Ion Paintball Gun Review

By Lyle Curtis

If you are looking for a high quality paintball guns, you can always rely on Smart Parts. Most paintball enthusiasts would agree that Smart Parts is one of the top companies in the world that manufacture reliable, durable and affordable paintball products.

The Ion paintball gun is an electropneumatic marker introduced and manufactured by Smart Parts. At the time of its release, most electropneumatic markers are too expensive for common players to afford. This model became suddenly popular not only of its low price but because of its high rate of fire.

Design. This paintball marker has a very simple design made from aluminum and an interchangeable body which is a new marker feature introduced by the Ion. It comes in 4 different colors - black, yellow and black, blue and black and red and black. These body shells are made from high quality materials giving the Ion a plastic look. Moreover, these shells are resistant to scratches and fading.

Weighing only 2 lbs and 2 oz, it makes the marker easier to maneuver. Without the barrel, it has a length of 8.5 inches. Also, it comes with a 12-inch barrel, .45 grip, a two finger trigger, vertical feed and a low pressure regulator. You can choose from one of the four firing modes to suit your game play. These are semiautomatic, rebound, full automatic and three shot burst with firing rates that range from 10 bps to 17 bps.

For its anti-chopping feature, it is equipped with a break-beam eyes which nearly prevents chopping. Furthermore, it can perform 1000-1400 shots with a 68 cubic inch 45000 psi tank of either HPA or CO2 with an operating pressure of 140 to 200 psi.

Moreover, it only uses 9 volt batteries which are very convenient in the market. Though the chargers are not included in the packages, you could either buy your own or just have extra batteries.

Pros. As I mentioned above, the gun is quite light. It is easy to handle and control which of course can enhance your performance in the battle field. Another good thing with the Ion is its stock barrel. It can be considered as one of the best stock barrels ever released. If you are planning to upgrade your Ion, this will be the last thing you need to change. Its break-beam is also good, as well as its regulator. Customizing your trigger is one of the best features introduced by the Ion. Most paintball gun triggers needs an experienced and skilled player to adjust it. In Ion, it is just a matter or turning a few screws. And of course, the best feature of all - low cost. This paintball gun enables player to enjoy a true electropneumatic gun at an extremely affordable price.

Cons. The on/off button is quite difficult to push that sometimes you cannot even tell whether you have it on or not. Second, using CO2 is not recommended at all as it tends to freeze the gun that can damage its internals and electronics. For this gun, it is better to use compressed air. This gun also uses the o-rings to secure the hopper, which is not versatile or effective at all, might as well use a clamping feed neck. The first Ion paintball gun was released in 2005. It was further improved and developed to address these problems and issues. It was on 2007 when Smart Parts released the new Ion model, the Ion XE. - 31499

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