U.S. patent application number 11/593122 was filed with the patent office on 2008-05-08 for paintball firing mechanism.
Invention is credited to Christopher Cole.
Application Number | 20080105245 11/593122 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39358673 |
Filed Date | 2008-05-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080105245 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cole; Christopher |
May 8, 2008 |
Paintball firing mechanism
Abstract
An improved pneumatic firing mechanism for a paintball gun of
the electronic (automatic) type, having selectable burst-firing
modes and integrated bolt and ram to improve efficiency and yet
simplify manufacturing. The firing mechanism generally comprises a
bolt formed with a forward portion and a fixed portion, and a
coaxial valve piston inside the bolt, the valve piston being formed
with a central passage for directing compressed gas from the gas
inlet of said main body into the compressed gas storage area, said
valve piston selectively preventing the release of compressed gas
from the compressed gas storage area. Low pressure is employed in
the gun in order to move the bolt rapidly forwardly towards its
front shooting position, where the bolt causes high pressure gas to
be released into the barrel through a high pressure gas passageway
running through the center of the bolt. The number of paintballs
fired in a single burst can be set by the user.
Inventors: |
Cole; Christopher; (Oxnard,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriver;Attorney at Law
120 East Baltimore Street
Baltimore
MD
21202-1643
US
|
Family ID: |
39358673 |
Appl. No.: |
11/593122 |
Filed: |
November 2, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
124/77 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41B 11/62 20130101;
F41B 11/64 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
124/77 |
International
Class: |
F41B 11/32 20060101
F41B011/32 |
Claims
1. A paintball marker for shooting paintballs, comprising: a main
body having a handle grip, pivoting trigger, a muzzle defining a
chamber, and a tubular barrel connected to said muzzle through
which paint balls are discharged; a paintball feed port for gravity
feeding of paintballs from a hopper into said chamber; a gas inlet
for introduction of compressed gas into the main body; a first
regulator in fluid communication with said gas inlet for regulating
said introduction of a low pressure charge into said main body; a
second regulator in fluid communication with said gas inlet for
introduction of a high pressure charge into said main body; a
pneumatic firing mechanism comprising a bolt resident in the
chamber of said main body and slidable therein; an electronic
controller circuit including a switch coupled to said trigger; and
a solenoid electrically connected to said electronic module for
sequentially initiating said low pressure charge from said first
regulator followed by said high pressure charge from said second
regulator, said low pressure charge sliding said bolt from a
ready-to-fire position in which a paintball may be gravity fed from
a hopper through said paintball feed port into the chamber, to a
firing position in which said high pressure charge is released from
said second regulator into the chamber and barrel, thereby
accelerating said paintball down and out from the barrel.
2. The paintball marker according to claim 1, wherein said first
regulator admits a low pressure charge of approximately 90 psi to
said main body.
3. The paintball marker according to claim 1, wherein said second
regulator admits a high pressure charge of approximately 300 psi to
said main body.
4. The paintball marker according to claim 2, wherein said first
regulator comprises a Shrader valve with valve cap.
5. The paintball marker according to claim 4, wherein said gas
inlet comprises a conventional Air Source Adapter with said first
regulator attached thereto and protruding forward.
6. The paintball marker according to claim 1, wherein said second
regulator is adjustable to provide an output pressure in a range of
from 0 to 900 PSI.
7. The paintball marker according to claim 6, wherein said second
regulator is preset to admit a high pressure charge of
approximately 300 psi to said main body.
8. The paintball marker according to claim 1, wherein said
pneumatic firing mechanism further comprises a slidable hollow bolt
resident within the chamber, and a valve piston inserted within the
hollow of said bolt.
9. The paintball marker according to claim 8, wherein said valve
piston remains stationery within said main body for sealing said
chamber.
10. The paintball marker according to claim 8, wherein said
slidable bolt is the only moving component within the chamber.
11. A pneumatic firing mechanism for a paintball gun having a main
body with a chamber formed with a gas inlet, a muzzle end, and a
compressed gas storage area there between, said firing mechanism
comprising: a tubular bolt formed with a high-pressure forward
portion, a mid-section vented by a plurality of radial slots, and a
low-pressure rearward chamber, said bolt being adapted for movement
between a forward and a rearward position within said main body; a
valve piston formed with a central passage for directing compressed
gas from the gas inlet of said main body into the compressed gas
storage area, said valve piston selectively preventing the release
of compressed gas from the compressed gas storage area.
