Earlier this month, July 2015, I came across a neat shoebox Shocker on ebay.
I occasionally browse shoebox Shockers on ebay, looking for early Pneuventures guns, such as the Cyber 9K. There are usually a pretty large variety of later splash patterned Smart Parts guns listed, but I’d never end up pulling the trigger on any purchases.
But one unique Shocker stood out. At first I noticed the L stock on it and then started looking at the other modifications. Reading the description, the seller, Anthony Granata, states, “My Buddy used to play for Smart Parts and Designed the G-Max Shocker. He did a lot of custom work on my gear.”
Although the name wasn’t specifically mentioned, it was obvious that the work on this shoebox Shocker was done by Garett Maxwell, who played for the CCM Factory Team, the All Americans (or Philly Americans?) and Dynasty. After speaking with the Granata, the seller, I learned that both he and Maxwell also played together on the 5 man team, Blind Fury, based out of Northern California Adventure Games in Anderson, California.
Looking at Anthony’s location I saw he was in Northridge, about 25 miles North West of Los Angeles. So I asked Anthony if he would be willing to meet up and record a video if I won his auction. About a week later we met up and Anthony explained his paintball history, playing in Northern California.
He starts off the video explaining that the “4×4 Shocker [was] modified by [his] friend in Highschool, Garett Maxwell.”
Granata met Maxwell in about 5th grade, in the early 90s, when they became neighbors in Cottonwood, California, which is near Redding.
Anthony recalls, “We started playing [paintball] in the trails down by the house with whatever we could get out hands on.”
They started off with pump pistols and later moving to Tippmanns and then Autocockers.
In the video, Anthony goes on to tell a bunch of neat stories about his friendship with Garett Maxwell and early projects that that were completed out of the machine shop in Maxwell’s grandfather’s garage, located in Redding.
One project Anthony describes was the conversion of his Autococker to a Sniper.
Granata remembers how they decided to compete in a pump tournament with their five man team, Blind Fury, and but he didn’t own a pump. They went to Maxwell’s grandfather’s shop and Garett made Anthony a pump kit out of wood and misc pieces.
In the video, Anthony also recalls Garett’s senior project. He explains, “[For Garett’s] senior project, in high school, he milled an Autococker from scratch.”
It’s hard to say exactly what piece Maxwell fabricated but according to Anthony he made the body and possibly the receiver as well. This could have been the start of the G-Max 86 frame? But that would have likely been too early.
Anthony then goes on to describe the modifications that Maxwell did on the 4×4 Shocker:
“Garett was working on a project and decided he was going to make a whole new tray for the Shocker…He also made a stock and a drop forward [and] he made a custom front grip for me. And then he made some tweaks. He milled in a screw so the trigger pull was shorter, and I think a new bolt.”
Anthony mentions that Garett made the L stock on this Shocker. The recessed area for the drop is similar to a stock on an Automag I own, so if the stock was made by Maxwell it would shed some light on that Automag’s origin. I think the Shocker’s stock was likely made by someone else and might of just had additional cuts by Maxwell prior to anodizing? But I can’t confirm either way so hopefully a reader remembers some details on these stocks (or this mag)?
The Automag is pictured above. I thought the cuts might have been from Carter Machine but the vertical notches on the rail and stock are unlike the many Carterized Mags I’ve come across, any clues would be appreciated on this Automag.
I asked Anthony about other modifications that Maxwell might have done early on and he remembers:
“We had a 5 man team that we would play locally with, [Blind Fury], so I’m sure [Maxwell] did work on all of their stuff. When we had our cockers, he probably did work on all of those.”
Towards the end of the 90s Garett started playing with the CCM team at away events and also started working for/with Jason Chipley. Chipley owned CNC machines and at that point they began producing early CCM items.
The archived CCM website, circa 2000, lists the CCM factory team’s first event as the Hounds Cup tournament, in late February 2000. Hosted by the Dogs or War (likely the Dogs of War out of Sacramento?):
“2/24/00 – CCM Took 2nd place at the Hounds Cup tournament hosted by the Dogs of War. It was CCM’s first tournement and all team members used only pump guns. Next stop for CCM should be Las Vegas for the Pan-Am and L.A. for the NPPL”
Find the archived CCM website at:
https://web.archive.org/web/20010201051000/http://chipleymachine.com/
And here is a neat photo of one of the CCM factory team members with an early CCM sniper off of Warpig (photo by Dawn Mills). The photo was from the Pan Am Seattle 2000 tournament (c.6/11/2000) page on Warpig, which CCM Factory competed. Find that page at:
http://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/panam/seattle2000/index.shtml
And the link for that actual image at:
http://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/panam/seattle2000/gallery/MVC197S_jpg.shtml
[…] Find more history on this Garett Maxwell Shocker and Anthony Granata here. […]