From Wikipedia
'Worr Game Products (WGP) is a manufacturer of paintball markers and equipment based originally in Corona, California. It is best-known for its Autococker line of paintball markers. Founded in 1987 by Bud Orr ('Worr' is a play on Orr's last name)out of his garage, WGP is one of the oldest companies in the sport. Bud started out making Nelson clone pumps, first the Commando and then the Ranger, deciding to switch to a more versatile design, he started making Sheridan clones with removable barrels called the Sniper. Sniper II's were eventually converted into autocockers.
Bud Orr left the company in 2006. His son, Jeff, is still an engineer for WGP.
In 2004, WGP was acquired by K2, Inc.. In 2007 all of K2 was purchased by Jarden Corporation. All of WGP's business is now based in Carlsbad, California.'
Autococker Dating
Model Serial Numbers Year Made
Sniper I 1 - 500 1987
Bud was making Sniper 1 - machined bodies - in his garage
Sniper I 500 - 2107 1988 - 1989 (<Summer) Paintslinger16 : 'WGP made the switch from a machined to an extruded receiver. Snipers with serial numbers over 2000 have the extruded bodies, as do all the new Sniper II's.'
(774 Thumper says)
Sniper 1 1/2 2108 - 2524 Early 1989
http://www.mcarterbrown.com/cgi-bin/...iewnews&id=230
Reference : From November of 1989 APG issue
If it's over #2100 then they will have the sniper II body.
They used up the Sniper 1 stock (so the #2100 - 2500 is more or less a sniper 1 1/2, after that they were true sniper II's.
Joelrf600r: 'a 1.5 is the nickname for the transition guns that didn't have all the sniper2 features, but had the extruded sniper2 body. They essentially have the extruded body, but still have the sniper1 style bolt/block combo. some of them have the sniper1 pump, others have the sniper2 pump. i don't know what the number range is for them.'
2524 looks like a 1.5
Sniper II 2525 - 2891 1989(>Summer)
In the article if refers to the switch in the summer of '89.
'WGP made the switch from a machined to an extruded receiver. Snipers with serial numbers over 2000 have the extruded bodies, as do all the new Sniper II's.' Also states that breech chamber size was reduced after serial #400 to prevent double feeds. The pictures in the article show serial number 2555.
APG press release Nov 1989 -- pg58/59 -- pg61 -- pg62 -- pg64
I know 2530 is a sniper II --
PAINTCHECK Mar 1990 press release -- pg23
I know 2841 is a sniper II (Firepro84's)
Sniper II 3757 90 check out Firepro84's 3757 sniper II - 1990 is best guess.
PAINTCHECK Mar 1990 press release ---- pg22 -- pg23
Sniper II 6138 91 (JAGCPT says '91)
APG August 1991 ad
Dec 1991 Paintcheck -- pg25/26 -- pg29
6116 to
8942 92 6116 WALKING TARGET says
6314 WALKING TARGET says
6427 PAINTHAPPY says
6498 DRAKEN says
8283 SDAWG says
8346 Firepro's
8942 PAINTHAPPY says
9,226 93 9226 Firepro's - best guess '93
16,552 94 (16552 THUMPER says)
17,000's - 28,000's 95 17000 low : Wolf13 says
I think & hear 17206 is a late 94, early 95 (air-powered debate)
(20834 THUMPER says 95)
29,745 96 29745 (jasons) - Thumper says 96 - backblock
35,668 -
39,485 97 35,668 is a 97 - full square body, slanted back block
39485 is a 97 - I know -- full square body.
40,033 to 60,141 98 40033 is a 98
40177 is a 98
44235 is a 98
60141 is a 98 -- timing rod not threaded
60,764 to
72,450 99 60764 is a 99 -- slanted gills, threaded rod
72450 is a 99 - definitely not 2K (from Vortex body)
73,607 - 88,888 2K0 I know 73,607 is a 2K0 -- and Kmac says so too..
I know 74,139 is a 2K0
I know 88,888 is a 2K0
95,672 - 107,438
2K1 I know 95,672 is a 2K1 (one cozie sold)
I know 97,598 is a 2K1
Cockertech.com says 98,477 is a 2K1
99,279 is a 2K1 (tallen702)
I think 107,438 is a 2K1
109,637 -
140,149 2K2 109637 is a 2k2 (vert feed)
I hear 123,106, is a 2k2 (draken @ warpig)
I think 126,775 (Rich's RF) }
I think 131,000 (stockclasspaintball - VF)
I think 140,149 - ebay seller
146,405 -
188,475 2k3 146,405 - Sirr Killed A Lott @ Warpig
188,475 - half a55 guess (draken @ warpig)
(content below is an exerpt Wikipedia - Author unknown)
The Autococker was introduced in 1989 as an upgrade to the successful Sniper 2 pump, followed in the mid 90's by the Minicocker, which used a shortened version of the Autococker body and moved the ASA to the bottom of the front block (the first Minicockers were chopped down full size Autocockers. The Minicockers were easly spotted due to the serial number being almost completly removed. It proved a popular enough conversion WGP introduced its own line along with a Sniper 3.). The Autococker remained largely unchanged throughout the early to mid '90s. It was available in right- and left-feed models, and suffered from the lack of what are now considered standard features. Ball detents, threaded and flattened timing rod (slip fit was standard)and a timing hole drilled (sear lug otherwise had to be adjusted by removing the frame). Centerfeeds made an appearance ~'94, produced and serialed by WGP but exclusively distributed by Bob Long to the public as Bob Long Signature series or to custom houses. This would set the stage later on for a shortage of vert feed bodies and the appearance of aftermarket bodies.
In the late '90s, factory Autococker development began to ramp up in response to a burgeoning aftermerket for the Autococker. An inline regulator was added standard in the later '90s, and center-feed bodies began to become more common. The 2000s saw further development of factory Autocockers as WGP felt pressure to keep pace with the newer electropneumatic guns and compete with the by-then large aftermarket, as well as try to hold onto the Autococker's position near the top of the market. WGP eventually introduced adjustable LPRs, electronic triggers, milled bodies, and a host of other high-performance parts. In 2005 WGP introduced its first factory halfblock Autococker.
Throughout its history, the Autococker has enjoyed considerable success on the field at all levels of play. For years it was considered one of the top tournament guns and still sees use by some teams playing pro and semi-pro circuits.
-------------------
2007 : (content below is an exerpt Wikipedia - Author unknown) -- Wolf13 says he contributed to this blurb -- I tend to believe him.
The Autococker began life in late 1986 when Bud Orr created the original Sniper pump marker, by carving the works of a standard Sheridan PGP into an aluminum block that would accept a longer barrel. The Sniper was operated in a manner similar to pump-action shotguns in that it had to be manually recocked after each shot to load the next round. In 1987, Orr founded Worr Game Products to sell the products he was developing, and by 1988 he was running the business full-time. In order to stay competitive with the rising popularity of semiautomatic markers in early 90s, Orr added a pneumatic system onto the Sniper. The pneumatics automatically re-cocked the marker after each shot and in 1990, the Autococker was born. There is a lot of controversy as to whether the design was stolen from Glenn Palmer (who has repeatidly and publicly made and defended this claim and has given a detailed accounting of the circumstances) or was actually Bud's innovation.
