The Dangerous Power G3: Ay, muy Peligroso!
by Lance "LancerX" Miller on Nov 18, 2008
A Promising New Manufacturer
Dangerous Power charged onto the paintball scene in late 2006 with their affordable and head-turning Fusion marker, and has continued to pursue a strong reputation as a manufacturer of affordable, high-value electro-pneumatic paintball guns. DP continued with this approach throughout 2007 with their limited run, experimental Threshold marker and the well-received Fusion F8 model update. Since most woodsballers seem to emphasize bang-for-the-buck (pun intended, of course) when marker shopping, RECON has volunteered for the mission of examining Dangerous Power’s latest offering, the G3 marker.
Packaging
The G3 comes bundled in a sturdy, attractive box complete with carrying handle. New owners will find the gun and barrel nestled in protective cut-foam inserts, along with a barrel sock, replacement o-rings, Allen wrenches, and a colorful fold-out manual (the flip side of which is a poster-sized picture of the G3, nearly suitable for framing).
Fit, Finish, and Overall Design
The most immediately-striking qualities of the G3 are its size and weight. To truly understand just how light and compact this marker is, one must actually handle it. At a playing weight of a mere 1.96 lbs (0.89 kg) - including barrel, battery, and all - the G3 is one of the lightest markers on the market, leaving the shooter to wonder if it might be running on helium instead of high-pressure air. The svelte, low-profile format and streamlined milling lend an almost James Bond spy-gun vibe to the design.
The number of “hybrid” woodsballers grows steadily as players adopt the simple, lightweight equipment born on the tourney scene, and the G3 falls squarely into this category of hardware. If knocking a few pounds off your gear loadout for that next 24-hour scenario sounds tempting, this marker is worth strong consideration. Shooting the G3 in a bottle-on-gun setup feels simple, balanced and compact, and allows lightning-quick snap shots.
As of this printing, Dangerous Power offers the G3 in three dust-anodized color schemes - black, red, and blue, all with silver accent pieces. The milling and anodization of our black test marker was smooth, flawless, and perhaps most importantly, suitably stealthy.
Components
From a technical aspect, the G3 is a blow-forward, spool valve (AKA dump valve) marker. The design does not require a low pressure regulator, and the whole gun operates at a low 180 PSI via a single high pressure regulator. The G3’s solenoid was custom-engineered for the marker and is fortified against damage from accidental over-pressurization.
The frame is a two-piece design, allowing easy access to the anti-chop eye wires and solenoid, and the internal air path is entirely hose-free—a welcome design choice. The operating pressure regulator is housed within the foregrip, and the bottom portion swivels freely (as do the macroline fittings), allowing the user to position the macroline to their liking.
The G3’s grip is very comfortable, and the oversized trigger guard allows ample room for frantic trigger-walking. Trigger design is a highly subjective matter, but as a general overview the G3’s trigger is very comfortable and may be adjusted for both pre- and post-fire travel. The trigger is spring-returned, and the action is crisp for an electro, but not overly-stiff. The action does have a little side-to-side slop however, and the sensing mode is optical (versus the more common microswitch found in most electros), which may be viewed as a downside, depending on your particular preference. We also found the trigger sensor to be rather prone to electronic “bounce”, and no degree of adjustment eliminated this effect entirely.
Dangerous Power have outdone themselves with the G3’s new clamping feedneck design - it applies a secure, python-worthy death grip on a loader, belying its extremely low profile. Likewise, DP have redesigned their innovative R.A.P.S. air source adapter for the G3, and the results are excellent. Flip a small lever forward to degas the marker, and flip it closed to air up. The addition of a small tab to the lever is a marked improvement over the older R.A.P.S. designs, which could sometimes be challenging to open.
The stock barrel measures a compact 13 inches and features straight porting, with a highly-polished stock bore of 0.690, a decent match for most paint - especially during warm and humid summer months.
Perhaps the most noticeable feature of the G3 is the unique carrying “hook” located just above the snatch grip and behind the back cap, providing a secure grab point for toting the marker around between games. The hook is removable, and the G3 package includes an attractive DP logo “jewel” to fill the resulting recess should one decide to do so.
Performance
Our testing found the G3 to be reliable and very consistent right out of the box. The typical variation in velocity at the chrono was +/- 5 FPS, and the regulator should only become more consistent as it continues to break in. Over four days of hard play (including one featuring steady rain) and after many cases of paint, we experienced no chopped balls and no mechanical troubles, barring a single blown bolt o-ring the first day.
For you sneaky low-crawlers, the muzzle report is a bit loud for a spool-valve marker, but compared with high-pressure mechanicals, the gun is quiet in general. The kick is light enough to be negligible, and with a good paint to barrel match the gun is ball-on-ball accurate.
The marker runs on high pressure air only, and is moderately air efficient for a spooler design. G3 users can expect roughly 1200 shots per fill from a 68 cubic inch 4500 psi bottle.
Maintenance & Configuration
The G3 firing mechanism is remarkably simple and includes only two moving parts (the bolt and solenoid piston). Routine daily maintenance involves removing the bolt via a threaded back cap and lubricating six o-rings, and may be completed in a matter of minutes. The regulator and solenoid pistons require lubrication only infrequently, and are also easily accessible.
The G3’s dwell and firing modes settings are accessed by loosening two Allen screws and opening the left grip, and are selected via a bank of four dip switches. Stock firing modes include semi-auto (capped at 15 or 25 bps), PSP, Millenium, and NXL tournament modes.
Upgrades and Expandability
Many paintballers, upon checking out a new marker, will immediately ask what upgrades are available. The G3 is already gaining some traction in this area. As with all Dangerous Power guns, the G3 barrel is Autococker-threaded, providing access to a huge catalog of variant barrels from the various manufacturers serving the industry.
Looking toward the future, Dangerous Power has already released several accessories for the G3, and is planning a selection of others. Among the current offerings is an improved “stock” board, a collaboration between DP and Advanced Paintball Electronics (makers of the popular Rampage boards). The new board is configurable without opening the grip (via trigger pulls), and features excellent configurable debounce logic, in addition to maximum rate of fire, solenoid dwell, anti bolt stick, ramping point, and firing mode (semi, PSP, NXL, and Millennium) settings. Further non-configurable functions include battery monitoring, an eyes-off firing rate cap of 10 BPS, trigger-pull buffering, a 3ms breach/eye delay to accommodate the widest variety of paint, and a 20-minute auto shutoff.
Our testing found the DP/APE board to be a significant and welcome improvement over the original (rather basic) stock G3 board. DP is offering the new board to current G3 owners, and plans to include the new board in future G3 manufacturing cycles.
DP has also recently released a handily-packaged parts kit for the G3, their own brand of lubricant called DP-40, and the P.M.D. - an innovative, stylish new back cap with an integrated pressure gauge.
Dangerous Power is also planning a few future releases, include an improved roller-bearing trigger and a microswitch-triggered “upgrade” board with additional configuration options. In addition, several aftermarket manufacturers have also announced trigger and bolt upgrades for the G3, and this author is personally looking forward to tinkering with a featherweight upgrade bolt (we’re looking at you, TechT).
A Dangerous Value
Combining reliable performance, simple maintenance, and a featherweight, compact design—all at an affordable price of $430 US - the Dangerous Power G3 offers a compelling new option in the mid-range category of paint-slingers. Who knows—maybe it will cut a few seconds off your time to that next tree or bunker?
Lance Miller is a Gen-X gamer dad and husband living in eastern Pennsylvania. He has been paintballing on and off since 1987, and can frequently be found playing weekend woodsball with his son Zack at Alpha Paintball in Alburtis, PA.