Empire Axe Paintball Gun Review For 2023

Looking for a beginner-to-intermediate paintball gun that doesn’t break the bank? Then the Empire Axe Paintball Gun is for you. Empire is a known brand in the paintball industry specifically for being an affordable high-quality marker manufacturer. They are more commonly known for making the Empire Mini GS which is thought to be the predecessor of the Empire Axe Paintball Gun.

Empire Paintball Markers

Empire Paintball has been in the busines of creating markers for over 10 years already. It has an extensive line of markers made for any type of paintball enthusiast, be it a beginner or a professional player. 

What they’re most famous for, though, is their line of affordable mid-range markers. These markers have been tried by professional paintball players which is telling about the markers’ durability and build quality. Some pro players have even used mid-range Empire Paintball markers in games where they won. Hence, the Empire Paintball game has become a household name for trusted markers. 

A Quick View of the Empire Axe Paintball Gun

People say that the Empire Axe Paintball Gun is a lightweight minimalist marker, but is that all there is to it? Fortunately, the Empire Axe Paintball Gun is more than just a pretty design. It has become popular to a lot of paintball players because of its quality and accuracy. 

A while ago, the Empire Axe Paintball Gun was told to be the predecessor of the Empire Mini GS. If you’re familiar with this marker, you’ll know that it has a lot of flaws, specifically in terms of accuracy, ease of use, and design. This is where the Empire Axe Paintball Gun excels. You can say that the Empire Axe Paintball Gun is the new and improved version of the Empire Mini GS because all the flaws of the former have been solved in the latter. It’s definitely more reliable and accurate while maintaining its lightweight features. 

Features of the Empire Axe Paintball Gun

What are the new and improved features of the Empire Axe Paintball Gun? Here is a closer look at all of its notable features. 

On/Off ASA Regulator

The On/Off ASA regulator is a great improvement to the Empire Axe Paintball Gun given that this feature wasn’t present in the Mini GS. The purpose of the on/off feature is to allow the marker to depressurize more easily without any inconvenience with the tank. 

The regulator is set at a 200 PSI but if it is lower than that until 190 PSI, this is still a good operating pressure. There is no need to adjust the regulator of the Empire Axe Paintball Gun which is a thoughtful feature by Empire Paintball since a lot of people can make a mistake in adjusting the pressure. 

Larger Trigger Area

Does a larger trigger finger area matter? For a beginner, this can hardly matter at all because you’ll be focused on noticing the accuracy and the weight of the marker. However, the more you play paintball, the more you’ll notice if a trigger is comfortable to use during the game. 

The Empire Axe Paintball Gun happens to have improved the area in which your finger can move to press the trigger. Even if you have large fingers, you will have enough room (at least two inches) in the trigger area. To add to that, Empire Paintball went ahead and adjusted the size of the actual handle in order to fit any hand perfectly. 

Lightweight and Minimalist Design

One of the first things you’ll notice with the Empire Axe Paintball Gun is its design. It looks small and thin so it’s not your fault if you deem it a breakable marker. But you’ll be surprised at how durable the Empire Axe Paintball Gun is. For a marker that looks like it’s too thin to be used all the time, it can last for many years. This assumes that you also know how to take care of markers. 

Other than its minimalistic look, the Empire Axe Paintball Gun is very light. It only weighs 2.4 lbs which is hardly difficult to carry even when you’re a newbie who’s not used to carrying heavy weights. This is mostly attributed to the full aluminum body that has been secured by just enough bolts and screws to prevent misalignment and inconsistency.

Micro-Switch Trigger Sensor

To fully appreciate the micro-switch trigger sensor found in the Empire Axe Paintball Gun, you have to know about the trigger mechanism of the Mini GS. Needless to say, these two markers now have different trigger mechanisms due to problems that arose in the Mini GS. 

The Mini GS uses two magnets that trigger a release of the paintball. When you pull the trigger, the magnets separate and this signals the paintball to be shot. While this mechanism works great, a lot of Mini GS owners were tempted to look into the mechanism and tamper with the magnets. In the end, their markers failed to shoot paintballs or at least lost the consistency that they were hoping to get. 

With the Empire Axe Paintball Gun, the magnetic mechanism is no longer in place. Instead, you have a micro-switch trigger sensor that doesn’t need to be tampered with. This is mainly because the trigger works so smoothly, you won’t need to adjust anything in it. 

Threaded and Adjustable Clamping Feed-Neck

The clamping feed-neck which is found on top of the barrel is a nice improvement from the Mini GS. The threaded design makes sure that the hopper is secure during their game. An interesting tweak that Empire Axe did is to standardize the size of the feed-neck in order for you to be able to use a different feed-neck should you choose to buy from a different brand’s. However, the feed-neck of the Empire Axe Paintball Gun is already a good part, so you will barely find the need to replace it with something else. 