12. The firing mechanism for a paintball gun according to claim 11,
wherein said valve piston remains stationery within said main body
during firing.
13. The firing mechanism for a paintball gun according to claim 11,
wherein said valve piston remains stationery within said main body
during firing.
14. The firing mechanism for a paintball gun according to claim 11,
wherein said bolt is moved by a low pressure charge from a
ready-to-fire position to a firing position in which a high
pressure charge is released into said muzzle to accelerate said
paintball down and out from the barrel.
15. A method of firing a paintball gun, comprising the steps of:
loading a paintball into the chamber of a paintball marker by
gravity feed; inputting a low pressure charge of compressed gas
into the chamber of said marker to move a bolt to a firing
position; inputting a high pressure charge of compressed gas into
said chamber when said bolt is in the firing position to expel said
paintball from the chamber.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application derives priority from provisional
patent application No. 60/732,823 filed Nov. 2, 2005.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] (1) Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to paintball guns and, more
particularly, to a pneumatic firing mechanism with selectable
burst-firing modes and integrated bolt and ram.
[0004] (2) Description of the Background
[0005] Paintball has become an extremely popular hobby and, for
some, a profession. The guns used to fire the paintballs are
referred to as "markers". Paintball markers are pneumatic
projectile launchers that fire encapsulated paintballs by releasing
a burst of gas (typically CO.sub.2 or compressed air).
[0006] Current paintball markers are very sophisticated devices
comprising a reservoir of compressed gas connected to a regulator,
and a trigger mechanism for actuating the regulator to discharge
the gas, ejecting paintballs from the chamber through a barrel at
between 280 and 300 feet per second. The barrel has a closed breech
end leading to an open muzzle. A magazine of paintballs is
typically mounted above the breech of the paintball marker, and the
paintballs are fed into the breech by gravity or mechanically.
High-end paintball markers are now semi-automatic or fully
automatic, each paintball being loaded into firing position
automatically. Such paintball markers typically utilize a
reciprocating bolt that moves between a loading position that
permits a paintball to drop into the breech, and a firing position
in which the bolt moves toward the muzzle of the marker, covering
the magazine outlet. While in the firing position the bolt
re-directs a charge of compressed gas that propels the paintball
out the muzzle.
[0007] There are a number of design factors that go into a
well-designed firing mechanism. Efficiency is important since the
capacity of the gas cartridges is limited. Thus, it is desirable to
maximize the number of shots possible from a single cartridge.
Thus, it is necessary to maximize the efficiency of energy transfer
from the released gas to the paintball projectile. In conventional
markers the propellant charge enters the bolt generally
perpendicular to its axis through a port or opening in the side of
the bolt. This abrupt right-angle junction creates turbulence in
the flow stream and deprives it of efficiency.
[0008] There have been efforts to improve the bolt configuration.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,326 discloses a bolt with flared
angular ports that eliminate the "corner" formed at the
intersection of the prior art perpendicular flow passages. The
flared ports reduce turbulence in the propellant charge and
minimize energy loss.
[0009] Other examples of paintball marker guns used in the field
include Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,838 (paintball gun with a
passage for porting pressurized gas to a ball projectile); Lukas et
al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,483 (a gas powered gun with a piston and
cylinder assembly for ejecting projectiles from the gun) and
Lotuaco, III, U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,460 (gas-powered paintball gun
with two pressure regulators; one for supplying lower pressure for
loading paintballs and one for high pressure for expelling the
paintball from the barrel.)
[0010] There remains a need for a pneumatic firing mechanism with
selectable burst-firing modes and integrated bolt and ram to
improve efficiency and yet simplify manufacturing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention
to provide a high-efficiency paintball marker incorporating a
pneumatic firing mechanism with selectable single/burst firing
modes that makes more efficient use of compressed gas, thereby
allowing firing of more rounds per charge.
[0012] It is another object to provide a pneumatic firing mechanism
for a paintball marker having selectable burst-firing modes and
integrated bolt and ram to improve efficiency and yet simplify
manufacturing.
