best gun for around $300

[whispaz]

This is going to seem as a newbie questions to most but the best gun for around $300 is what i'm looking for. I'm fairly new to the whole paintball things and was looking for a gun. I use a friends 98 custom everytime i play (since he doesnt use it) but since it isnt mine i thought i'd buy my own. I was looking at the spyder fenix but i'm not too sure because i dont know much about it and since $300 isnt cheap, i'd like some advice so i dont get screwed in the end with a crappy gun.

[erickillebrew]

spyder imagine + cp one piece barrel + e hopper=good starter gun

cheap than 300 and you spend the rest on a if you dont already have one mask or paint

[Spyder1986]

well you could get a 2k3 cocker for 260.. but since your new to the sport i wouldnt recommend it.. you could get a nice mag for that..

[comando345]

Yeah, go to www.airgun.com . They have their ULE RT starting at $340, although you ought to pay the extra $20 for the ule body.

[Ghost2867]

Originally posted by Spyder1986
well you could get a 2k3 cocker for 260.. but since your new to the sport i wouldnt recommend it.. you could get a nice mag for that..
2k3 for 260? where?

id go for the spyder...

imagine - $115
CP 1-piece - $40
empire reloader - $45
AA vigilante reg - $55

and u have one kicking setup...all for: ~$260

order from pbgear, and you'll get free shipping, and no tax depending on whether u live in their state or not...

[Spyder1986]

Originally posted by Ghost2867

2k3 for 260? where?


ebay....

[Ghost2867]

oh...i was thinking new...w/e

[whispaz]

Originally posted by Spyder1986
well you could get a 2k3 cocker for 260.. but since your new to the sport i wouldnt recommend it.. you could get a nice mag for that..
just wondering, why wouldnt you recommend the cocker for a newbie?

[comando345]

Mags are pretty easy to maintain. If you get it you'll never have to replace it, their pretty much second only to nice electros. On the downside you will need a nitro tank to run it. Although ghost has a point to, if this is your first gun you probably don't need a mag, so you could save money and buy either a spyder or a tippmann. I would buy from either www.888paintball or www.paintballdiscounters.com as I have had positive experiences with those retailers.

[MunkyFuzz]

Originally posted by erickillebrew
spyder imagine + cp one piece barrel + e hopper=good starter gun

cheap than 300 and you spend the rest on a if you dont already have one mask or paint
Couldn't have said it better myself.

[DragonX8806]

Dragun TES, buy n2 and a good e hopper.

[whispaz]

is the fenix a good enough gun for the price or is there something else better for the price?

[HurleyHero67]

Originally posted by whispaz
is the fenix a good enough gun for the price or is there something else better for the price?
Yeah, there is something better for the price, a used classic mag off the forums at automags.org or ebay. You won't need nitro with one that has a classic valve.

And be sure to get a mask that comes with an anti-fog/thermal lens.

[whispaz]

what is the thermal lens? i bought the jt Nvader mask a couple of days ago.
Also, thanks for the replies for a gun under $300 but i want something better than the imagine. how good is it anyway? durable? reliable? easy to maintain? is there another that is all of the above and a little better?

[comando345]

A thermal lens prevents fogging. Mags are reliable, and easy to maintain. Spyders are easy to maintain too. I think bushmasters are easy to maintain but some people do not.

[BRYCEBOY18]

Spyders are great for starter guns, One of my teammates bought a spyder that I built and it shoots just as good as a impulse or bushmaster.

point is spyders can be upgraded out the HooHa! and they be tournament worthy.

[whispaz]

im unsure if i should just get the imagine or the fenix. How much better is the fenix than the imagine? how much better (if it is) is the raven nexion than the fenix? :| hmm.....which to buy, which to buy!?!?! :confused: worth the money?

[stealthgerbil]

a fenix is pretty much the same as the imagine, just a little better looking. Spyder internals are the same for each gun.

Also, you could look at a BKO, you can find them on ebay for cheap.

[HurleyHero67]

Really, I'd strongly reccomend looking into a used classic automag package or a BKO. You're just going to end up selling your Spyder in less than a year if your serious about paintballing.

You asked what the best marker for around $300 was, and it's certainly not a Spyder.

[Ghost2867]

Originally posted by whispaz
is the fenix a good enough gun for the price or is there something else better for the price?
a better spyder? definitley.

imagine

[Ghost2867]

Originally posted by whispaz
im unsure if i should just get the imagine or the fenix. How much better is the fenix than the imagine? how much better (if it is) is the raven nexion than the fenix? :| hmm.....which to buy, which to buy!?!?! :confused: worth the money?
between those two, imagine.

the fenix out-of-the-box will perform better to make it worth paying an extra $10 maybe.

an extra $100+? no way in hell.

nexion is pretty much the same thing as the fenix.

imagine is the only one out of those three, and at this point, the only spyder period that is completly worth the money.

[whispaz]

i'll probably end up buying the imagine and all the other stuff you guys said. now, how about the imagine compared to the 98c ?

