Paintball Magazine Paintball.Media Magazine May 2016 | Page 95

panels. Some may opt to replace them with something
a little narrower or something with a more positive grip
like a set of Hogue wrap-arounds, but this would almost
be a shame as they truly give the marker a unique look
when a dirty paw isn’t wrapped around them carrying the
gun. The knurled disassembly thumb screw which sits just
behind the back of the grip frame can bite the back of
the shooter’s hand if the player likes a high grip and plays
without gloves. This is by no means a deal-breaker, but
bears mentioning as I certainly noticed it while tuning my
PRP at the chronograph station before putting my jersey
and gloves on.
Speaking of that large, Automag-looking thumb screw
at the back of the PRP receiver, to dismantle the marker
for cleaning and maintenance that any of the marker’s
handful of parts might need is simple. After making sure
the marker is purged of air (simple thanks to that on/off
lever we talked about earlier, remember that?), simply
unthread the thumb screw and the marker’s guts pop out
the back of the receiver. Wipe them down, oil them up,

slide everything back in and get back to playing paintball.
Up front, the large PRP pump handle (which fits nicely in
the hand and offers finger grooves and a large, vertical
front-edge for a nice positive grip) does what practically
every other Nelson pump’s pump handle does: wrap
around the marker’s barrel. That’s all well and good if
you’re in love with the gun’s stock barrel, because there’s
that whole diameter issue. While the PRP’s stock barrel is
nice enough, with a decent internal finish and plenty of
long, straight rows of porting (and Autococker threads
by the way), most players, myself included, will prefer a
slightly longer barrel and the ability to match their paint
to their barrel with inserts or a set of barrel backs. The
vast majority of the barrels in my gear bag simply didn’t
fit through the pump handle, or if they did, wouldn’t allow
a complete cocking stroke to fire the marker. A good
thing, then, that the Empire Marballizer, G.I. Sportz 3 Star
and Valken Gaffiti I used during my days of play with the
marker fit the barrel relatively well and that the stock barrel
actually shoots pretty darn straight. After a few minutes
learning how to hold and shoot the marker, and master its
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