ABOUT STOCK-CLASS
PAINTBALL
Introduction
Apparently, the first game of paintball was a huge hit as everyone reportedly had a blast. Grown adults running around in the woods, playing “Capture the Flag” and using forestry and cattle paint markers to tag each other out. At the end of the day participants traded “war stories” over cocktails and BBQ. Sounds like paradise, am I right?
It should be noted that the markers used that day were all manually-operated, horizontally-fed, and powered by a single 12-gram CO2 cartridge.
In the wake of that single event, an entire sport was born. Driven by demand, an industry bloomed, and technological advancements flourished. Large-scale, organized competitions filled the calendar. While the vast majority of players embraced the paintball “Arms Race”, there were some who opted to hold on to their old limited-paint equipment and continue to use it on the field. By the early 1990s, there were very few players willing to pit their old equipment against the latest semi-autos.
Fast forward to today and paintball now consists of high-capacity, high rate-of-fire markers that encourage highly-aggressive play. Combine this with tournaments that promote a hyper-competitive attitude, and we have gone from a game that was once played for fun to a sport that is now played to win.
This was never the intent of the founders of the game.
The very first book about paintball, “The Official Survival Game Manual” by Lionel Atwill, was published in 1983, just two years after the first game was played. On page 69 of that book, Atwill goes into great detail about which gun modifications will be allowed, and which ones will not. Quite prophetically, he predicts that if players are allowed to modify their guns beyond the original stock configuration, then the game “would go by the boards” - which is an old nautical term meaning to “fall overboard”. More simply put, to fail. Obviously, the world did not heed the advice promoted in that book, and paintball has “evolved” to where we are today - a sport where players are packed into a very small area with guns capable of firing 15 balls per second with a 260 round capacity.
While the vast majority of players today truly love the excitement and intensity of competing at that level, it is not surprising that testosterone-fueled arguments are commonplace, and can often devolve into physical altercations. Tournament play escalated the level of cheating from its inception. Wiping, playing on until a ref makes a call, bonus balling, dialing up velocity during game play, ramping, point blank headshots, and blind firing are only some of the ways players violate rules that lead to in-game disputes. Unfortunately, intentionally malicious and unsportsmanlike conduct is often tolerated or ignored. At times, it is even celebrated.
This is definitely not the type of “fun” the founders of this game had envisioned.
A Brief History of Stock-Class Paintball and the Rules
The formal introduction of “stock-class paintball” was brought about in 1992 by Dr. Marty C. Nation and a group of like-minded players who formed the Stock Gun Players Association (SGPA). The organization was presumably created in response to the ever-increasing problems created by high rate-of-fire/high capacity guns, along with preserving the original spirit of the game. The very first stock-class rules written by the SGPA were designed specifically for tournament play, and included all sorts of technical restrictions that were designed to create equity in the equipment being used.
Efforts to organize stock-class tournaments, along with the use of these new rules never gained any real traction among players, and early efforts to promote the format fell short.
This is where the problem regarding "stock-class rules" originated.
Apparently, there are some players out there who don't understand that tournament rules need to address specific technical concerns that recreational play does not. Unfortunately, many of these same players have blindly applied the out-dated 1992 tournament rules to today's recreational play, and continue to recite them as if they were still valid.
Wait, it gets worse…
In 1994 there was an attempt to salvage the format by a player named “Durty Dan”, who introduced the concept of “Modified Stock-Class” rules, presumably to make them “more inclusive”. Unfortunately, these modified rules blurred the line between what had already become the globally-accepted definition of “open-class” and what was now being labeled as “modified stock-class”.
The introduction of these “modified stock-class” rules simply compounded all of the confusion about the definition of what is, and what is not considered “stock-class”. With no official organization or governing body to enforce any of these rules, the format quickly faded into obscurity. And without any governing body to update, maintain or clarify the rules, the confusion surrounding them has continued to plague the paintball community to this day.
While the format itself was left to “wither on the vine”, there were still hundreds of players who owned stock-class guns scattered across the country. The vast majority of these players enjoyed the challenge of limited paint play with an old school pump, but there were no longer any stock-class-only games being organized. So, these players did the only thing they could - they used their stock-class equipment at their local fields against players who were armed with modern semis. Some players enjoyed the challenge, the rest retired or sold their stock-class equipment.
