Inside the SPYDER TL

By Sarah Dunsmuir

When I was asked to review the new Spyder TL, I worked with team members from Gridlock II, a team that recently moved into first place at the 3-player Speedball Series at Top Gun, New Jersey. Fittingly, the name "Spyder TL" stands for Spyder Tournament Level.
Keith Bellettiere and Brandon Ford of Gridlock II put the Spyder TL to the test. Both these men are full time refs at Pinelands Paintball Park in New Jersey. Fred Dorski, part of the new management team at Pinelands, was kind enough to lend me two of his refs and the paint for the tests. ("Lend" paint! Hee hee hee! I love this job!)

FIELD TESTS

We started at the chrono. Keith easily chrono'd the 'gun, using the rear velocity adjuster, and locked it in place. At the range, both players immediately out shot the gravity feed loader we started with. It just couldn't keep up, so a 12 volt ViewLoader Revolution was fetched from our tub o' stuff. The ViewLoader made a big difference. No more shoot n' shake.

With my dad, Steve, as the fourth player, it was off to the speedball courts for a little two on two. Yeah baby! First we took pictures because after a day of playing in 90 degree weather, everyone would be tired, sweaty and all around icky. We also wanted to take pictures because we expected the Spyder TL to become a mess, with paint, dirt, sand, and pine sap on it. (We have played these fields before.)

Dad tried hiding behind a cartoon tree and got a little too close: result--pinesap decorations. (Cartoon tree: Full grown man hiding behind a stick.) We were right: the TL didn't look new and shiny at the end of the day but it performed well just the same.

KEITH SAYS

Keith: "I particularly like the beavertail and rear cocking rod. I love not having to worry about the cocking pin hitting the bunker when I snap shoot. It's just great to have no moving parts on the sides of the 'gun. I think the trigger could be made less stiff. The way it shoots stock out of the box is better than most out of the box 'guns. An aftermarket barrel would personalize the 'gun, but it's not needed right away. As for the low pressure chamber, I like it. I think it should be standard with all Spyders. It acts as a volumizer or accumulator, keeping short bursts more consistent in velocity."

BRANDON SAYS

Brandon: "I like the removable foregrip because almost all tournament quality 'guns have some sort of front grip, whether it's a regulator or expansion chamber or just a grip. It gets players accustomed to shooting with two hands, and the 'gun will handle the same if upgraded. The trigger was much better than I had expected. For cleaning, field stripping without tools was quite easy. During the time I was testing the 'gun, the striker o-ring failed and was quickly replaced from the supplied spare parts kit. Remember, you can't just pull the rear pin and remove the bolt like on some 'guns. If you do, you'll be playing "spring loaded small parts pickup"! (Always remove the power source and paint from a marker before disassembly.) All in all, I really thought it was a great 'gun."

STEVE SAYS

Steve: "The Spyder TL is a rear cocking open bolt blow back design built on a Spyder Compact type body, with a 12" ported barrel and muzzle break. It has a standard Spyder power feed and a one piece beaver tail-sight rail combo that remains screwed on the 'gun while field stripping. The quick disconnect pin is a welcome addition. I like cleaning up without digging around for tools. The TL rear velocity adjuster has a black o-ring on its shaft. This gives the adjuster a little turning resistance, holding the adjuster in place during chronoing."

"With my SE I had to hold the adjuster or lock it and unlock it while chronoing. This may not seem like much, but it's the little improvements that make good 'guns into great 'guns. The TL 's 45 pistol grip and removable fore grip make the 'gun have a well balanced feel. The vertical adapter is a bit odd; it seems that it was made to fit the vertical grip only. If it was made with ASA threads, screwing on a regulator or expansion chamber would be a snap. Kingman is going to release vertical adapter for the TL that will allow for an expansion chamber or regulator to be fitted and the low pressure chamber will screw right in."

OPTIONS & UPGRADES

Options and upgrades for the TL are wide and varied as with all Spyders. If I tried to list them all here, I'd run out of room. Aside from the games with Brandon and Keith, I played speedball for several days with the TL in weather ranging from hot and humid to a downpour. I used a standard gravity feed and only occasionally had to shake free a jam. The TL never complained. Keep it clean, keep it oiled and the TL will be there when you need it for years to come.

