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Clarion Youth Group Trip (Spring 2005)
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This is my entry for the ugliest paintmarker contest on the Smart Parts Forum
This is MELODY. -
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:
ABOVE and BELOW: Yes, that's cast iron plumber's piping on the front of the gun. There are two pipes welded together with some epoxy to reinforce the welds because some of them did not take. 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.
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:
