Grendel's Pyre #PY 008 from Palmers

[crooked butt doctor]

i got a chance to use this marker for about 2 minutes while grendel attempted to unf#ck my sniperII on the field under fire. this thing pumps smoother than my ss25 by leaps and bounds, it is loud, but who cares when you're shooting darts.

it was light as hell, and for me, the trigger pull was almost non existent... i loved it. thinking about getttin one.

[Grendel]

Okay this last weekend I played MXS Blanding Siege of Stormwynd. This is the first time my Pyre has been played. The Pyre is an Oak with an added 45 trigger frame. I utilized the 10.5" stock brass barrel with Wedgits. For air I ended up using a 45/45 HPA bottle with a 800 psi output reg. The bottle is bottm line mounted going through and Pro-Line Gas through Knuckles [thanks Thumper]. No secondary regulator for this gun. I intend to use the Pyre with CO2 eventually but I did not get time to install my anti-siphon tube before the event. For a hopper I used a vintage Whaler and for sighting I used my trusty old ADCO 1" Ranger red dot sight.

Saturday morning for intial chronographing of the Pyre: For this event max velocity was 275 fps. When I got to the chrono my very first 3 shots were 271 fps, 271 fps and 271 fps. Since the velocity was close and so steady I decided to leave well enough alone and stay there.

The game started and I went "running and gunning" with my teammates getting a few eliminations and getting eliminated myself. After a couple of hours we made it to the third story of the "American Hotel" where I could start really testing out consistancy and accuracy. Well let me say so far I have been very impressed with the smoothness of the action and the trigger. Though the trigger is a little lighter than I prefer [I like heavy triggers]. The pump stroke feels a little longer than what I'm used to with my Snipers but once I used it for a while no longer seemed to be an issue. From my 3rd story perch I was able to pick off several opponents with ease most of this due to the consistancy of the shot to shot placement. I was quickly able to site my gun on a specific target and pull off some "one shot one kill" eliminations.

After being in my corner room for a good while a friendly ref came by to perform some random checking of velocity. Well when I fired across his chrono it read 271 fps. Remember what I was chronoing earlier in the morning? It was 271 fps. To me this is most likely why my shots were being so constistant in placement all morning.

I basically had a great time using my new toy. She shot well, was consistant, light weight even given using a brass barrel and easy to use. I've really had to do no real tinkering with this gun other than setting up the air system on her. She is essentially being used straight out of the box and performs very well. By Sunday she had dropped a little in velocity down to 265 fps from the original 271 fps. I'm assuming this is from the spring pack in the regulator settling in. One minor tweek to the regulator and she was up to 273 fps and near rock steady. I'm looking forward to doing some more playing with her and seeing how she continues to get smoother with use.

Pros

• Unique [not many around yet ]
• Light Weight
• CONSISTANT shot to shot
• Well balanced
• Accurate

Cons

• Little loud with a 10.5 unvented barrel
• Pump Stroke takes some getting used to coming from a Sniper
• Not Cheap
• Lack of Thumb Screw to facilitate removal of barrel in the field [Easily fixed with a visit to Hardware Store]

Soon to follow modifications:

• 2 - 12" dual spiral vented barrels [one .690, one .685 both with wedgits]
• Hardline plumbing
• Thumb screw to replace allen headed screw for barrel clamp

---------More to follow

[TurbO J]

although i didnt get to touch or shoot. this marker was very nice. i like it because its unique. sounds perfect to me

[claydirt]

I was able to reside in a room next to Grendel's perch in the hotel for a good while on Sat., and was impressed with his groupings. We were calling shots back and forth on people running into the 'kill zones'. The only drawback I had was the distinct ring after each shot, thats why I was in the next room....

[Grendel]

Originally Posted by claydirt

...The only drawback I had was the distinct ring after each shot, thats why I was in the next room....

I definitely was kind of loud inside the rooms

[thumper]

Nice report G -- sounds like you are pleased w/ your new toy.

We could hear you shooting up here in SC... lol

No rollouts? what size was the mout paint?

How did you like the prospan? -- oh, I found one more knuckle!!

'splain me this: A new stab is generally pretty squirrelly -- but a Pyre w/ integral stab is rock steady...

[Grendel]

Originally Posted by thumper

Nice report G -- sounds like you are pleased w/ your new toy. ...

Thanks some pictures to follow when the wife decides to release the camera to me

Originally Posted by thumper

We could hear you shooting up here in SC... lol...

It's not that loud and in the open not bad but in the enclosed rooms it was a tad "distinctive".

Originally Posted by thumper

No rollouts? what size was the mout paint?...

Paint was the best I've ever gotten at a MOUT game. Supposedly Evil but it had a heavy seam not typical to Evil. 0.687 some of the largest paint I've had in a long time and this stuff actually broke well without being too brittle. I had no rollouts but the paint was very well suited for my barrel will have to try on some of the little little stuff we tend to get

Originally Posted by thumper

How did you like the prospan? -- oh, I found one more knuckle!! ...

Loved the Knuckles and might be interested in the one you found.

Originally Posted by thumper

'splain me this: A new stab is generally pretty squirrelly -- but a Pyre w/ integral stab is rock steady...

I do not think this is typical of any stab I think I'm lucky that it came already adjusted close to it's sweet spot. The guts are interchangable with any other Stab. So far [knock on wood] it is working great.

Yes I am very happy so far. I will be ordering my new barrels real soon. As long as it keep operating the way it has so far I might have to retire a couple of snipers

[Moose]

Grendel,

One word of caution concerning removing barrels. PPS actually advises against routinely removing the barrels from their slip fit markers (Blazer & Pyre). Specifically, Glenn has voiced that metal fatigue can some into play and leave you with a broken retention tab, which cannot be easily repaired.

If I have barrel break in my blazer, I use a straight shot to swab the barrel and the brass tends to shoot clean very quickly. If it's reall nasty, I'll pull the bolt and use a pull through.

Also, PPS makes a cocker to blazer barrel adapter that will work with the pyres as well.

[Grendel]

Well I have my wife's camera back in my posession so here is the form in which my Pyre was set up for it's first real event at Camp Blanding:



I have some plans for changes:

1. -Use a 20 oz CO2 tank (I ran the 45/45 because I had not had a chance to install an anti-siphon in the CO2 yet)
2. -Replace the braided hose line with custom fitted hardline. Really wanting to use all brass hardline parts but might end up using swageless Stainless Steel fittings and line for ease. Brass I would like to "naturally age" for a nice dull patina if I go that route.
3. -Replace the current on/off with an ASA one that has no on/off and the gas port is out of the front for clean plumping lines.
4. -Thinking about having it reannoed a dark olive green including the Pro-Line Gas though but leave some of the accessoris black.
   
   

[A-5 Sniper]

that is a thing of beauty Grendel...nice pick up