There has always been a market for aftermarket Autocockers.  Companies have always taken Bud’s great marker and put their own spin on them to solve some problems, to make them prettier, and to carve their own piece of the profit pie.  They would put new parts on these new Autocockers; they would also mill and anodize them.  The amount of companies doing this was always growing, and demand always grew too.  Eventually to help return some of the market back to their pocket, WGP released the STO.  It had the milling and the anodizing, but it just wasn’t regarded with the same level of esteem that all of the other aftermarket cockers got.  Finally, WGP has pulled out all the stops.  In their latest attempt to reclaim a portion of their market they came up with new, radical milling, sexy anodizing, and a boatload of new parts.  They created a new 3 way, a new pneumatic regulator, a new barrel, a new bolt, and they revamped their hinge trigger frame.  While all these new things add some weight to the price tag, WGP is targeting the Orracle at people who are looking to spend over a grand for their marker.  Many people question the fact that WGP can come out with a top-notch marker that can compete with all of these other aftermarket cockers.

          The most obvious change on the Orracle is the addition of the adjustable pneumatic regulator.  WGP was notorious for refusing to add an adjustable pneumatic regulator in the name of keeping it idiot proof, and they finally broke down and listened to the masses, and it is divine.  At barely the length of a silver dollar, the new Tickler Regulator (as it has been titled by WGP) is one of the shortest pneumatic regulators on the market.  The knob allows for easy adjustment, and it has a full range of adjustment for perfectly fine tuned pressures.  After the Tickler, I noticed that the 3 way had a knob on it as well.  The new 3 way that WGP put on the Orracle has a shorter throw than any other 3 way on the market.  It is the same as WGP’s CT 3 way, but it has the knob on the front to adjust the timing without the aid of tools (no more adjusting the actuator collar).   The legacy of the STO ram lives on in the Orracle.  It is hard to beat the STO ram, and WGP recognized this, so there was no reason to revamp it.  The pneumatics all carry a beautiful nickel-plating, that accents the marker excellently.  Both the Tickler and the SS 3 way knobs have matching milling that flows like the milling on the main body, and really tie it all together nicely.

          Following the actuator rod back we find the WGP 2^nd generation hinge frame.  Even though it looks almost identical to the first generation frame, there are a couple important differences.  First, the most noticeable thing is that it allows for the use of standard 45 grips (which the old frame did not).  While this may not seem very big, it is always a bonus to be able to use your favorite grips with your new marker.  The second large change is the inclusion of a new trigger stop system.  WGP added a cam adjuster to their frame to limit travel.  You can just adjust the cam to limit the trigger pull instead of opening up the frame and adjusting the internal stop (but you can still do that too).  The last new thing on the frame is WGP’s new Spoon Trigger.  Personally, I feel that this trigger is better than the standard WGP trigger by leaps and bounds.

          I always insist that if you aren’t happy with the trigger on your marker, you wont be satisfied with the marker as a whole.  Straight from the box, the Orracle trigger is very light.  While the release is relatively snappy, there is very little resistance after that, which makes it quite difficult to short stroke.  Out of the box, the trigger measured 5mm, which is very nice.  You’ll find sliding triggers measuring these days at 4mm, and hinge triggers are always longer.  Most other aftermarket cockers with hinges have pulls longer than 5mm.  If 5mm is too long for you, with the combination of the CT 3 way with adjuster knob and the cam adjuster, you should have no problem knocking that pull down to a length more to your liking.  I have never really enjoyed hinge triggers, and always wondered if I could get a sliding frame matched to the Orracle, but after playing with the hinge, I think its safe to say that the hinge will remain on the marker.  I may not be a full convert to all things hinge, however I am quite pleased with it, and continue to use it.

          The Orracle also features a new bolt/pull pin combo.  The new WGP delrin bolt, which is half aluminum, half delrin, makes its debut on this marker.  The front half is delrin with no o-rings.  The bolt face is wide open, for super high flow, eliminating all need to replace this for a more efficient piece.  The delrin helps the bolt slide through the upper tube like a hot knife through butter.  When the marker is degassed, the back block will slide back and forth as the marker is tipped up and down.  The back half is anodized aluminum.  The tail end of the bolt (the exposed part) is milled to match the teardrops that are featured on the Black Magic regulator that comes with the Orracle (again tying the whole theme of the marker together).  The bolt features an evolution style pull-pin to eliminate those pesky ball bearings in the old style pushpin.  The pull-pin also features some of the classy teardrops like those found on the back of the bolt.

         As the day of play grew closer, I started to worry about the 15* vertical adapter that came with the Orracle.  It was a bit intimidating and new to me.  In the 7 years that I’ve been playing I’ve grown used to the normal (straight up and down) vertical adapter, not these fancy slanted ones.  I was hoping that it wouldn’t be too uncomfortable and throw off my game.  In all honesty, once I stepped on the field, I didn’t even notice the difference; it felt as good as always.  If you are used to the traditional vertical adapters, I suggest giving the 15* ones a shot, you may be surprised how quickly it feels natural (almost more natural) than what you are used to.

