One of the reasons we started working on the VENOM was pretty simple: if you wanted to carry more than the usual 20 FSR in a magazine, there really weren't many options.
First Strike Rounds make high-capacity magazines a little more complicated than roundball. Roundball doesn't care which way it's facing. FSR obviously does, so you can't just dump a pile of them into something and expect them to make their way to the marker correctly. They have to stay oriented through the entire feed path.
That's what we designed the VENOM around.
The VENOM MK-1 holds 40 rounds and can run either FSR or standard .68 caliber roundball. It's completely mechanical, so there are no batteries or electronics to deal with. Load it, wind it, and go.
But capacity and feeding weren't the only things we cared about.
We Wanted It to Actually Look Like a Drum
A big part of magfed and milsim paintball is the look of the marker. If you've spent the time building a realistic setup, adding capacity shouldn't mean hanging something off the marker that looks completely out of place.
We wanted the VENOM to have the proportions and profile of a real drum magazine.
Even with 40 rounds on the marker, it still looks like it belongs there. It doesn't look like a hopper disguised as a magazine or a container that was added as an afterthought.
That true-to-life appearance was part of the design from the beginning, not something we tried to add after we figured out the feed system.
FSR or Roundball
We also didn't want to make a drum that locked you into one type of paint.
The VENOM can be loaded with First Strike Rounds or standard .68 caliber roundball.
That's useful because plenty of players don't shoot FSR all the time. Maybe the field doesn't allow them, maybe the game doesn't call for them, or maybe you just don't feel like burning through FSR that day.
You don't need another drum for roundball. Load it and keep playing.
One Drum, Different Builds
The other thing we didn't want was a drum built around one marker and nothing else.
The VENOM uses interchangeable feed towers, adjustable stack height, and adjustable spring tension.
The adjustable stack height lets the feed system be set up for different applications without relying on a different extended follower for every build. Change the tower, make the necessary adjustments, and the same basic drum platform can be used across different setups.
That was important to us because we wanted to build a drum platform, not another one-off magazine.
Why Not Just Carry Another Magazine?
You absolutely can.
Normal 20-round magazines work, and we're not going to pretend they don't.
The difference is that the VENOM gives you the contents of two typical 20-round magazines without a magazine change halfway through.
For normal magfed play, that might not matter to you.
If you're providing cover, running a support-style build, shooting full auto, or you just tend to burn through magazines, having another 20 rounds immediately available can be a pretty big advantage.
And you get that capacity without giving up FSR compatibility or the look that made you build a magfed marker in the first place.
That's really what we wanted out of the VENOM.
40 rounds. FSR or roundball. Completely mechanical. Configurable for different builds. And most importantly, it actually looks like a drum mag.