Blazin' Blazer! By Dan Reeves Along with its traditional straight shootin' reliability, the latest style of Palmer's new custom Blazer comes with upgrades and a new look. You'll still instantly recognize the marker as a Blazer, with a few obvious differences.  See the little white "buttons" on the vertical feed? These nylon set screws help hold the loader tightly in place. Note the vertical ASA (air system adaptor) is angled forward (the optional style; a straight ASA is standard). A bottom line ASA mounts on the optional drop forward, anodized to match the body. The brass barrel has an anodized sleeve (the sleeve is an option). The double finger blade style trigger, also an option, is in a 45 grip and matches the Blazer body color. Subtle differences take enhancements a step further. The longer ram body. Two anti-double feeds. A velocity cap is highly sculpted. A longer bolt link pin, and overall, a longer body.  This marker, manufactured by Palmer's Pursuit Shop in Sacramento, California, has its roots back in the 1980s, when Palmer first modified pumps into semi-autos. Glenn Palmer, master air tech and founder of the company, means every word: "Modern technology and old fashioned craftsmanship; custom quality and performance." The concept for the Blazer began around 1991; by 1997, the Blazer with its compact body design was in production. Quality and performance made the Blazer a steady seller, highly respected by those who truly value accuracy and reliability. Yet as times and tastes change, players ask for different features: fancy splash finishes, vertical feeds, drop forward mounts, angled foregrips and regulators, double finger triggers. Palmer modified the Blazer to meet these new tides of form and fashion, offering them as features or options. The newest Blazer's options include polishing, multi-color anodizing, double finger trigger frames, nickel plating on some parts, aluminum anodized barrel sleeve, vertical and left feeds, drop forwards, and an angled ASA. Body Build The new model Blazer is a closed bolt, stacked tube, pneumatic operated, semi-automatic marker. The low pressure regulator for the pneumatic cylinder in machined into the right hand side of the marker. The pneumatic cylinder is machined into the left hand side of the marker. The bolt is just over three inches long and links to the pneumatic ram piston master link block with a spring loaded pin. Even when the marker cycles, the bolt stays completely within the body of the marker. Because the ram is positioned almost parallel with the bolt, the link block mounts directly on the ram piston end, which means minimal moving mass. When a loader's feed neck is placed into the vertical feed, two nylon thumb screws are tightened to lock the loader into place. The vertical feed itself is welded to the body--no wobble there--and has a 1/4 inch vent hole on each side. There are two nylon-ball bearing style anti-double feeds on the left side just below the vertical feed. The top of the body has an integral 3/8" dovetail mount sight rail. Aim--don't just spray and pray. A comfortable 45 style grip frame and double finger blade trigger add to the new Blazer's good looks. Nickel plated ball detents add a bit of flash. Barrel Talk Palmer's barrel does not have threads. The top front of the body clamps onto the body of the barrel. The clamp is tightened with a thumbcrew, so no tools are needed to change barrels. The barrel itself has the standard inner brass barrel proper and a 6-1/2 inch anodized aluminum outer sleeve (sleeve is optional). The outer sleeve was anodized to match the Blazer body. The front 3-1/2 inch of the barrel is nickel plated and spiral ported, with no sleeve. This sweetheart is accurate! Power Talk Air enters the Blazer body through a vertical ASA that mounts on the front of the body, just under the barrel. From there, the air flows to the main valve, up through a passage into the bottom of the bolt, then forward to propel the ball out the barrel. The low pressure regulator takes part of the air and regulates it down for operation of the ram pneumatics. The ram air flow is controlled by the switch (a four-way valve), which is also milled into the Blazer body. A link from the trigger moves the "switch stem" inside the four-way, which determines whether the ram moves forward or backward. Palmer generally recommends using a regulator when CO2 is the power source. The Blazer's vertical ASA lends itself well to the Palmer Stabilizer, and indeed, the tested Blazer came with a Stabilizer anodized to match the marker body.  The design of the drop forward moves the tank closer to the center of the marker than if the ASA were further back and making the rig back-heavy. With this design, the marker's balance is centered, a much-desired state of affairs. Nose- or back end-heavy set-ups put a toll on a player's hand and arm muscles and can lead to missing shots. Palmer's Pursuit Shop carries an extremely sturdy LAPCO drop forward that has three possible positions for the ASA. A steel braided hose connects the bottom line ASA to the input to Stabilizer. On the test marker, that drop forward's anodizing matched the marker body. Nice, polished finish, blue with light blue and silver splash. Remember, Palmer's Blazer is a custom marker. Order one, and it is made to your specifications. Figure you may wait eight to 10 weeks. Be patient. It's worth the wait. The Man Says In an exclusive interview, Glenn Palmer talked about the Blazer: Q: Do you offer a single finger trigger frame with the Blazer? A: Yes. There is a single finger 45 frame available for the Blazer, and the standard frame is for single finger use but angled like a Sheridan frame. Actually, the standard-base model frame is almost exactly the same as the older Cocker and Mag frame. (see www.palmer-pursuit.com/catalog/blazer.htm) Q: What's the break-in time for the trigger? A: I would usually recommend playing with it "as is" for awhile, as the trigger pull will soften up a bit with use. Remember, the Blazer is built to be an effective piece for the long haul and like a fine wine, will get better with age. A trigger job done to shorten and soften the trigger much will reduce reliability over time. Field Tests The big day finally arrives. The Blazer arrives from Palmer's Pursuit Shop. Let the games begin...umm, no...Let the testing start. The Blazer's vertical regulator is used to stabilize the air