US Army Alpha Black Tactical
by Bill Mills - Photos by Dawn Mills - March 2008

Features HowItWorks Disassembly Adjustment Testing Data

RAW DATA

WARPIG Ballistic Labs Test Results
Test Subject: US Army Alpha Black Tactica Rapid fire comparison
Paintgun and Air System: Alpha Black Tactical, stock barrel - Crossfire high output HPA system.
Variable: Rate of fire
Chronograph strings: Each string represents three groups of 10 shots fired at listed intervals under microprocessor control.
Paint: DraXxus Hellfire
Notes: One shot misfired air only at 1 bps testing - both strings were still used for comparison, as only 20 shots are needed to develop standard deviations, and it considered more forthright to use the data than provide a "do over" which would hide the inconsistency. That one "blank" shot was the only feed error which occurred during testing and use of the marker.

Understanding the Summary Data

High: This represents the highest velocity in the recorded string of shots.

Low: This represents the lowest velocity in the recorded string of shots.

Extreme Spread: This is the difference in velocity between the highest velocity shot and the lowest velocity shot.

Average: This is the average velocity of the string of shots. This is the number to look at to compare whether velocity is increased overall, or decreased overall by a change in a variable.

Standard Deviation: S.D. Is a mathematicall way of expressing how close most of the shots are to the average. The lower the Standard Deviation is, the more consistent the velocity is.

95%: This is an easier to understand way of expressing consistency. Statistically, there is a 95% chance than a given shot will vary this amount or less from the average.

Target Groupings

Target groupings were fired with the same setup, the test marker stand mounted, fired at a rate of 1 ball per second under microprocessor control, in two groups of 20 shots. Distance to the paper target was 75 feet, and the variable between the two groupings was the barrel - the marker's stock barrel compared to a Freak barrel with paint matched insert and All-American front. Photographs of the targets were then digitally adjusted to compensate for distortion produced by camera angle, so that they could be directly compared. The target comparison image on the testing page of this article is a composite of the two photographs, with colored highlights of the impact points to provide a direct visual comparison.

Thanks to Andrew Cannon and family for assistance in chrono and target testing.