Although heavily criticized for reliability and a number of design defects, it proved to be an easy platform to work off of and aftermarket parts started to appear shortly after its inception. One of the most fundamental and important upgrades was the Palmer “Rock” low pressure regulator (LPR) to replace the troublesome stock LPR. With a variety of options appearing for parts, Belsales in the UK became the first company to build WGP-certified aftermarket cockers, called “Evolution” in 1993. Throughout the remainder of the 1990’s, dozens of shops ranging from large notables such as Shocktech, Eclipse, Belsales and FreeFlow down to small one man pro-shop operations made a business of servicing and customizing autocockers with price tags of nearly $2000 for high end models. A combination of performance, upgradeability and cosmetic options made it one of the top tournament markers of the 90’s. Only the Automag rivaled it in popularity until electronic markers appeared. Indeed, the autococker was so ubiquitous that its barrel threading became one of the most commonly-used standards on high-end markers (akin to how firearm cartridge sizes are named for the first firearm that used them). To this day, 'autococker threading' can be found on higher-end markers.
By the turn of the century, with the advent and increased popularity of electro-pneumatics, it no longer became profitable for specialized shops to produce custom autocockers, and they slowly began to disappear. By the early 21st-century, the autococker was no longer considered the top tournament marker in the sport.
Serial numbers
WGP marked every body it made with a serial number. It is important to note that Autocockers and Minicockers had two different lines of serial numbers, i.e. the first Minicocker was marked #1 again, so low-serial number Minicockers are substantially 'newer' than low-serial number Autocockers.
Year Made
1984 - Sheridan adds a pump handle to their PG.
Inspired by the Sheridan Valve Train, Bud Orr begins works on building a more rubust body to add a removable barrel to.
1987 - Sniper 1 introduced - hand made by Bud in his garage.
Note the 4 ribbed pump grip and Sheridan frame.
Many came w/ square ASA's and many came w/ the more standard round ASA's
On square block asa's: PBJedi : 'Square block Snipers where early guns that used a different style pin valve. I have #274 with a square block, The highest # I've seen was #311. Many went back to Worr game and got the asa replaced to use the pin valves that had become standard by that time.'
Sniper 1s we also available in 62 caliber
ForePro's #50
Vintage Rex's #165 Thompson
Painthappy's 62 #120 -- ssn -- pic2
pic from vintage rex
1988 - Sniper I - shown w/ thompson stock, ribbed barrel
pic from vintage rex
pic Thompson Style (May 1988)
pic 'California Style' Bud Orr WGP Sniper Gun (July 1988)
Early Summer 1989 - Sniper 1.5 --
Note integral full length site rail (Sniper II) and still using Sniper I back block/bolt/screw and 4 rib pump handle -- SSN 2524 shown from ebay sale
Best Guess for this one at June 1989 - Possibly May
Summer 1989 - Sniper II is introduced -- The two main issues for the new design were the redesigned valve that decreased dwell increasing 12 gram efficiency from 15 good shots to 25 shots to help compete w/ Nelson based markers being used at the time - and a 'quick strip bolt' that made for quicker field cleaning. ( Apparently tournament players complained about the number of turns needed to unscrew the barrels to clean.)
Another major change was Bud shifting to extruded aluminum bodies.
APG press release Nov 1989 -- pg58/59 -- pg61 -- pg62 -- pg64
PAINTCHECK Mar 1990 press release ---- pg22 -- pg23
The ribbed barrel was an upgrade feature for the Sniper II's (not standard)
Note sight rail, and bolt comes through rear block
the pump grip handles came both in both 4 rib and 9 rib versions.
APG August 1991 ad
The Sniper II, is easily recognized by its full-length integrated sight rail and quick release bolt hole in back block.
Old ad w/ all models shown
Great Close up of California Style
from warpig: 'Budd Orr started with his Sniper I and added a Palmer Persuit type automated cocking system to make the Sniper II AutoCocker.'
from warpig: 'In the mid 1980s, Bud Orr at Worr Games Products started making the WGP Sniper paintgun, machining an aluminum body and pump mechanism to house PGP valving as a high end paintgun. In the early 1990s, the WGP Sniper evolved into the Autococker when the front pump assembly was replaced by a pneumatics package that did the job of cocking the paintgun.'
