Editing Cal Ordnance


'''Cal Ordnance''' (also identified as '''Cal Ordnance Design''' and listed by [[VintageRex]] as '''Cal Ordinance''') was a paintball equipment brand documented during the late 1980s. Its products included the [[Cal Ordnance Mercenary|Mercenary]] conversion kit for Sheridan-based pump-action [[paintball marker]]s.[1][2]

The brand is also associated with early paintball barrel accessories described in historical collector accounts.[3]

== History ==

Cal Ordnance marketed aftermarket components for paintball markers during the late 1980s.

Its best-documented product was the Mercenary Conversion Barrel, designed to replace the body and barrel assembly of existing [[Sheridan]] and [[Pursuit Marketing Inc.]] (PMI) pump-action markers.

An original advertisement preserved by VintageRex identifies the product under the Cal Ordnance Design name and lists a retail price of US$225, with an advertised selling price of US$199.95.[2]

VintageRex dates the Mercenary to 1989.[1]

The company's ownership, location, founding date and subsequent operating history have not been established from the available records.

== Paintball equipment ==

=== Mercenary ===

The '''Mercenary''' was an aftermarket conversion kit for Sheridan-based pump-action paintball markers.

Rather than being supplied as a complete marker, the kit replaced the original body and barrel assembly while retaining components from the donor marker, including its trigger frame and valve assembly.[1][2]

The original advertisement described the following components and features:

* 16-inch micro-honed removable barrel.
* Field-strippable centre-feed bolt.
* 5-inch Delrin pump handle.
* Side-tapped constant-air connection.
* Grooved scope rail.
* High-gloss black finish.

The kit was marketed for compatibility with Sheridan-valve markers, including the PGP, PMI-I, PMI-II and 68 Magnum.[2]

The advertisement stated that installation required the transfer of the original Sheridan valve assembly and some mechanical knowledge.

VintageRex records the resulting configuration as a .68-calibre pump-action marker with a Sheridan-style valve, direct feed and removable barrel, compatible with 12-gram CO₂ cartridges or constant-air systems.[1]

=== Other accessories ===

Historical collector accounts also identify Cal Ordnance with barrel accessories described as silencers or rain covers.

In an interview reproduced by ''Paintball History'', collector Tosh Tanaka recalled purchasing a Cal Ordnance accessory from I&I Sports in Los Angeles around 1987.[3]

The account provides evidence of the brand's association with aftermarket paintball accessories, although the product's exact specifications and production history have not been independently established.

== See also ==

* [[Cal Ordnance Mercenary]]
* [[Sheridan]]
* [[Pursuit Marketing Inc.]]
* [[Nel-Spot 007]]
* [[List of vintage paintball markers and equipment]]

== References ==

# [https://www.vintagerex.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=viewmarker&man=Cal+Ordinance&marker=Mercenary VintageRex, "Mercenary", historical paintball equipment record].
# [https://www.vintagerex.com/pics/gunpics/Cal%20Ordinance/Mercenary/ads/cal_ordnance_mercenary_kit.jpg Cal Ordnance Design, "Mercenary Conversion Barrel", original advertisement preserved by VintageRex].
# [https://paintballhistory.com/tosh-tanaka-mac-1-annihilators/ Paintball History, "Tosh Tanaka and his Mac 1 Annihilators", 2014, including retrospective discussion of Cal Ordnance accessories].

== External links ==

* [https://www.vintagerex.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=viewdb&man=Cal+Ordinance Cal Ordinance at VintageRex]
* [https://www.vintagerex.com/pics/gunpics/Cal%20Ordinance/Mercenary/ads/cal_ordnance_mercenary_kit.jpg Original Mercenary conversion kit advertisement]

[[Category:Paintball equipment manufacturers]]