Earlier this morning Empire Paintball began unveiling their new paintball gear. ProPaintball insiders have spent the morning checking out the new equipment. We are very impressed with what we have seen so far. What we didn’t expect to come across however was the new paintball gun known officially as the Empire Sniper. Rumors were circulating earlier in the season that Empire was developing a pump gun. ProPaintball insiders speculated that Empire would develop a pump paintball gun based off of the popular Worr Game Sniper design. The rumor itself held merit due to Empire’s acquisition of JT/View Loader/Brass Eagle/WGP in 2010 from Jarden, however, until now no other details were available. Below are the first photographs of the Empire Sniper as well as a brief overview of the new paintball gun’s features.

New Paintball Gun:Empire Sniper

The new paintball gun from Empire is designed for players that enjoy playing pump paintball. You can tell Empire has done their research in the pump segment as this new gun features one of the most popular upgrades, the pump arm. The pump arm is a more ergonomic method of loading a ball into the breech and is very useful in situations where you might give away your position by grabbing the pump. The Empire Sniper also features an Empire Nightstick barrel, half block design, hogue .45 grips, clamping feedneck and possibly a regulator. The Empire Sniper features a trimmed down body to remove excess weight. All in all, the Empire Sniper is a great improvement over the WGP Sniper.

The Empire Sniper has come a considerable way from the Sniper from Worr Game Products.Do you play pump paintball? What are your thoughts on the Empire Sniper Paintball gun?

Critical Paintball has released an update to the Critical Paintball Ejection Stealth Pack we reported on earlier this season. Since its release, the new paintball pack has been undergoing rigorous testing by NPPL Division 1 team Critical Paintball. A few weeks back, ProPaintball caught up with Critical’s Director of Operations Edwin Dolgopyat at Whittier Paintball Park in Southern California. We spied Edwin using a prototype Critical Pack and began firing away questions. Edwin let on that he and John-Paul have been working overtime to “develop the best paintball harness on the market” and that the new paintball pack was nearing completion.

The new paintball harness from Critical features several improvements over its predecessor. The first and most significant change to the Critical Stealth Ejection Pack is the inclusion of a new paintball back pad. The new pad is very comfortable, mesh lined for breathability, and provides significantly more support when you are hauling your paint around.

In addition to a redesigned back pad, the new Critical V2 Pack comes with an improved strap design. This time the straps are made with a durable seat-belt style material and look like they can take a beating.

Oh, and did I mention that the straps are not based on velcro? This is a great improvement as velcro tends to go bad after years of playing and repeated abuse. Thumbs up to Critical for correcting a problem that plagues most of the paintball packs on the market.

Staying true to its name, the V2 Critical “True Ejection” straps are streamlined to insure super fast pod removal once they are moved out of the way. In order to insure that the pad and straps are where you want them, Critical has added a durable non-slip material to both the pod strap and the back pad.

All in all the new paintball pack from Critical is a solid paintball pack and worth your consideration. The pack is available directly from CriticalPaintball.com.

Product Information: Critical Paintball Pack V2

The Critical V2 Stealth System is available and shipping TODAY!

The new V2 Stealth Pack from Critical Paintball is a complete departure from the run of the mill standard pod pack. The Stealth Pack’s unique stirrup retention system (with True Ejection) is radically different than the standard Velcro strap design employed by most other packs. The Stealth Pack allows for much faster pod removal, and a reduced player profile while removing pods, all without the noise of Velcro. These features are incorporated into a comfortable non-slip adjustable belt with Aero Mesh padding to increase breathability and comfort. The Stealth Pack also features an exclusive pod ramp to prevent the pack from sliding down your back and the pods from snagging on your pants while you remove the pods. All of these unique and exclusive features add up to the most exceptional pack on the market.

Critical V2 Stealth Pack Features:

- Reduced player profile when removing pods
- Super fast pod removal
- The first pack with true ejection
- Nearly silent pod removal (Unlike Velcro)
- Pod ramp prevents pods from catching on pants
- Padded aero-mesh backing with added non slip contact surfaces for extreme comfort
- Non slip adjustable belt (One size fits all)
- Available in 3+4 or 4+5

Promo video for the Critical Paintball Pack

Click here to view the embedded video.

