Steve Constable

Steve Constable is a New Zealand paintball equipment designer, manufacturer and commercial field operator associated with the early development of paintball in New Zealand during the 1980s and 1990s. He was the principal figure behind Pursuit Supplies International (PSI), a New Zealand manufacturer of pump-action and semi-automatic paintball markers distributed domestically and internationally.

Constable developed several early paintball marker designs, including the wooden PSI M-16, FN-49, lever-action rifle, M-16 Stinger, Scorpion and Scorpion Elite. His work included converting existing paintball equipment to use refillable carbon dioxide reservoirs, manufacturing complete paintball markers and developing semi-automatic firing mechanisms.

He was also associated with The Ultimate Game, a commercial paintball operation in the Christchurch area whose history dates to 1985.[1][2]

During the late 1980s, Constable established contacts with paintball industry figures in the United States, including David Freeman and members of the Tippmann family. PSI equipment was subsequently distributed in Australia, Canada and the United States.

Constable's role in early paintball manufacturing has been documented by historian Daniel Bacci, who corresponded directly with Constable and researched surviving equipment, contemporary magazine coverage and accounts from other early paintball industry participants.[1]

Early involvement in paintball

Paintball in New Zealand

Constable became involved in paintball during the sport's early development in New Zealand in the mid-1980s.

The sport had emerged internationally in the early 1980s, initially using marking equipment designed for forestry and agricultural applications.

As recreational paintball developed, specialist equipment remained limited. Players and commercial operators frequently adapted existing airguns or modified imported paintball markers.

New Zealand operators initially relied heavily on imported equipment, particularly from North American manufacturers.

Constable became involved in modifying and manufacturing paintball equipment during this period, developing designs that addressed the limitations of early pump-action markers and disposable carbon dioxide cartridges.

The Ultimate Game

Constable was associated with The Ultimate Game, an early commercial paintball operation in the Christchurch region.

Paintball historian Daniel Bacci identifies The Ultimate Game as Constable's field during the development of the FN-49 rifle in the 1980s.[3]

The commercial operation subsequently became associated with McLeans Island, west of Christchurch.

The present-day McLeans Island Paintball business identifies itself with The Ultimate Game and states that its history began in 1985.[4]

The field operates at 805 McLeans Island Road, using a large outdoor property with recreational paintball playing areas.

The business describes itself as one of the longest-established surviving paintball facilities in the world. This is an operator-reported claim rather than an independently established world record.

Constable's association with The Ultimate Game connected his manufacturing activities with the practical requirements of operating commercial paintball games.

Paintball equipment development

Early Sheridan conversions

Constable's early engineering work involved modifying existing paintball markers.

During the mid-1980s, he converted Sheridan K-series and K1 rifles to use refillable carbon dioxide reservoirs.[1]

These rifles had been supplied to paintball operators in New Zealand and Australia.

The conversions replaced dependence on individual disposable gas cartridges with larger stored-gas systems.

This development allowed players to fire more paintballs before replenishing their gas supply.

The conversions formed part of a broader international movement toward constant-air paintball equipment.

Constable subsequently moved from modifying existing markers to producing complete designs.

Wooden PSI M-16

One of Constable's earliest original paintball marker designs was a wooden-bodied rifle resembling the M-16.

The marker was developed during approximately 1985–1987.

It incorporated a pump-action firing mechanism and an internal carbon dioxide reservoir.

Constable based its operating mechanism on the Nelson Nelspot system, adapting the design to suit his own construction.[1]

The original model used .62-calibre paintballs.

According to Constable's recollections, approximately 20 wooden examples were manufactured.

The marker demonstrated his early experimentation with integrating the gas reservoir and operating mechanism within a complete rifle-style enclosure.

Constable also described experimenting with .50-calibre equipment during this period.

His later recollections acknowledge that some early experimental designs operated at velocities that would not meet modern paintball safety expectations.[1]

FN-49 rifle

The FN-49 was a pump-action paintball rifle developed by Constable around 1986–1987.

It was one of his more extensively produced early designs.

The rifle used .62-calibre paintballs and featured an internal carbon dioxide reservoir.

