The Nelspot-007 is a bolt action paintball marker which is widely regarded as the first paintball marker produced. While this is a fallacy as there was one marker prior that was used to fire a paintball of .68 caliber, (the Crossman 707) the 007 was the first marker designed from the ground up to specifically fire a paintball. It was first produced in 1975 as a prototype by Daisy airguns for the Nelson Paint Company
Operation:
The Nelspot operates in a very simplistic manner. Ten paintballs are held in a plastic tube (similar in shape to a test tube) which is inserted into the magazine tube which is situated over the main part of the marker with includes the barrel and the tube in which the valve, hammer, and bolt reside. When the bolt-action is pulled up and back, the hammer assembly latches onto a groove on the bolt with a hook at the front of the sear. The user then rocks the marker forward causing the paintballs the fall through a hole in the bottom of the magazine into the breech of the barrel below one at a time. The bolt is then pushed forward with the hammer attached and the spring between the two compressed. When the trigger is depressed, the sear releases it's grip on the bolt and allows the spring to decompress sending the hammer rearward with enough force to strike the valve and open it allowing air to travel forward and down the barrel of the marker propelling the paintball out.
Air Supply:
The original Nelspot used disposable 12gram carbon dioxide canisters to supply the marker with propellant. Nelson Manufacturing later went on to manufacture a constant air adapter which allowed players to use larger re-usable bottles for their propellant source.
Drawbacks
The need for multiple steps to cock, load, and fire the marker make it very slow compared to today's semi-auto and speedball markers. The lack of a high capacity magazine also makes it an un-even match versus the markers of today. It is now a sought after marker on E-bay and various internet paintball forums and is usually given a place as a trophy marker among the owner's collection.