Paintball is a sporting game having two teams of players usually trying to capture one another's flag. The sport is played on a large field with opposing home bases at each end. Each team's flag is located at the player's home base. In addition, all of the players have compressed gas guns, referred to herein as either “compressed gas guns” or “paintball markers”, that shoot projectiles commonly referred to as paintballs. These paintballs are generally spherical gelatin capsules filled with paint. During play of the sport, the players on each team advance towards the opposing team's base in hopes of stealing the opposing team's flag, without being eliminated from the war game. A player is eliminated from the game when the player is hit by a paintball fired from an opposing player's marker. When the paintball hits a player, a “splat” of paint is left on the player.
Compressed gas guns using compressed gas or air for firing projectiles are well known. As used herein, compressed gas gun refers to any gun wherein a projectile is fired via the force of compressed gas, and includes paintball markers. As used herein, projectiles refers to both paintballs, and other projectiles used in sport and game play.
Paintball markers have two basic mechanisms that operate for firing a paintball from the marker during a firing operation. One of these mechanisms is for chambering a paintball in the breech of a paintball marker. This mechanism usually involves the use of a bolt that reciprocates from a loading position to a firing position in the chamber of the marker. The other mechanism operates to release a burst of compressed gas to propel the paintball from the breech and out the barrel of the marker. This mechanism usually involves either a mechanically controlled or electronically controlled valving system.
A variety of different types of paintball markers exist in the field, using a variety of mechanisms for accomplishing their purpose of projecting paintballs. Two of the types of “actions” are the open bolt action and the closed bolt action.
In the open bolt action, the gun body comprises two parallel tubular chambers or bores. The upper chamber contains the bolt, while the lower chamber includes a hammer and at least one discharge or pin-type valve, also referred to as an exhaust or firing valve. The lower chamber also houses a pin valve that opens and closes a flow passage between a high pressure chamber, and the upper chamber. The bolt and hammer components are linked together, usually via a mechanical linkage, allowing them to move in concert. The bolt and hammer assembly is held in the cocked position via a trigger sear, which catches the hammer portion of the assembly. In this position, the breech is open and a paintball is able to drop via an infeed tube into position in front of the bolt. When the trigger is pulled, the sear releases the hammer and a spring drives the hammer and bolt forward. As the bolt moves forward, it chambers a paintball into the barrel of the marker gun. In the lower chamber, the hammer moves forward to strike the pin valve and open the flow passage. The pin valve releases a burst of high pressure gas into and through the bolt, expelling the paintball from the barrel.
The closed bolt action differs from the open bolt action in that in the closed bolt action, when the marker gun is in the cocked configuration the bolt is in the closed position, and a paintball is already chambered in the barrel. Also, in a closed bolt action, the hammer and bolt move independently. Since a ball is chambered with the bolt stationary while the hammer moves, there is less “bounce” or “kick” during firing of the marker. Additionally, the paintball is not impacted by the bolt immediately before it is discharged from the marker gun, and therefore, the paintball should experience less surface distortion. This combination of fewer inertial forces and reduced distortion of the surface of the projectile may improve precision and accuracy of a closed bolt marker over the same marker using an open bolt action.
In the “autococking” action paintball marker, when the trigger is pulled, the hammer is released, striking the valve and sending gas through the bolt and down the barrel, thus firing a paintball. Gas is also vented to a low pressure regulator, which in turn supplies a three-way valve. The three-way valve is connected to a pneumatic ram, which in turn is mechanically linked to a back block cocking mechanism and to the bolt.
The consistency with which paintballs are chambered and with which compressed gas is released greatly impacts the accuracy of a paintball marker. It would be advantageous to have a compressed gas gun where the chambering and valving mechanisms are completely independent. In addition, it would be advantageous to have a compressed gas gun with a pneumatic assembly where the hammer was operated by compressed gas directly supplied by a solenoid valve, and where the pneumatic assembly includes a way to channel compressed gas directly to the hammer while avoiding loss of compressed gas, to increase the efficiency of the compressed gas gun. In addition, it would be advantageous to have a pneumatic assembly for firing a compressed gas gun where there are few moving parts.
There is, accordingly, the need for a pneumatic assembly for a compressed gas gun, comprising a hammer and valving arrangement that is simple in construction, has few moving parts, is completely independent of the bolt system, and is easily adjustable.