1991 Autococker introduced
Press release from Dec 1991 Paintcheck -- pg25/26 -- pg29 -- article mentioned cocker on market for less than a year (meaning released in 1991)
pic from vintage rex
larger pic from Vintage Rex
more pics w/ pneumatics
1993
Minicocker offered
1996
Ball detent standard from Cooper-T
anonym: 'Everything Pre-97 was a 'glossy' black anodizing.'
anonym: 'Bud upgraded the old skinny LPR to his new 'self-regulating Sledgehammer' LPR (the one that was replaced in 2K).
1997
Cut backblock standard on all models
lightened bolt standard on all models
beavertail standard.
Optional carbon fiber gripframe.
Ram, 3-way polished from factory.
'Gills' in pneumatics shroud.
anonym: 'In 1997, they came out with that 'flat black industrial hardcoat' finish that lasted until the color options in 2001'
anonym: 'Sometime in early '97, the trigger plates changed (as well as the internal dimensions of the frames) to what is considered the standard on trigger plates. Prior to 2K, only STO models came with the non-slotted plates. On 2K models, the standard was the rounded (non-slotted) nickel plated STO trigger plate.'
1998 -
Top Timing hole added
Screw IVG introduced (previously was a smooth fitting held in by beavertail screw.
WGP inline regulator standard.
Front of sight rail sloped
rear of sight rail rounded.
bottom edge of body rounded - excluding asa
Nelson spring-compatible hammer.
Enlarged valve chamber.
1999 -
1999 Threaded timing rod standard.
Short brass ram introduced.
Polished, nickel-plated trigger plates.
Angled 'gills' in pneumatics shroud.
anonym: 'You have the ram upgrade mentioned, but the LPR and x-way were upgraded as well. The x-way did away with the c-clips and endcaps and they went w/ a one-piece body w/ a shorter throw, and the old 3-piece Sledgehammer regulator was swapped out for the 'sto-style' regulator with the adjustment access through the fitting hole (instead of removing the rear part of the regulator body). All of the 'upgraded' pneumatics were standard up until here recently.'
2000 -
Valve chamber enlarged.
Front block screw enlarged.
Body was milled down and rounded further including pump rod slots on both sides of the body, and the asa mount.
Jewel on body introduced.
bolt length and body configuration standardized
ANONYM: 'On 2K models, the standard was the rounded (non-slotted) nickel plated STO trigger plate.'
tallen702 says: 'Also, you may want to note that 200 of the markers around serial number 99279 were custom-milled by WGP for the original Black Magic series. They have full herring-bone milling from the back block all the way to the breech and barrel. No rail, most were either splash anno or fade, and only a few were custom color jobs that were factory made and sold as body-kits at the '01 IAO in Cranberry PA.'
2001 -
Plastic shroud introduced.
the logo on the jewel is a bit less orange and more yellow
the back block is had rounded edges on the read to shave off a gram or two.
The grip frame composite plastic and is nice and fattened up to help prevent breakage.
2002
Vertical feed available on base model.(previously available around 1998 on the STO model and mid 90's WGP bodies sold through exclusive distribution by Bob Long and aftermarket bodies)
Hinge trigger standard on all models also quick pull pin.
QFT : '2k2 came in both side feed and vert feed. I owned a 2k2 side feed. The vert feed cost extra. Same with color anno jobs; they were optional in the last half of 2002, but not every gun had them. '
2003 -
QFT : '2003 was the first year they standardized vertical feed. It's also the first year they really started milling the guns AND coloring them.'
2003 smooth stylish milling standard improved open face bolt(still aluminum) No more right or left feeds. Vertical feed only
2004
new milling and brass on pneumatics now plated with nickel.
modification to the stock inline regulator making it more comfortable and easier to disasemble for maintanance or adjustment.
also new small externally adjustable lpr standard.
comes with asa and steel braid.
Shroud no longer included.
Better barrel that does not have lug for the front of the shound and has porting.
2005 - VFT introduced