My love... my life... my reason for being... my Sniper II. :-)
(Click on photo for a larger image.)
Last modified: 01/03/10
With the possible exception of the Ranger, this
pump action was the backbone of
W'orr Game Products in the early days of Paintball.
I'm dedicating this page to the customizing of my own Sniper, plus things I have found that has improved it's performance. I don't know how well this info would work for newer Snipers (considering how close they are to Cockers) but mine is one of the older pivot triggers, not the slide style like you find in the newer Snipers and Cockers. Some of the ideas I got from others, so I'll try to give credit where credit is due.
Differences
Today's stock Snipers are basically an Autococker with a pump on it. There's so much that's been added to them to make them easy to convert into Autocockers. All you have to do is remove the pump arm guide, add a front block with pneumatics and a new pump arm, time it, and voila... you got an Autococker (minus the regulator).
The differences between the older and newer Snipers are: the newer ones have a timing rod hole through the ASA, Ball detent, more open face bolt with aircraft pin removal (note: if your bolt on your older Sniper is removed by pulling or twisting the back of the bolt, then you have a Sniper 1), cut block and cocking rod, cut body, A/C style grip frame with sliding A/C trigger, Nelson internals, and finger-grooved grips.
Some of these will help performance, some would work well for an A/C conversion, the rest are just cosmetic.
Modifications/Upgrades
Compared to newer models, there's a few things that can be done to improve the performance of the older Snipers.
Barrels
Without a doubt, one of the easiest performance modifications that can be done to any
marker. There's very few markers in the market that wouldn't improve by changing the stock
barrel (with the possible exception of the Phantom). With the variety of barrels available
on the market, it's a matter of preference to which you prefer. The best advice I can give
to that is to get a barrel that will work best with the bore size of paint that you are
most commonly using.
I had a 11" Lapco Stainless Autospirit that I used for smallbore paint. It shot RP Marballizer like darts! Disadvantage to it is that it is a little heavy (it's one of the older styles), and it is loud. My other barrel for medium bore is a 14" DYE Stainless. While DYE's are somewhat overpriced IMHO, this barrel is accurate and scary quiet on a Sniper II. I've had people playing next to me tell me that they couldn't hear it fire while playing. Next barrel to test out is my 14" Chrome CP.
Bolts
This is also a matter of preference by the user. I like the more open face bolts than the
Venturi style. While the Venturi bolts had their use a few years ago, I think that the
technology change in paintball manufacturing has made they somewhat obsolete. I've heard
some complain that venturi bolts are more "restrictive" if the air holes are too
small. Again, it's a mater of preference. While my stock bolt works fine, I wouldn't mind
trying out a XPBS Thunder Bolt (similar but less expensive version of the AKA Lightening
Bolt) to see if there is a noticeable difference.
On this note... some bolts can make a difference. When discussing this with one of our veteran players, he was telling me about a bolt that had come out a few years ago that was called a "Nylatron" bolt. Instead of the hole in the middle, it had a smaller hole right in the bottom of the bolt which would put a backspin on the ball. They had experimented and found a combination of this bolt and a 16" Smart Parts All-American barrel (on a (old at that time) Sniper 1), was producing ranges and ball breaks out to 220 feet (yes, this was measured)! That's 40 feet further than the Tippmann Flatline, and they were getting breaks at 220 feet!
Valves
Unless you're planning on converting your Sniper into an A/C, there's not any real benefit
to a modified valve (besides in your mind). I had the stock valve in mine bored out as an
experiment to see if there was an improvement. If there was... I didn't notice. However, I
do like the idea of the availability of more air flow should it ever be necessary
(extremely rapid fire). I'd rather have a large amount of air flow that I'll never need
instead of needing it and the volume isn't there.
Ball Détente
Personal Choice. I find that these aren't necessary with a good barrel/paint match. I've
also seen the steel ball type of ball détente score the hell out of the side of the bolt.
Newer Nylon ball detents, while more expensive, may be a new purchase too and should be
less damaging to the bolt.
Cut Block and Cocking Rod
Useless modification on a Sniper II, unless you do plan on converting it to a Cocker, but
it does look cool. :-)
Beavertail
While it is partially cosmetic, it will be a necessity should you ever decide to do
tourneys with your Sniper.
Nelson Hammer/Spring kits
Believe it or not, this is a fairly useful modification for a Sniper II. I've had some
local people tell me it's a useless mod, while some other Sniper II pages have suggested
doing it... so I tried it. Not only does it give me finer control of my velocity, but it
seems to have lightened up the trigger pull. While working perfectly well in a Stock
Sniper II that may forever stay a pump, it will come in very useful (especially with an
adjustable hammer lug) if it is to be converted into an A/C.
Regulators
Yes, even a pump can benefit from a good Regulator. Regulation will give you constant
pressure, which will give you constant velocity, which should relate to constant accuracy.
With the quality (and reduced prices) of Regulators I don't recommend Expansion Chambers
anymore, especially since most regulators can be used with CO2 and HPA (while Ex. Chambers are
only useful with CO2). How much and what type of reg is up to you. On mine, I just run and
older Sheridan RG-1 regulator (Note: next incarnation of the Sniper II will have a Palmers
Male Stabilizer on it.). While not the highest quality, it does the job and is certainly
better than no regulator!
Agitators
"On a pump?" you say? You betcha! There's nothing worse than
having an opponent totally lined up and taking a shot, only to discover you've got a jam in
your conventional hopper. If anything, pump players need that flow of balls more than any
semi player. If locked in a firefight, every shot counts! If you play both pump and semi,
your 12V Rev will work well. Anything to keep the balls in the feed neck!
Other
The only other mod I can think of has to do more with the sear. The sear on the Sniper is
a stamped piece of metal, so the surface the hammer lug sits on is uneven. I prefer to
file down the rear face of the sear that contacts the lug to a flat, even surface; then
polish the surface with a Dremel tool.
As of this moment in time, my Sniper is currently in a 1000 pieces. I've made the decision to polish up the body, do some home-grown modifications to it, and possibly have some milling done on it.
Addendum
Nov. 08/01:
I've come to a conclusion, and will be soon parting with my Sniper II. With the money I
recently sank into the Phantom, and the acquisition of a new Autococker, I can't justify
spending the money I was going to on getting it dressed up. Would have been one hell of a nice looking pump, but how much use I got out of it would be debatable. Lately the
Phantom has become my primary pump and serves a dual purpose (Gravity Feed and Stock
Class). I could use the money from the sale of the Sniper and dump it into the Autococker and make a real nice marker
instead. Plus with a pump kit, it would also serve a dual purpose.
Here's a photo of my Sniper II, with a bead blasted body, before I sold it.
Jan. 03/10: My current pump setup is a 2K3 Autococker that I can switch back and forth from Semi to Pump. One of these days I'd like to find a pre-98 Sniper II again, but not for the prices some people are asking!
SNIPER BOB, 2000-20010