The Rebirth of Stock-Class Paintball
By the early 2000s there were only a tiny handful of game organizers who were still promoting stock-class equipment in their games. These games took place primarily in California, Hawaii and the Northeast. Some events allowed a mix of all types of guns. Some mixed stock-class and open-class. Some ran a modified version of stock-class games. Assumably, each organizer used their own rule sets. Due to the limited amount of players and overall lack of support by legitimate field owners, the majority of these games were held at small renegade fields.
Thanks to the internet and a little ol’ website called “MCarterBrown.com” (a.k.a. MCB), stock-class fans from around the world had the opportunity to connect. While there was a sporadic effort to organize some stock-class games early on, it wasn’t until the spring of 2011 that a truly concerted effort to organize recurring, large-scale stock-class events took place in the Northeast. Several different groups of veteran stock-class players from Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts joined together to play using an updated set of stock-class rules at Extreme Paintball in Waterbury, CT. Every player in attendance declared it a success. That event was followed by another one in the fall at Strategy Plus in East Hampton, CT.
Every year since then, stock-class-only events have been organized every spring and fall at various fields throughout the Northeast using an updated rule set. Over the years these events have grown in both size and popularity.
Stock-class groups in California, Hawaii and other parts of the country, as well as Canada also use social media and MCB to connect and organize events. The “SoCal Stock” group based in California has a following almost as large as the one in the Northeast. While not all groups limit their games to stock-class equipment exclusively, they still promote and enjoy the format enthusiastically.
While a new standardized set of rules has been created to replace the old tournament rules of 1992, it has not been universally adopted. At least not yet. Currently, where you live and who is organizing the events determines what rules are being used.
These new rules are called “Stock-Class 2.0”. Welcome to the future of stock-class paintball!
FAQs
“What’s so great about playing stock-class paintball?”
• It Promotes Skill - Limited paint means you need to make every shot count. Using “Spray and pray” tactics isn’t possible so stock-class helps improve your accuracy, shot discipline, and overall playing skills.
• It’s Comparatively Inexpensive - Because you are shooting a lot less paint, stock-class is a LOT cheaper than playing mainstream paintball. Stock-class equipment can cost less than regular paintball equipment as well, so there is another cost savings incentive there. However, just like any hobby, it is possible to spend obscene amounts of money on ridiculous equipment for those who need to get all flashy.
• It Promotes Good Sportsmanship - Stock-class play is far less aggressive than it is with guns that can shoot 16 balls per second. This means there is far less potential for emotionally-charged altercations both on and off the field. It’s a humbling experience to get tagged with one shot in between your eyes through a small slit in a bunker from 30 yards away.
• Play At Your Own Pace - Unlike the Speedball and Hyper-ball fields, where being fast is a necessity, stock-class players can choose to run, walk, saunter or sneak towards their opponents. In stock-class, the need for speed is supplanted by the need for skill.
• It Preserves the Original Spirit of the Game - Skill, sportsmanship and camaraderie were all organic by-products of the very first game of paintball. By using the same basic marker configuration, stock-class enables players to enjoy the same thrill that the founders of the game experienced.
• It’s Some Of The Most Fun You Will Ever Have Playing Paintball! - Once you get a few games under your belt, the challenge and camaraderie of stock-class play can create unforgettably fun memories.
“Why is it called ‘stock-class’? Is it because the guns need stocks?”
No, the term “stock-class” has nothing to do with whether the marker has a stock or not.
As far as the name goes, I haven’t been able to track down the origin of exactly where the term “stock-class” came from. Being a stock-class nerd, I really wanted to know. After talking with several sources over the years, I’ve come up with a theory. Whether it can be proven true or not is yet to be seen.
In 1983 Jim Iulo and his partner John Poklemba were among the first franchise owners of Bob Gurnsey’s National Survival Game, and opened their field under the name “National Survival Game of Connecticut”. About a year after opening, Jim split from both the National Survival Game, and later on, his partner. He renamed the field “Strategy Plus”, and in the first few years of operations Jim would rent and sell Nel-Spot 007 markers. At that time, it was rare to see any other type of marker at the field.
