device, such as an anti-siphon tube in the Co2 tank.
Should a Regulator and Expansion Chamber be used together?
Depending on how the system is set-up, a Regulator and Expansion Chamber can be used together, but in most cases, the use of both devices is excessive. More likely than not, the combination will adversely affect performance.
An Expansion Chamber can be used to help eliminate liquid Co2 before it reaches the Regulator, but is more cumbersome than other methods such as the use of an anti-siphon tube in the Co2 tank.
A set-up where the Expansion Chamber is placed between the Regulator and valve system may partially negate the effectiveness of the Regulator, since it allows the regulated gas an opportunity to warm and expand. Such a set-up is also unnecessary in a properly organized system, where efforts should be made to eliminate liquid Co2 before it enters the Regulator.
Which is better, a Regulator or an Expansion Chamber?
With price not being a consideration, a Regulator far outperforms an Expansion Chamber. While offering the same anti-liquid advantages, the Regulator also offers actual control over the operating pressure of the paintball gun. An Expansion Chamber should only be considered if liquid Co2 is a problem, and a Regulator is outside of the user’s price range.
Regulator vs. Expansion Chamber vs. Vertical Bottle
The following test was conducted using a stock Avalon Diamond GT, which is a two-tube blow-back paintball gun. The purpose of the test was to check the differences in velocity consistency when using a standard vertical bottle set-up, a 6-stage expansion chamber, and a regulator. Every effort was made to keep the parameters as close as possible during the test. The three steps of the test were performed back to back, using and the same brand/batch paintballs. A standard 12 ounce Co2 tank was used (no anti-siphon tube), and both the expansion chamber and regulator were used in the vertical bottle position, and fed from a standard bottom-line adapter secured to the grip frame.
HOW MODERN TIPPMAN VALVES WORK
The valve assemblies found in paintball guns manufactured by Tippmann Pneumatics Inc. aren’t particularly designed for easy disassembly, and realistically there is no reason they should be. Leaks or other problems with Tippmann valves are rare, and in those rare cases Tippmann is very good about repairing or replacing the assembly as a whole. The company does not recommend owners disassemble the valves. Most owners of Tippmann guns will never see the inside of the valve system. This page is for those who are curious about how modern Tippmann valves work.
In the early days of paintball, Tippmann Pneumatics entered the scene with one of the first autoloading paintball guns, the SMG-60. Where pump guns of the day utilized a valve system to release gas to propel the ball, the SMG-60 had a valve which released gas to not only propel the ball, but to also blow the action of the gun back into a cocked position. Early Tippmann guns used a floating valve, which actually opened on two ends to let gas escape and perform the required duties. This system was used on the companies first “box fed” or “gravity fed” semi-automatics such as the .68 Special and Pro am. The rear bolt (a.k.a. hammer or striker) would strike the back of the valve, moving the entire valve assembly forward. As the assembly would impact the rear of the valve tube, plungers on both sides would be pushed opened to allow gas to escape.
With later guns, such as the .68 Carbine, Pro Carbine, Model 98, and A-5, a stationary valve is utilized, releasing gas from only one opening. After it leaves the valve, the gas is routed in two directions to both propel the ball and blow the action back into it’s cocked position. The valves are made of aluminum, with brass and steel internal parts. In the .68 Carbine and Pro Carbine, the valves are mounted directly in the gun bodies, behind aluminum valve tubes which direct gas through the front bolt to impact the ball. On both the Model 98 and A-5, the valves are mounted inside of a black plastic valve tube, making for a conveniently sealed unit which can be easily replaced as a whole.
The animation shows a Model 98 valve. When the trigger is pulled, the sear releases the rear bolt. The rear bolt is carried forward by the drive spring and strikes the valve plunger. The plunger moves allowing gas to escape the valve. While part of the gas rushes rearward to blow the rear bolt backwards, part of the gas rushes over 4 channels milled into the outside of the valve, and forward through the valve tube to impact the ball. The valve spring then pushes the plunger back into a closed position.
There are some differences in modern Tippmann valves. While the newer Model 98 and A-5 valves have four milled channels on the outside over which gas passes toward the front of the gun, the older .68 Carbine and Pro Carbine valves have two flat sides. Although the internal diameter is the same, due to length and internal parts size differences the Model 98 and A-5 valves have a slightly larger volume capacity than the older .68 Carbine style valves.
The A-5 marks at least the fourth production model in which this same basic valve system has been used. The simplicity in the design of the modern Tippmann valve systems, along with the use of quality materials, translates into an almost unmatched level of reliability in the paintball industry – which obviously translates into success for the company.
