As woodsball and milsim paintball continued to radically evolve. RAP4 was one of the first to bring a new concept to paintball, mag-fed markers. These markers were originally marketed to Military and Law Enforcement as a cheap cost effective alternative to simunitions. The training markers originally came in .43 caliber. Milsig, on the other hand, was among the first to market a .68 caliber mag-fed marker to the general public. This kicked off a mag-fed uprising as markers continually evolved and pushed the limits. Now we have markers like the Tacamo conversion kits, Dye Assault Matrix, and many others that players use.
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The 90's came in and woodsball was out. This was because speedball was beginning to take off and paintball became more of an organized sport. Players went to astroturf fields with inflatable bunkers. The markers came in a multitude of colors and began to sport electronics built into them. The best thing about Speedball was that it brought paintball to the forefront of sports and made it more accessible for the masses.
The early 2000's saw a dramatic shift in paintball. It was the beginning of the woodsball revolution. The woodsball revolution was kicked off by 2002 by Special Ops paintball and was a brilliant campaign to bring players back into the woods. This also came with the creation of the SPPL (scenario paintball players league) as a means to make woods and scenario play more like a sport instead of coming off as military maneuvers. During this time, markers such as the Tippmann 98 and A5, made a splash in the market. These markers were easy to work with and gave players a reliable and affordable option besides typical speedball markers. This however was just a preview for what was to come.
A lot can also be said about the technology of paintball markers. Back in the beginning of paintball, these markers originally were used to mark hard to reach trees and cattle. Then Bob Gurnsey came along and he and his friends did something incredible. They actually shot at each other with them. From that point on, a spirt was born. Within 3 years, things began to change drastically. The Nelspot pump markers quickly lead to semi autos. By 1985-86, Tippmann released the revolutionary SMG60/68. This marker was originally made for .60 caliber paintballs before it was updated for the standardized .68 caliber. What truly set this marker apart from its contemporaries was the fact that it fed from a permanently fixed magazine and five shot stripper clips.
SMG 60/68
The 90's came in and woodsball was out. This was because speedball was beginning to take off and paintball became more of an organized sport. Players went to astroturf fields with inflatable bunkers. The markers came in a multitude of colors and began to sport electronics built into them. The best thing about Speedball was that it brought paintball to the forefront of sports and made it more accessible for the masses.