HMH - HAMMER / MOBILE HEAVY GUNNER Base Position Description Few are prepared to carry the enormous burdens, or the bulging gearkit, of the Heavy Gunner. Few can afford his monster gun or it's limitless appetite for paint. But for those who have the brawn and bucks, the Heavy Gunner position is like a horseman of the apocalypse on the field. To qualify as a Heavy Gunner, as opposed to a less-endowed Heavy Rifleman, you need to be toting something really, really heavy. . . something like a Double-trouble Tippmann A-5 Gatlin. At thirty rounds per second, the Double-trouble slams the bad guys like Zeus throwing lightning bolts. You have to see it to believe it. The fully equipped Heavy Gunner can raise many kinds of hell; he can hammer through any amount of brush, mercilessly pound defensive fortifications to clear for an assault and throw clouds of artillery-like long balls into far-distant clumps of enemy. Much hated by the walk-ons and much loved by his team, the Heavy Gunner looks, sounds and smack-talks like death incarnate. All hail the king! Basic Requires at least one paintball day playing Heavy Gunner position. There's no cheap way to play Heavy Gunner. If you're serious, you spend whatever it takes to strap on the big guns. With a Double-trouble A-5 Gatlin or better, you'll spend over a thousand bucks to even CALL yourself a Heavy. That alone might be worth a commendation. But, as our HG hammers away at the muppets on his local field, he will gain valuable insight and experience. It isn't ALL in the gun. Success has something to do with where the beast is pointed, too. Playing HG is really several positions. The big boy plays suppressive fire specialist, brush hammer and artillery expert all-in-one. One important skill that must be developed is knowing when NOT to crank up the big guns. If he lays too much paint in the wrong place, even a massive paint load will run out. Then, he's just a big, slow target. No matter how good you've become as the Heavy Gunner, one thing is certain: it's a freaking crap-load of fun. You'll laugh all the way to the poorhouse, if you're not careful (or rich.) Senior Requires at least six paintball days playing Heavy Gunner position. Officially, the Senior HG's a menace. Everyone grumbles when they hear him rev up his hammerwagon, and no place is safe from the roar of his beast. He stomps to the front whenever his Commander yells, "SAW!!" There, he pummels defenses, rips through bushes or barrages distant positions. In any case, the opposition rarely shoots back. Who wants to stand against the storm of paint unleashed by the Double-T Gatlin? Better to wait it out. But, by the time the storm subsides, his buddies are usually crawling up your six. A Senior HG's kit is coming together nicely. He straps on a custom-made vest that totes a mountain of paint and air while still leaving him somewhat mobile. His guns also clip to the vest, giving him a solid shooting platform from any upright position. Suppressive fire isn't supposed to rack up a ton of kills, but as the Senior HG gains experience, he's posting some rep-worthy stats, in addition to clearing the way for his team's fast-movers. Master Requires at least fifteen paintball days playing Heavy Gunner position. Even Jesse Ventura in "Predator," mini-gun and all, could learn a few things from the Master Heavy Gunner. Having unleashed literally tens of thousands of paintballs through his Double-T Gatlin, this dude knows his guns, his field and his victims. Now, the opposition doesn't just duck when they hear the cry of "SAW!," they bolt like frightened rabbits. That's what he's starting to call the sad creatures who face the wrath of his guns, "rabbits." You can sometimes hear him bellow, "Run little rabbits!" With his flatlines tuned, the HG can reach out and touch someone. He takes a different approach than the "one shot, one kill" snipers. His motto is "three hundred shots, three kills." He's a master of long-range, super-arc, barrages and he can inflict harm at well over one hundred twenty yards. The other team's still stumped over how to counter the raging firestorm of the Heavy Gunner. Other than getting an HG of their own, who knows if anything can stop him? Elite Requires at least fifteen paintball days playing Heavy Gunner position and a special commendation from Team Special Ops Paintball. Buying the gearkit alone won't earn you an Elite HG commendation from Team SpecOps. But when the team runs across one of the few who can ride the thunder of the Double-T Gatlin, they've got to give him his props. It takes skill and care to keep the big guns from going to your head. An Elite HG never gets any closer to the enemy than he must. Truly great HGs hardly ever get eliminated. They deal destruction from a distance that can't be matched by mere mortal shooters. When he knows his guns and masters his technique, the Elite Heavy Gunner becomes some kind of invincible Norse god on the field.