[0013] In accordance with the foregoing objects, the present
invention provides a paintball marker incorporating a pneumatic
firing mechanism with selectable single/burst firing modes, that
makes more efficient use of compressed gas, thereby allowing firing
of more rounds per charge. The marker incorporates an electronic
trigger (E-trigger) that actuates an improved pneumatic firing
mechanism with selectable single/burst firing modes. The electronic
trigger comprises a programmable processor-based controller board
that can be programmed by insertion of pre-programmed EPROM chips
to achieve semi-automatic modes, burst modes (firing one, two,
three or more times with a single pull of the trigger), or fully
automatic (continuous firing) modes. The various modes are
determined by a software program on the EPROM, and the EPROM can be
swapped out for addition of new or different modes. The particular
mode is set by the user. The pneumatic firing mechanism comprises
an integrated bolt and ram that simplifies manufacturing and makes
more efficient use of compressed gas, thereby allowing firing of
more rounds per charge. Low pressure is employed in the gun in
order to move the bolt rapidly forwardly towards its front shooting
position, where the bolt causes high pressure gas to be released
into the barrel through a high pressure gas passageway running
through the center of the bolt. The improved bolt includes an
annular sleeve that slides within the chamber of the gun, and a ram
slidably inserted into the sleeve. The ram is defined by a single
central passage. The ram has only a central through-bore (not
flared ports) and is much simpler to manufacture.
[0014] The net result is a high-efficiency tournament grade
paintball marker that makes more efficient use of compressed gas,
thereby allowing firing of more rounds per charge, and which is
nevertheless simple in construction and easier to manufacture.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] Other objects, features, and advantages of the present
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description of the preferred embodiments and certain modifications
thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the paintball marker
according to the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the partially disassembled
paintball marker with barrel assembly 90 removed from body 10.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective break-apart view of the paintball
marker body 80, inclusive of internal components.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a perspective exploded drawing of the firing
mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a composite view of the individual components of
the firing mechanism of FIG. 4.
[0021] FIGS. 6 and 7 are operational diagrams showing the firing
mechanism of FIGS. 3-5 in an open versus closed position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
[0022] The present invention is a paintball marker incorporating a
pneumatic firing mechanism with selectable single/burst firing
modes, and an integrated bolt and ram that simplifies manufacturing
and makes more efficient use of compressed gas, thereby allowing
firing of more rounds per charge.
[0023] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the paintball marker
according to the present invention. The paintball marker includes a
main body 10 with a detachable handle grip 54 and pivoting trigger
56. The main body 10 includes a muzzle 13 by which a paint ball is
discharged through an extending barrel assembly 90, and a regulated
gas inlet 52 for introduction of compressed gas into main body 10.
Internally, the compressed gas is used to accomplish two things: 1)
provide high-pressure gas charge (approx. 300 psi) to expel the
paintballs, and 2) provide a low pressure gas charge (approx. 90
psi) for manipulating a firing mechanism. As will be described the
unique electronic firing mechanism of the present invention employs
a programmable electronic controller circuit 58 that is
switch-actuated by trigger 56. The electronic controller circuit 58
may be user-programmed to output a variable firing control signal
that ranges from single-shot (semi-automatic) mode, to
fully-automatic burst modes for firing a user-selectable number of
paintballs machine-gun style. The firing control signal is fed to a
solenoid 59 that selectively admits compressed gas through gas
inlet 52 to move an internal bolt (to be described) from a
ready-to-fire position (in which a paintball is gravity fed into
the chamber) through a firing cycle in which the bolt is urged
forward by the low-pressure gas charge, which in turn releases the
high-pressure gas charge through the bolt and into the barrel
assembly 90 of the gun, accelerating the paintball down the
barrel.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the partially disassembled
paintball marker with barrel assembly 90 removed from main body 10.
