Paintball: Your Questions Answered
kevin asked:
What makes a good paintball? Why are some paintballs more expensive than others? Do I have to pay a lot of money for good quality ammo? These are questions that vex paintballers, particularly those new to the sport. Let’s address these issues to enable you to buy wisely.
Do more expensive paintballs perform better than cheaper ones?
In a word: yes. More expensive ammo has tighter quality control regulations than its cheaper rivals. Paintballs vary considerably in quality and you should expect to pay more to enhance your performance.
How do paintballs vary in quality?
Quality ammunition is more consistent and reliable. It resists the affects of humidity and moisture. This results in better performance in extreme conditions. Quality paintballs will be less likely to shrink or swell in extremes of temperature.
Good ammo is strong enough to withstand expulsion from the gun without exploding; it is thin enough to burst on impact, and not before.
Good quality paintballs have a better paint fill, so the paint is brighter in colour and it marks well. It is washable, yet less easy to wipe off on the field.
Good paintballs are more spherical resulting in a straighter trajectory, greater distance and more accuracy.
Where can I buy good, cheap paintballs?
Many people buy ammo at their local field for convenience. This, however, is not a cheap option. There are many different brands of good quality, inexpensive paintballs to be found online. This is, by far, the cheaper option. Take your own ammunition to your local field; if they charge you for the privilege, it is still worth it. If they don’t allow you to use your own ammo, find another field!
How should I store my paintballs?
You should always store your ammunition in a cool, dry place; between 60-85 degrees is ideal, with as little humidity as possible. Paintballs do not have an indefinite shelf-life. They will develop flat spots if left too long which will affect their trajectory. Try to ensure a regular turn over of balls.
In short, there are numerous brands of paintballs available to you on the market. They vary in quality. You must expect to pay more for higher quality ammo. You can buy good quality paintballs online for a good price. Keep them in a cool, dry place and change your stock regularly.
Choosing the right paintball for your marker can affect your performance on the field greatly. Try out small quantities of different brands to see what you get on best with. Match your barrel size to the correct paintball size. Don’t compromise on price; you only get what you pay for.
Hawksbill Paintball
Hawksbill Sports was established by players, for players. Our goal is to give you the products you need to enjoy the sport of paintball. We have low prices and fast shipping and promise the best customer service you can find anywhere. For further information about different paintball gun types, paintballs and accessories, go to:
http://www.hawksbillpaintball.com
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What makes a good paintball? Why are some paintballs more expensive than others? Do I have to pay a lot of money for good quality ammo? These are questions that vex paintballers, particularly those new to the sport. Let’s address these issues to enable you to buy wisely.
Do more expensive paintballs perform better than cheaper ones?
In a word: yes. More expensive ammo has tighter quality control regulations than its cheaper rivals. Paintballs vary considerably in quality and you should expect to pay more to enhance your performance.
How do paintballs vary in quality?
Quality ammunition is more consistent and reliable. It resists the affects of humidity and moisture. This results in better performance in extreme conditions. Quality paintballs will be less likely to shrink or swell in extremes of temperature.
Good ammo is strong enough to withstand expulsion from the gun without exploding; it is thin enough to burst on impact, and not before.
Good quality paintballs have a better paint fill, so the paint is brighter in colour and it marks well. It is washable, yet less easy to wipe off on the field.
Good paintballs are more spherical resulting in a straighter trajectory, greater distance and more accuracy.
Where can I buy good, cheap paintballs?
Many people buy ammo at their local field for convenience. This, however, is not a cheap option. There are many different brands of good quality, inexpensive paintballs to be found online. This is, by far, the cheaper option. Take your own ammunition to your local field; if they charge you for the privilege, it is still worth it. If they don’t allow you to use your own ammo, find another field!
How should I store my paintballs?
You should always store your ammunition in a cool, dry place; between 60-85 degrees is ideal, with as little humidity as possible. Paintballs do not have an indefinite shelf-life. They will develop flat spots if left too long which will affect their trajectory. Try to ensure a regular turn over of balls.
In short, there are numerous brands of paintballs available to you on the market. They vary in quality. You must expect to pay more for higher quality ammo. You can buy good quality paintballs online for a good price. Keep them in a cool, dry place and change your stock regularly.
Choosing the right paintball for your marker can affect your performance on the field greatly. Try out small quantities of different brands to see what you get on best with. Match your barrel size to the correct paintball size. Don’t compromise on price; you only get what you pay for.
