Jerry Dobbins: The Original Bushmaster Author: Mister.44 Client: Paintball Magazine Publish Date: August, 2000 NOTE: This is the original copy submitted and does not reflect any editorial changes. © 2000 Steve Novak

In reviewing the Bushmaster 2000, I had the pleasure of talking to Jerry Dobbins of ICD (Indian Creek Designs) about his newest creation, and some of the history leading up to it. While Jerry isn’t as well known as some of his peers, like Bud Orr and Tom Kaye, he has been in paintball as long and has contributed many innovations to the sport.

Jerry’s story begins in 1985. After playing paintball for the first time and having his hands ripped into bloody masses of meat from the Nel-Spot 007 he was using, Jerry was convinced that he could do better. The next time he played a month later he brought with him a gun he had built at his machine shop. It was the first Bushmaster.

Named after a local team (The California Bushmasters), the Bushmaster was the Angel of the pump era. Like the Angel, it was innovative, stylish, and offered superior performance and construction. Based on the Nel-Spot internally, it utilized revolutionary features like a bolt bore drop Vs a breach drop. Breach drop guns had the paintball sit in the breach where it was pushed into a barrel by the bolt. The barrel had a much smaller inner diameter than the breach and this would lead to lots of broken paint. The bore drop eliminated the difference in diameter between the breach and the barrel, resulting in less broken paint. It was also completely field strippable for quick cleaning and service. It later incorporated the first commercial autotrigger. Jerry also created and got a patent on the first lever action 12 gram quick change. This device eliminated the need to screw in 12 grams, resulting in faster reloading.

The Bushmaster was considered THE tournament gun for years, and the #1 selling gun in paintball for 3 years straight, with over 25,000 Bushmasters sold. What was the going price for one of these bad boys back then? $400. Eventually everyone and his dog were making clones of the Bushmaster. While some were as nearly well made, most were cheap copies. Still, none could surpass the Bushmaster in quality.

With the demand so great, Jerry created Line SI, which opened in 1987. Line SI was the company that sold and marketed the Bushmaster, and later on the Pro-Master. For years it was the name synonymous with quality.

As paintball evolved and semi-autos began to climb out of the primordial ooze, Jerry was right there. He created the Avenger. It was a rare, limited edition, double action paintgun that was primarily created for European customers. At the time, with Europe’s tough gun laws, semi-auto paintguns were on the verge of being outlawed. However, laws were clarified and the semi-auto paintguns were declared legal, sending the Avenger to the annuals of paintball history.

Jerry also released the Pro-Master. This semi-auto blowback was released in 1990. It was released about the same time as the F-1 Illustrator. Both are considered fathers of the modern blowback – the most widely used paintgun design today. Interestingly, if you look at the Pro-Master, it looks strikingly similar to the Spyder, the most widely sold paintgun ever.

In the beginning of the early 1990’s the winds shifted for Line SI. The market was changing, as were the sales figures. In 1992, Jerry decided to move from Colorado to Idaho. In Idaho was his father’s manufacturing facility, which had been manufacturing both the Bushmaster and the Pro-Master for years. By relocating he was able to reduce over head and streamline operations. Originally this new entity was called Line SI Manufacturing Inc., but later changed to Indian Creek Designs.

Once relocated, Jerry set out to build a new semi-automatic, learning from the design flaws of the first Pro-Master. He knew that the blowback design had flaws and hoped to overcome those. Mainly, he hoped to eliminate the "chatter" that a normal blow back would encounter from too much or too little gas pressure. Too little pressure and the gun wouldn’t cock back all the way. Too much and it recocks with such force that it slips off the sear and chatters.

After much work, the Panther was released in 1993. It was the first paintgun with a vertical valve. The vertical valve allowed for externally adjusting the amount of flow through the valve. This let more air to blow back in low-pressure situations, and less air to blow back in high-pressure situations. "It is also easier to manufacture than dual chambered blow back guns – I know that from experience." The design was further refined to meet various price points to result in the Puma, Alley Cat, and Thunder Cat. Eventually the Desert Fox, a blow forward type gun, was released.

But Jerry’s latest release is probably his greatest work to date. The Bushmaster 2000 was released at Skyball 1999 in Toronto. However, its roots go back six years to 1992. At that time Jerry, who has an extensive back ground in electronics as a systems analyst, began to ponder an electro-pnuematic paint gun. But the electronic age wasn’t there. The technology wasn’t ready for and electric paint gun. Namely the low voltage solenoids were not up to snuff. They were too big and required too much power.

So Jerry bided his time, launching the previously mentioned series of semi-autos. It took awhile for technology to catch up with Jerry’s ideas and make an electronic gun feasible. Then it took awhile longer for him to make up his mind that an electronic gun was what he really wanted to do. But, as he began development, it was clear it would be a success.

Using the philosophy that simpler is better, he created an electronic gun with only 37 major parts. Easy to field strip, easy to maintain, and built to last. It looks similar to a Pro-Master with an extra hunk of metal between the grip and the body. In fact, the same extrusion dyes of the Pro-Master were used in the creation of the Bushmaster 2000. While Jerry is used to people copying his designs, he has taken some steps to patent parts of the Bushmaster 2000. While details were sealed, at least 3 were centered on the body alone.

You could tell that he was especially proud of his recent creation. He is content that he has made the Bushmaster 2000 a refined as possible. When asked what possible aftermarket parts may enhance performance, he said, "Other than possibly a barrel, good luck to aftermarket part manufactures. If it could have been better we would have made it like that out of the box."

Jerry also created the Bob Long Defiant. Jerry has been a friend of Bob's for 14 years. When Bob was in the midst of creating his own gun, the Delta Defiant, Jerry helped with the development of 4 prototypes. As the design we nearing perfection, Bob began to see the advantages of an electronic gun. Working with Jerry, they created the Defiant. Identical internally to the Bushmaster, it features a different styled body, grip, and uses Autococker barrels.

So what is Jerry doing today other than paintball? While Jerry admits its great when your hobby can turn into your job, at the same time its all you do, and suddenly recreation is work. This is one reason he has other hobbies out side the sport. Currently he is recovering from back surgery, but he is an avid Motorcross fan. Jerry competed in the Old Timers International circuit. While he hasn’t been able to ride lately, he still enjoys tinkering on his two bikes, a Yamaha YZ-250, and a Kawasaki KX-125. While he doesn’t know if he will ever compete again, he hopes to get back on his bikes soon. He also enjoys the wildlife on his 12 acres in Idaho. With trout in the creek running the length of his property, and elk, quail, and pheasant abound, he is an avid hunter and fisherman.

For many people, there is work, and then there is family. Lucky for Jerry, he has both at the same time. Jerry’s father runs PM manufacturing, which mills all the parts for ICD, as well as parts for several companies in the aerospace industry. His wife Diana is the Office Administrator of ICD, keeping everyone in line. His daughter Riana is the ICD production manager, making sure things get done on time. Jerry enjoys the close net working environment and hopes that one day his son will join the ranks too.

Finally, I asked Jerry to gaze into the crystal ball and tell us what is in store for paintball in the next 5 years. With the Bushmaster, Pro-Master, Panther, and Bushmaster 2000, Jerry is used to being at the front of paintgun innovations. After he and others innovate, there is always a flood of clones. Jerry predicts a rash of electronic clones in the next 2 years. Within 5 years we should see an electronic gun priced for beginner players in the $200 price range. Only time will tell. Rest assured Jerry is still cooking up new things for paintball. When asked what they were, he got real quiet and said that he would tell me but he would have to kill me.

Thanks, Jerry, for your comments! May you have continued success!