Team Hooptie Sniper Pump Kit:

I contacted Ed from Team Hooptie about sending me a Sniper Pump Kit and a Trilogy Pump Kit. Ed not only sent me pump kits very quickly but sent three extra pump kits for our Mano y Mano Pump Competition. The first shipment of pumps did not get to me in tact because of a screw up at USPS and Ed immediately shipped out another set of pumps. Ed has shown not only great customer service but a penchant for growing the sport.

Team Hooptie Sniper Pump Kit - Specifications:

Materials:

Pump - Aluminum

Pump Guide Rod - Aluminum

Pump Arm - Aluminum

Return Spring - Yes - Heavy

Weight: 12.70 Ounces

Weight of Marker with Pneumatics: 3 Pounds 2 ounces
Weight of the Marker without Pneumatics: 2 pounds 13 ounces.
Weight of Marker with Hooptie Pump Kit Installed: 3 pounds 91 ounces.

Pump Handle Length: 5 Inches.

Pump Circumference: 5 Inches.

Pump Length with Rod: 14 1/4 Inches.

Cost: 30 Shipped

How to Install:

If you need instruction on taking Cocker Pneumatics off to prepare the chassis for a pump - click here.

Step One:

Insert the Guide Rod (being sure the o-ring is slightly lubricated) into the threaded portion where you removed the Banjo Bolt. Tighten down the Guide Rod using a Spanner or other appropriate wrench.

Step Two (Optional):

Insert the Return Spring into the Pump Handle. If you don’t want to have a return spring skip this step.

Step Three:

Slip the Pump over the Guide Rod and slid the Pump Handle until the treads pass the rear portion of the marker body.

Step Four:

Screw the Back Block on to the Pump Rod until it is tight on the Pump Rod. It might not tighten down on the Pump Rod and this is not essential. Just get it close to the end of the threads.

Step Five:

Reinsert the Bolt, Bolt Pin, and Cocking Rod into the rear of the marker.

Step Six:

Adjust your Cocking Rod to ensure that the bolt clears the breech as you hear the marker recock. This should be adjusted when you get it - but with mine I had to readjust the Cocking Rod quite a bit (as you can see from the picture above).

Initial Impressions:

The mill marks are still evident on this kit. I can see that very little polishing, if any, goes into this kit before anodizing. This leaves a slightly dull gloss finish on the Pump Handle and Guide Rod. This does add to the ability to grasp the handle with wet hands and the finish doesn’t look uneven or wrong - just small ribs throughout. This kit might match a dust marker a little better than a high gloss marker. The anodizing itself is very deep and even.

The Guide Rod and the Pump could be polished to even out the pump stroke as well. The tool marks on the inner diameter of the Pump Handle as well as the outer diameter of the Guide Rod rub against each other and make a noise while pumping. Polishing these parts before anodizing would go a long way to making the pump stroke on this marker a lot smoother.

The Guide Rod fits very well into the hold drilled into the Pump Handle and there is very little slop between the Pump Handle and Guide Rod. The Guide Rod has two flats machined into the end for tightening.

The pump arm came in black and looks very good. However it is one inch shorter than the other pump arms in the kits I have reviewed. This caused an immediate problem. I could not screw the pump arm on the the pump handle and the back block completely and still recock the marker with the spring installed. I had to unscrew the pump arm from the pump handle and the back block about 1/2 inch total to allow the marker to recock. This would still leave plenty of threads on both pieces - but for completeness and details sake I would like to see this pump arm increased 1/2 inch in length.

There are six ribs on this pump kit and between these ridges and large size this has to be the easiest pump kit to grab on the market. However, the size of the kit and the material also make it the heaviest kit on the market. It weighs almost 1/2 a pound more than the average pump kit for Trilogies and for Snipers. It is a bit heavy for my tastes as I like to have all of weight off my marker that I can. However, for those that like a little weight on their marker and steer clear of carbon fibre barrels because they are ‘too light’ this kit might be for you. The weight of the kit weighs nearly 6 ounces more than the Semi - Auto ‘Autococker’. I like the touch of the Allen Key hole on the CCM Economy kit and with this kit being made from aluminum I am not a big fan of flats. Although I have never seen these flats being rounded off - I am just not a fan of grabbing a hold of aluminum with a steel wrench. Perhaps a hole being cut through the center of this rod would be more wise.

The return spring that was supplied was very heavy and may be too heavy for some players. I don’t use a return spring in my markers so this spring was too heavy for me.

You also have to be careful to make sure you have the proper O.D. on the barrel or the pump kit will twist a bit. This is because the pump kit is chamfered to use the barrel as a second guide rod.

The price point seems right for this kit. In fact, on e-bay they can be had for 15 shipped. I think the Hooptie Kit and the Hooptie idea is to simply build a serviceable kit for the user to use. If this is the case they hit their mark with this kit. It works and works fine. It is also inexpensive for those that just want a kit to use every now and again or for those wondering what it would be like to play pump.

On Field - Day One:

On the field this kit worked fine. I could feel the machine marks on from guide rod to pump and it made for a fairly rough pump stroke. It is also very heavy for my tastes. I am used to a CCM S6 and the weight of the WGP Sniper is enough - but then with the Hooptie kit installed it was a brick. Call me a sissy - but this thing is heavy! It is not my economy kit of choice - but I am not every user and I think this certainly fits a niche in the market.

Final Thoughts:

This is a decent pump kit - and for the price it will work just fine. If I were a player that wanted a pump kit on my sniper that I would use every now and again and don’t mind the weight - I would take a look at this kit.

TF