A couple years ago WGP released an upgraded version of their Autococker called the STO (Special Tournament Operations).  This marker was quite popular for a couple years, especially since it was one of the top choices.  After a little while, many other companies produced their own customized version of the Autococker, and that pushed the STO to the bottom of the pile.  Recently a market for milled and anodized cockers at a budget price has arisen.  Now the STO finds itself in a funny position, it costs too much to fit into this budget category, but it cannot compete with the higher priced guns, and its popularity died even more.  To combat this trend WGP has stopped making the STO; it has been discontinued.  But to replace it, WGP has created the Outkast.  The Outkast costs less than the STO originally did, and it comes with more.  WGP now has a viable option in the budget Autococker category.

     The Outkast not only costs less than the STO did, but it comes with better parts as well.  These upgrades are not just superficial either; they are key upgrades that many people will be happy with.  For years the STOs came with composite frames, but the Outkasts come with aluminum 45 frames.  Usually the composite frame was the first thing to go so that a metal frame could be used.  Metal frames are preferential because they allow the trigger to slide easier, and make for an overall smoother pull.  On top of that, they make the marker feel sturdier, which is always a plus.  The metal frames on the Outkast come with two vertical slack screws, so all up and down wobble can be eliminated.  The other major upgrade from the STO to the Outkast is the addition of an adjustable pneumatic regulator.  WGP finally broke down and added one to their Orracle earlier in the year.  The pneumatic regulator on the Outkast isn’t the same as found on the Orracle, but it is just as nice.  The Adjustable Sledgehammer (as the Outkast’s pneumatic regulator is being called) does not feature a knob, so it needs to be adjusted with an allen key.  The Sledgehammer extends two inches from the front block and has a diameter of about the size of a dime.  Another new feature that a lot of people are happy about is the new design of the bolt.  The bolt features an evolution style pull pin.  That means no more ball bearings falling out of your pushpin.  With these updates, the Outkast has every part that even the best Autocockers on the market have; there is no need to change out a single piece.

     The trigger on the Outkast, right out of the box, isn’t anything to brag about. Unfortunately, when you pay bargain price, some things need to get cut out, and its usually special attention.  To get a trigger super nice, special attention is often needed.  The trigger felt mushy to me, and not very responsive.  It had a nice snap to it, but just mushy to me.  I took apart the trigger frame, wiped off all of the grease, and in my opinion, it made the trigger pull 100% better.  Without all of the grease on the trigger plate and sear, it felt much more crisp and responsive, just how I like it.  The trigger plate is a nicely chromed STO trigger plate (now standard on all of WGP’s markers) and a nicely polished sear.  A couple years ago, the sears were always very rough, and nasty.  Lately they have been quite smooth, polished, and lovely.  The trigger set screws were set perfectly out of the factory, but after a couple of games, the front one backed out a small bit, which caused some very minor trigger binding.  A quick application of locktite remedied this problem right quick.  As almost standard everywhere, the trigger pull measures at 4mm, which certainly is short enough for a great rate of fire in almost any hands.

     One area of attention that people pay very close attention to (probably too much attention) is the pneumatics.  Everyone is worried about what 3 way is on a marker, and what ram it is using.  Let me say this, the pneumatics on the Outkast are excellent, and I see absolutely zero reason to change them out for another set.  The STO ram is one of the best, and certainly one of the most popular rams on the market.  It is a good design, with surfaces that are quite smooth.  The STO ram runs at a nice low pressure, which means that you wont need a high pressure running through the 3 way which causes a stiffer trigger pull.  The 3 way on the Outkast is the exceptional STO 3 way.  This 3 way is one of the best, and highest quality 3 way on the market.  Everyone is concerned about having a super short 3 way, but lets just say the STO is going to be shorter than you need 90% of the time.  As I mentioned before, also on the front block is the new Adjustable Sledgehammer.  It is a very sleek design, and in my eyes looks better than the old Sledgehammer (there is just something unappealing about the hose going all the way to the front end of the regulator).  It felt to me that the Sledgehammer was set a little high out of the box, but that just means that the back block moves with a bit too much force.  Again, this is a real quick fix, and will make a small difference.

