FireBall Mountain Factory

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FBM Choke Chain
by Bill Mills

FireBall Mountain made a splash at paintball trade shows with their gothic custom paintgun bodies, featuring screw in spikes for a wild goth/punk look.  They have gone beyond the bodies and custom anodizing to release their own line of after market accessories.

FBM’s Choke Chain feed necks are their take on one of the innovations of the last 3 years – feed necks that clamp down onto paintball hoppers.  The Choke Chain is available for the Angel, Impulse, Shocker, 2K Timmy, WGP Autococker, and the Matrix.

This feedneck is a two piece design.  The base section of the neck is separated into fingers that clamp down onto the loader’s neck.  A threaded collar screws on as the second piece.  As it is tightened down towards the base it tightens the fingers together, increasing their grip.

FireBall Mountain touts the Choke Chain as the shortest clamping feedneck on the market.  It measures in at a mere 1.25 inches tall.  For review, a Matrix version was used.  The Choke Chain’s height was a significantly lower than the stock feed neck which measures in at 2.125”.  

Installing the Choke Chain was a fairly quick process.  It began with removing the stock feedneck.  The first step was removing the Matrix breech, and taking out the nubbins.  It was then heated with a torch to loosen its thread locking compound.  With breech in a vise, a strap wrench was used to unscrew the feed neck.  After the breech cooled, and its threads were cleaned, the Choke Chain was installed with a drop of thread locking compound to hold it in place.  With the nubbins reinstalled the breech went back on the Matrix.

Test fitting with various loaders the Choke Chain accepted Revolution without any modification.  It accepted an older Ricochet 2K and Ricochet AK when their o-rings (which aren’t necessary with the locking collar) were removed.  A Ricochet Apache fit properly, and locked in more soundly with its neck o-rings in place.  Both HALO and eVLution loaders needed to be sanded in order to fit into feed neck.

Installed and in place, the Choke Chain performed without problem.  Fireball Mountain recommends sanding Revolution loaders to rough them up for the collar to get a better grip on them.  However with Revys that were simply scratched from normal use, the Choke Chain found purchase and held firm.  Smooth knurling on the Choke Chain’s collar provided an easy grip to loosen or tighten when changing hoppers.

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