We recently got our hands on the new EMPIRE AXE and had a chance to put it through the motions.

Since the debut of the original Invert Mini in 2006, this unique operating platform has evolved into a multitude of gun styles—from the traditional entry-level speedball-styled “Mini”, to the intimidating, HK-reminiscent “TM” series of mil-sim paintball machine guns. Enjoying a massive success with over 20,000 units sold since the gun’s inception, the newest version landed at ProPaintball’s corporate office.

The rest of our review of the EMPIRE AXE is available on the PSP’s website: Empire Axe Review.

The ProPaintball.com rumor squad is reporting sightings of a prototype Invert Mini at the recent Skirmish event, “Invasion of Normandy”. More specs and info after the jump.

While the development team at KEE Action Sports is decidedly tight lipped over the new project, our insider team is reporting having seen the gun in concealed form making the rounds at Skirmish’s “Invasion of Normandy” event. The newest revision of the wildly successful Invert Mini platform, this model is reported to have several new features and changes that the market has been clamoring for. The “Mini 2″ (as our staff is referring to it) supposedly sports a larger form factor (to allow easier use for longer armed players), an oft-requested on\off built into it’s bottomline regulator, and some revised internal features that allow for lower pressure operation and better efficiency.

With the Invert Mini having sold over 45,000 units (in various forms, including the popular “TM” series BT scenario guns), this new revision is sure to impress and sell thousands to the masses. Hopefully we get to see this new marker at the upcoming Paintball Extravaganza in September.

For those of you looking to make your invert mini fly we highly recommend you pick up a Tadao Invert Mini board.

Here is an old photo of the inner workings of the Invert Mini:

Teams across Southern California have been worked into a frenzy as they rush to sell off their paintball guns and upgrade to new Luxe markers. We recently had the opportunity to catch up with pro team owner Mike Hinman of San Diego Aftermath, a LUXE factory team. Mike mentioned that the reasons for teams upgrading to the LUXE were really a “no brainer”; noting that the Luxe features ball on ball accuracy, tool-less field stripping, and magnetic eyes, all of which are features that truly make the difference. Mike let us test drive a brand new Luxe so that we could experience the future of paintball guns for ourselves. Watch as we un-box a brand new Luxe, field strip the gun, rebuild it, and then shoot a hopper of paintballs through it.

Special thanks to Mike Hinman, Ethan Sillars and the rest of San Diego Aftermath for making this video review possible.

Bart from Angel Paintball Sports recently invited Pro Paintball dot Com to take a look at the Angel 1 Rasta Fly paintball gun. When we had a chance to test the angel 1 at the local paintball field, it was ridiculously fast and definitely dominated on the competition. For those of you in the market for a new paintball gun, be sure to check out the video review for an inside look at the latest offering from Angel Paintball Sports, one of the manufactures that lead the electronic revolution in the sport of paintball. Grab some popcorn and press play..

For those of you attending the 2009 PSP World Cup, be sure to check out pro paintball team Stockholm Joy Division who will be competing with the Angel 1 paintball gun.

Today we are proud to announce our newest service to the community: Pro Paintball Gear Reviews.

As consumers, we all love to research our potential buys before we drive out to the store. Rather than write out long complex reviews with stats that nobody cares about, the Pro Paintball staff has elected to up the ante with our video gear reviews. Like everything else we do, they’ll be short, sweet and to the point. And don’t worry, we won’t pull any punches.

So this is how it will work. The videos on the news feed are 2 minute clips for you time strapped executive types. These provide a quick briefing on the essentials of the gear at hand, and are perfect for the player on the go.

For you gearheads out there, each piece of gear will also feature a 10 minute video. And no, it’s not just the 2 minute video played 5 times in a row. This video will actually dive into the gear, how it was designed, strengths and potential weaknesses, and how it can benefit you as a player.

So kick back, relax, and bring on the popcorn. We’re as excited about this as you are.

The guys over at BuyPBL got their hands on one of the Smart Parts Impulse markers set to debut this week at the Chicago Open. PBL Chris takes a few minutes and breaks down the different features and what they mean to paintball players. If your in the market for a new gun and are unable to make it to the Chicago Open this week, this is a must watch.