     The Outkast’s barrel is nothing groundbreaking.  It is a 10” two piece barrel that screws apart in the middle.  Personally, I think that the barrel is too short, I need at least 12” to be comfortable, and I think that many people feel the same these days, and the trend is towards longer barrels.  Other than the length of the barrel though, there are still some problems.  The finish on the inside of the barrel isn’t as quite as nice as it could be, or as most of the market it is up against.  After some thinking, and comparing, I’ve realized it looks like a used barrel (that’s not to say it is, just offering a comparison).  With that said though, it still shot reasonably nice after I got used to the short length.  There was some inconsistency at the chronograph, and this was reduced when I changed the barrel.  Of course this could be due to the different bore of the barrels.  But, in a bit of good news, 12 and 16 inch tips are available, with 14 inch tips coming soon.

     Something everyone wants these days is a pretty marker, and who can blame them?  The milling out the Outkast is absolutely gorgeous.  The lines are fluid, and the anodizing is thick and full.  Despite some of the intricate cuts along the site rail, not a tool mark is found (which is probably due to the bead blasted anodizing).  The nickel pneumatics and accents compliment this smooth, blasted anodizing perfectly.  However, it just seems like WGP didn’t take the extra step.  What could have made the appearance of the Outkast perfect was if the frame, and the barrel tip matched the anodizing.  While the barrel isn’t a dreadful mistake, in my eyes, nothing throws off the look of a marker more than a mismatched frame.  I really don’t think it would be that difficult to anodize the frame and tie the marker completely together.  Other than this one pet peeve of mine (which many people don’t agree with), the Outkast looks absolutely stunning, and is sure to turn heads at the field, I know it did when I played.

     So after staring at the Outkast for a week or two, I was finally able to get to the field and try it out.  For the last two weeks, I had been dry firing it, and it was stunning, I loved the way it felt (this could be cause I missed shooting a sliding trigger).  When I get to the field, I run to the chronograph like a kid runs to the tree on Christmas.  But I was a bit stunned when I fired my first shot over the chronograph.  That annoying beep went off, as the chronograph registered a shot of 340fps.  It was rather odd, I went to adjust the regulator a bit lower, and the velocity dropped to 240fps.  So after bouncing back and forth between mid 300’s and mid 200’s, I finally got it to around 280fps.  Once it found this velocity, it stuck to it.  Straight out of the box (basically no breaking in) it had a consistency of +/- 5fps.  This is excellent consistency for a regulator that isn’t broken in, and could be improved with better paint.

    The first couple of games went wonderfully.  The marker was shooting smooth, consistent, and quite accurate.  I could place balls where I wanted, when I wanted, without hindrance.  Then one game, it seemed like I started short stroking, balls would continue to double feed, which got real tiresome real quick.  I then realized that the screws on the grip frame got loose.  After tightening those up, everything was smooth again (this was probably my fault for not tightening the screws enough prior to play).  However, the marker was timed extremely far to the back of the pull, which makes short stroking very easy.  WGP is known for conservative timing, but this was a bit much in my eyes.  While it was properly timed, players not who are not used to a sliding trigger will have a rough time with short stroking in the beginning.  Other than that one small glitch (that was most likely my fault), the Outkast ran smoothly all day.  It had decent efficiency, especially for a budget marker.  I was getting a bit over 600 shots from a 68/3000 tank.

     Like all markers, there are always little extras thrown into the mix.  Like all Autocockers, the Outkast comes with the allen keys required to adjust it.  The Outkast also comes with a new WGP barrel cozy to keep up with standards in protection.  Another nice little thing is that WGP includes screws for a bottom line.  I don’t know about you, but it seems I always have trouble finding them when I need them.  Another great thing is that it appears that the parts aren’t locked in place with WGP’s trademarked cement like bonding.  Nothing will wobble loose, and disrupt timing, but if you want to change it, you don’t need to be Hercules to accomplish your goals.  To make the Outkast tourney legal, you get a nice chrome beavertail that accents the marker exquisitely.  Along with all of this, you get a warranty card for WGP’s one-year warranty.

     If you are looking for an Autococker, but want something a bit dressed up over the stock but don’t want to break the bank, I highly suggest the Outkast.  It is arguably the best bang for the buck in the budget Autococker market.  With a short bit of time and effort, it can be made to perform flawlessly, like any top-notch marker, but for almost half the price.  Other than maybe the barrel, I wouldn’t swap out any parts on the Outkast, they are just too good to ignore.  In your quest for your perfect marker, don’t count the Outkast out.