Well here we are again. This time I would like to preview Tiberius's Arms new First Strike Paintball.
To tell you the truth, I have not handled this round however I do have some related experience that will be of value; that is muzzle loading.
Now how would that relate to paintball? Would you believe the concept for this paintball is over a century old; the Minié ball. The design for it was first proposed in 1832. The Minié Ball was used extensively during the Civil War with disastrous results to those that were hit. The Minié proved to be fare more accurate than the round ball and patch previously used. See Wikipedia for a more detailed review of the Minié Ball.
As you can see, there are many similarities between the two rounds.
The First Strike is also very similar to a shotgun slug also. The slug was designed after the Minié also.
In theory the First Strike is not a unique design, however it offers a great advancement in the paintball round.
The twists in the grooves allows the ball to spin throughout it's flight allowing for a flatter trajectory and greater distance.
A .68 round paintball has an effective range of about 150 feet. This is with the marker set at about 280 fps. The video below documents an accurate, indoor shot of 100 yards; that's a whopping 300 feet. The amazing thing is the accuracy at this range.
At 100 yards the First Strike broke when it hit a hard surface like a mask. The second video documents a problem with breakage.
Nevertheless the round is very impressive.
I do have one concern and that is the hard plastic collar that is used to spin the ball. You will hear in the first video the noise of the collar hitting the ground. This could cause potential injury. However we all realize that paintball is not without it's risks.
All-in-all I believe that the First Strike will prove to be an excellent addition to Paintball.
Addicted to Paintball now has the First Strike for sale.
