I’ve always been drawn to the large several page detailed ads in APG and Paintball Sports International because of the details they offer. Lucky for future paintball history enthusiasts, these ads definitely help identifying who classic products were manufactued by, and actual names these pieces were marketed with.
This ad offers an especially neat look at the items Taso was marketing at the end of 1994.
The products pictured include Taso’s own items they had machined, as well as local shops Taso stocked.
This would have been the period were many professional teams began transitioning to Nitro (HPA set ups) so expansion chambers could still be found on many Autocockers. The Ironmen were still shooting Co2 on their cockers until about summer of 1994 and since this Taso ad appeared in January of 1995 it was likely submitted 3-4 months earlier which would have been September or October 1994.
The pictured Taso Signature Series Autococker closely resembles a Carter Machine cut Cocker, and was likely machined at Carter Machine for Taso. This looks like a full body cocker (from the shroud length) and these “Taso Signature Series” cockers probably came equipped with an assortment of the items pictured in this ad.
Soon after this ad, Taso likely also featured aluminum Autococker switches. I had thought that Taso might of bought their switches from Russell Breeden, so I emailed and asked Breeden, of RKB Engineering and he replied, “I sold to everyone accept Taso, they were the industry rip off company. Taso had exact copies of my 2nd gen 3ways at their booth a year or so after I released it.”
Taso also has aftermarket (southern California produced) bolts from that period displayed in this ad. The Carter Venturi bolt was used in many of Earon’s cockers built during the 1994-1995 period. Find more on these Carter Machine Bolts, with delrin fronts, at:
https://paintballhistory.com/identifying-carter-machine-autocockers
The On Target Products (OTP) venturi bolts are also pictured. These were made by OTP / B & M, which was Brahim Estephan’s and his relative, Moose’s company, based out of Azuza.
Other neat items pictured in this ad are the Taso power barrel. These power barrels were later produced in stainless and engraved power barrel. I believe the barrel pictured in this ad was a stock WGP STO barrel.
Bud Orr’s Signature Series Autocockers and WGP STO’s featured either these same, or very similar barrels. Above is Bud, on the cover of APG, May 1995 with a Bud Orr Signature Series Autococker. The pictured barrel is similar, but not identical to the Power Barrel in Taso’s ad. Later Bud Orr Signatures cockers came with a very similar barrel though.
Also pictured beneath the Taso Power Barrel is a Aluminum Rock Reg, which is supposedly lightened? Maybe it was shortened in front by Taso? Or maybe they are advertising the change from a Brass body to the aluminum body Rock reg? It definitely would be lightened if that were the case.
The front Rock adjusters are an tems that is common to find with the Taso engraving.
OTP’s stainless internal velocity governors are also pictures. These can be found on baccipaintball at:
http://www.baccipaintball.com/parts/semi/autococker/inner-velocity-adjuster-for-autocockers.html
And last but not (okay, probably) least, is a Taso bottomline which is advertised as the Streamline. I hadn’t heard of this Taso ASA being named the Steamline before so that’s neat.
[…] the same style offered by Taso in 1995. I have the full scan in this article (black and white): Taso Autococker Advertisement – January 1995 – Old News Paintball History […]