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Tippmann Squadbuster Tips and Tricks |
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Sunday, 02 September 2007 |
The paintball grenade can be a major factor in scenario and tactical play. When used correctly they can take out whole squads of people. One of the oldest types of grenades our there are the Tippmann Squadbusters. They have been around forever and are availible and nearly every retailer of paintball equipment that there is.
Tippmann Squadbuster paintball grenades take a lot of flak. They get horrible reviews and ratings. Because of this most people steer clear from them entirely. I believe that is is because most people who use them (and have them fail) do not understand how they work or what they can do to make them work better. I personally have never had a squadbuster fail on me. When I first started playing they were the only grenade out there and one of my friend’s dads showed us how to use them correctly. There are some things that you need to do before you throw them.
1. Shake it well. This is a very important part to mixing the liquid paint and the paint that has congealed from sitting on the store shelf.
2. Remove the netting. I have seen many players not do this. From what I remember(I have not read the packaging in a while) it does not say to do this.
3. Prime the grenade. This is something that is nearly never done. The way that a squadbuster holds the paint in the surgical tubing is two tiny metal balls that at either end of the tube (the grenade is one tube bent in half) that hold back the paint. The further these metal balls are back in the tubing the less likely they will shoot out of the tubing on impact. If they are more than half an inch from the end of the tubing you should slowly and carefully push them up closer to the end of the tubing. I usually do this before I go out. I will remove the pin and the cap and push the metal balls up towards the end and then put the cap and the pin back on the grenade. Each grenade is different but they have tendency to be pushed back pretty far to prevent them from going off during shipping and such.
4. Loft the grenade or throw it really hard against a wall. I have seen people underhand roll these grenades and then wonder why they did not go off. Remember it is the force of the impact which shoots the metal balls out of the surgical tubing that makes it go off. You want an impact as close to perpendicular of the striking force as possible. Which means that the further you want to throw them the higher you need to throw them. The higher the throw (or harder at a wall) the more likely they will be to go off.
5. Pick your point of impact. Remember where you are and what you are throwing them at. Soft brush or sand will most likely not be a hard enough surface to put enough pressure on the tubing to expel the metal retaining balls.
6. Storage. The longer you store them the less likely they will be to go off. When storing these grenades be sure to shake them once a week. This will allow for less paint to congeal and harden.
I understand that this is somewhat of a hassle to do these things for a grenade but the way that I see it is that you can go to nearly any sporting goods store and pick up a squadbuster grenade at any time. This way you do not have to wait for them to be shipped to you. Usually I will go to a couple of stores and buy all that they have 2 or 3 days before a scenario or big game. In conclusion they do work, but you have to use them correctly.
I hope that this helps you in your next outing.
Article by: Josh Goedl (OCMI Team Commander) |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 16 November 2007 )
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