Brass Eagle Pocket Hopper
Pump players, scenario gamers, and military simulation participants all look for small profile loaders when a full size gravity hopper isn’t needed. Brass Eagle’s line of 40 round hoppers resembled a version of the classic Worr Game Products ammo box, a diamond shaped feeder with a plastic yellow cap. However, the new Brass Eagle pocket hoppers were released with the new style Blades and Talons at retail outlets such as Dick’s Sporting Goods. Does the little loader hold up to expectations?
Available in grey, clear, or black, the pocket hopper is advertised to hold 50 rounds. I managed to fit 58 balls into the loader but you really need to be careful about overloading the pocket hopper or else the balls will prevent each other from feeding into the small neck. Fortunately each pocket hopper comes with its own elbow (which fits around three balls, and then two in the feedneck. If you’re using this loader you need all the paint you can get!) Unlike ammo boxes and older style Brass Eagle 50 round loaders, the pocket hopper has an actual likd like a “normal” hopper, using the same plastic as some 100 round clear Viewloader “guppies”. The lid generally needs two hands to open though, and the plastic connecting the lid with the actual hopper can snap off easily. This doesn’t really matter since the other “mini hopper” in the market, the Winchester loader, doesn’t even have a connecting lid.
If you don’t overstuff the hopper, it holds a comfortable 45 – 50 balls and is perfect for different applications. Scenario and woodsballers will be happy to know that the clear plastic (most of the pocket hoppers, at least those that I’ve seen, seem to be clear) can be dyed or painted. Speedball playing pumpers may want to leave the clear color to see how much is in the loader. The clear plastic also helps determine when you’ll have to shake. While this small loader is compact, it does require a bit of shaking every now and then to keep the paint moving. Obviously its not meant for sustained fire of any sort so you’ll have to remember to “jiggle” your gun every now and then to make sure you don’t start firing blanks.
I tested this loader on a direct feed CCI Phantom and on my PBK Golden Fury GZ Intimidator. Despite the odd looks I got from people at the indoor place I tried it out as, it was perfect for the small indoor field and really makes you focus on your snap shot. The hopper was perfect on the Phantom, not requiring as much shaking as on the Intimidator, but it had no problem feeding a good five or six balls into the Timmy as long as the gun wasn’t being fired at any sort of speed.
The only real weakness of the pocket hopper is the plastic. The plastic is somewhat soft and a shot to the loader will shatter the plastic. Its not uncommon to hear about a ball going completely through the loader. After taking a hit to one of mine, I had to put electrical tape over a one inch hole that was punched into the top.
Despite the steep price on the internet and the brittle plastic, the Brass Eagle Pocket Hopper is a neat way to improve your snap shooting, keep a low profile, or go for a milsim look. Prices range from five to ten dollars on most internet sites (not including shipping and handling) but come with the mounting elbow (may not fit all side feed guns – if not just use another elbow). Since the hopper is so small, taping the neck to fit into an elbow or vertical feed poses no problem because there’s no weight to shiftits position during a game. Definitely pick one up if you can find one for cheap.
