I wasn't present at the tourney where the All American's debuted their new 'turbo-mode' Shockers.  But I heard the story from a reliable source.  It was probably a good thing I wasn't there because I would have pitched a royal fit.  Here's the deal.  The new Shocker has what is called 'Turbo-Mode'  What it means is this.  The trigger registers each instance of a phenomenon called 'Switch Bounce.'  What this is, is a case of the trigger making and breaking contact due to electrical arcs several times before and after physical contact is made.  This is common to all electronic switches.  The Shocker's sophisticated circuitry detects and records this.  If it is happening frequently enough- That is to say, the markers operator is firing a lot- The shocker engages it's 'Turbo-Mode'.  In turbo mode, the Shocker reads each switch bounce as if it were a complete pull of the trigger and responds by firing as many times as it detects bounces up to the physical limitations of its system.  This means that after a series of rapid single shots are fired, later pulls of the trigger will actually fire more than one shot.   Teams competing against the All Americans complained that the AA's were shooting full auto.  This is because their Shockers would fire groups of single shots prior to turbo mode engaging, then fire bursts of 3 or more shots with extreme rapidity.

    The thing that ticks me off about the situation is not that paintball has seen another increase in firepower.  Increases in firepower mean lower paintball prices for the rest of us, so the existence of super semi's does not concern me.  What ticks me off is this.  The referees at the tournament ruled that the 'turbo-mode' was legal.   That it did not violate the 'one shot per pull of the trigger' ruling.  This is so wrong.  If an electronic switch and computer can facilitate the firing of several shots because the electronic circuit is opened and closed rapidly due to the vagaries of electronics- What is the difference between a mechanical system that engages and disengages the sear rapidly (As in a full auto) even though the trigger is only pulled once?   Nothing I say, nothing at all.  Full autos and Reactive triggers however are considered illegal because they fire multiple shots with only a single trigger pull.  A bouncing electrical switch is no different than a cycling disconnector.  It is a physical part of the paintgun, not of the paintgun's operator.

    I think the referees made the decision they made, not based on logic, but based on butt-kissing.  They didn't want to piss off the AA's so they flexed a rule and allowed an illegal modification into the tourney.  Why do I say this?  Well, did the AA's make an effort before the tourney to explain that they had achieved a new tech breakthrough that warranted approval?  No, they kept it quiet and hoped for the best.   If they had truely felt that the modification was 'legal' they should have presented it to the officials for approval BEFORE taking the field.  They knew they were taking a questionable action.  The referees, not wanting to disrupt a tourney that was in progress, agreed to 'legalize' the modification to prevent a default.   And probably to avoid having the AA's pitch a fit and embarrass the tourney sponsors.  I view AA's actions as outright cheating, the same as wiping a hit or bribing another team.   They knew the moment they walked on to the field that they were sporting an advantage that their opponents did not even have the option of gaining for themselves.

    I think we are going to continue to see more and more of this type of unscrupulous behavior down the road.  Now that factory sponsorship of teams is the norm, we will see tech breakthroughs like this debut on the tournament field.  I don't know how many more major surprises could really be in store for us though.  It would seem that paintball guns are about to reach the peak of their potential development.  There cannot be that many breakthroughs left.  It would be refreshing to see teams adopt a more sportsman like attitude however.  Anyone can see that 'turbo-mode' is a somewhat 'iffy' modification.  Is it automatic?  Is it not?  I personally have to conclude that it is automatic.  It violates the 'spirit' of the one shot rule.  A rule which was written to mean that rate of fire should be limited by the physical ability of the player and not facilitated by any other means.

That's my $.02

scarecrow