The Side Kick Stock Review
By Gazoo
Ok boys and girls, when I started
playing this sport, I found the pump side of the game more of a challenge then
the semi side, but I always viewed myself more of a pistol type, be it semi or
pump. I always considered getting one, but which was the one to get. When I was
considering the semi side, I looked at the obvious markers, you know, the PT
family. But with all the sorry reviews on them, I looked at the ones that got
the best, Palmer’s, but, who has that kind of extra cash? Then I stumbled upon
the Side Kick family of markers, made by a group of guys that have been playing
for a long time. Their site is www.paintballstuff.com, the semi, the semi short
and the pump models, the mod and the stock. I really wanted to get the semi, at
the time, not even considering the stock, so I did the extensive research to
see if it was the right marker for me. Warranty was great, 20 bucks fixes or
replaces for life, made of unbreakable material, and extremely light. I had a
friend with one, so I asked to look at it. I gassed it up and it leaked real
bad, which I found to be the case on all of their semis. So I shelved the idea
on the semi, but started to throw around the idea of the stock. I had a PGP and
really liked the pistol mode, even if it was a pump. The stock is similar to a DSDS,
it holds 10 rounds and runs off a12 gram (in the grip) and you load the tube
down the front. So, without getting permission, I ordered the Side Kick Stock.
I had a weasel clause, as you can return it in 30 days, so I figured no harm.
It arrived within 2 days via USPS,
packed it the typical USPS box. Now the packing material was sparse, it was
wrapped in newspaper, but arrived unharmed. I received the marker, a velocity
adjustment tool, 10 round tube, barrel plug and manual. I guess that is one way of keeping the costs
down and making it affordable. I couldn’t wait to get it home to test it out.
When I got home, I gathered my
supplies, 12 grams and some paint, and headed out to the back yard. I have a target,
a 5 gallon pail, set up at @ 80 feet so I figured this would be a good test of
range and accuracy. I put a drop of oil on the end of the 12 gram, as it says
to do in the manual, unscrewed the cap from the grip, which by the way takes
quite a few turns, placed the 12 gram in and tightened it up. I heard the
familiar hiss of the piercing of the 12 gram, and no leaks after that, a major
plus. I slid the 10 round tube in until it stopped and was ready to go. The
pump stroke is short and easy compared to the PGP, and I chambered my first
round. Took aim and fired, hit dead on in the middle of the bucket. Thought to
myself, this is tight! So I fired the remaining rounds in the tube, and missed
all of once. This thing is right on the money and no breaks in the barrel. So,
figured, lets see how many I can get from a 12 gram. So I was ready to pull out
the tube when I had a thought. Why not just slide the rear cover back, the one
that you can store an extra 12 gram under, and use the speed tubes I made. So I
did, and it worked like a charm, so that way, I can still use the tubes with
lanyards, and increase loading times. Well I managed to get 30 real good shots
that day from a 12, granted I used time between shots so that I wouldn’t freeze
the 12 gram. So to reload the 12 gram, you unscrew that cap, which does take a
long time, and the 12 gram seemed to have frozen itself to the seal. So after a
little shaking, it did fall out. When doing this, never look at the 12 gram, as
it could thaw and have enough gas to propel it from the grip and leave a mark.
Well now it was time to put it into
a real world test. So one Saturday, went to Farmland to play. Got there, and
everyone had to look at it. Went to the chrono station and was only shooting at
@ 265 out of the box. Figured, not to bad, but tried to tweak it up a bit, but
didn’t get above the 265. Granted, it was 10 am on a cool Minnesota morning. So
went and played some speed ball. It was 3 on 3, 3 pumps, 2 micro-phantoms and
me against 2 semis and an old style PGP. We didn’t win the first couple of
games, but I was very impressed with the accuracy of this little marker. I
played all day, and rarely had to reload on the field. At one point, later in
the afternoon when it got warm, I had the same, if not better range than a
phantom running off HPA, Gumby and I were both surprised! I went back to the
chrono station just to test it, and found to be shooting at or just above 285!
Many were impressed, and even called it a “hand cannon”. We found the accuracy
to be very acceptable for a marker of this size. I was extremely happy with its
efficiency and range, not to mention its accuracy.
In conclusion, I would recommend
this marker to anyone, new or old to the sport. The price is very acceptable at
$63.95 plus shipping ($8.00). You will not be able to beat the warranty
anywhere, as $20.00 will fix it or replace it, and if the same thing happens,
just send it back with a copy of the invoice and all you will be out is
shipping. “Goob” is fantastic, as he answered all of my questions prior to my
purchase, and everything was done through email. You have to remember that
these guys have other jobs too, and are more than happy to inform you of their
products. I can’t say enough on how much I really like this marker. The only
down side is the loading of the 12 grams, but if you are like me, you would
only have to do that back at the staging area, as with the accuracy, you have
far fewer missed shots, and nothing wasted.