The barrel assembly 90 is screw-attached to the body 10, and in
accordance with the present invention the barrel assembly 90
comprises a two-piece screw-together barrel inclusive of tubular
sections 92, 94, each having cooperating screw threads and a
uniform continuous through-bore. The two-piece construction allows
swapping out to implement different bore sizes, if desired. While
dimensions may vary somewhat, the barrel 90 dimensions are crucial
for accuracy and a 12''-16'' assembled length is suitable, and a
0.684'' internal bore size is typical, plus an array of pressure
porting holes in the discharge section 94. The porting holes
provide vents into tubular section 94 and may be patterned in a
variety of known "tournament patterns" to accomplish pressure
venting and sound suppression. It has been found that a helical
line of porting holes encircling the tubular section 94 is
preferred. A conventional paint ball hopper (not shown in the
drawings) may be coupled to a feed port 12 leading into the top of
the main body 10, for feeding paintballs into the main body 10 via
the feed port 12. In addition, a conventional gas cylinder or
storage tank (not shown) is coupled to the gas inlet 52 as a source
of pressurized gas (air or CO.sub.2).
[0025] FIG. 3 is a perspective break-apart view of the paintball
marker in its entirety, inclusive of internal components. A gas
inlet regulator 50 is attached to the gas inlet 52 leading into
main body 10 to regulate a source of high pressure gas for powering
the paint ball gun. The source is typically a compressed air or
CO.sub.2 cartridge screwed to the open (lower) end of gas inlet
regulator 50 at port 54. The gas inlet 52 comprises a conventional
ASA (Air Source Adapter) with a low pressure regulator 53 attached
thereto and protruding forward (approx. 90 psi) for bleeding the
low pressure charge to manipulate the firing mechanism. The low
pressure regulator 53 comprises a 90 psi Shrader valve with valve
cap. The gas inlet 52 ASA adapter may be any safety-vented air
source connector, preferably using standardized bottle threading,
such as most vertical adapters and bottom-line setups. The SEM
Company produces a line of suitable ASA adapters. The preferred gas
inlet regulator 50 should be adjustable, preset to provide an
approximate 300 PSI output, and may be adjustable to an output
pressure in a range of from 0 to 900 PSI. Regulator adjustment may
be accomplished by turning a setscrew located on the bottom of the
regulator 50, and a variety of commercially-available paintball
regulators are well-suited for these specifications (such as the
Bulldog.TM. 0-900 psi adjustable regulator).
[0026] A conventional paint ball hopper (also not seen in the
drawings) is coupled to a feed port 12 leading into the top of the
main body 10, for feeding paintballs into the main body 10.
[0027] The trigger 56 is pivotally attached to the handle grip 54
behind a conventional trigger guard, and actuates an electronic
trigger system ("E-trigger system") which allows for a plurality of
different firing modes. The electronic trigger system comprises an
electronic battery-powered controller circuit 58 mechanically
connected to the trigger 56 to actuate a solenoid 59 installed into
the main body 10, which in turn activates the pneumatic firing
mechanism of the present invention. The solenoid 59 is a
conventional three-way electronically-controlled pneumatic solenoid
that selectively (in accordance with controller 58) controls
application of either the low pressure charge from regulator 53 (90
psi) and/or the high-pressure charge (300 psi) from regulator 50.
Specifically, when the trigger 56 is pulled it actuates a
microswitch on controller circuit 58 that activates controller
circuit 58 to transmit a firing signal (one pulse or a series of
pulses, depending on the selected firing mode) to actuate the
firing mechanism 2. The controller circuit 58 is a microprocessor
based digital controller operated by an on-board battery
(conventional 9 v), and a variety of digital controllers are
commercially available and will suffice for this purpose. The
controller circuit 58 may be conveniently programmed to perform an
array of different user-selectable firing modes upon each trigger
56 actuation, the programming being accomplished by insertion of a
pre-programmed EPROM memory into a socket resident on the
controller circuit 58 board. The EEPROM memory tells the controller
circuit 58 which firing modes are available, and the user may
select between the various modes by half-pulling the trigger. An
array of colorized LEDs resident on the controller circuit 58 board
flash through the handle 54 (which may be translucent plastic for
this purpose), or through an aperture in the handle 54 to display
to the user which particular firing mode has been selected. The
firing modes preferably include a primary (default) mode of firing
which is traditional semi-automatic (one shot per pull as quickly
as the user can pull the trigger). Other firing modes include burst
mode firing (which makes the marker fire a predetermined number of
paintballs every time the trigger is pulled), and fully automatic
(the marker will fire paintballs continuously as long as the
trigger is held down). The benefit of this electronic trigger
system lies primarily in the ability to fire rapidly without
breaking paintballs due to human error. This is essential in
tournament play since paintballs can break inside the marker when a
manual trigger is pulled irregularly.
