Nel-Spot 007
Nel-Spot 007 (also written Nelspot 007) is an early .68-calibre, CO₂-powered paintball marker manufactured by Daisy Manufacturing Company for the Nelson Paint Company. Introduced around 1972 as a marking tool for forestry and agricultural applications, it became the marker used in the first recorded organised game of paintball on 27 June 1981 in Henniker, New Hampshire, United States.[1][2]
The Nel-Spot 007 is regarded as one of the foundational marker designs in paintball history. Its inline bolt, hammer and valve arrangement became known as the Nelson system, influencing subsequent pump-action markers and aftermarket conversions.[1][3]
History
[edit]Origins
[edit]The Nel-Spot 007 originated from the Nelson Paint Company's development of encapsulated paint projectiles for industrial marking.
These projectiles allowed forestry workers to mark trees from a distance and enabled agricultural workers to identify livestock without applying paint by hand.
During the 1960s, Nelson worked with Crosman to develop an early CO₂-powered paint-marking pistol known as the Crosman 707.
The Crosman design preceded the Nel-Spot 007 but did not achieve sustained commercial success.
Nelson subsequently approached Daisy Manufacturing Company, which developed a replacement marker marketed as the Nel-Spot 007.[1][4]
The marker was introduced around 1972 and manufactured for Nelson, with the Nelson Paint Company name appearing on the equipment.
Its original intended uses were industrial and agricultural rather than recreational.[1]
Development of paintball
[edit]During the late 1970s and early 1980s, a group including Charles Gaines, Hayes Noel and Bob Gurnsey began developing a competitive outdoor game based on tracking, concealment and survival skills.
The Nel-Spot 007 provided a means of marking opponents during the proposed game.
On 27 June 1981, 12 participants gathered in Henniker, New Hampshire, for the first recorded organised paintball game.
Each participant used a Nel-Spot 007.
The game involved collecting flags positioned around a wooded playing area while avoiding elimination by opponents.
The winner was Ritchie White, a forester, who completed the objective without firing a shot.[2][5]
The event became the starting point for the organised recreational activity subsequently known as paintball.
National Survival Game
[edit]Following the first game, Bob Gurnsey established National Survival Game (NSG), which developed the activity into a commercial recreational business.
The Nel-Spot 007 was used in early National Survival Game equipment packages and at affiliated playing fields.
These packages combined markers, paintballs, protective equipment and rules for organised games.
As commercial paintball expanded during the early 1980s, the Nel-Spot 007 became one of the first widely used recreational paintball markers.[2][5]
Later use
[edit]The Nel-Spot 007 remained in recreational use after the introduction of newer pump-action markers.
Players and aftermarket manufacturers developed modifications intended to improve loading, CO₂ efficiency, maintenance and handling.
These included replacement bolts, constant-air conversions, alternative feed systems and quick-change CO₂ adaptors.
The marker also remained associated with stock-class paintball, in which players use limited ammunition and compact gas sources.[1][3]
Design and operation
[edit]The Nel-Spot 007 is a manually operated, inline paintball marker using a CO₂-powered valve system.
Its bolt, hammer and valve are arranged along the same axis as the barrel.
The original marker uses a manually operated bolt-action mechanism rather than a conventional sliding pump handle.
To load a paintball, the operator opens the bolt and tilts the marker to allow a paintball to drop from the magazine tube into the breech.
The bolt is then closed and locked before firing.[1]
The original marker uses a 12-gram CO₂ cartridge inserted into the grip.
Its steel and cast-alloy construction reflects its original industrial purpose.
Specifications
[edit]The Stock-Class Paintball Network documents the following specifications for an original factory-standard Nel-Spot 007.[1]
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Daisy Manufacturing Company, for Nelson Paint Company |
| Introduction | Approximately 1972 |
| Calibre | .68 |
| Action | Manually operated bolt-action |
| Operating system | Nelson inline valve |
| Feed system | Gravity-fed magazine tube |
| Magazine capacity | 8 paintballs; up to 10 with an inserted loading tube |
| Gas source | 12-gram CO₂ cartridge |
| Approximate shots per cartridge | 20–25 |
| Overall length | 11 inches |
| Unloaded weight | Approximately 3 lb |
| Barrel | Fixed |
| Principal materials | Steel and cast alloy |
The number of shots obtained from a CO₂ cartridge depends on temperature, maintenance and operating conditions.
