Advice on a proper assassins armory?

[smc_zero]

First off, i'd like to say hi. This is my first post (although i've lurked the site for months.) I'll just say that it's nice to see a community as into hydraulic warfare as i am.

Three years ago, my friends and i set up a 3 week long city-wide manhunt water gun assassins game (like streetwars.) In the beginning, we had 18 people. This summers game starts in 3 weeks and we have 50 people registered (!!!) Needless to say, i plan to come in hot.

But the topic of the perfect weapon has been up for hot debate. All it takes is one drop to "kill" another assassin, so our tactics tend to be more stalk-wait-hide-ambush than all out offence.
Naturally, a big, hulking CPS is impractical here (as we have to carry these weapons to work, school, funerals, etc.)

We need something small, but range is key. it is SO HARD to find a small gun that isn't chinese junk. So far, the increasingly hard to find XP 215 is our workhorse- but mine leaks (which is a dead giveaway that i'm armed) and the range is iffy. I've tried building small weapons with no luck. To my knowledge, no such "professional" water gun exist (i dream of a CO2 powered gun.)

Does anyone have any suggestions or is the XP 215 the best option we have? Ammo capacity, style, and price aren't really a factor. Range and size are king. Advice from the experts?

[wetmonkey442]

The XP 215 is really a wonderful gun for this situation. If yours is leaking or in need of repair, or if you are having trouble finding a replacement, there are several viable alternatives.

There are several small but decently powerful water guns on sale this summer. None will be as compact as the XP 215, but they are definitely small enough to throw into a backpack or hide under a jacket. A good option would be the SS Hydro Fury. This gun (sold for $10 as a 2 pack), is only 2 cm longer than the XP 215, and sports similar performance. Another currently available alternative might be the Max-D 2000 or Max-D 3000, both available, generally for under $20. Although larger than the XP 215 their increased performance may outweigh the extra bulkiness. I would suggest you read up and compare models at isoaker.com to find something that works best for you.

Soak On!

[HBWW]

I've thought about and suggested a specially improvised homemade for a while. One important part of range and combat effectiveness is volume, and a backpack (a generally unsuspecting thing to wear) can be used to facilitate a powerful homemade. One example is a simple backpack containing a tank of pressurized water (regardless of methodology, though rubber bladder CPS is probably best) which leads to a tube that is discretely hidden and connects to a small unit; a valve and nozzle that you can operate without it being obvious. Alternatively, you can disguise drinking water bottles, using them as pressurized air chambers, and connect them together instead of using a backpack.

The XP 215 can likely be repaired, but if it's leaking from the nozzle, the problem may be the pinch valve, which is generally an unreliable and ineffective valve usually chosen because it's cheap and compact. If it leaks elsewhere; from a pipe, you can likely repair it with epoxy/epoxy putty. The Max-D 2000 and 3000 are slightly larger, but are still easily concealable and get far better range and performance.

Last and most simple; drinking water bottle. You can take off the cap and splash clueless opponents, and/or you can poke a tiny hole in the cap and squeeze the water out. This should work on inexperienced players, or even on slightly experienced players who are only expecting water blasters/squirt guns and water balloons. (Or basically anything brightly colored that can dispense water.)

[mr. dude]

I've never tried it, but this seems like it would work. It might be too big, it's about twice the length of an XP 215, but it does shoot pretty far (though is less convenient to refill). I'm fascinated by the Xploderz series, otherwise the above suggestions work.
If I were to suggest anything else, it's more about discreetness. For instance, if you don't want to take water balloons with you, try empty sandwich bags, they're easy to fill up on the spot and will burst on impact, plus you can throw them pretty far.
Hope I helped.

[martianshark]

An XPloderz gun won't work. I tried the X Blaster 200, and it's really bad - it won't even work unless you remove a spring-loaded door inside the muzzle, and even if you do remove it, it doesn't shoot anywhere near as far as the range advertised. Not only that, the balls don't get you wet. They make it look like it's full of water, but they're really made of a gel material. It makes a good nerf gun though. I made a review of it, which you can find it on iSoaker.

[mr. dude]

But are you sure you didn't get a defective model Martianshark? For example, Isoaker's CPS 1200 that he reviewed has a maximum range of 8m, well below any other figure I've seen. I think we need a higher number of people to review it before we conclude anything. I don't doubt that you're right, I'm just too fascinated by the series to dismiss it.

[martianshark]

I guess that's possible. The balls still don't get you wet though.