by Bill Mills - Photos by Dawn Mills - Oct 2007

Testing

Features HowItWorks Disassembly Adjustment Testing Data

With the Epiphany switched over to semi-auto, and ROFDelay minimized, dwell kept at the factory default setting, it was time to set the velocity. For review, the Epiphany was used with a high output (800 psi) Crossfire compressed air system, screwed into the ASA. It is important with the Epiphany, that its internal pressure be raised slowly, rather than delivering a harsh pop to the solenoid valve. This was done with the on/off valve of the ASA at the chrono station, with goggles on.

The velocity lock screw was loosened, and the included 5/8” flat wrench made for quick velocity adjustment, using the onboard pressure gauge to make sure the Epiphany was within its operating range of 260 to 280 psi. Velocity was then dialed in to approximately 285 fps, which placed the pressure at approximately 265 psi.

Once velocity was dialed in the Epiphany was ready to go. DraXxus Hellfire was used as test paint, fed from a BoostHoppers modified VLocity loader. In general feel, the Epiphany fired and felt very similar to an Ion. The proof of increased performance would be in the proverbial pudding, once the testing was underway.

Objective testing was performed by mounting the Epiphany on a test stand, and using microprocessor controlled firing sequences over a ballistic chronograph and at paper targets.

Two velocity test strings were fired from the Epiphany, one at a rate of 1 bps, and one at a rate of 12 bps. By the velocity of each shot in the string, velocity stability could be measured, as could shoot-down if it existed.

At 1bps, the Epiphany had an average velocity of 286.6 feet per second, with a standard deviation of 4.6. The 95% figure – a quantification based on throwing out 5% of the data which is least consistent (this allows for odd, inconsistent paint to be discounted) was ±2.0.

When the rate of fire was increased to 12 balls per second, the average velocity came down to 276.0 feed per second, and the standard deviation increased to 6.2 with a 95% value of ±3.0.

Testing showed an average 10.6 bps drop in velocity. It should be noted, that in the factory configuration, the Epiphany's pressure was a the low end of its range. In theory switching to a thicker insert and increasing the operating pressure, should provide reduction to this figure. Testing was performed in factory configuration than after custom tuning, to show “out of the box performance” a typical user will get.

The chrono data takes on more significance when compared to the same test performed under the same conditions with an Ion. In WARPIG Ballistic Labs testing, a stock Ion had a 15.8 bps average shoot down from 1 to 12 bps. The Epiphany was was also more consistent at both slow and fast shooting than the Ion. At 1bps the Ion's Standard Deviation was 5.2, and it jumped to 10.8 at 12 bps.

To see the full Epiphany chronograph data, click here. To see the Ion Chronograph data for comparison, click here.

Target groupings were fired at a range of 75 feet, with 20 shots at a range of 1 ball per second under microprocessor control both with the stock Freak JR barrel with .693 insert and a Freak barrel with All-American front and .687 insert matched to the paint – the barrel used as a control standard in WARPIG Ballistic Labs marker testing. Not surprisingly, the groupings were very similar in ovarall size between the two barrels, as both were quite similar. Aside from three low-striking stragglers, the standardized barrel produced a slightly tighter core grouping, possibly due to the closer bore match. Individual target photos are available here.

It may be easy to look on the Epiphany as simply a dressed up Ion. In many ways it is. In use on the field, it exhibited a distinctively different feel, from its trigger and trigger bearing system, and smooth grip shape to its light alloy body, bringing it away from the plastic body feel for which many have criticized its predecessor, the Ion. The differences between the two markers are more than cosmetic though. While many parts of the valve system are the same, the reduced volume fire chamber of the Epiphany did produce a measurable reduction in shoot-down, and may be able to improve that reduction further with fine tuning and volume control insert selection. In factory configuration, at both at low and high rates of fire, the Epiphany also showed better velocity consistency than the Ion.