Magazine system
[edit]The original Nel-Spot 007 used a magazine tube mounted above the barrel.
Paintballs were loaded into the magazine and fed into the breech by tilting the marker while the bolt was open.
Early versions used threaded aluminium paintball loading tubes.
Later examples incorporated changes to the magazine arrangement, including plastic loading tubes held by friction.
The marker's original feed system required the operator to load each shot manually.[1]
Valve system
[edit]The Nel-Spot 007 used an inline valve arrangement in which the bolt, hammer and valve were positioned along the barrel axis.
When the trigger was pulled, the hammer struck the valve mechanism, releasing compressed CO₂ to propel the paintball.
The design became a reference point for later Nelson-style pump-action markers.
Manufacturers subsequently adapted the general operating arrangement for markers with different bodies, feed systems and gas-source configurations.[3]
Variants and modifications
[edit]Early and later production features
[edit]Historical technical documentation identifies several differences between early and later Nel-Spot 007 examples.
Early markers lacked the removable barrel sleeve found on some later configurations.
Changes were also made to the magazine system and its paintball-retaining components.
These differences reflect the marker's development from an industrial marking tool into equipment used for recreational paintball.[1]
Pump conversions
[edit]Although the original Nel-Spot 007 used a manually operated bolt, aftermarket manufacturers developed pump-action conversions.
These modifications allowed the marker to be cocked and loaded using a sliding pump mechanism.
Pump conversions became common among players seeking faster and more convenient operation.
Some conversions also incorporated alternative bolts and valve components.[1]
Constant-air conversions
[edit]The original marker used disposable 12-gram CO₂ cartridges.
Aftermarket constant-air conversions allowed players to connect larger external CO₂ tanks.
Other modifications included quick-change cartridge systems, intended to reduce the time required to replace an exhausted 12-gram cartridge.
These conversions were developed by several independent paintball equipment businesses.[1]
Aftermarket components
[edit]Additional modifications included replacement barrels, sighting systems, feed arrangements and improved internal components.
The Nel-Spot 007 became an important platform for early paintball customisation.
Its mechanical simplicity and widespread early use made it suitable for experimentation by players and equipment manufacturers.[1][3]
Influence on later paintball markers
[edit]The Nel-Spot 007 helped establish the inline valve arrangement subsequently associated with Nelson-style paintball markers.
Later manufacturers developed their own equipment using related operating principles.
Examples of Nelson-based markers include:
- CCI Phantom.
- WGP Sniper.
- Lapco Grey Ghost.
- Bushmaster pump markers.
- Line SI pump markers.
These products incorporated substantial differences in construction and operation but retained elements of the Nelson-style firing system.
The Nel-Spot 007 also influenced early aftermarket businesses that developed replacement components, conversion kits and custom pump markers.[3]
Historical significance
[edit]The Nel-Spot 007 occupies a central position in paintball history because of its use in the first organised game in 1981.
Although it was not the first device developed to fire encapsulated paint projectiles, it was the marker through which paintball developed into an organised recreational activity.
Its use by National Survival Game helped establish a commercial market for paintball markers and accessories.
The marker also provided a mechanical foundation for later pump-action designs and remains associated with the origins of stock-class paintball.
Surviving examples are collected and maintained by enthusiasts interested in early paintball equipment.[1][2]
See also
[edit]- Nelson Paint Company
- Daisy Manufacturing Company
- Crosman 707
- National Survival Game
- History of paintball
- Pump paintball
- Stock-class paintball
- CCI Phantom
- WGP Sniper
- Lapco Grey Ghost
References
[edit]- Stock-Class Paintball Network, "Nelson Paint Company's Nelspot 007", technical history, specifications and modifications.
- WikiPaintball, "Paintball", history of the first organised game and the Nel-Spot 007.
- WARPIG, "Digest of Paintguns", historical marker operating systems and Nelson-derived designs.
- Paintballing Ltd, "History of Paintballing", covering the Crosman 707, Daisy and Nel-Spot 007.
- BigPaintballs, "History of Paintball", historical account of the Nel-Spot 007, first organised game and National Survival Game.