Ever since the game of paintball was invented in the 1980s, it has become one of the most popular sports today. It is an exciting game that simulates military combat using paintballs and paintball guns. These are the two important pieces of equipment that set the sport apart from other outdoor sports. The paintball gun is the primary device or firearm used by the player to shoot or mark an opposing player with paint.

A paintball gun looks like a replica of a firearm. It uses a propellant – a rapidly expanding gas – such as carbon dioxide or air to force the paintball through the gun’s barrel with a velocity of roughly 300 ft/s. This is the recommended velocity that is implemented – strong enough to cause the paintballs to burst upon impact but not fast enough to cause injuries.

A paintball gun is also called a paintball marker. It has 4 major components: the body, hopper, tank and barrels. The body of the paintball gun contains its firing mechanism. There are 4 kinds of paintball gun firing systems. These types include electro-pneumatic, which is electronically controlled using a battery to drive its motors. The electro-pneumatic paintball gun is able to fire multiple rounds such as three or six shot bursts and fully automatic. The mechanical firing system uses springs while the gas powered firing system uses pressurized gases.

The hopper is the mechanism that holds the paintball in place for the marker to fire. The tank holds the compressed gas that is used to propel the paintballs through the gun’s barrel. Meanwhile, paintball marker barrels come in a variety of lengths with varying effects. There are many varieties of paintball guns that a player can choose.

If you are a first time player you can rent a paintball gun. Serious players will want to have the best paintball guns with high capacity, power and performance. The cost of a paintball gun depends on the pressure system that the gun uses. If you are planning to buy a paintball marker, you should devote some time and effort to research about which paintball guns are affordable, dependable, and high performing.

By: Alison Cole

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Gadgets and Gear

Paintball gear should be designed for quick and efficient game play. A beginning paintball player who is looking into buying equipment has a few primary things to consider. Here is an introduction to the types and varieties of gear that will be helpful to paintballing:

Hoppers – In a real gun, what is known as a hopper would be called a magazine. The majority of hoppers feed the paintballs in through the top of the marker (aka gun). However, there are some hoppers that feed the markers through the side. Those that fit on top of the markers are usually the most effective, due to the fact they use the natural effects of gravity to feed the markers. Of course, as with all manmade equipment, problems can occur. The hoppers that fit on top of the markers can sometimes jam at the neck of the marker. When this occurs, the barrel of the gun gets clogged and the marker will “dry fire.” This means the gun will fire, but no paintballs will come out. Avoiding this situation in the midst of a game is a must for success. A spring loaded hopper is often used by the people who have a problem with this. The spring loaded hoppers significantly decrease the possibility that paintballs will jam inside of the marker. Propellants – There are two types of propellants used in most kinds of paintball guns – CO2 and High Pressure Air. High Pressure Air (aka N2) is the superior propellant to use. C02 has a tendency to form crystals in the tank, which makes the gun freeze on the inside. Those who use N2 do not need to deal with this problem. CO2 is typically less expensive than N2, but N2 is a more effective type of paintball gear. Masks – One of the most important things that a person can have when playing paintball is a good mask. The best masks usually include a thermal lens. A thermal lens mask can be effective for most paintball players thanks to the fact that they help a person avoid having a lens fog up while they are out on the battlefield. Most masks cost in the range of $20-$150. The more a person pays for a mask, the more likely he or she is to find an effective mask. Although there are expensive pieces of clothing that a person playing paintball could purchase, the fact is that this is not exactly necessary most of the time. If a person plays with an organized group that plays often, there is a chance that a person will want to coordinate with others who play to make sure that the team is on the same page. However, casual players do not need to do so much. In fact, all that the person playing needs to have is a few layers of clothing when playing. By dressing in layers, a player can minimize the amount of bruises he will have the next day. Ammo – Buying paintballs in bulk is a good idea. A person who plays paintball a lot is going to need thousands of paintballs anyway, therefore it makes sense to simply get as many paintballs as he or she can for a smaller price per paintball. Each individual paintball costs a matter of a few cents. One of these singles is the cheapest item paintball gear that can be purchased.

By: Anne Clarke

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Government Auctions -Seized -Surplus -Unclaimed