Paintball x3

The growing popularity of scenario paintball has influenced the entire paintball industry, even the biggest and most popular companies in the game. One such company, Smart Parts, has turned a great deal of their focus to the scenario side of the game and manufactured two unique, purpose-built guns for players who call the woods home. The first the SP-8, was a solid performer but was too big and bulky for many players. More recently, Smart Parts has released an inexpensive, high performance paintball gun for scenario and tactical play that offers impressive bang for the buck, the SP-1.

Reasonably lightweight with an aluminum receiver wrapped in a submachine gun-looking polymer shell covered in Picatinny sight rails, the matte black SP-1 looks the part of a serious scenario paintball gun. Operating like its tournament sibling, the Ion, the SP-1 offers true electropneumatic performance-it has no sear to trip, low pressure operation and simplicity at a very reasonable price at less than two hundred dollars.

In addition to its low-pressure electropneumatic operation and numerous sight rails, the SP-1 offers several useful features. The SP-1 includes a standard clamping, vertical feed neck that can hold any hopper securely, a snappy, fast single trigger (with double trigger kits available), nine-volt battery power and a single on/off button for ease of use, a vertical in-line regulator housed in a tactical-looking fore grip and a subdued steel braided air hose for added durability. The stock barrel included with the SP-1 is a decent but stubby model with a military-looking muzzle break and two rows of inline porting for reduced noise. Any Smart Parts Ion, Impulse or NXT Shocker-threaded barrel will function with the SP-1. The .45-style grip frame and rubber wrap-around grips standard on the SP-1 are very comfortable, with even small hands fitting around them easily.

While the SP-1 does not offer anti-chop eyes to prevent chopped paintballs during rapid fire like most other electronic paintball guns, the SP-1’s low pressure operation and reasonably low, capped rate of fire mean the odds of chopping a paintball is reasonably low.  However, any SP-1 user is advised to use a quality motorized loader to ensure a steady supply of paintballs to the gun and further reduce the odds of the SP-1’s bolt shredding a half-fed ball. 

On the field, the SP-1 handles its business very well. While Smart Parts states that the SP-1 can be used with CO2 as its propellant, in practice it becomes clear that compressed air is a much better propellant choice. While not blazingly fast thanks to its capped rate of fire at around ten paintballs per second, the SP-1 proves accurate and reasonably quiet, both qualities that enable it to be very effective in the woods, especially in the hands of an experienced player. Most players will quickly upgrade the SP-1’s short stock barrel with something longer, which will further quiet the gun during shooting and tighten shot groups at longer ranges. With compressed air, the SP-1 delivers solid consistency and did not at any time break or chop paintballs during testing. All testing was conducted using a Spyder Fasta motorized loader.

Aftermarket accessories were slow in coming out for the SP-1 in contrast to its scenario-based competition like the Tippmann range. However, recently accessories like tactical lights, scopes, sights, double trigger and stock kits have become available allowing SP-1 owners to upgrade the look and performance of their weapon of choice. Thanks to its numerous mil-spec sight rails, even real-world accessories like rifle scopes, tactical sights, lights and bipods will easily bolt onto the SP-1.

With a snappy trigger pull, solid accuracy, good reliability, a tactical look and a very low price, the SP-1 makes an excellent scenario, tactical or recreational paintball gun for those who like to look the part. Easy to shoot, handle and care for, players looking for a low cost alternative to higher-priced Tippmann or Spyder scenario paintball guns without sacrificing performance must put the SP-1 at the top of the list.

Manufactured by Smart Parts

Website:  www.SmartParts.com