The autotrigger as an invention of the mid-1980's. I don't know when marker came out with it first, but my first marker with an autotrigger was a Line SI Bushmaster pump that Randy Kamiya (one time editor of Action Pursuit Games and member of Team Navarone -- one of the last professional teams to go semi, I might add). Older players will remember the ads in APG of the "Guns of Navarone" showcasing Team Navarone's Bushmasters. Well, my Bushmaster is one of those guns!
Sorry, back to the point. How an autotrigger works.
The sear in an autotrigger mechanism has been modified so if you keep the trigger depressed the trigger sear will hit the hammer sear as you push the pump forward. In other words, all you have to do is hold the trigger back and pump like a madman.
There is a problem, due to all that rapid pumping, your accuracy may suffer. For this reason I would recommend against autotrigger fire, it's a waste of paint. However there are a few tactical situations where an autotrigger will do just fine.
SWEET SPOTTING
This is a technique of shooting at a moving player. Actually it's shooting where you think the player will be going. When you see an opponent moving and you can figure out where they're going, say a nearby bunker, you shoot at a point beside the bunker where the opponent will actually run into the shots. The faster the player is moving the faster you have to autotrigger because you want to keep the space between the balls small, so you opponent can't run between the balls in that stream of paint. I've done that myself, when playing against semis, so I know it's possible.
COVER FIRE
When a teammate is moving, it's a good idea to keep opponents otherwise occupied, rather than allowing them to nuke your buddy. Keep cover fire to short bursts, it saves paint and air.
PINNING FIRE
The main objective is to eliminate you opponent. Many times all you can do is keep the opponent pinned down. This is done the same way as cover fire. Just keep hammering what they're hiding behind and keep them from moving or shooting.
ANTI-BUNKERING
I love it when someone tries to bunker me. I'm rarely taken by surprise because one of the first things I learned in paintball was to remain aware of your surroundings. Normally, I avoid shooting people at close range, unless they're stupid enough to try and bunker me. When they get close enough I pop out from my cover and give them a five round autotrigger burst at about 25 feet. (In fact I have sometimes faked that I was out of paint or air, or have been pretending to be using my squeegee or that there's something wrong with my marker to entice an opponent to bunker me.)
Here is a bonus anti-bunkering tip. If possible, move back from the cover you're behind, so that you are not in the place your opponent expects you to be (which is huddled up close behind cover). Even a split second of hesitation on their part will give you an advantage and is the difference between you getting hit at close range or the other guy getting hit a close range. Have your gun up and ready to fire. Normally you'll see (or at least hear) them before they can get a line of sight on you. At about 25 feet, when they're committed to the attack and out in the open, pop out and let them have it. Never pop out from the top, unless you like cleaning multiple hits off your goggles. Popping out from the top just gives them an easy shot at you.
I'm sure you can come up with arguments for the use of autotriggers in other situations, but it has been my experience that well-aimed shots have far more effect than just spraying the area down like a fire hose. Besides, if you're gonna spray and pray, you might as well go play semi.
All of the articles in the website "www.DURTYDAN.com" are free to use for webpages, school projects, reference and to promote paintball to players and the non-playing public. Please give
credit where credit is due and (where possible) provide a link back to the www.DURTYDAN.com
website.
© Durty Dan 2000. All rights reserved. All works contained in the website known as "www.DURTYDAN.com" are under copyright of the author Durty Dan. While the Terms of Use are broad they do not include the right to
republish this work in any publication (hardcopy or electronic) for the purposes of personal financial gain.