[0028] The pneumatic firing mechanism 2 is internal to main body 10
and includes a bolt 20 (not shown in FIG. 1) and valve piston 30 to
be described. In accordance with the present invention, the
compressed gas is diverted into a low pressure charge by low
pressure regulator 53 (approx. 90 psi) for moving the bolt 20
within the main body 10, from a ready-to-fire position (in which a
paintball is gravity fed into the chamber) through a firing cycle
in which the bolt is urged forward by the low-pressure gas charge,
thereby releasing the high-pressure gas charge through the bolt 20
and into the barrel 90 of the gun, accelerating the paintball down
the barrel 90. This may be accomplished singly (in semi-automatic
mode) thereby loading and firing one paintball with each trigger
pull, or in burst or fully automatic mode in which a succession of
paintballs are fired.
[0029] FIG. 4 is a perspective exploded drawing of the firing
mechanism 2 according to a preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
[0030] FIG. 5 is a composite photo of the individual components of
the firing mechanism 2 of FIG. 4.
[0031] In detailing the interior of the main body 10, the feed port
12 opens into a chamber 13 that extends the length of the main body
10, the chamber 13 defining a compressed gas storage area that
selectively fills with the low-pressure charge (90 psi). The gas
inlet 15 is adapted to receive a regulated supply of compressed gas
which is conveyed throughout chamber 13. A slidable bolt 20 resides
within the chamber 13, and a stationery valve piston 30 resides
within the bolt 20 primarily to seal off the rear of chamber 13. In
this configuration the firing mechanism 2 is considered a "closed
bolt" or semi-automatic mechanism which fires a paintball and then
moves the bolt 20. Thus, the trigger action fires the paintball
and, a split second later, pushes the bolt 20 back in a cocking
action, and allows a ball to drop into the chamber 13. When this is
done the controller 58 and solenoid 59 impart a low pressure charge
(90 psi) of compressed gas up through ports 19 and into the chamber
24 of the bolt 20, driving the bolt 20 forward, and feeding the
ball into the breech. The paintball is then fired when the
controller 58 and solenoid 59 impart a high pressure charge (300
psi) of compressed gas up through ports 19 and through radial slots
26 defined in the bolt 20, the high-pressure charge of gas being
released through the bolt 20 down the chamber 13. The entire
process repeats itself when the trigger 56 is depressed again or if
the controller circuit 58 is set to a burst firing mode. A key
improvement in the foregoing is that there is a single moving
component (bolt 20) that slides within chamber 13.
[0032] The specific configuration and operation of the bolt 20 and
valve piston 30 will now be described. The slidable bolt 20 and
valve piston 30 are fitted together end to end to form a contiguous
in-line assembly, the valve piston 30 remaining stationery and
stoppering the rear of chamber 13. The valve piston 30 includes a
central passage 36 in communication with front ports 39 and rear
ports 37 for directing high-pressure compressed gas from the ports
19 into the bolt 20. The other end of the valve piston 30 forms a
plug 34 that seats against and seals the chamber 13. When seated,
the plug 34 prevents the release of high-pressure compressed gas
from the chamber 13. The pressure of the compressed gas on the plug
34 keeps the valve piston 30 in a closed position, with the plug 34
securely seated. A variety of O-ring seals are disposed along the
length of valve piston 30, inclusive of seal 31, which conforms to
the interior of the bolt 20, prevents high pressure gas from
entering the rear of bolt 20, and seals the bolt 20 for recharge.
Seal 33 comprises a pair of O-rings that seal off compressed gas
and force it into front port 39 of valve piston 30 and into central
passage 36, thereby allowing it to escape through rear port 37 into
the bolt 20. One skilled in the art will understand that the O-ring
seals may be changed without departing from the invention.
