Anyway, I am sure there are a lot of people who have never heard of Wildside Paintball Supplies Inc. Wildside Paintball Supplies Inc. is a small business that is located between 8 and 9 mile road on Gratiot Ave. in Eastpointe, Michigan. They also run Silver Lake Paintball which hosts the annual "Michigan Big One" every year. Many people seem to think that both Silver Lake and Wildside kicked the bucket after some legal problems a few years ago. These rumors are untrue.

Wildside Paintball Supplies Inc. specializes in custom Autococker modifications. Wildside is home to airsmith JD McKendrick, who also happens to be the person who came up with the idea of a low pressure Autococker. If you want a low pressure autococker, Wildside Paintball Supplies Inc is definitely the best place you can take your gun.

I'll admit, when I had first heard about Wildside Paintball Supplies Inc. and JD from a friend, it sounded less than impressive. I had been taking my gun to P&P Paintball which is less than 8 miles from my house where Wildside was a good hour away. I had never heard of JD in any of the paintball magazines I had read where Cesares name had popped up numerous times. Finally, I really hadn't seen these guns in action before, so I figured not many of the tournament types owned them because they were not as good as Cesares. I assumed too much and as we all know, assume makes an ASS out of U and ME.

There are a few things that make a Wildside Autococker stand out from every other Autococker you will see on the field. These things are:

1. Trigger
2. Pneumatics and pneumatic related extras
3. Internals
4. The Barrel Configurations

You are all probably wondering why I didn't put cosmetics on the list. There is a logical reason why I didn't. JD does great cosmetic work (you should see some of the 17 color anodized cockers I have seen in the shop). However, I do not think the cosmetics of a Wildside Cocker are what make it great. Wildside Cockers are known better for their performance on the field than for their cosmetics, so that is what this review will focus on. I personally never liked the idea of making guns look all flowery. If it doesn't improve my game then it doesn't help me. I would rather spend the money on a case of that new RP All Star Paint.

TRIGGER
There is nothing I can say in this article that will gives the triggerwork that JD performs its "due credit." The fact of the matter is that it is impossible to rate the trigger on a Wildside Autococker. Each trigger is customized and tuned to the preferences of each individual owner which allows for a truly custom trigger job. Many other paintball stores operate under the opposite principal. They tune the trigger to how they want it and simply tell players to learn the trigger. That is not the case here. Many reviewers will tell you that the trigger is the most important part of the paintball gun (Ravi Chopra comes to mind). I must say that I agree with them. The trigger is the part of the paintball gun that you use the most, so you must be happy with it. If the trigger is too long, too short, too rough, too light, or too heavy for your particular tastes than it will take away from your game. At Wildside Paintball, JD does not allow the Autococker trigger to take away from the game of his customers. He will continue to work on the trigger until YOU are happy with it.

A unique quality about Wildside when it comes to their triggers is the fact that if at any time in your paintballing career you want to change your trigger you can just bring the gun back to JD and he will change it to your new liking free of charge. After the initial trigger work has been paid for, JD only charges for the parts required to do any additional work that you may need. Depending on how short and fast you want your trigger, such parts may include the Palmer 3-way or a Clippard Ram.

On my personal autococker, I still have not upgraded the initial trigger work. It is something I have been waiting to do because I would like it lightened and shortened a little bit, but I have been too busy playing to take it in (I am incredibly lazy). The initial trigger work that JD performs is pretty basic "mid-grade" trigger work. It includes the removal of the safety, the polishing of internal trigger components, installation of a trigger guide screw, and the shortening of the trigger pull. With these basic components, any player will feel an immediate improvement in their trigger. I have been able to put much more paint down the field and I really like the way my trigger feels.

Some people will claim that JD's trigger work cannot match the work done Cesare Pizzo or Danny Love. I disagree. I have felt the triggers on P&P Supercockers and I am not overly impressed with them. The feel is an extreme improvement, but the length is not. Danny Love does excellent trigger work as he goes for the shortest and lightest pull possible. This is great for most players, but some do not like having a trigger so light that a strong wind could fire their gun. That is what makes JD's work so great. He will make your trigger the way YOU want it - again and again and again.

PNEUMATICS
Many of the pneumatics on a Wildside Autococker are the same as they would be on other custom Autocockers. Wildside Autocockers come equipped with all of the basic features one would expect on a top grade custom autococker and then some. From the shroud pneumatics to the secondary regulator the pneumatics on a Wildside Autococker are top of the line.

A Palmer Rock is one of the first things installed on a Wildside Autococker. There is a saying among certain players in the rec.sport.paintball newsgroup: "If Palmer makes it, than it doesn't suck and is probably worth owning." The Rock is no exception to this rule. While many other "rock-style" regulators have come on to the market, I think this one is the best. It is reasonably priced, has a lifetime warranty, and carries the name of Glenn Palmer. Glenn Palmer is the developer of the automation timing system so it is safe to assume he knows what he is doing.

If you look around near the 3-way you will notice a threaded timing rod. This is one of the most essential features any Autococker has. Not only does it keep the gun reliable, but it allows for trigger work to be performed on the gun.

You will notice if you look closely that some Wildside Autocockers sport a Clippard Ram and/or Palmer 3-way. Some of them do, and some of them don't. Whether a Wildside Autococker has a Palmer 3-way or not usually depends on how tricked out their trigger is. The lightest, shortest, and most liberal triggers will be powered by a Palmer 3-way because they are "smoother and easier to work with." Some people will have Clippards put on their gun if they do not feel the stock ram is reliable enough. Others just have them on there because their previous airsmith insisted on it.

While I think there is a very noticeable improvement with a Palmer 3-way - I noticed very little change when I had a Clippard installed. This was probably because I wasn't taking my gun to JD when I had it installed.

