Paintball
The Icon X paintball gun by 32 Degrees is a stacked-tube blowback semiautomatic paint gun. It's an entry-level paint gun that is designed to be inexpensive. With a few simple changes, however, it can serve as an excellent recreational paint gun.
Icon X Basics
Typical entry-level paint guns sacrifice some elements of quality and sophistication in order to keep the price low for new players. The Icon X follows this pattern with a basic barrel, a non-motorized plastic hopper and a small CO2 tank. However, it also includes nice features such as a drop-forward, a vertical foregrip, centerfeed, a sight rail and a two-finger trigger. These all used to be considered high-end features or mandatory upgrades, so it's nice to have them included on the basic gun. The Icon X is compatible with Kingman Spyder parts.
Upgrading the Basics
For the Icon X, there are three "must-have" upgrades that will benefit the paint gun right away. First, a motorized (agitated) hopper such as an Invert Reloader 2 will help ensure that paint balls feed consistently into the gun. Second, a fixed-pressure compressed air system that screws directly into the bottomline will provide steady, regulated air to the Icon X, which helps keep velocity and performance stable. Third, a quality aftermarket barrel such as a Lapco BigShot or CP Classic will improve your accuracy and consistency and may also reduce the sound made by firing.
Care and Feeding
Like any paint gun, the Icon X has to be properly maintained in order to provide consistent and reliable performance. This means following the owner's manual instructions for cleaning and lubricating the paint gun. Smart players will run through the field-strip and reassembly procedure before ever playing with the gun to ensure that it was done correctly. Also, as with any paint gun, using better-quality, fresh paint balls will help the Icon X reach its performance potential. Quality paint is less likely to break or be out of round, both of which can hurt accuracy and require more downtime for cleaning.
Advanced Upgrades
Players wanting to get the best out of their Icon X will eventually want to replace the stock springs with a standard spring kit (available from most paint ball retailers). Better-quality springs will lead to more consistent performance and durability. Stainless-steel replacement screws may also be installed to resist rust and corrosion; these also help the look of the paint gun. Finally, since the Icon-X is compatible with most Spyder upgrades, such as electronic grip frames, a player could possibly replace every major part except the body in the pursuit of top performance.
Tags: compatible with, ensure that, entry-level paint, paint balls, paint Icon, will help