[comando345]

Naturally the imagine will be faster. Just make sure you get a good loader and turn down the BPS and you should be fine. Ghost would probably know better than me but a couple kids at my field had e-spyders, whitch for a while chopped. Then they got loaders and turned down the bps and they were fine. On the contrast the tippmann is more reliable and won't jam as easily. I have a spyder compact I mess around with sometimes and it generally jams when it chops, it's 5 years old so its possible they have reduced the chance of this. You have shot your friends M98, so if you like it, buy it. If you don't then get the spyder.

[whispaz]

another one of my friends is thinking of getting the fenix, so when he buys that, i'll see if i like the sypder or the tippmann and buy which ever i like most.

[Ghost2867]

a fast enough loader will make sure ur gun dont chop.

in addition, because of kingman's infamously poor quality control, performance will often times vary between spyder to spyder even of the same model.

ive seen and heard of cases where ppl's hopper lids would fly open after every shot from intense blowback.

at the same time, ive heard of, and seen cases where ppl have left 2 balls in the feed tube, and the upper one didnt shake at all.

chances are, ur gonna get one in the mid-range. it'll have some blowback, but not much...so long as u have paint in the feed neck, u should feed well.

blowback is an issue with all guns of blowback design. just get a revvy or even an egg and it'll do fine.

[comando345]

yeah chopping issues are easy to remedy.

[whispaz]

about the fenix, some guy said he'll sell me his for $225 with a tear drop barrel and also a revy. he says it works great and he'll also throw in a shocktech spring kit never used. (i dont know what that is though)

[Ghost2867]

i guess that's worth it, considering the retail of the fenix itself, but you're gonna get the similar if not hte same performance with any ohter spyder electro(not counting the barrel or spring kit).

personally, i dont think its worth it.

imagines go for $115-120 new, plus a $40 teardrop, a $5 spring kit and a $35 revvy(deal at pbgear) totals to 200 exactly. order it all from pbgear, and if u live out-of-state, it'll be around 200 exactly.

for around 25 less, u get all new stuff that's never been used.

[taylor53821]

go to www.paintballgear.com and get either a JT 5.0 or 6.0, under a hundred i think, a spyder imagine or any other similar ones, tippman 98, a5, Fenix i dont know about my friend has it and i like my 5.0 alot more and for 200 bucks less, yeah, umm a mag possible, a cocker, but you NEED to go find some info on them and underatnd how they work somewhat, and know how to time them, the 2003 vertical cocker is down to 309 completly set up, or you could go in the complete opposite direction and get a tippy 98, which is the most low mantenince gun out there. so its all up to you

[Ghost2867]

Originally posted by taylor53821
go to www.paintballgear.com and get either a JT 5.0 or 6.0, under a hundred i think, a spyder imagine or any other similar ones, tippman 98, a5, Fenix i dont know about my friend has it and i like my 5.0 alot more and for 200 bucks less, yeah, umm a mag possible, a cocker, but you NEED to go find some info on them and underatnd how they work somewhat, and know how to time them, the 2003 vertical cocker is down to 309 completly set up, or you could go in the complete opposite direction and get a tippy 98, which is the most low mantenince gun out there. so its all up to you
jt markers = s*** from my own personal experience, and from what i've gotten over the years, it seems a spyder will be a better choice in the long run.

mags new dont go for much less than around 340 i believe, and i highly doubt that you're gonna want to get a mag or cocker with only 300.

u dont absolutely need to understand how htey work, but its best to at least kno how to time them.

apart from timing, cockers are actually surprisingly low maintenance.

in addition, timing isnt even that hard...it just takes a lot of trial/error.

[HurleyHero67]

Ghost! I'm dissapointed. :finger:

Mags are incredibly cheap used. You can get a classic valved mag w/ powerfeed, hopper, good aftermarket barrel, vert/remote co2, and some aftermarket grips maybe for less than $120. That right there will outperform the JT or Spyder, just like that. For $300, well that's a whole different ball game. You could pick up a mag with all of the above, LvL 10 (totally elimates chopping) agitated hopper, aftermarket frame, and at this point we're blowing the JT/Spyder out of the water. And we're only starting with the upgrades, with some cash you can make it high end tourney ready.

Get a mag :tup:

Aha! What a coincidence, look what I found on the first goaround at ebay :
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=47252&item=3674115283&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

[Ghost2867]

Originally posted by HurleyHero67
Ghost! I'm dissapointed. :finger:

Mags are incredibly cheap used. You can get a classic valved mag w/ powerfeed, hopper, good aftermarket barrel, vert/remote co2, and some aftermarket grips maybe for less than $120. That right there will outperform the JT or Spyder, just like that. For $300, well that's a whole different ball game. You could pick up a mag with all of the above, LvL 10 (totally elimates chopping) agitated hopper, aftermarket frame, and at this point we're blowing the JT/Spyder out of the water. And we're only starting with the upgrades, with some cash you can make it high end tourney ready.

Get a mag :tup:

Aha! What a coincidence, look what I found on the first goaround at ebay :
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=47252&item=3674115283&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
i hate buying used...

i always reply refering to new products...

hehe