Newsgroups: rec.sport.paintball
Date: Thu,  5 Nov 1992 12:52:56 -0500 
From: Alexander Franklin Rose <ar2z+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: IRONMAN on cold weather play

The cold weather problem,
    There is probably no worse enemy to paintball guns than cold weather
especially really cold, like below 40 deg.  Cold weather does 2 main
things that inhibit gun performance and snowball into bigger and bigger
problems. 
    *One: cold weather makes the gun siphon liquid instead of allowing
it to expand into gas.
    *Two: low temps. cause lubricants to gell and become more glue than
an anti friction agent.

    Solutions:  With an open bolt gun like the PMI3 there are a couple
of ways to deal with the liquid problem.  First the idea is to make sure
that you run completely with liquid.  Use a siphon bottle (20oz.) and
over fill it (a little).  The siphon ensures liquid and since you are in
low temps you can afford to go up to about 22oz. in a 20oz. bottle. 
This is because you know that the temp. will never get hot enough to
blow the burst valve and since you are shooting pure liquid you need all
the CO2 you can get.
    This is most likely the problem of the gun going full auto.  If you
are used to using a small tank and getting a certain amount of shots out
of it, there is a completely different equation used for cold weater. 
You are gonna get 25% of the shots that were attainable with pure gas. 
The other thing is that youre firing rate will slow down and you have to
allow for this.
    The other crucial problem is that of lubrication, most lubricants
are for use at room temps.  What you need to do first is make your gun
use the smallest amount of lubricants possible, polish all friction
points and file all rough edges. (make sure not to get filings into the
gun valve or any of the workings for that matter)  The big trick though
is to use a refridgeration lubricant designed for use in sub zero temps.
 Ask at your hardware store and don't buy it unless it says that is for
low temps, sub zero, on the bottle.
    These two hints are the easiest solutions and will probably
alleviate a lot of the problems.  However there are further steps than
can be taken and it should be noted that these last tricks only work for
open bolt mechanisms like the PMI3, Illustrator, etc...  
    For closed bolt guns (Bud Orr Auto Cocker) you have the same
lubrication problems plus you absolutely cannot run liquid through them.
 It ruins the ram instantly!  So you must use anti siphon tanks that are
under filled (16oz.) and expansion chambers and the like. Remote CA set
ups with metal braided hose and an 3.5oz. expansion chamber works the
best for guns like the Automag and Autococker that need to run on gas
only.  
    The best person to talk to about PMI3's is Bill Gardener of Smart
Parts inc.  He is the Capt. of the All Americans who used the PMI3 very
successfully last year and they are out of Pittsburgh so they understand
cold weather problems the best. 
    I must also add that below 40 deg you are really much better off
with a pump gun.  My Bud Orr pump works great running straight liquid or
gas with a simple velocity adjustment and I can be confident all game
that my gun will work.  I would rather have a gun with a slightly lower
rate of fire that works all game than a gun that only works for ten
minutes of the game.  I must also say as a Budd Orr sponsored player
that his products are designed for and work best in cold weather. 
Almost half of every tounament is played in the early moring cold or the
rain and Budd Orr's products have served us extremely well.

            If there are futher questions post them.


                Zander of the IRONMEN