The accuracy of this review is disputed. Please see discussion below.
Period of Product Use:
Less than a month
41 of 48 people found this review helpful.
Paintball Experience:
More than 5 years
Similar Products Used:
Other Pump actions, but this one has some unique defining points.
Recommended Upgrades:
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Strengths:
Stock class pump, Training tool, or Scenario Marker.
Many new features for pump markers
Weaknesses:
Stock Barrel Very Large Bore
No auto trigger
Review:
I eagerly anticipated the Arrival of my Ram68 Shotgun. Being an avid hunter I was very happy to get a gun similar to my Winchester 12 gauge. I will try to remain as unbiased as possible and just review said marker
I will break this review down into 5 categories (Looks and cosmetics, Features/special attributes, Shooting and related, Air and related, and Durability and maintenance), each with a potential of two points to be given or taken away.
-<LOOKS>-
If it were not for the orange tip, this marker would look almost 100% identical to a Real FN shotgun.
+1
Now on most pumps the somewhat resemble a pump action shotgun have a very short pump stroke making them look unrealistic, this marker however has the full length pump stroke when cocked.
+1
2/2
-<FETURES / SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES>-
The Ram68 comes with an under-gun tube magazine. Each .68 cal ball is pushed into the magazine by hand (replicating the reload of a real shotgun) which is spring loaded and has a spring pin that holds the paint and does not let them fall out unless the pin is depressed. You can get it in 10 ball capacity or 16 ball capacity versions (relative also on length of barrel, ex. the 16 ball capacity version comes with a 16 inch barrel.)
Of course if you get the 16 ball version and you want to play stock class you can always put a plug behind the spring in the magazine (like hunting regulations often do to shotguns) to cap the capacity of the magazine off early, like at 10 balls for example.
+1
It has fully adjustable iron sites for range and wind adjustment. The front sight can be folded down for transportation or otherwise. It also had a rail for mounting dot sights and scopes on, and since it fires a 68 cal paintball these could be used by someone willing to take the time to set them.
The ram68 Shotgun has a switch to turn on or off bolt lock, the advantage to this would be to stop the marker from firing when out of ammunition and to stop the ball from rolling out of the barrel.
Another new thing was a little tiny purple tab on the asa that would come out about half a centimeter if the marker was gasses up, it was not necessary but was helpful if you were just picking the marker up and didn’t know if it had air in it.
+1
2/2
-<SHOOTING AND RELATED>-
The accuracy of this marker was decent, but the stock barrel was very large bore, and I do not think there are aftermarket barrels available for it at this time. This made the range of paint you could use with precision smaller. Also it would not Auto Trigger.
Also since the pump travel was full lenth to a 12 guage people used to normal .68 cal pumps will have to watch out for short stroking it and chopping a ball.
-1
Reloading was a bit slow, but this was to simulate the actual operation of the Fire arm it was designed after.
You could not reload it with ten round tubes, which I found a bit annoying, but this is not exactly a flaw in the design, a 12 gauge shotgun was not designed to have its shells injected with a giant plastic tube.
One cool thing about shooting it that distinguished it from other pumps was the Bolt lock switch as I Stated before under features. This made the marker have the selectable option to have the ball not roll out the barrel and for it to stop firing co2 when the marker did not have a paintball in the chamber thus saving air.
+1
1/2
-<AIR AND RELATED>-
Some people ask me “Where does the tank go on that gun?” and I point to the butt stock. The co2 tank is a reliable 45 or 60 gram co2 with a built in on off. These tanks are low profile and fit into either a collapsible stock or solid stock concealing it from sight. On a ram68 I use a 60 gram, which is good for up to 100 shots. That is probably a day of pump play if you are conservative.
+1
The Ram 68 can use co2 or compressed air. The gun itself was pretty efficient as pumps usually are, and as I also said under features it has the tab that tells you if the gun is gassed up. This feature makes the gun safer without having to spend extra to get a regulator with gauge.
+1
Adjusting velocity was a bit tricky, but not anything to get mad over. To adjust the velocity you have to take needle nose pliers and unscrew a brass plate in the asa and use an Allen key to turn a screw, this is much like the velocity adjustment we see on auto cockers.
2/2
-<DURABILITY AND MANTINENCE>-
This Marker was built very sturdy, it is all metal except for the pump handle, Pistol grip, and butt stock which were impact proof polymer. The result is a very rugged pump action marker.
+1
Maintenance was very simple, keep it clean and oiled and it will work. There is not 1000 little O-rings and springs that fly everywhere when you open it to worry about. It is farley simple.
Both the barrel and tube magazine could be cleaned with a squeegee if they need be, and it broke down like a real shotgun, which is good for anyone who is experienced with them in hunting.
+1
2/2
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Unfortunately this marker is called a “Shotgun” but can only replicate one large solid projectile (like a slug), but cannot shoot with a scattershot.
The weight and feel are all there for experienced shotgun users, and since there is no tank or hopper sticking out it makes for an interesting and maneuverable tool for recreational and scenario players alike.
If you get a 12 gram changer and either a 10 round version or put a plug in the magazine you can use it for stock class play, it costs less than most high end pumps but will lack in certain departments as rate of fire compared to pumps with an auto trigger.
Based on the reviewed material I give it a _9/10_ for being a well rounded pump action with many strong points, few weak points, and some cool new features.
If you think something should be added to this review or disagree with the opinions within it please email me at Travis@Hitmanpaintball.ca
Rating:
9 out of 10
Last edited on Sunday, November 26th, 2006 at 6:41 am PST