A brass tubular magazine, mounted alongside the barrel, held approximately 25 paintballs.

The reservoir was machined from a solid brass component.

Constable recalled that a full gas charge could provide approximately 100 to 140 shots, depending on operating conditions.[1]

The FN-49 was developed after his initial wooden M-16 design.

Production

Constable estimated that approximately 200 FN-49 rifles were produced.

He recalled that most were exported to Australia.[1]

Historical research by Daniel Bacci subsequently connected the FN-49 with Gatenby Automatic Engineering in New Zealand.

A surviving rifle examined by Bacci carried the serial number 8703266.

Bacci suggested that the number might indicate production in March 1987, although the interpretation remains uncertain.[3]

The precise division of manufacturing work between Constable and external engineering businesses has not been fully established.

Surviving American example

Constable brought an FN-49 rifle to the United States during 1987.

He gave the marker to David Freeman, an American paintball industry figure associated with Pursuit Marketing Incorporated and Tippmann Pneumatics.

The rifle subsequently remained in Freeman's collection.

In December 2014, Daniel Bacci recorded a demonstration of the surviving FN-49.

The demonstration was published in May 2015 as The Constable / Gatenby FN-49 .62 cal Rifle c.1987.[3]

The research included photographs of its internal gas chamber and markings.

Bacci initially described the rifle as a PSI 1200 in the video, but subsequently corrected the identification to FN-49.

Lever-action rifle

Constable also developed a lever-action paintball rifle during approximately 1987.

The design used .62-calibre paintballs and incorporated a manually operated lever mechanism.

Its appearance was inspired by Western-style rifles.

Constable recalled producing approximately 50 examples for a Canadian customer who intended to establish a Western-themed paintball field.[1]

He later reported losing contact with the customer.

The design illustrates his experimentation with marker configurations beyond conventional pump-action paintball pistols and rifles.

The limited availability of .62-calibre paintballs subsequently made such early equipment more difficult to maintain in working condition.

PSI 1200 and Hornet

Constable's later equipment range included markers associated with the PSI 1200 and Hornet names.

Contemporary photographs show PSI 1200 markers in use in New Zealand and Australia during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

An April 1990 issue of Paintball Sports Magazine included a photograph of an Australian player with a PSI 1200.

A December 1990 magazine photograph showed New Zealand paintball operator Dave Pellet working on a PSI marker identified in historical research as a PSI 1200 or Yellow Jacket.[1]

An August 1991 issue of Action Pursuit Games also showed a PSI 1200 in use in New Zealand.

Historical equipment photographs have applied several names to apparently related PSI models. The precise distinctions between the 1200, Hornet and Yellow Jacket require care when identifying individual surviving markers.

M-16 Stinger

The M-16 Stinger was another pump-action paintball marker developed by Constable and manufactured under the Pursuit Supplies International name.

The marker was also known to some New Zealand players as the Commando.

It featured a military-style external body and was marketed internationally during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Grant Fraser, a New Zealand player and former employee of Dave Pellet's Tactics paintball field, owned an example of the Stinger.

In 2007, Fraser supplied photographs of his marker to Daniel Bacci, helping initiate further research into the history of PSI.[1]

The M-16 Stinger also appeared in North American photographs and magazine material.

A March 1990 Action Pursuit Games advertisement documented a Stinger accessory marketed as a silencer or raincover.[5]

Development of semi-automatic markers

PSI Scorpion

Constable was associated with the development and manufacture of the PSI Scorpion, an early New Zealand semi-automatic paintball marker.

The Scorpion featured a cast body and an inline blowback operating system.

Examples were manufactured in New Zealand and subsequently exported.

In September 2013, Daniel Bacci published photographs of an early Scorpion that he had obtained from New Zealand with assistance from Grant Fraser.[6]

Bacci identified the original Scorpion as a New Zealand-cast marker associated with Constable.

Its development formed part of PSI's transition from pump-action equipment to semi-automatic paintball technology.

Scorpion Elite

The Scorpion Elite was a later version of the Scorpion.

The revised design featured a raised top carry handle.

The model was distributed internationally, including through Lyle Kuchmak's Canadian paintball business.

