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This is MELODY - (And yes, I know she's ugly.)
Melody in action:
D-Day 2007
Below: Melody is a major gas hog. I get 500 shots per 24 oz tank. While attacking the Germans, I was using this Ford Tempo for cover to shoot from. I just got done dumping 500 rds of paint into the windows to keep the Krauts' head down while other people moved up. Melody had shot so much that she was starting to run out of air, so I called up a buddy with a Super Tippmann 98 to lay cover while I changed tanks and reloaded the 300 rd hopper. In the picture below, I'm pointing out the windows that need shot at.
Besides spare 24 oz tanks, I also carry spare 25 inch barrels to change out when I don't have time to clean a barrel.
I've done a lot of naughty things with this gun. As you can see, Melody does get used on a regular basis, rain, shine, blizzard or mud.
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Melody is the one of my HOGS. I either carry her from sling like I do above, or over my shoulder like below. (psst...I'm the one on the left.)
Why do I call this paintball marker, "Melody"?
Simply put, she sings when she fires - ting tingggg tingg tongg! Melody has a very distinct sound on the paintball field. People usually know where I am just by the sound my marker/gun makes.
I started building this VM-68/PMI 3 from a box of disassembled rental junk I got from a friend in Canada to be a simple stock VM-68. I kept it as a "Junker" until I saw an opportunity to try something new.
In addition, the internals have been milled, ports opened up, and special springs and seals have been installed.
Here's what it looked like as I started modifying her:
BELOW: Yes, that's cast iron plumber's piping on the front of the gun. The 25" barrel is homemade out of brass tubing with a polished inner bore of .689. On the end of that barrel is a muzzle shroud that a student made for me in metal shop. Its purpose is to protect the front of the barrel from unwanted dings or smashings.
ABOVE and BELOW: Here's a closer look at the iron cast piping. Pretty scary, eh?
After I finished the piping, I made a frame from flat steel bars to act as shroud to protect the long barrel and piping.
And then I cannibalized a bicycle kick-stand and modified it to act like a retractable bipod:
I also hand carved a grip out of dark oak:
This is the view down the barrel:
BELOW: From side to side-
ABOVE and BELOW: I have the marker wrapped in camouflage cotton strips to help with the concealment. This really helps when setting ambushes in high grass or dense brush. See below:
Size Matters -
Melody is HUGE. She weighs quite a bit. If you have ever held an M-60, then you have an idea how heavy Melody is.
Below is a ten year old boy who traded me a bag of gummie bears to have a chance of playing one game with Melody. As you can see, the boy can barely lift the gun.
This is my dad demonstrating how big the Melody is:
And how tall Melody is from end to end:
And yes, I actually do use this marker on a regular basis. Here are some pics:
Any questions, let me know:)
Warmly,
Smiley