Equalizer (USA Crossfire marker)

The USA Crossfire Equalizer was a proposed .68-calibre semi-automatic paintball marker developed by John McLeod and Brian Sullivan during the mid-1980s. Its design used two 12-gram CO2 cartridges and a spring-driven internal magazine rather than constant air or a gravity-fed loader.[1]

A working prototype was publicly demonstrated and promoted in 1987, but the planned production launch was delayed. Available contemporary evidence does not establish that the projected large-scale release occurred.[1][2]

The USA Crossfire marker should not be confused with the later Sheridan Equalizer.

Development

McLeod, a member of Navarone, and Sullivan began discussing the development of a new marker in late 1984. Their first Equalizer prototype was completed around March 1985, after which several further prototypes were developed.[1]

The marker was demonstrated at paintball fields during 1987. One contemporary evaluation was conducted at Field Games in Corona, California, where the writer examined and fired the prototype while McLeod demonstrated its operation.[1]

USA Crossfire planned to supply the first production markers to PX stores in December 1987, followed by nationwide distribution during the spring of 1988. McLeod projected production of between 2,500 and 4,200 markers per month. The proposed retail price was US$325.[1] These figures were projections rather than documented production totals.

Design

The Equalizer was described contemporarily as using “semi-automatic, semi-double action” operation.[1] Its documented prototype specifications were:

Feature	Specification
Calibre	.68
Propellant	Two 12-gram CO2 cartridges
Standard barrel	9 inches
Optional barrel	13 inches
Muzzle velocity	Approximately 280 feet per second with the nine-inch barrel
Magazine	Built-in, spring-fed magazine
Capacity	20 paintballs in the magazine and one in the chamber
Overall length	24½ inches; 31 inches with the stock extended
Prototype weight	5.6 pounds
Reported gas capacity	Normally 50–60 shots, with as many as 75 claimed under favourable conditions
Proposed retail price	US$325

The spring-loaded follower made the feed system independent of gravity, allowing the marker to feed while held at different angles. A spring-loaded trap door retained the paintballs inside the magazine.[1]

Two 12-gram cartridges were loaded through a self-seating CO2 door. USA Crossfire stated that it did not intend to offer a constant-air conversion.[1]

The marker also had a barrel which could pivot approximately 90 degrees to provide access for cleaning. A deliberately long trigger pull was intended to place a short interval between shots while retaining semi-automatic operation.[1]

Reported testing

The November 1987 report included several performance claims supplied by USA Crossfire. The company stated that one test sequence fired 700 paintballs with one barrel break and that approximately 10,000 rounds had been fired through a prototype without replacing parts or experiencing an air-seal failure.[1] These were manufacturer statements rather than independently controlled test results.

USA Crossfire intended to chronograph each production marker and include its chronograph slip with the product. A 90-day warranty administered through authorised repair facilities was also planned.[1]

Production delay

In February 1988, Action Pursuit Games reported that production of the Equalizer had been delayed. The magazine stated that the marker had been expected to enter production by the end of October 1987, but USA Crossfire had not explained the delay.[2]

Later paintball writer Steve Petrella described the Equalizer as having received demonstrations, magazine coverage and limited advertising before disappearing from the market. His retrospective does not record the large-scale production forecast in 1987 as having occurred.[3]

The number of Equalizer prototypes or completed commercial markers has not been established.

Possible later version

Petrella reported that a visually and mechanically similar marker appeared around 1990 as the BE90, also called the Edge. It was marketed by Rod Lovell of Major Paintball Industries through Blue Enterprises Corporation. Petrella, who handled examples of both markers, considered the BE90 and Crossfire Equalizer to be the same basic design.[3]

This identification is a retrospective assessment; the precise commercial or legal relationship between USA Crossfire and the BE90 has not been established in the available contemporary sources.

References

“The Equalizer”, by the Ghostwriter for the Ghost Division, Front Line, November 1987, pp. 7 and 29.
“Gun Delays”, Action Pursuit Games, February 1988, p. 11.
Steve Petrella, “Curious Paintguns”, WARPIG.com.