AKA Viking Compared to the Markers of Today

[Pulp_Fiction]

Alright, for a while I have been really wanting to get an AKA Viking. I have never fired one but all I have ever heard is good things. In particular I keep hearing about reliability, but from what I have read it seems like these guns are very complex to work on. Assuming something does go wrong how hard are these to work on yourself? I realize this varies greatly, but lets just say you have to replace a solenoid. Would this be hard to do yourself? I have an old school 68 Automag (bone stock !!!!), DYE Matrix LCD DM3, and an ICD Bushmaster 2000. Any of these guns I would have no problems opening up and working on and I have. I consider any of those 3 guns "easy" to work on. How would a Viking be compared to these guns to work on?

I have a thing for older guns which is probably why I love these things, but how accurate are they? I realize that all high-end electros shoot very similar but would I notice a difference in accuracy compared to my DM3; assuming I am using a .693 bore barrel and low pressure tank? I swear by the DM3, that is the most accurate gun I have ever owned! Basically my question is how different is the Viking, performance wise, compared to a lot of other high-end guns today, such as DM9 or a Sl8r? Would I be wasting money on yet another paintball gun that is going to have very similar performance to my DM3 (assuming I am buying just for performance and not style or electronic features)?

[laxmaniac88]

i would talk to the family on Pbn. they convinced me into getting one. Also notice how no one ever says anything bad about them at all...

[Tabris17]

Vikings aren't that complex to work on in all honesty. You may need to go through the stickies and get some special tools to service them yourself or you could simply send it to Destructive Customs and they'll service it for you.
Vikings and Excals just need a few drops of AKALMP oil in the hpr every few cases and you're set. I know people that have gone 2 years of doing just that and nothing else before sending it in to DC for a full service and tune up.
Speed wise though they will keep up with any high end no issue. The only limitation at this point would be the board as there is really only WAS or Tadao for aftermarket. Otherwise it's the stock Nelson or Pandora boards. They shoot fast and extremely accurately though, on the heavy side compared to anything else but that's what makes them accurate as the weight takes up the kick of the bolt. Very fun to play with over all and not disappointing.

[moshpitengineer]

If you can deal with the weight its great. If you cant, get it milled. Ive yet to see a marker that can actually top the viking(the vice comes close, but nothing tops it). The board choices are mediocre at best ill say, but raw performance its amazing.
To work on a viking for the most part, you need a cartridge tool. AKA uses a special socket to remove the lpr, ram, and the two other caps on the tubes. A solenoid can be changed using your generic tools, and is very easy to do. All you do is unplug it, unscrew it, and put a new one on, though there are two different types of solenoids available for vikings, and I believe that they use different mountings. The older is the mac noid, it is silver and larger than the Humphrey. These are slower, but are known for being smoother(though this is debatable).The other type is the newer Humphrey solenoid. These are faster than the macs, as well as use less battery power. A marker using mac noids can be milled for humphrey solenoids by destructive customs(i believe at least, i dont know). Though in honesty, you wont have to worry about solenoids ever.
The only upkeep id recommend is sending the marker in for a tune up at destructive customs every year or two. This ensures that the innards of the gun are all functional, all the o rings are nice, the lpr is set well etc. I dont know the cost for this off hand, but it isnt too high.
If you do end up purchasing a viking, be sure to order some AKA lube(www.akalmp.com has it). If you buy it direct, expect to wait around a bit for it to arrive. Beyond that, any adjustment you will do that isnt changing a fireing mode is pretty stupid on your part, because once the gun shoots, it shoots.
Beyond that, for actual on field performance expect the gun to be freakishly fast, and get alot of questions.
It may have a bit more "kick" than a dm3, but what doesnt. Accuracywise is whats to be expected with any paintball marker around. With quality paint, you will be able to hit what your aiming for.

[darktrooper5]

Vikings were ahead of their time, markers are just now catching up and surpassing only due to size and weight.

When a Viking goes down on its owner, the damn thing goes down hard. Most of the Vikings I know that have gone down, were old, used and needed some moderate work to get going again.

Parts and proper information are going to be your two worst enemies in fixing/troubleshooting a Viking.

[Algernon]

I don't understand the Viking either. How exactly was it ahead of it's time? The things look like trayed Angels. I understand AKA had the best regulators on the market and that their markers were very reliable, but that's all I know.

What was "ahead of it's time" about the viking? It certainly wasn't ahead of it's time from a mechanical design standpoint. The thing is trayed when other markers (Angel) were already trayless and hoseless. WDP clearly pulled off a better execution of the 3-tube design. Maybe it's special pneumatically? Enlighten me. Please.

[moshpitengineer]

They just perform. Very fast, consistent, efficient etc. Once you get past the weight its everything youd ask for in a marker

[killertip212]

If you dont like 3 tubes then build/pay ALOT for someone to build you an Evil-M