Finally had a chance to rebuild a Perentie Badger and record a shooting video. In this video I blast a few rounds through the rebuilt Badger, which is serialized to indicate it was produced in 1994. I think the barrel might be missing the detent but otherwise it’s complete and cycling okay.
I would likely know nothing about the Perentie Badger without the passed on knowledge of Paintmagazine (home of the old POG forum) editor Mike Wallis.
Wallis’ article is a fantastic recording of the innovative but tragic history of the Badgers and their creator.
You can find Wallis’ article here:
http://www.assemble-edit.com.au/badger.html
During the early 90s, strict firearms ownership and importation laws were crippling paintball in Australia. Bolt and pump action paintguns existed at fields but importation of semi automatics was extremely difficult and costly.
As Mike Wallis wrote in his old article on the Perentie Badger,
“It was an era of growth in a local market despite a raft of contradictory laws effecting the use and ownership of paintball markers across Australia. In some states it wasn’t possible for individuals to own markers. In others, it wasn’t legal to use them.”
The costs of importing modern equipment for use as rentals down under was so expensive that commercial paintball faced extinction. But a locally produced marker (with all the proper firearm manufacturer paperwork) could be sold for a much cheaper price.
“Into this uncertain arena in early 1993 stepped Bruce Roberts and Darren Hayes,” writes Wallis.
Roberts and Hayes produced a blowforward paintguns based on the design of the Automag but even further simplified.
The on/off assembly is nearly identical (I use orings from an Automag to rebuild the on / off in my Badgers) but the powertube seal is changed from an oring to an extremely high quality hydraulic seal.
The regulator is eliminated and the gas through grip transports the air to the valve without an external airline (although the Badger shown features a hard lined Vertical asa).
Wallis also writes that earlier grips were Sand Cast and later grips were Die Cast.
The shown badger uses the hollow earlier style frames and the later were a more resilient solid die cast.
In around 2005 I imported about 10-20 ex rental (extremely beat up) Badgers from Australia. Aside from this batch of ex rentals I have only seen 2 residing in North America, one imported by Have Blue and one brought back from down under by Gramps and Grizzly.
I received my Badgers in a metal storage locker that was completely taped over and contained absolutely no packaging material except for random Badger parts. Australia and US customs tape was all over the locker, helping to hold together the broken latch and dented in sides.
Upon airing these paintguns up I was surprised to find that they nearly all worked with minimal rebuilds (orings from mags).
The main weak point is the barrel nut, which is held onto the receiver by the front grip frame screw. The weld on this nut will occasionally break from over tightening. It’s steel on stainless through so repair is not too difficult.
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