A contemporary advertisement for the Scorpion Elite appeared in the June 1991 issue of Paintball Sports International magazine.[7]

The advertisement establishes that the model was being marketed by June 1991.

The original Scorpion's precise introduction date has not been established.

PSI Delta

The PSI Delta was a semi-automatic inline blowback marker associated with the company's later production period.

The design was distributed in North America during the early 1990s.

Daniel Bacci's research describes commercial problems affecting the company's export business, including a dispute involving Delta markers supplied to an American dealer.[1]

These difficulties occurred as PSI faced growing competition from larger international paintball equipment manufacturers.

International industry connections

1987 visit to the United States

Constable travelled to the United States during 1987.

According to his later recollections, he visited a paintball tournament in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, during one of his early American trips.[1]

He also met David Freeman, who was involved in the American paintball industry through Pursuit Marketing Incorporated and Tippmann Pneumatics.

Constable stayed with Freeman and accompanied him to the Tippmann factory in Fort Wayne, Indiana.[3]

During the trip, Constable gave Freeman an example of his FN-49 paintball rifle.

The visit provided an opportunity to exchange technical knowledge and establish commercial relationships with American manufacturers and distributors.

Relationship with Tippmann

Constable's relationship with Tippmann Pneumatics has attracted interest among historians of early semi-automatic paintball equipment.

The Tippmann SMG-60 and subsequent 68 Special were among the early commercially available semi-automatic paintball markers.

Accounts collected by Daniel Bacci suggest that Constable may have been involved in the development or modification of powertube components associated with these markers.[6]

However, Bacci documented conflicting versions of the story.

Some accounts credited Constable with aspects of the design, while others attributed the same developments to Tippmann.

The precise origin of the disputed components has not been conclusively established.

Constable's visit to the Tippmann factory in 1987 is documented separately from claims concerning the invention of specific components.

He should therefore not be credited definitively with inventing the Tippmann powertube or the SMG-60's operating mechanism without additional primary-source evidence.

Canada

PSI equipment was distributed in Canada through Lyle Kuchmak, associated with Quest for Adventure.

Kuchmak operated Pursuit Supplies International Canada and handled North American distribution of Constable's equipment during the late 1980s and early 1990s.[1]

The distribution arrangement included pump-action and semi-automatic PSI models.

Kuchmak appeared with an M-16 Stinger in the February 1991 issue of Action Pursuit Games.

The Canadian connection also reflected Constable's earlier production of lever-action markers intended for a Western-themed paintball operation.

United States distribution

PSI equipment reached American customers through its Canadian distribution network and subsequent commercial arrangements.

A November 1992 issue of Paintball Magazine announced that Gramps and Grizzly would begin distributing PSI products, replacing the earlier PSI Canada arrangement.[1]

The change took place during a period of increasing competition in the North American market.

Larger manufacturers, including Tippmann, had developed extensive dealer networks and commercially successful semi-automatic markers.

PSI's smaller-scale manufacturing operation faced considerable competition in this environment.

Engineering approach

Adaptation of existing mechanisms

Constable's earliest paintball designs were influenced by the Nelson Nelspot mechanism.

He adapted existing marker technology while experimenting with different external bodies, loading systems and gas reservoirs.

Although he initially modified Sheridan rifles, his original marker designs did not necessarily use Sheridan-style internal valves.

In February 2015, Constable personally commented on Daniel Bacci's historical article to clarify that his original markers used Nelspot-derived valve designs, rather than Sheridan valve mechanisms.[1]

This correction is important because some early collector accounts had described his equipment as mechanically similar to Sheridan markers.

Internal carbon dioxide reservoirs

Several of Constable's early rifles incorporated internal carbon dioxide reservoirs.

The approach differed from the disposable cartridges used by many early paintball markers and from the external tanks that subsequently became standard.

The wooden M-16 and FN-49 were examples of Constable's experimentation with integrated gas storage.

His later designs reflected the paintball industry's movement toward more standardised compressed-gas systems.

Manufacturing in New Zealand

Constable's equipment combined locally developed designs with manufacturing and engineering resources available in New Zealand.

His work included modifying imported equipment, developing original mechanisms and arranging the manufacture of complete marker components.

