Stock paintball

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Stock Class is a set of commonly agreed upon but unofficial rules for paintball markers:

The marker must have a horizontal paintball feed, which means that the marker must be tilted (rocked) forward or backward to feed the next shot.
The marker may not be semi-automatic, which means that it requires pumping or cocking prior to each shot being fired (in other words "rock and cock").
The marker must be powered by a single 12 gram powerlet, which limits the amount of shots to 15-30 depending on the efficiency of the marker.
The marker may only hold a maximum of 20 paintballs in it.
The marker may not have porting on the barrel.
The marker may not be internally or externally modified from the factory state, except for the grips.

Auto-trigger markers are also not acceptable (able to shoot paintballs by holding trigger down and only actuating the pump). This rule is often overlooked as auto-triggering is almost impossible with a horizontal feed tube.

Very few fields or tournaments require full stock class compliance and instead use what is commonly called "Modified Stock Class" rules. These rules usually allow constant air (CO₂ or high pressure air) instead of 12 grams, feed tubes that hold more than 20 paintballs (horizontal or inclined) or even hoppers, and allow porting on the barrel. The only requirement is that markers be pump action only, and that no sights may be used. Different fields can allow or not allow rules as they see fit.

Arguably the most popular stock class marker is the Phantom made by CCI, and can been seen here.

1 History of Stock Play
2 Why stock class?
3 Fringe or Mainstream?
4 External Links

[edit] History of Stock Play

The Nelson 007, originally a tree and cattle marking pistol was the first generally accepted paintball marker :[1] Link approved by and Courtesy of [2]SCP. While the Nelson Paint Company no longer directly manufactures or commissions markers intended for use in the sport of paintball, the Nelson design is still utilized in both original and slightly modified forms in more modern markers. The Phantom, Buzzard, Line SI Bushmaster, Traccer/Maverick and other markers utilize a Nelson-style operating system which is easily identified as having a hammer and bolt housed within a single-tube body. So long as a 12-gram power source and a horizontal feed tube are present, these markers are generally all considered to be stock class.

Benjamin-Sheridan had been producing airguns for some time before paintball was introduced and they were able to easily adapt their design to fire a paintball instead of a .177-caliber pelet by changing the barrel and making a few minor modifications. The Sheridan design utilizes a multiple-tube body that places the bolt above the hammer and is distinctively different than the monotube design of the Nelson system. Benjamin-Sheridan began producing markers for Pursuit Marketing, Inc. around 1982 with the introduction of the bolt-action PG pistol which soon evolved into the PGP through the adition of a pump handle. Sheridan-style design is still utilized in the present-day iteration of the PGP 2k1 and in other markers such as the WGP Sniper and clones. This design is also considered to be suitable for stock class provided that a 12-gram power source and horizontal feed tube is utilized.

As paintball gained in popularity, other manufacturers began to produce equipment for the sport. Around the year 1983, the Splatmaster marker was introduced by National Survival Game, a new company at the time. The Splatmaster was a single-tube marker but used a different operating system than the Nelson marker which required the user to push in a round button that protruded from the back of the marker in order to cock it and load a paintball. In this design, 12-gram cartridge is housed within the pistol grip of the marker much like the early Nelson pistols. This marker is considered stock class although its successor, the Splatmaster Rapide (introduced circa 1988), is a double-action pistol of similar design and is not considered to be stock class.

Another airgun company that tried their hand at paintball marker manufacture was Crosman. Their 3357 is an adaptation of their 357 air pistol that fires .50-caliber paintballs. It bears the distinction of being the only semi-automatic marker permitted under stock class regulations. It is a double-action/single-action revolver and, being first manufactured around 1987, became "grandfathered" into existing regulations defining stock class. Today, however, this marker has only a small following among players and is prized primarialy for its collector value. The largest downside to the 3357 is that the .50-caliber paint is not readily available and has some performance disadvantages compared to the standard .68-caliber ball.

Most stock class marker designs today are a copy or combination of one or more of the above systems.

The term 'stock class' originated in the late 1980s as a way to differentiate from markers that were used in their factory condition and markers which were modified to include additional, often home-built features. The most common upgrades to a marker at the time were a constant air source and a direct-feed hopper for the purpose of increasing the number of shots a player could take before reloading. Stock class play began as a way to limit the performance of markers so as to limit the advantage one player could gain over another through high-performance equipment.

Today, stock markers can be found in several different designs and are often purchased in a stoock class format or else modified to conform to the generally accepted regulations.

[edit] Why stock class?

Stock class aims to retain the way paintball was at its birth: before electronic markers, high rates of fire, and overshooting. Players often play stock class for different reasons: some grew up playing paintball this way and don't like the direction the industry has taken the sport, some play this way to save money, and some simply enjoy the challenge of not being able to rely on a fast marker to get eliminations.

[edit] Fringe or Mainstream?

Stock class was the way paintball started, and as the technology evolved, so did the players. As stock class faded from memories, players joining the sport knew that a fast marker was the only way to compete. But as time drew on, stock class players could be found playing speedball against the high-end markers. This brought stock class back into the minds of the older players and introduced it to a new generation of players. The popularity of stock class play has been steadily increasing for the past few years, as seen in increased demand in sales and trades on popular forums.