Key Features of the Empire Mini GS Paintball Gun
- ASA with on/off toggle
- Lightweight
- Easy on paint
- Ideal for small builds
The Design
The Empire Mini GS is mini. Coming in at only 1.2 lbs, the Mini GS is small and light. This is great if you play in a forward position and favor covering ground fast. It also means that you can cover behind smaller bunkers with greater effect. However, it is worth noting that the Mini GS is, well, mini.
If you have large, thick hands or use padded gloves, you might find this marker a bit uncomfortable to operate. In this case, opting for the Empire Axe or Axe Pro is a much better idea, as these markers will fit you better.
As far as the design is concerned, many players were extremely grateful for the addition of a clamping feed neck. One of the biggest complaints about the first generation mini was the lack of this, which caused some players to have alignment issues when attaching the hopper.
The rubber-covered foregrips are another big plus amongst competitive ballers as it allows you to operate the Mini GS comfortably and securely, even if your gloves are covered in mud or paint.
The micro switch trigger is another excellent addition to the Mini GS, as the pull is smooth and buttery.
Performance
The mini is celebrated for having minimal recoil, about less than an inch. Thanks to this, you can accurately fire paint for sustained bursts whilst still maintaining accuracy.
It is very gas efficient as well, so you won’t have to worry about needing to swap out canisters unnecessarily.
Using quality paintballs and a typical Ninja 45/4500 HPA tank you should be able to fire off 11 000 paintballs, which is about 11 pods. Another benefit of this marker that you might not hear too many speedball players talking about is how quiet it is.
Relying on stealth might not get you very far during a speedball tournament, but if you choose to blow off some steam playing woodsball or military sim matches then having a ghostly quiet shot will certainly come in handy.
Used recreationally the Empire Mini GS will blow most Spyder and Tippmann markers out of the water.
On the speedball field, the Mini GS certainly can hold its own. It is important to remember, however, that this is still considered to be a budget marker for intermediate players.
As you start to play more competitive matches with and against players who not only have more hours on the field but better equipment, you will want to upgrade to a more expensive marker.
Maintaining the Marker
Maintenance for the Mini GS is not bad, honestly. However, this marker does receive a lot of flak about it. This mainly stems from the fact that the ‘instruction manual’ that they ship this marker with is terrible.
The learning curve is not all that steep should you choose to take the Empire Mini GS apart, but at this price range, you would certainly expect Empire to address this issue.
Fortunately, you can download a digital copy of the instruction manual here.
There are very few O-rings on the marker, which is great because it means that there are fewer components to replace over time. Empire also ships the Mini GS with a small assortment of essential tools that you will need to take the marker apart.
However, it is worth noting that it is annoyingly tedious to clean out the eyes of the marker. While this is not a major issue by any means, if you like to keep your equipment in good shape then you will probably find the process involved in taking this marker apart unnecessarily laborious.
Even so, the Empire Mini GS is a quality marker that should not require regular maintenance from normal use. If you have any issues with the ASA, it is better to take it to a professional than to try and fix it yourself.
Final Thoughts on the Empire Mini GS Paintball Marker
All in all, this is a good marker for the price. It can hold its own against other markers that are substantially more expensive and will serve you well as you get into competitive speedball. It is a tiny marker, so ballers with larger hands should probably opt for a larger paintball gun.
It has also been noted that Empire has been less than vigilant with its quality control standards. As such, several buyers have reported receiving a defective marker. However, if you shop from a trusted online store that has a good refund policy then you can always get it replaced or get a refund.
Quiet, light, and accurate, the Empire Mini GS is one of the best paintball guns for the money that is available on the market.
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