Historical research into the FN-49 has identified a possible manufacturing connection with Gatenby Automatic Engineering and engineer Ian Warren.[3]

The surviving record does not fully document which components were manufactured directly by Constable and which were produced by subcontractors.

Nevertheless, the surviving equipment establishes that complete PSI paintball markers were developed and manufactured in New Zealand during the 1980s.

Later historical research

Grant Fraser and Daniel Bacci

Renewed interest in Constable's equipment developed through the work of New Zealand player Grant Fraser and American paintball historian Daniel Bacci.

In 2007, Fraser contacted Bacci with photographs of his PSI M-16 Stinger.

Fraser also supplied information about Constable and other early New Zealand paintball equipment.[1]

Bacci initially believed some PSI equipment might have been manufactured in Canada because of its North American distribution history.

Subsequent research established its New Zealand origins.

Bacci contacted Constable directly and obtained details about the development of his earliest markers.

The resulting research incorporated original photographs, correspondence, contemporary magazine advertisements and surviving examples of PSI equipment.

Bacci published a substantial history of Constable's early manufacturing work in January 2015.[1]

Ian Warren and Michael Earley

Additional information about early New Zealand paintball equipment was contributed by engineer Ian Warren and paintball player Michael Earley.

In February 2015, Earley commented on Bacci's historical article, suggesting that Warren might be able to provide information about early New Zealand paintball marker manufacturing.[1]

Bacci subsequently acknowledged assistance from Constable, Warren and Earley in his May 2015 article about the FN-49.[3]

The research helped identify surviving manufacturing details and distinguish the FN-49 from other PSI models.

Constable's own recollections

Constable contributed directly to the reconstruction of PSI's history.

His correspondence with Bacci included estimates of production quantities, explanations of early gas systems and accounts of international visits.

He also supplied photographs of several early marker designs.

In February 2015, Constable publicly corrected descriptions of his markers' internal valve mechanisms.

These firsthand accounts provide valuable evidence about his work, although some production dates and quantities are approximate recollections recorded several decades after the events.

Historical legacy

Constable was among the New Zealand designers involved in the early development of purpose-built paintball equipment.

His work began when the sport relied heavily on modified forestry-marking pistols, imported airguns and mechanical pump markers.

Through Pursuit Supplies International, he developed complete marker designs and contributed to the introduction of refillable gas systems and semi-automatic equipment.

His products were used in New Zealand and exported to Australia, Canada and the United States.

The appearance of PSI equipment in international paintball magazines between the late 1980s and early 1990s documents New Zealand's participation in the development of an international equipment industry.

Surviving examples of Constable's markers have become subjects of historical collecting, restoration and research.

His association with The Ultimate Game also connects his engineering activities with the development of commercial recreational paintball in New Zealand.

References

Steve Constable and Pursuit Supplies International c.1985–1988. Daniel Bacci, Paintball History, 9 January 2015. Extensive historical account incorporating direct correspondence with Constable, original photographs, production estimates, magazine records and international distribution history.
McLeans Island Paintball – About Us. Official website of the Christchurch paintball operation associated with The Ultimate Game. Includes the operator's account of its establishment in 1985.
The Constable / Gatenby FN-49 .62 cal Rifle c.1987. Daniel Bacci, Paintball History, 15 May 2015. Includes details of Constable's connection with The Ultimate Game, the surviving FN-49, Gatenby Automatic Engineering and the 1987 American visit.
McLeans Island Paintball. Official website of the Christchurch commercial paintball facility formerly associated with The Ultimate Game.
PSI M-16 Stinger Silencer / Raincover. Daniel Bacci, Paintball History, 26 November 2015. Historical M-16 Stinger accessory and contemporary advertising.
Pursuit Supplies International Scorpion from New Zealand. Daniel Bacci, Paintball History, 22 September 2013. Documents the original Scorpion, later Scorpion Elite and conflicting accounts of the Tippmann powertube design.
Scorpion Elite, Pictured in PSI June 1991. Daniel Bacci, Paintball History, 30 September 2013. Records the Scorpion Elite's appearance in the June 1991 issue of Paintball Sports International.

External links