By the late 1980s, there were already a multitude of new manufacturers producing an array of different paintball guns. The apparent goal of every manufacturer was to increase the capacity and rate-of-fire of their markers. 12-gram CO2 cartridges were replaced with large volume tanks, horizontal indirect feed systems were replaced with direct gravity feeds, limited capacity stick feeds were replaced with large capacity hoppers, and 10-round tubes were replaced with 100-round pods.
In order to keep up with all of the advancements in marker technology, Iulo began running two separate types of games. The first type he called “Stock Games” as they only allowed guns configured in the original style of pump-action, horizontally-fed and powered by a single 12-gram. The second type of games were called “Comp games” because those games allowed all of the newer types of “competition” guns that were equipped with tanks, hoppers and direct feeds.
In the early 1990s Jim became the founder and president of the International Paintball Field Owners Association (IPOA). It may be possible that he discussed his business model with other field owners across the country and covered the topic of running stock games versus comp games. If these specific conversations did not happen, then it is possible that other field owners made a similar distinction between older and newer equipment independently of Iulo’s terminology. Perhaps Iulo picked up the term from someone in the industry?
Before his death in late October of 2014, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jim and ask why he called his original style games “stock games”. He responded by saying “I don’t know. Probably because the guns (Nel-Spots) were all original, like the unmodified cars in stock car racing.”
Whether the term “stock-class” was propagated by Iulo to other field owners, or it came about organically within the industry, it seems logical that it originated in the late 1980s from field owners needing to define games that were being run using original-style equipment while trying to keep up with what is now known as the paintball “arms race” at the same time.
That’s just my theory, and I’m sticking with it.
“What’s the difference between stock-class and open-class?”
Stock-class:
Any type of marker that is manually-operated (pump-action, lever-action, bolt-action, thumb paddles, etc.), has an unassisted (no spring) horizontal feed system (a feed that is aligned parallel to the barrel), and powered by a single 12-gram CO2 cartridge.
Open-class:
Any type of marker that is manually-operated (usually pump-action), has a direct feed with any size hopper, and powered by any type of propellant within any size vessel (CO2 or Compressed Air, 12-gram or tank).
“What is ‘modified stock-class’?”
Over the years, the term “modified stock-class” has created more confusion and arguments than any other definition regarding stock-class. The reason for this is because the definition keeps being used in different ways. Some players say it means using a gun with a horizontal stick feed and a tank. Some players say it means just using a vertical stick feed. Some players say it means using guns powered by 12-grams and a very small hopper. Some players say it means using limited capacity tanks and hoppers.
Obviously, this lack of consensus leaves players using one term for a multitude of configurations - including one that already had a well-known definition - Open-Class.
Here at Stock-Class HQ we feel it’s important for the paintball community to all be on the same page as far as terminology goes in order to avoid confusion and arguments.
We’ve outlined the definitions of both stock-class and open-class above. Given the remaining possible configurations, the only logical definition of “modified” stock-class would be either:
1) a manually-operated gun with a horizontal or vertical stick feed and powered by any size tank. Spring feeds allowed.
OR
2) a manually-operated gun with a vertical stick feed and powered by any 12-gram changer that can hold one (1) or more CO2 cartridges. Spring feeds allowed.
There is no configuration that involves using a hopper that would be considered “modified stock-class” because as soon as a hopper is used then the gun falls into the definition of Open-Class.
“Why are only horizontal stick feeds and not vertical stick feeds allowed under the new Stock-Class 2.0 rules?”
Great question! At first, this may seem like a minor or even silly distinction, but the difference can create an unfair advantage during actual game play. During the evolution of the paintball gun one of the biggest advancements was the introduction of a gravity feed system where players could chamber pellets directly into the breech as rapidly as they could pump their marker. Combined with an “auto-trigger”, the rate-of-fire of these types of guns produced can easily dominate any older gun configured with a horizontally-fed system.
