this gun is built solid but has some big problems such as the battery drains AL OT, had problems with the trigger so i got a new 100 dollar frame. Also the trigger is very wobbly and moves alot. This gun is built very nice but has some bad problems. The whole body of the gun or the screw on the side can come lose and your parts may fly out. The best part of the gun is its speed with my evo2 i can shoot around 16 to 17 balls per sec and without a electronic hopper it is going to be hard to fire this gun unless it is on semi auto.
Conclusion:
i would buy this gun but you have to keep in mind it is discontinued and is going to be hard to find
m3 sniper with halo hopper, nitro tank, teardrop barrel, sweet spot trigger, delrin bolt, and a twisted volumizer
Recommended Upgrades:
all of the above
Strengths:
very fast, nice handleing, very upgrade able,
Weaknesses:
battery stealer, shakey on the inside but easaly fixed, terrable stock trigger
Review:
its a very nice, fast, reliable gun. scence it is very upgradeable you can turn this gun into a angel performing gun. It is easly worth the money, and all never breaks. if you are not a tourney player it doesnt need anything to add. I realy like this gun and believe that it should be better known and get more credit. this gun is very cheap and can easly show up half of the guns out there, even if you have played 1ooo of times this is still a good easy to fix reliable back up or full gun, it works well in tourneys and should be credited for is speed.
Conclusion:
new trigger, fast hopper, nitro, and definatly a new bolt, the 1 it comes with is very shakey
Completely custom cocker with all the good stuff 68/45
Recommended Upgrades:
New barrel
Strengths:
Accuracy (not bad stock)
Trigger pull
Reliability
Weaknesses:
drains batteries pretty quick
Review:
Well for $200 this is a great gun, but after a while it gets kind of old(may just be me) and I got tired of the batteries running out.You can get close to 800 shots off of a rechargeable battery and more out of a store bought battery.( I have heard thet the rechargeable batteries dont last as long) It has a great trigger pull nice short and crisp.Gun can actually shoot 20 bps but not with paint. Fairly consistan +/- 6.
Conclusion:
Overall this is a good gun but i would have rather spent the extra $200 on a nice cocker with a few basic upgrades.
I've decided to wait for a while before I Really wrote a review on this gun. This way I could give as accurate of a review as possible. After 1 year of use I've decided to share my insights. I've also decided to do a review on this based on MINIMAL upgrades (Barrel, hopper, trigger). And let us also keep in mind that this gun is targeted at a little higher end Entry level (I consider Brass eagle guns entry level. Nothing wrong with them for people JUST starting out in the sport). So it is very unfair to compare this gun with Angels, cockers, bushys, etc. BUT you can upgrade it to compete with many of these.
Out of the box the stock trigger is worthless. It is my personal opinion that the FEEL of a gun is 90% of everything. With an upgraded trigger like the Check-It Sweet Spot OR the Zenitram trigger you can make the trigger pull as light as a mouse click. For the price I don't think you can find a faster gun. Because of this you will HAVE TO get a motorized hopper capable of at LEAST 12-14 bps. nothing short of a revy 12v will do. I have an empire reloader, and with 14 bps full auto I have no problems with long strings of shots. Still a faster hopper would be nice (evo2 or halo B)
The frame itself is fairly comfortable, however there are little to no upgrades for the grips (ie. sticky grips). You can get replacement frame covers, but it's not quite the same. So the frame isn't AS comfortable as other options out there, but really it doesn't affect me personally. The frame also accepts Spyder Drop forwards. It is electronic with several firing modes such as turbo (fires semi until trigger pull gets fast enough then kicks in auto), semi, auto, burst. Semi and Auto are adjustable up to 20 BPS. VERY nice set of firing modes, don't have to worry about the frame limiting your speed. Takes one 9v battery. with decent batteries it seems to last quite a while. TAKE THE BATTERY OUT AFTER THE END OF THE DAY. I've been told your battery will drain if you leave it in there. If the gun has problems firing then there is a 90% chance it is because the battery is low or a sear related problem.
This gun comes with a gas through fore-grip and a bottomline regulator. Initially I only had the option to run co2. I'm thinking the CO2 messed up the regulator because nothing I do will make it adjust the PSI. With HPA you might have better luck. Keep this in mind because you might consider replacing the regulator with something better. Added costs, but in all honesty its not a necessity. Gun functioned fine for me with stock reg.
This features a Snap-Back bolt. Cock the bolt back and the cocking mechanism snaps back into the gun and stays stationary while firing. No beaver-tail required. Kinda hard to explain but it is very nice not having to worry about the bolt coming back and hitting your mask.