The most noticeable thing you will see is that the front block screw has been replaced with a AKA Products Mitey-Max Expansion Chamber. Wildside Autococker are setup to be as efficient as possible (in other words, they run at an ultra-low pressure). The Mitey Max insures proper air capacity for maximum reliability, stability, and consistency.

As far as secondary regulators go, almost all Wildside Autocockers will be equipped with a Palmer Stabalizer of some sort. All of the regulators will be setup for bottomline, but I think the vertical stabalizer is better than the original stabalizer. The reason for this is you can use the stabalizer as a hand grip which will actually allow hold the gun more steady. However, the stabalizer was not invented to help you hold your gun steady. The stabalizer is a secondary regulator which cuts down input pressure and keeps liquid out of your gun. The stabalizer will keep your guns velocity VERY consistent (even with CO2) and allow you to chrono closer to the speed limit without having to fear the dreaded beep. The best part of the stabalizer though is the velocity adjuster. The stabalizer owner never had to mess around with his cocking rod because the pressure is adjusted on the stabalizer. It saves you a lot of hassle and I think it is kind of nifty. Palmer Stabilizers do not need tournament caps because they can only be adjusted with allen wrenches, unlike the Unireg.

Overall, the pneumatics on a Wildside Autococker work very well. Many of them carry the Palmer name which says something about them right there. All of them function smoothly and reliably day in and day out. I have never had a problem with them and I have never heard of a player who has. I don't expect to in the near future.

INTERNALS
One of the most important things to install on any Autococker (next to a threaded timing rod and a Rock) is a Nelson Spring and Hammer Kit. When this simple upgrade is performed, you will notice your automation timing system will run much more smoothly. Nelson springs are a requirement for low pressure operation as well.

The next think I will look at is the bolt. Most tournament Autocockers use a venturi type bolt. Venturi bolts usually have a more concave head. They are most identifiable by 6-20 small holes in the bolt rather than one large one. These bolts in almost all cases are a waste of money. They restrict airflow and are just not very good. That is why Wildside uses the AKA Lightning Bolt. The AKA Lightning bolt was actually designed by JD himself. It was produced and marketed by AKA Performance Paintball. The AKA Lightning Bolt is the ONLY aftermarket bolt that actually increases air flow rather than reducing it. This increases velocity and allows pressure to be lowered one more notch.

Finally, the valve is one thing that makes Wildside Autocockers incredibly unique. JD uses the AKA Products Tornado Valve in all of his guns. He considers is the best (although most expensive) aftermarket valve in the industry. It is also the valve that allow you to run your gun at the absolute lowest pressure possibly. Under the most ideal conditions, you can get 2000 shots of a 20 oz CO2 tank with an Autococker that has a Tornado Valve. Upon installation you will notice the valve leaks a little during its initial break in period. To stop the leak you simply crank up the pressure on your stabalizer until the leak stops, let your gun sit for a minute, then turn it back down and re-chrono your gun. The Tornado break in period is the only part of the gun that can be annoying. However, it only lasts for a short time and it is well worth it.

THE BARREL
Wildside Autocockers run at very low pressure. You should know that by now. If you do not, roll up this magazine right now and smack yourself in the face with it? Get it now? Good. Anyway, low pressure guns can be VERY picky about barrels and paint sizes. You should plan on having a barrel for every paint size you encounter. One for small paint, one for average paint, and one for large paint. For small paint such as Proball, Wildside recommends the AKA Products Javelin Barrel. It is a teflon coated barrel which is designed to work well with low pressure guns. For medium bore paint, the 12" Aluminum Lapco barrel is a great choice. This barrel shoots extremely accurate and gets great range. Sure, some people like stainless steel, but I find the steel lapco to be WAY to heavy and I think the aluminum barrel is just as good for a fraction of the cost. Finally, for large bore paint, a Chrome BOA Express Barrel is the way to go. I have shot "fair" quality paint though this barrel on a rainy day and it actually worked quite well. It is lighter than stainless steel and I think it shoots better.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS
Overall, I and many other players are very impressed with the Autococker work done at Wildside Paintball Supplies Inc. These upgrades all do come at a price however. My latest estimate is that I have put $627 worth of aftermarket upgrades into my Autococker. When the price of a new stock Autococker is around $400, this puts the value of a purely performance oriented Wildside Autococker at around $1027. That is quite a large hunk of cash. When you add a n2 system you are well into the $1200 range.

Inspite of the rather large price tag (about the same as an Evolution Autococker or an Angel), I and many others think you will be extremely impressed by the work done at Wildside Paintball Supplies Inc. Other people have been impressed with Wildside as well. When asked about Wildside's work, all Bob Bently of Team TANGO could say for JD's work was "WOW." Michael Eichbrecht of Motor City Nightmare said "JD is personable and will work on your cocker until its the way you like it." His cousin has similar feeling about JD's work but could not be contacted for a quote. Some players like Chad Lillemon of Twilight Zone just said "JD Rules!."

If you are looking for someone to do great work on your Autococker, Wildside Paintball Supplies Inc. is THE way to go. They do great work for relatively reasonable prices. On a personal note, I have found that work is done right the first time and the way you want it. You will not experience the frustrations of having to send your gun back to the store because something was done incorrectly. Wildside will make your Autococker work for you whatever your style of play may be. Whether you play rec-ball games, small novice tournaments, are super-charged (no pun intended) pro tournaments you will not be disappointed.

Jason "Psycho" Van Dyke
Psycho1810@aol.com

Wildside Paintball
22109 Gratiot Ave.
Eastpointe Mi. 48021
1-(810)-771-2889
wildsidepb@earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~wildsidepb/index.html

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