Increased Air Supply

The Empire Axe Paintball Gun has the same bolt design with the Mini GS but the main difference is that the former has a larger chamber. The larger chamber allows for more air to run through the gun when it pushes a paintball. The result is a more consistent and smoother shot. 

If you are used to playing paintball, you’ll notice that the Empire Axe Paintball Gun has improved a lot in consistency. Thanks to the larger chamber and housing found at the rear of the marker is the main reason for the improvement in consistency and smoothness of shooting paintballs. 

Pros and Cons of the Empire Axe Paintball Gun

The Empire Axe Paintball Gun definitely sounds like a big improvement from the Mini GS, but on its own, is it worth they hype? What are the other advantages of getting this marker? Here’s a comprehensive pros and cons list to help you decide.

Pros 

• Lightweight and minimalist design

The design and weight of the Empire Axe Paintball Gun is by far, one of the best advantages you can get with it. Not a lot of markers are lightweight and durable at the same time, but Empire Axe Paintball Gun has managed to be both. 

By having a lightweight and minimalist paintball marker, you are able to shoot easier since your arms won’t be sore from carrying such a heavy weight. To add to that, there are fewer parts that get in the way of shooting accurately at your opponent. 

• Affordable beginner to intermediate marker

If you don’t want to invest a lot in paintball since you’re just starting out, then buying the Empire Axe Paintball Gun won’t make you feel guilty. Compared to other heavy-duty models, this marker is not very expensive. You might even find it very affordable for its performance. Plus, even if you do decide to keep playing paintball, the Empire Axe Paintball Gun is still a good intermediate marker. This means that you don’t have to buy a new marker for years to come. 

• Easy to remove the parts

Most of the time, you won’t have to take your paintball marker apart, but when you need to adjust a few things, you’ll be glad that Empire Paintball made it a lot easier for you to disassemble their marker. There are buttons to remove the battery and barrel. Compared to the Mini GS, the Empire Axe Paintball Gun has a push button for you to easily remove the rear of the marker. If there are problems with leaks and springs, you can easily fix them without any tools.

• Comes with enough spare parts

When you open the Empire Axe Paintball Gun’s box, you’ll find a plastic there filled with spare parts. It includes some screws, buttons, and other small things that will help you adjust and improve on the marker without buying from the Empire Paintball store. 

• Has enough space in the trigger area

This improvement on the size is a great advantage for people with large hands and fingers. There’s now enough room for you to relax your fingers or easily press the trigger. Even when you have small hands, you’ll be grateful for the extra space since it gives your hands enough room to move around and find a comfortable hold. 

Cons

• Stock barrel is not the best barrel length

Unfortunately, the Empire Axe Paintball Gun isn’t immune to the stereotype that stock barrels are always in bad quality. In fact, a lot of users of the Empire Axe Paintball Gun recommend changing the barrel to a 14-inch version. This can be an added inconvenience since the last thing you want is to buy another spare part when you’re already excited to play paintball. 

• Has some issues in accuracy and consistency

In spite of the improvements made by Empire Paintball on this marker, these improvements are still not enough to guarantee accuracy all the time. There are still some issues in terms of the accuracy especially in the PSI. To add to that, there is still room to further increase the consistency of the air pressure on the shots.

• Does not have a manual for tweaking the marker

The Empire Axe Paintball Gun comes with a CD that explains each part of the marker but other than that, there are few guides on how to tweak the marker if you want to change a few things. This means that you have to rely on online videos and tutorials from other people who have bought the same marker. 

• PSI can be inaccurate

While Empire Paintball has assured customers that they have already improved the pressure accuracy, there are still some cases when the accuracy is off up to 20 PSI. This can be a real problem especially when you just want to maintain it to 190-200 PSI.

How Does the Empire Axe Paintball Gun Compare with Other Paintball Markers?

The closest comparison to the Empire Axe Paintball Gun is none other than the Mini GS. Among the two, the former is definitely the better model. It has a better consistency, smoothness, durability, and size. It is easier to use and definitely more comfortable for people with larger hands and fingers.

What about the other models from other brands? You’ll be pleased to know that even when you compare the Empire Axe Paintball Gun to other models, it’s still a good choice because of all the reasons why it’s better than the Mini GS. What makes this marker better is that it isn’t expensive. If you are just planning to have your own paintball marker but not really play regularly, then you won’t feel guilty buying this. 

Verdict – Final Thoughts!

Overall, buying the Empire Axe Paintball Gun is going to be a good decision on your part. It’s so durable and consistent that even professional players win games with this marker. That is all the guarantee you need given that the Empire Axe Paintball Gun is nowhere near to being a professional-grade marker. Nonetheless, it shows that it is capable of winning games thanks to its consistency and accuracy. There might be a few drawbacks, but they are only minor which are forgivable given its price.