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Quest for paintball alternatives

Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2020 12:21 pm
by Anatine Duo
I have been seeking alternatives to paintballs for some time and thought I had the perfect solution in the "dimpled wax shell powder balls" but they are now not available apparently despite the continued listing by several retailers.

I tried some yellow foamies which are fairly precise (52 grains+- 1) but will not cycle through my delightfully engineered TMC magazine. I can't say enough about this magazine. It is the main reason this quest for ammo is happening.

I ordered at considerable expense Bulls Breaker Balls, supposedly Nylon, but they are neither Nylon nor 68 cal, most around .645. Mass varied wildly with most about 33 grains but a group closer to 40. They cycle but will not hit in 12" circle at 5 meters.
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Also shown are 3 actual paintballs, roughly spherical, don't store well, and the flight characteristics of a liquid filled roughly spherical object.

Marbles are too small.

Next I tried sleeving down the barrel to snugly fit the Bulls Breakers... video test:



The sleeve works but has longevity issues. It's only a couple thousandths of an inch thick.

Next idea:
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It takes some technique but it can drop a glue ball +- 1.5 grains and just snug enough to take a puff of air to drive it through the barrel. Varying the temperature of the mold can give different diameters. I made some too tight to push through with lung power (cast at room temperature).

video test of glue balls:



Another idea to try is modifying the hot glue (talc filler) or try beeswax.

Also considering dipping marbles in epoxy and rolling in cork dust...

Machining a new barrel?!?! Might need some help on the 98 thread. I was considering buying a cheap barrel and boring it out for a metal sleeve.

Re: Quest for paintball alternatives

Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2020 9:42 am
by jackssmirkingrevenge
Anatine Duo wrote:
Tue Jan 21, 2020 12:21 pm
I have been seeking alternatives to paintballs for some time and thought I had the perfect solution in the "dimpled wax shell powder balls" but they are now not available apparently despite the continued listing by several retailers.
We stopped importing them due to lack of sales, also they were quite expensive, around 40 of your finest Canadian dollars plus tax for a bag of 500.

Re: Quest for paintball alternatives

Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2020 7:40 am
by Michaelnicc4
good decision