[0033] The bolt 20 is a generally tubular member comprising a
forward portion 22 joined to a perforated section defined by radial
slots 26, in turn joining a rear low-pressure chamber 24 of bolt
20, the entire bolt 20 being adapted for movement between a forward
and a rearward position by virtue of the low-pressure (90 psi)
charge in rear chamber 24. A variety of O-ring seals are disposed
along the length of bolt 20, inclusive of seal 21 which is an
O-ring that prevents blowback when the marker is fired. Front seal
23 seals off the chamber 13 of main body 10, and also helps guide
the bolt 20.
[0034] FIGS. 6 and 7 are operational diagrams showing the firing
mechanism 2 of FIGS. 4 and 5 in an open (FIG. 6) versus closed
(FIG. 7) position.
[0035] With collective reference to FIGS. 4-7, intermediate seal 25
also seals off the chamber 13 of main body 10, and also makes the
chamber 13 low pressure to open the bolt 20 as in FIG. 6. The
plurality of radially-spaced slots 26 serve as ports that allow the
high-pressure charge of gas to escape down through the interior of
bolt 20 for firing the paintball. The rear chamber 24 of bolt 20 is
a low-pressure gas storage area that opens the bolt 20. Rear seal
27 (like intermediate seal 25) seals off the chamber 13 of main
body 10 and forms an area of low pressure to close the bolt 20 as
in FIG. 5. Thus, when the rear chamber 24 of bolt 20 is charged
with low-pressure gas, the bolt 20 is moved by the low-pressure
charge from open to closed (moving from FIG. 4 to 5). This
low-pressure bolt 20 movement is accomplished by the low pressure
regulator 53 diverting some of the gas into a low pressure charge
controlled by three-way solenoid 59 and used only for moving the
bolt 20 within the main body 10, thereby loading one or a
succession of paintballs (in accordance with trigger pulls and/or
firing mode), whereas the high-pressure charge is used for firing
each paintball. The low-pressure charge is generated by the
low-pressure regulator 54 and is controlled by the three-way
solenoid 59 (see FIG. 1), which is under control of the controller
board 58 and the trigger 56. The solenoid 59 interfaces the main
body 10 directly below the bolt 20 and, with regard to FIG. 4,
ports a low pressure charge upward through port holes 19 into the
rear chamber 24 of the bolt 20, thereby causing the open bolt 20 as
shown in FIG. 4 to close as seen in FIG. 5. Thus, operation of the
trigger 58 will admit the low pressure charge from solenoid 59 into
the rear chamber 24 of bolt 20, urging the slidable bolt portion 22
forward and causing the slidable bolt portion 22 to rest in the
forward (closed) position of FIG. 5, ready to fire. When the
solenoid 59 next admits the high-pressure charge upward through
ports 19 it enters the piston 30 through ports 39 and is fed
through chamber 30 into the bolt 20 to expel the paintball.
[0036] Tracing a single activation of the pneumatic firing
mechanism, when trigger 56 is actuated, the controller 58 and
solenoid 59 impart a low pressure charge of compressed gas to the
rear chamber 24 of bolt 20, driving the bolt 20 forward, and
feeding the ball into the breech.
[0037] The controller 58 and solenoid 59 then impart a high
pressure charge of compressed gas into and through the valve piston
30, and then into and through the bolt 20 and into contact with the
paintball, thereby launching the paintball. The foregoing action is
repeated as desired, the number of paintballs being fired per
trigger pull being pre-programmed and selected by the user.
[0038] After each firing, the low pressure charge is relieved from
the rear chamber 24 of the bolt 20. The bolt slides back to the
open position (FIG. 6), and the cycle is repeated. The foregoing
configuration is simple and easy to manufacture, and yet highly
efficient. Whereas conventional paintball markers may yield 300-400
shots per cannister of compressed gas, the foregoing configuration
has been shown to yield 1300-1400 shots. This is a critical
statistic in tournament play where it is desirable to minimize the
need for carrying and changing air cannisters.
[0039] Having now fully set forth the preferred embodiment and
certain modifications of the concept underlying the present
invention, various other embodiments as well as certain variations
and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described
will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming
familiar with said underlying concept. It is to be understood,
therefore, that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as
specifically set forth in the appended claims.
* * * * *