”So, if it’s a matter of eliminating an unfair advantage, why not just have everyone use a vertical/gravity feed?”
Another great question. However, we need to remember that one of the primary tenets of stock-class is to preserve the original spirit of the game. History has proven that high-capacity paintball guns with a high rate-of-fire can often lead to far more aggressive and emotionally-charged play. Terms like “dumping”, “bonus balling” and “overshooting” all relate to the unsportsmanlike practice of intentionally hitting an opponent as many times as possible until they call themselves out. While most stock-class players would never engage at this level, the simple fact of the matter remains - that the potential for a heated, emotional exchange is far greater with guns capable of producing a higher rate of fire than guns that can’t.
When you have to “rock and cock” your horizontally-fed marker in order to fire each individual round, then the entire pace of your game is slowed down. When the pace and intensity of the game is slowed down, then the potential to lose your perspective, or fail to manage your emotions in a heated argument goes down as well. And when the potential for aggression decreases, then the potential for more fun increases.
So, this is why we choose the horizontal feed over the vertical - to keep things fun.
“Operating stock-class guns sounds like a hassle! Swapping 12-grams, reloading 10-round tubes, cocking the gun in between each shot… why would I want to subject myself to all that?”
For those used to just pointing and pulling the trigger on a semi-auto, operating a stock-class gun really can seem like a real hassle. All the steps required to just fire the gun not only slow down the overall pace of the game (which we know helps decrease the potential for hyper-aggressive behavior and altercations), but it also increases the challenge of playing the game.
In addition to the rigamarole of operating your gun, you need to make each shot count, capture a flag, and not get hit by an opposing player. Mastering all of these challenges is how you become a better, more skilled player. The sense of pride and accomplishment you get from tagging an opponent in the lenses with ONE well-placed shot while under fire is an amazing experience. And once you achieve that level of skill, no one can take that away from you!
Actual conversation overheard after a game…
Eliminated Player: “That was a lucky shot!”
Skilled Player: “It’s not ‘luck’ if I was aiming at you!”
True story.
“Where can I find stock-class equipment?”
Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of manufacturers producing stock-class equipment these days. The good news is that finding used equipment online is quite easy. There are a multitude of Buy/Sell/Trade (“BST”) sections on social media. One great online resource is mcarterbrown.com (“MCB”) that features an extensive BST section, and always has stock-class equipment listed.
As more players participate in stock-class play, some manufacturers may see a potential business opportunity. 3D printing is just one way players are being able to have custom needs met quickly and inexpensively.
“Do you ever host modified stock-class games?”
While I (Slim) do not host modified games, there are modified stock-class games being hosted by others. A player nicknamed “Roach” has hosted an annual stock-class/modified stock-class game at OSG Paintball in New Hampshire for several years. As mixing formats hasn’t worked well for me personally, I plan on staying with stock-class 2.0 at all my events.
Obviously, event organizers are free to use whatever rules they like. All event organizers should strive to ensure that the rules are consistent, clearly explained and posted well ahead of time. Doing so helps avoid any confusion or issues among participants during the event.
“Why is Stocktoberfest held in September if it’s supposed to have an Oktoberfest theme?”
Oktoberfest is a 16 to 18 day festival in Munich, Germany that runs from mid or late September to the first Sunday in October. In keeping with that tradition and theme, Stocktoberfest is always held in late September.
When were the new Stock-Class 2.0 rules first used?
The Stock-Class 2.0 rules were introduced by Mark “Slim” Hatfield at his first stock-class “renegade” game in 2003. Held near his home (at that time) in Shelton, Connecticut, the rules were loosely based on the same rules used at Strategy Plus in East Hampton, CT from the 1980s-1990s. The rules were first written out and “formalized” in the Spring of 2011 when the renegade games were moved to Extreme Paintball in Waterbury. From 2011 to 2016 some rules were modified or adapted to address specific issues regarding the balance of fairness and overall safety (e.g. banning laser sights, First Strike rounds and spring feeds). However, the primary rules requiring markers be manually-operated, horizontally-fed and powered by a single 12-gram cartridge have remained unchanged since the days of Strategy Plus.