Review of Angel A1 Fly Paintball Gun!

Out of the Box

When you open the box the first thing you notice is this gorgeous paintball gun. Once you finish drooling over the marker, it's time to start playing. The A1 Fly does not run at top performance out of the box, some tuning is required. Adjusting the settings on the A1 is easily accomplished with the color LCD screen and scroll wheel (which also is used to turn the gun on and off and put it into safe mode). The A1 Fly's full color manual is very well written and contains all the information you'll need to completely disassemble and reassemble the gun as well as a comprehensive explanation of how to tune it to fit your needs.

To get the gun tuned perfectly you'll need to get an additional gauge (available from APS) to help you tune the LPR. While the stock settings work perfectly for the intermediate player, if you really want to get your dwell, de-bounce and LPR settings ideal, APS released the settings they use for the professional teams they sponsor.

Basic tuning of the A1 is not too difficult though advanced settings (such as Joy or Rage) should probably be done by a professional. The trigger pull is easy to get just like you want it and the scroll wheel and LCD screen are very easy to use. There are many settings (breakout, ramping, full auto, etc.) so you can get your gun to play just like you want it to.

The A1 comes with a tool kit, gun oil, a barrel plug (I recommend getting a barrel sock as soon as possible) and a two-piece barrel with three backs (.691, .693 and .695).

Design

Angel Paintball Sport's Angel 1 Fly (also known as the A1 Fly) has kept the Angel recognized three-bore design which keeps the gun compact and its low-rise clamping feed neck gives it a very low and tight profile. Internally, the fore-grip houses a primary regulator; the two lower chambers contain the low pressure regulator and the ram; while the upper chamber holds the bolt. The A1 Fly comes with a standard with an LED screen and scroll wheel to manage your settings. The electronic board comes with a USB port to update the gun's software via your computer. With all these awesome features, Angel still manages to design the A1 Fly as one of the best looking guns available today.

As can be expected for a high-end gun, all the components are very well made. As with most Angel paintball guns there really aren't very many upgrades available (or even needed other than a barrel kit).

Performance

First the disclaimer; don’t expect perfection from the A1 Fly out of the box. Angel paintball guns need a little breaking in before they shoot super consistently and get maximum shot efficiency. Additionally, like all high-end guns, the A1 needs to be tuned properly before it will fire just like you want it.

If you are a casual player just playing in semi-automatic mode, there's not a whole lot to be done other than adjust your ball speed. If you want to tune the gun to act like the professionals' guns it will take a little bit of time to get things just right. One great feature is the customization of the trigger pull - it's easy to do and very precise.

The A1 Fly comes with three barrel backs, though unfortunately the smallest size is .691 (which is larger than many paintballs). So again, out of the box adjustments need to be made. With a good paint to barrel match, the A1 can lay down ball on top of ball at thirty feet.

Like most high-end guns, it fires as fast as you can pull the trigger so your firing speed becomes limited by your hopper speed.

A common issue that seems to arise with A1 Fly owners is the efficiency. A well tuned gun is very efficient, but if you are getting less than 1000 shots with a full 68/4500 tank, you may want to have a professional tune your gun.

Recommend Upgrades

The A1 Fly comes stock with so many options out of the box, there are not many updated needed before you take it into your first game. If you are an avid paintballer, I would recommend getting a barrel kit that will give you more options on bore sizes. There are many kits to choose from, pick the one that suits you best.

Summary

The Angel A1 Fly comes with a high-end price but also packs high-end performance. Depending on your play style it may or may not be the best paintball gun, but it definitely competes with any gun out there.

Well that is it for this review of the Angel A1 Fly paintball gun. I know what I’m playing with next time I’m at the field. If you're thinking about getting your own A1 Fly paintball gun, get a great deal here!