Unleash the Paint

By Jordan Ricks
6-6-2005

The Firestorm Crank^™ is a rapid fire trigger attachment for the Tippmann^™ A-5 paintball gun. As I discovered last weekend, this easy-to-mount attachment is a simple, yet extremely effective little monster designed to mow down opponents or keep them at bay with a consistent onslaught of suppression fire.

Two gunners behind a small wooden bunker had us pinned down in the tall weeds. We were in the process of a flanking maneuver in an attempt to rush their main base, but we were stopped 30 feet into our move. From behind the cover of their bunker, they threw down a continual stream of suppression fire to prevent us from advancing.

Suddenly, from behind a thick clump of trees, our heavy gunner leaned out and leveled a barrage of paint on the enemy’s bunker. He was cranking the small handle of the Firestorm Crank on his Tippmann A-5 Double Trouble and the opponents had no option but to hug the ground in the fetal position. As they huddled for cover, my buddy and I made an unopposed move to their exposed flank and finished the job.

The Firestorm Crank is the closest thing you’ll find to having a paintball Gatling gun, and allows you to take full advantage of the A-5’s rapid-feeding Cyclone^™ Feed System. The ‘Crank’ fires the trigger on the A-5 paintball marker four times for every turn of the crank, providing an effortless way to create a firestorm of paint, spitting out 15 balls per second. (In the case of the A-5 Gatlin Double Trouble, cranking the Firestorm results in a spray of 30 bps.)

Note: Some players have experienced occasional paint breaks with long barrel configurations. This may not be the case for you, but it may be best to use barrels that don’t exceed 8-inches.

The small crank mounts easily with two screws to the trigger guard, and is simple to use. It’s designed for both right and left-handed players, so you can attach it to the either side of the trigger guard. No disassembly of the marker is required. Once you mount the Firestorm Crank, load your hopper, hook up your air and you’re ready to get down to business. In addition to your normal mode of play, you’ll always be able to lay down a consistent bombardment of paint when your teammates need. Just make sure you keep a little extra paint on hand!