Stock barrel is adequate. There are two different barrels that people have been receiving. I had the 1 piece all black 12 inch barrel come with my gun. it has a very nice mirror finish and a fairly good sized bore, making it pretty good for cheap paint. Like most all other stock barrels you will get much better accuracy with an upgraded one. I bought a Dye Boomstick 14inch. But the stock barrel DOES shoot fine if you are just getting into the sport, and don't have the option of using marbs as your choice of paint. I've been using Wal-mart draxxus paint with VERY good results (diablo dusk in particular).
The gun also comes with an aluminum venturi bolt. I upgraded to a Delrin check-it bolt for higher flow and because delrin is much MUCH easier on the internals of the gun. Plus it will also have less kick (important for tight shot groupings).
Cleaning the gun is easy. It is VERY simple to remove the bolt and hammer to clean. I HIGHLY recommend that you take it apart and oil all the o-rings after each days use. Doing this allowed me to have one of the most reliable guns on the field. So it is not AS maintenance free as say a tippmann 98, but it also is a lot more complex. Love the gun and it'll love you back :) This is good practice if you get into higher end guns that can be very temperamental.
Seeing how this gun is a spyder clone it is compatible with almost all parts (trigger frame is the exception). This makes it VERY upgradable. You can change the Bolt, Trigger, Hammer, Springs, Valve, drop forward, feed neck, Volumizer, fore-grip, etc. At the end of all these upgrades this gun does compete with some very high end guns. If you start getting serious about the sport and end up getting a $1000+ gun eventually, this will make an EXCELLENT backup. Don't have to worry about the gun letting you down. But it is STILL a blow-back and will have all the limitations of being a blow-back. Because of the design of a blow-back, you have parts inside the gun slamming around. This causes noise and kick. But it also doesn't cost that much. I got mine for $180 exactly 1 year ago today.
Conclusion:
For the price and the longevity you CANNOT go wrong with this gun. This isn't a brass eagle that you buy and toss once you get a replacement gun. This gun can evolve with your skills. Eventually if you REALLY take the sport seriously you will consider upgrading, but this can be said with even the highest end markers. There are guns that operate at lower PSI, have less kick, shoot more accurate, and are much quieter, but NOT For this price. If you are looking for a gun for your children that are getting into the sport, or a friend, etc then look no further. This is perfect.
I chose this over a kingman simply because I believe in the M3 company (M3 recently acquired by dragun international). It was very similar to kingman offerings (this came out first though) but I felt it was higher quality.
With all this said I should also note that M3 is now Dragun International (www.dragunempire.com). The Patriot series and the Sniper are no longer available (they ARE still honoring the warranties and support). There are alternatives that Dragun International provides that are almost identical, so this review applies for them almost as much as it does for this gun.
PMI In-Line Reg
Dye Xcel Barrel
Check-It Stick Trigger
CMI Drop Forward
Macro Line Kit
Max Flow Assault Block
Ricochet AK 9v
Spudnuk'l Nylon Bolt (with autococker cocking rod)
Recommended Upgrades:
Barrel
Reg
Trigger
Drop Forward
Nylon Bolt
Electric Hopper
Strengths:
Very Quick, I have also never chopped a single ball with this gun.
Weaknesses:
The stock trigger pull is a pain in the @$$. Bolt, scars the inside.
Review:
This is a great overal gun. This marker can shoot up to 20BPS! Thats impressive for the price of this gun. Starting at $260 from stores I got mine from eBay for $170. If you are starting paintball and you want to be more than a recreational player this is a good gun. It is easy to upgrade, I recommened it for people like me, who start out with a recreational intrest and move to a competetive intrest and need to upgrade. With a few upgrades this gun can be a great gun it can rip up any spyder, piranha or tippman. And all of the problems with the gun can be fixed.
Conclusion:
I think that if you want a good marker that won't fail you when you need it I think that you should buy this gun, but if you want a crappy tippman or spyder go ahead and buy one. And if you have a custom trigger, let one of the people at the proshop do it dont try to do it yourself.
