These are some of the questions pretaining to the Shocker that I hear asked most often. If you wish to know more detail about one or more of the topics, consult their seperate section of my site.
Please note that this is not a FAQ for electronic markers. If you are unfamiliar with terms used when describing electronic markers (dwell, input pressure, LPR, etc), then read my Electronic Markers FAQ.
General Questions:
Q: Who originally invented the Shocker?
A: The marker was originally built by a company called PneuVentures (pVI for short). Later on pVI went out of business and SP bought the patent rights to the gun. In 1998 Smart Parts released a second-generation Shocker known as the Shocker Sport which continued until 2002.
Q: Which is better, the Impulse or the Shocker Sport?
A: This is really a matter of opinion. Shockers are slower and less efficient, however experience less recoil and better accuracy. The price range is pretty much even for both of them at this point. As said it really is a matter of personal preference.
Q: Which is better, Shocker Sport or Shocker SFT?
A: Don't be fooled, these are actually two completely different markers. In all respects they should not be compared. The Shocker SFT is smaller, lighter, faster, and generally gets better efficiency, however it also costs several hundred dollars more and is in much greater demand. The Shocker Sport, however, experiances better accuracy and recoil due to its weight, and also is much cheaper.
Q: What is the small hole on the right side of the body for?
A: When you shoot the Shocker a burst of air should be vented out from that hole. This is where you plug the macroline in for your Air Assist. It is very important that you NOT plug this hole, or the marker won't cycle properly.
Q: What is the normal operating pressure of the Shocker?
A: Shockers have been reported being using anywhere between 150 and 200-psi. It is important that you not adjust your regulator above 200-psi or else you risk damage to your solenoids and other internal seals.
Q: What is the "o-ring trick"?
A: This is where you drop an extra tank o-ring inside the Max-Flo ASA to help seal your tank. Not all tanks need the o-ring trick to work, and if you have a vertical regulator you will not need to perform the o-ring trick.
Q: How does a Shocker Sport work? Are there any other markers like it?
A: The Shocker utilizes a very unique design that isn't be found in any other paintball marker. For a detailed explaniation check the firing assembly internals page.
Q: What is Turbo mode? How does it work?
A: Turbo is a special fire rate-enhancing mode which increases your ROF once you hit a certain speed. This later became known as a ramping mode. When using Turbo mode, you're able to pull the tirgger 5-bps and it will increase the firing speed to 9-bps as long as you keep pulling the trigger.
Questions Asked Prior to Purchase:
Q: Are there any private label Shocker Sports?
A: The official answer is no, however the Eclipse Shocker could be considered one. It features different milling and came stock with several upgrades.
Q: How many circuit boards are available?
A: There were two types of stock boards available, and one aftermarket board. Check the electronics page for info.
Q: I hear the Shocker gets bad efficiency, how many shots will I get with from my tank?
A: It is true that Shocker Sports gets very bad efficiency when compared to other paintball markers. The actual amount each Shocker gets, however, varies from gun to gun. But as an example, from a 68/4500 tank you can expect to get anywhere between 700-900 shots. Aftermarket bolts are available, however they usually will not produce drastic efficiency increases.
Q: What is the Shocker Sport's maximum rate of fire?
A: This is different between DS and LS boards. With DS boards, you can adjust the Shocker to fire 11.25-bps using the fastest settings, whereas the LS board can be adjusted to 13-bps using its maximums. The rate of fire will decrease, however, if your bolt speed is not set to its fastest settings (which it usually is not unless you use a forcefeed hopper).
Q: What barrel threading does the Shocker use?
A: The Shockers 1998 and later will accept Shocker-threaded barrels. This is the same as 2003-2006 Shocker SFT markers, however no more markers use shocker thread after the Shocker NXT was released in late 2006.
Q: I have seen vertical feed Shockers, what are the threads on their vertical feed tube?
A: Vertical feed bodies made in 2000 have no threading on them, so you can theoretically use any feed tube you wish as long as it isn't too wide to fit in the body. 2001 and later Shockers use vertical feeds threaded for the Impulse, Shocker SFT, Nerve, Ion, Invert, Omen, Bushmaster, and "new-style" Piranhas. There are many aftermarket tubes available, some of which are listed here. Shocker NXT feednecks are different.
The threading on the right feed bodies is different than the vertical feed bodies.
Can I get a Vision eye for my Shocker Sport?
A: There isn't a drop-in method to add eyes to the marker. The only way to use eyes is to use a board made for dual solenoid marker (Electronic Autococker, Excalibur, or Shocker Sport) then retrofit the eyes onto the body. The installation of these eyes is not a drop-in upgrade and can only be done by somebody with enough experience or a good technical understanding.
Q: What tank output pressure can I use?
A: For cmpatibility we generally suggest using an HP output tank. This will allow the tank to function on virtually any other marker out there, except Angels using the WDP Minireg.
Q: What upgrades are available for the Shocker Sport that also work with the Impulse?
A: There are a few: ball detents, feed tubes, and triggers (LS Shockers only). Also generic parts like grips, bottomline/ASA, etc.
Q: Can I get a vertical ASA and vertical regulator for my Shocker?
A: The markers were never designed to use a standard vertical regulator (since they weren't as common when it was designed). Instead there were once vertical Max-Flo reg mounts that could take the bottomline reg and mount it vertically.
It's possible to rig up a standard vertical ASA and use a universal vertical regulator, however this requires some drilling and modding that you'll have to do yourself.
Technical Questions:
Q: What is the difference between DS and LS boards? Which do I have?
A: DS boards were used in 1995 to early 2000 Shockers, whereas LS boards were used from late 2000 to 2002. There are several differences between them, however the fastest way to tell is this: if the Shocker has an on/off switch on the side of the body (and an LED rigth in front of it) then it has an LS board; if it doesn't have an on/off switch, instead a red LED on the front of the body, then it has a DS board.
Q: How many aftermarket frames are there?
A: There were a few aftermarket frames available in the past, but they've long since been discontinued.
Q: How do I time my Shocker?
A: The two things that you can adjust in order to properly time a Shocker Sport are the fire pulse and bolt pulse. Adjusting the fire pulse controls how long the Shocker's valve remains open, whereas the bolt pulse controls how long the bolt remains open.
Q: Can I install an LPR on my Shocker Sport?
A: No. This can be done in theory but it requires a lot of modding and new parts fabrication.
Q: Can I get use a Tapeworm with my Shocker Sport?
A: You can if you want, but the Shocker Sport doesn't require one to function like an Impulse.
Q: When I tip my Shocker downward, paintballs roll out the barrel. What can I do?
A: This is because you have an improper paint to bore match. Your paintballs are smaller then your barrel's bore, thus they roll out when tipped forward. You can either use larger bore paintballs or use a smaller bore barrel. Replacing your ball detents won't fix this problem.
Q: How do I remove the two pins holding in the trigger?
A: You must remove each of the c-clips from the two pins. This may be difficult to do, however it must be done in order to get the trigger out. Be careful that the c-clips do not go flying across the room when you remove them.
Q: What hopper should I use with my Shocker Sport?
A: Usually any hopper will work, except gravity-fed, un-agitated hoppers (due to the Shocker's low recoil). This means you could use just about any agitated or force-fed hopper available, including a Revolution, Ricochet, Halo TSA, eVolutionII, Halo or Halo-B, Warp Feed, and others.