I knew Before the 'gun even came that I was going to love it. Having my Spyder SE for over a year, I know Spyders are easy to work on, upgrade, and maintain. After testing, my opinion didn't change at all.

However, in my opinion the Spyder TL's manual is not written with new players in mind. There should be a very specific section in it about how to clean your 'gun properly. In Internet news groups, people ask how to clean their Spyders. It seems that some new players are afraid to even use soap and water on their new 'guns. Try getting pine sap off your 'gun without it (thanks, Dad)!

In one part of the manual, it says to use "paintgun lubricant" but does not explain what kind of lubricant is recommended. Little tips like that would make the owner's manual more user-friendly. (Kingman International advises that the recommended lubricant for all Kingman paintball markers should be only 3 in 1 oil and/or 100% synthetic oil, with examples being KC Trouble Free Oil, TASO Lube, ACI Performance Lube, and Gold Cup Oil. Kingman advises not to use any type of home cooking oil, Dura-lube, WD-40 and the like, because these can cause problems such as o-ring swelling, o-ring breaking, or thick, sticky film that can cause a marker to malfunction.)

Another point: when you first get your new 'gun, the first step given is to lubricate your bolt and striker before use. Nobody that I know is going to wait days for their "paintgun lubricant" to arrive. If it's that important to use the special paintgun oil, a small packet should come with it. If 3 in 1 oil is all right, the manual should say so (my SE has been living on 3 in 1 for over a year and I still have the same o-rings).

The manual's exploded view is extremely helpful for looking at your 'gun and seeing what parts go where.

In fairness to Kingman, I have the first version of the manual. Kingman has said that new manuals are coming out, so some things may have changed.

I'll give you a tip that will save you some money, although you shouldn't have to do this for regular cleaning. When disconnecting the braided hose (remember to remove the air source and all paint from the 'gun before working on it!), first disconnect the hose at the ASA adapter end, then remove the fore grip and slide it off the hose. Now here's the important part: to remove the hose from the vertical adapter, loosen the nut closest to the vertical adapter, NOT THE SECOND NUT (which is on the hose itself). If you unscrew the hose from the fitting, the fitting moves out from the hose end about a 1/4 inch, pulls out of the internal lining of the hose, and then won't go back in or come out. If you do that, the hose will then leak. And a new one from Kingman is $24 plus shipping.

Each person who tested the Spyder TL had a different opinion. Everyone had a different choice of what they thought they would upgrade first, with so many upgrades available. But everyone agreed that with the 'gun's high level performance and the affordable pricing, the Spyder TL is sweet!

SPYDER TL Technical Specifications:

SHOOTING MODE: semi-auto (one shot per trigger pull)
TYPE: open bolt, blowback operated
RATE OF FIRE MODES: one, non-adjustable; 6-7 shooting cycles per second maximum
BOLT: rear cocking, Venturi style, aluminum, with 2 o-rings
BARREL: 12" anodized aluminum, spiral ported with muzzle break, removable
BARREL THREAD: Kingman Spyder standard; removal takes 5 full turns
POWER SYSTEM: CO2, or regulated nitrogen/compressed air; bottom line ASA; maximum input should not exceed 750 psi.
VELOCITY: Thumbscrew adjusted tension spring behind the hammer; Allen set screw in thumbscrew adjuster is tourney lock
FEED PORT: crossfeed; loader is to shooter's left of center
SIGHT MOUNT: 3/8" dovetail on a bolt-on, anodized aluminum shark gill style sleeve with integral beaver tail
LENGTH: 21.75"
HEIGHT: 8.75"
WEIGHT: 2 pounds 15 ounces
FACTORY WARRANTY: 1 year parts & labor
MSRP: $199.99

MANUFACTURER:

Kingman International Corp. 9480 Telstar Ave., Suite #2 El Monte, CA 91731 Telephone 626.575.8777 Fax 626.575.8798 Web www.kingmanUSA.com

TESTING CONDUCTED AT:

Pinelands Paintball Park, Rt. 539, Manchester NJ; phone 800.Flag007; www.playpaintball.com