          One of the nicest new features on the Orracle is its barrel.  WGP included their new Kaner barrel system on the Orracle.  When you first look at it, it looks like a run of the mill step bore 14” barrel.  After some investigation, it becomes obvious that it is actually a screw together 2 piece, akin to the JT or CP barrel kits.  You can purchase additional control backs from WGP to fill out missing bore sizes, which ends the need to buy any other barrel kits.  New backs (or fronts even) can be purchased from WGP for $45.  While some people complain that screw together barrels lead to decreased accuracy, I found no problems.  Generally these problems come from manufacturers defects, and WGP’s quality control should put an end to that.  While I was playing, I noticed that shots were really landing one on top of the other, and couldn’t ask for better performance.  The bore of the Kaner that comes with the Orracle is .689, and you can get .685, .687, .691, and .693 from WGP to compliment this bore.  The look of the barrel again is matched perfectly to the Orracle’s theme and compliments it nicely.  With the addition of a couple more control backs, this is quite a barrel system, and there is no need to change it.

          When I got to the field, I didn’t know what to expect from the Orracle.  There was a slight pang of worry that I felt, seeing as how this marker came from WGP, and wasn’t one of those great aftermarket cockers.  The fact that there were a few stock Autocockers that had been shipped in less than perfect working order made this worry a bit more intense.  I aired it up and walked over to the chronograph.  After those first clearing shots, all worries were dispelled.  The Orracle chronographed at 300fps with +/-3fps straight from the box.  I quickly lowered the velocity a hair to avoid that embarrassing beeping noise, and to meet the field limit.  Throughout the day, the velocity remained extremely consistent.  I noticed that the consistency dropped to around +/-5, but that is most likely attributed to low-grade paint in a hot, humid summer day.  The good news is that this consistency should improve a bit as the Black Magic regulator breaks in.  And for those of you who worry about low pressure, don’t rule out the Orracle yet, it runs at a lovely 230psi, straight from the factory.  The marker is sprung nice and light, there is very little bounce during the shot, and it has great efficiency to boot.

What everyone looks for in a marker that costs into the thousand-dollar range, they want a sexy piece of equipment.  The Orracle doesn’t disappoint.  This marker is just breath taking, no matter how close (or far away) you are from it.  As I strolled through the staging area, people’s heads just seemed to spin and stare, not to mention the questions that were asked.  Lately, I have been noticing a lot of tool marks on the bodies of these aftermarket cockers.  I know I would be extremely disappointed if I just spent $1000.00 on a marker and the creator didn’t even make sure the body was nicely polished.  Again, as I opened the box for the Orracle, I was worried.  With all the intricate cuts on the body, and the fact that after market cocker makers couldn’t even get the tool marks out, what chance did WGP have?  But no matter how closely I examined the body, I could not find a single tool mark.  What a relief, finally someone with enough attention to detail to eliminate all of them.  Everywhere I looked, my eye was met with intricate, gorgeous milling and flawless anodizing.  The anodizing is thick, lustrous, and basically, perfect.  The Orracle has a solid theme displayed throughout the body and its accessories.  The same look is carried out in the barrel, the pneumatics, the regulator, the body, the bolt, the cocking rod, and even the bolt pull pin.  It has a great uniform look that will draw people to look from all over.  Not only were my worries erased, I was downright impressed by the quality of the Orracle.

We all like getting free stuff, and the Orracle doesn’t disappoint.  Everyone has their own preference when it comes to high-rise or low rise.  To solve this problem, WGP gives you both.  That’s right, you get a high rise, and a low rise, both perfectly anodized to match.  Along with the rises, WGP includes a nicely chromed beavertail, along with a chrome drop forward that drops the tank down and forward roughly two inches.  WGP is now following the signs of the times, and is now including a WGP barrel sock to keep you safe in the staging areas.  Of course, you get the allen keys to adjust the marker (adjust the trigger, and velocity).  Lastly, you get your warranty card.  While it may not be as good as some other company’s warranties, I see very little reason one might need it.

Now, I would be letting everyone down, if I didn’t detail the downside to the Orracle.  Its always hard to do this, you never want to expose the bad parts of a companies hard work, but with the Orracle, it was difficult for another reason; I just had a real hard time finding something wrong with the Orracle.  The only thing I could complain about is that the feed tube(s) are designed to fit the Brass Eagle Revolution feed necks.  Those of us with the old View Loader Revolutions (yea, they may be 4 years old, but they still rock) will have a difficult time getting the hopper into the feed tube.  But once it’s in, you could back flip down the field without worry of the hopper falling out.

After using the Orracle more (including the Diablo IAO), all I can say is that I’m stunned.  I was expecting a good marker, but I was blown away with the quality of the Orracle.  It goes above and beyond my every expectation, and truly raises the bar for all other aftermarket cockers.  I can’t think of a time I have been more impressed by a marker.  This could be because I wasn’t expecting much, but regardless, it’s a truly exceptional marker.  All these other companies have a cloud of hype surrounding them, and rarely do they live up to it.  I cannot think of another marker I would rather use.  In terms of look, performance, feel, the Orracle trumps them all.  The only place it lacks is in terms of its warranty, but you shouldn’t need that anyways.  You can be rest assured that if you buy the Orracle you will receive a solid piece of machinery that runs with, if not overcomes all of its competitors, and all at a MSRP of $1100.00.  Besides, wouldn’t the creators do it best?