pressure at the chosen operating pressure. Fine tuning the velocity (to compensate for minor variables like paintball size, barrel changes, variations in the weather, and different field speed limits) is done with the adjusting screw. This adjustment changes the tension on the hammer main spring. The Blazer bolt and hammer were oiled and three drops of oil went into the ASA. Then the Blazer was set up with a VL Revolution loader and a preset, screw-in HPA air system for the initial checkout. The manual says, "Familiarize yourself with the operation of the trigger by shooting a bottle full of air only before using paint." We did, with a CO2 bottle. About 800 shots later, the 12 ounce CO2 tank weighed nearly empty, and the test team was quite familiar with the feel and operation of the Blazer's trigger. Another reason for so much air shooting is the break-in period of the Low Pressure Regulator, and of the vertical regulator if you have one. As the components move and operate under pressure, the metal surfaces smooth out even more, and o-rings and seals conform to minute variations in grooves and contact faces. We observed a bit of smoothing out with less than a hundred shots. Palmer advises that a full break-in period for the springs and seals to take their working "set" may be from 2,000-4,000 shots, and during that time, expect to need to tweak the regulators a few times to keep them at optimum settings. Target Range We weren't going to wait any more. Loading up with Nelson Anarchy, the 12 inch target 60 feet out there got covered with paint splats.  The Blazer's mechanical trigger trips the sear to release the hammer and moves the switch stem to control the pneumatics. The springs associated with the sear, trigger and four-way are firm, so the trigger action is firm, also. Palmer says that the action smooths and softens during the break-in period. The closed bolt Blazer has three distinct phases in its shooting cycle. First, the sear is tripped, releasing the hammer, which moves forward striking the air valve. The impact of the hammer opens the air valve, which releases air through a vertical passage, into the bottom of the bolt, then through the front of the bolt to push the paintball out of the barrel. Second, as the trigger is pulled further back, it moves the switch stem, which directs air to the front of the ram piston. The ram piston moves back. Since the piston is linked to the bolt, the bolt moves back and clears the feed, allowing the next ball to drop into the chamber. The master link assembly has a pin that catches the hammer, pushing it back until it catches on the sear. The mechanisms will stay in these positions as long as the trigger is held back. Third, when the trigger is released, spring pressure moves it to its forward rest position. It resets against the sear. The switch stem moves to its rest position, which directs air to the back of the ram piston. The piston moves forward, pulling the bolt forward. If a paintball was in the drop, the paintball is pushed forward into the barrel, and the bolt seals against the barrel. The Blazer is then ready for the next shot. Players not used to the trigger sometimes fail to pull the trigger to the full rear position. They pull it only far enough to trip the sear, which shoots the paintball, but does not load the next paintball. This is called "shortstroking" the marker. The next trigger pull does not shoot a ball, but only loads a paintball. Shortstroking can result in breaking paint. Follow Palmer's instruction to dry fire a long while to get used to the trigger action. Velocity Adjusting As testing continued, we adjusted the velocity as needed. Rather regularly, we checked the low pressure regulator pressure using the simple two step procedure explained in the manual: does the bolt move fully to the rear so its end is flush with the rear of the body; if it does reach that position, can you move it slightly by pushing forward on the master link assembly? (It should feel sort of like squeezing a super ball.) We tweaked the pressure up after a couple of days of play. After some time, the low pressure reg didn't need any more tweaking. The velocity spread for groups of shots had narrowed, too, adding to the marker's accuracy.  With different things to tweak and adjust, it's easy to see how somebody might get to twisting until the marker was way out of whack. Ever conscious of the player who simply fiddles with adjustments without reading the manual, we asked Glenn Palmer, "Glenn, say a player got into a Blazer, and adjusted both the Stabilizer and the velocity adjusting dialer, turned them all ways from Sunday. What is the instruction to get the Blazer back to 'normal' or basic setting, and then how's the right way to adjust things?" Palmer replied, "Well, I would tell them to put both adjusters back to about flush with the caps that they are in and head for the chrono. Setup instructions for the Stabilizer apply, and once set, the Stabilizer should basically be forgotten about and fine tuning of the velocity should be handled only at the back of the marker." Impressions The compact, relatively lightweight Blazer is easy to maneuver in tight bunker situations. The trigger's fast and smooth, and the Blazer will keep you in the game in high volume paint situations. At the same time, the Blazer's built for those one-shot C-ya specials. Options allow players to order a truly customized Blazer. Whether you want a reliable performer in basic black, or performance wrapped in glitter and glamor, look to the Blazer from Palmer's Pursuit Shop. Palmer's Pursuit Shop Blazer Base marker: matte black body, right hand feed, single finger trigger frame: $398 Barrel: from $31.50 Regulator: from $115 Options: polishing, multi-color anodizing, double finger trigger frames, nickel plating on some parts, aluminum anodized barrel sleeve, vertical and left feeds, drop forwards, angled ASA Build time: up to 10 weeks Reviewed Blazer: $1,289 (base marker, vertical center feed, 12 inch barrel with External Nickel Dual Spiral Venting, barrel sleeve, 45 grip frame w/double finger blade trigger, vertical regulator and bottom line, 15-degree ASA, custom builds, LAPCO drop, polishing, three color anodizing, nickel barrel retaining knob, nickel plating for ball detents. Palmer's Pursuit Shop 3951 Development Drive, Suite 3 Sacramento CA 95838 phone 916.923.9676 fax 916.923.9674 www.palmer-pursuit.com