Admin: Created Cal Ordnance article documenting the Mercenary Sheridan pump-marker conversion kit and other historical accessories, using original advertising and VintageRex records. Added alternative spelling for catalogue consistency.

2026-10-20T06:47:17Z

Created Cal Ordnance article documenting the Mercenary Sheridan pump-marker conversion kit and other historical accessories, using original advertising and VintageRex records. Added alternative spelling for catalogue consistency.

New page

'''Cal Ordnance''' (also identified as '''Cal Ordnance Design''' and listed by [[VintageRex]] as '''Cal Ordinance''') was a paintball equipment brand documented during the late 1980s. Its products included the [[Cal Ordnance Mercenary|Mercenary]] conversion kit for Sheridan-based pump-action [[paintball marker]]s.[1][2]

The brand is also associated with early paintball barrel accessories described in historical collector accounts.[3]

== History ==

Cal Ordnance marketed aftermarket components for paintball markers during the late 1980s.

Its best-documented product was the Mercenary Conversion Barrel, designed to replace the body and barrel assembly of existing [[Sheridan]] and [[Pursuit Marketing Inc.]] (PMI) pump-action markers.

An original advertisement preserved by VintageRex identifies the product under the Cal Ordnance Design name and lists a retail price of US$225, with an advertised selling price of US$199.95.[2]

VintageRex dates the Mercenary to 1989.[1]

The company's ownership, location, founding date and subsequent operating history have not been established from the available records.

== Paintball equipment ==

=== Mercenary ===

The '''Mercenary''' was an aftermarket conversion kit for Sheridan-based pump-action paintball markers.

Rather than being supplied as a complete marker, the kit replaced the original body and barrel assembly while retaining components from the donor marker, including its trigger frame and valve assembly.[1][2]

The original advertisement described the following components and features:

* 16-inch micro-honed removable barrel.
* Field-strippable centre-feed bolt.
* 5-inch Delrin pump handle.
* Side-tapped constant-air connection.
* Grooved scope rail.
* High-gloss black finish.

The kit was marketed for compatibility with Sheridan-valve markers, including the PGP, PMI-I, PMI-II and 68 Magnum.[2]

The advertisement stated that installation required the transfer of the original Sheridan valve assembly and some mechanical knowledge.

VintageRex records the resulting configuration as a .68-calibre pump-action marker with a Sheridan-style valve, direct feed and removable barrel, compatible with 12-gram CO₂ cartridges or constant-air systems.[1]

=== Other accessories ===

Historical collector accounts also identify Cal Ordnance with barrel accessories described as silencers or rain covers.

In an interview reproduced by ''Paintball History'', collector Tosh Tanaka recalled purchasing a Cal Ordnance accessory from I&I Sports in Los Angeles around 1987.[3]

The account provides evidence of the brand's association with aftermarket paintball accessories, although the product's exact specifications and production history have not been independently established.

== See also ==

* [[Cal Ordnance Mercenary]]
* [[Sheridan]]
* [[Pursuit Marketing Inc.]]
* [[Nel-Spot 007]]
* [[List of vintage paintball markers and equipment]]

== References ==

# [https://www.vintagerex.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=viewmarker&man=Cal+Ordinance&marker=Mercenary VintageRex, "Mercenary", historical paintball equipment record].
# [https://www.vintagerex.com/pics/gunpics/Cal%20Ordinance/Mercenary/ads/cal_ordnance_mercenary_kit.jpg Cal Ordnance Design, "Mercenary Conversion Barrel", original advertisement preserved by VintageRex].
# [https://paintballhistory.com/tosh-tanaka-mac-1-annihilators/ Paintball History, "Tosh Tanaka and his Mac 1 Annihilators", 2014, including retrospective discussion of Cal Ordnance accessories].

== External links ==

* [https://www.vintagerex.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=viewdb&man=Cal+Ordinance Cal Ordinance at VintageRex]
* [https://www.vintagerex.com/pics/gunpics/Cal%20Ordinance/Mercenary/ads/cal_ordnance_mercenary_kit.jpg Original Mercenary conversion kit advertisement]

[[Category:Paintball equipment manufacturers]]

Cal Ordnance - Revision history

Admin: Created Cal Ordnance article documenting the Mercenary Sheridan pump-marker conversion kit and other historical accessories, using original advertising and VintageRex records. Added alternative spelling for catalogue consistency.