Rating:
10 out of 10
Last edited on Sunday, September 7th, 2003 at 1:06 am PST
patriot sniper, 16" 32 Degrees Night Stick Barrel, VL Revolution 12-volt X-Board Hopper, 20 oz co2
Recommended Upgrades:
the stock barrel is good but i would still get a new one, and a good e hopper, the one i have isn't that great but it works for now
Strengths:
accurate
fast
light trigger
conserves co2 well
Weaknesses:
kinda loud
mine didn't come with a aluminum trigger
modes change to easily
Review:
this is a great gun for a great price i think that m3 should make some upgrades for this assume gun the only prob iv had with it is my first war i had with it the gage started leaking co and one of my friends blew it up buy putting his finger over the hole so i didn't get to play for very long so that sucked this is the best gun iv ever used if u can find it any wear i strongly suggest u get it
smart parts freak barrel....check it sweet spot trigger.......boblong torpedo regulator......evolution 2......38ci 3000 psi nitro tank
Recommended Upgrades:
well u don't need any if ur no tourney player....but a reg a trigger...and a hopper....fast one
Strengths:
very nice and fast.. great feel.better feel than angels..cheap
Weaknesses:
nothing really
Review:
there is nothing bad about this gun.
if ur a tourney player then yes its a good gun to buy with a few upgrades..u can rip on this..its no slower than angels but no faster. but no way on semi plan on reaching 20
nice barrel for scenario games...
overall very good gun..
very good gun nothing wrong with it performs perfect with few upgrdes and with a lot performs even better.
the money is very well worth it so get it. no need to by impys when there is this...
Conclusion:
definitely buy it if ur looking for a good gun..very cheap and just as good as impys..and some angels(if u upgrade it enough
Barrel although not needed really.
A fast hopper. (REQUIRED)
Strengths:
Easy to use
Easy to work on
Nice features
Weaknesses:
Kicks like mad at high ROF
EXTREME blowback up the vert feed
No sticky grips
Review:
After using this gun for 3-5 months, I would deffintaly recommend it to anyone wanting a gun. The only major problem is the very bad blow-back up the vert feed cuasing a lot of chopping if not carefull.. This can be solved by setting the BPS to around 8 or buying a force feed hopper (Evo 2 or Halo). My experince with the Evo2 is that it is only realiable upto 13bps due to blowback. As of yet no one makes any kind of grips for the M92 frame, but the stock one isnt all that bad. The game timer and shot counter are very nice features for tounery ppl on a budget(cant afford expensive guns). Also the gun can be put into safe mode withOUT turning it off.
Conclusion:
All around this gun is good for newbies as well as experinced players. Simple realiable design with the speed needed for todays games. i give it a 8out of 10 b/c its a blowback but a very nice one at that.
smart parts stainless steal barrel
revvy hopper with x board
Recommended Upgrades:
i dunno
Strengths:
shooots very fast
Weaknesses:
my hopper cant keep up
Review:
its the fastest gun ive ever shot.... thats not saying much though... havent shot a high end gun yet but this thing rocks. sometimes i have to check my lcd to make sure im not on auto cause it has such a sensitive trigger, sometimes i pull it once and three balls fly out like its on full auto... thats really cool so i can just use the first to aim and then really quickly get the next two right on the guy im shooting at.
Conclusion:
its really good and i got it real cheap. i take good car of it and it hasnt failed me once. its a great gun
M3 Black Dragun Sniper LCD
Check-It Products Full Force Delrin Bolt
Check-It Products Straight Stick Trigger
Smart Parts 14in Tear Drop Barrel
OE Barrel
VL Revi X-Board
Recommended Upgrades:
A Delrin bolt, and all metal trigger.
Other than that, the gun is pretty reliable.
Strengths:
Extremely fast, conserves Co2 well, from a 20 oz. Selectable rates of fire.
Weaknesses:
Soft aluminum on the Ball detent & on the flush cocking system & hammer rention.
Review:
When I first started using the marker, I was instantly impressed by the suppressive firepower it has. Scoring kills it not a problem, and switching it to full auto and dumping at a group is terrifying. But...
Some parts on the gun are made of cheaper materials than I've come to expect.
The ball detent got some swab material in it and was mauled up while removing because it's lok-tited in place and round. (could be fixed by going over to a autococker style detent)
The high velocity of the bolt's movement has caused the soft metal of the flush cocking system to get a uprising that I've had to remove with a dermel. (could be fixed by making it out of steel, not aluminum, or ditch it and tap the back of the bolt for a 10-32 autococker style cocking rod.)
I swapped out all the o-rings upon recieving the marker.
Other than those material issues, the gun has always performed as expectated.
Feed neck has a nice tight fit
I could tell no difference between the Smart Parts Barrel and the OE barrel which looks like a DYE Boom clone.
Withering rates of fire and very reliable.
Conclusion:
Right from the box it's very good. Some things could be improved.
It's excellent for a reliable back-up weapon if you've already got something.
(I always shoot my pump sniper and take out the guys with the Bob Longs..., but I know when to grab the full-auto and make my competition pee thier pants.)