Hawksbill Paintball
Hawksbill Sports was established by players, for players. Our goal is to give you the products you need to enjoy the sport of paintball. We have low prices and fast shipping and promise the best customer service you can find anywhere. For further information about different paintball gun types, paintballs and accessories, go to:
http://www.hawksbillpaintball.com
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Paintball, No Just a Bunch of Hot Air!
Nathan Young asked:
My how the times change, in my day we were lucky enough to get our hands on some paintballs, let alone have something to shoot them out of or have a propellant of some sort to shoot them with. As a kid I was more than happy to be able to shoot paintballs out of my wrist rocket, sure it was painstakingly slow to load rounds and about half of the balls shot broke but it was fun nonetheless. Well now a days there are three main propellants out there that allow you to shoot much much faster and with much fewer ball breaks. The two most used paintball propellants that are used in the sport today are CO2, Propane and Compressed Air Also Reffered to as Nitro or High Pressure Air. My goal is to help you understand what the difference is between CO2, Propane and Nitro and then also tell you about some pros and cons of each.
Nitro vs. CO2 vs. Propane For the past 20 years CO2 has been the propellant of choice when it comes to getting balls out of barrels. The main reasons that CO2 has been more popular are these, CO2 is readily available and cheap. There you have it, cheap and easy pretty much wraps up CO2 in a nut shell. Compressed air or nitro on the other hand has these things going for it, potentially higher psi, no need to evaporate, and a much more consistent velocity. With those things said, lets delve a little further into the pros and cons of CO2 and Compressed Air. As far as propane goes it is still in it’s early ages but is looking like it is going to be the perfect mix of accuracy and affordability, we will keep you posted.
CO2- Here is the long and the short of using CO2 as a propellant for your paintball gun. If you are looking just to play a little paintball here and there and just want something that is easy and cheap to get then CO2 is the propellant for you. Any paintball shop should be able to fill your CO2 as well as a number of other places and its inexpensive to have them do it. Now if you are looking to get into paintball fairly seriously and you are going to be playing a lot and shooting a lot of round as quickly as possible we would recommend not going with CO2 and here is why. CO2 is considered by most to be less effective than compressed air and is much harder on your equipment.
High Pressure Air (HPA) or nitrogen is stored in the tank as a gas which saves the headache of the evaporating issue. Air is stored in the tank at a very high pressure, typically 3000-5000 psi, and output is controlled with an attached regulator, this regulates the pressure from 450 psi to around 800 psi depending on the type of tank. This results in a much more consistent velocity than with CO2.
Keep in mind propane is still in its beginning stages but as of now the reports are that it shoots just as consistently as compressed air, you can shoot about 60 times more balls per tank that compressed air and CO2 and you dont have to worry about Hydro or Quality Tests.
Create a video blog…instantly.
My how the times change, in my day we were lucky enough to get our hands on some paintballs, let alone have something to shoot them out of or have a propellant of some sort to shoot them with. As a kid I was more than happy to be able to shoot paintballs out of my wrist rocket, sure it was painstakingly slow to load rounds and about half of the balls shot broke but it was fun nonetheless. Well now a days there are three main propellants out there that allow you to shoot much much faster and with much fewer ball breaks. The two most used paintball propellants that are used in the sport today are CO2, Propane and Compressed Air Also Reffered to as Nitro or High Pressure Air. My goal is to help you understand what the difference is between CO2, Propane and Nitro and then also tell you about some pros and cons of each.
Nitro vs. CO2 vs. Propane For the past 20 years CO2 has been the propellant of choice when it comes to getting balls out of barrels. The main reasons that CO2 has been more popular are these, CO2 is readily available and cheap. There you have it, cheap and easy pretty much wraps up CO2 in a nut shell. Compressed air or nitro on the other hand has these things going for it, potentially higher psi, no need to evaporate, and a much more consistent velocity. With those things said, lets delve a little further into the pros and cons of CO2 and Compressed Air. As far as propane goes it is still in it’s early ages but is looking like it is going to be the perfect mix of accuracy and affordability, we will keep you posted.
CO2- Here is the long and the short of using CO2 as a propellant for your paintball gun. If you are looking just to play a little paintball here and there and just want something that is easy and cheap to get then CO2 is the propellant for you. Any paintball shop should be able to fill your CO2 as well as a number of other places and its inexpensive to have them do it. Now if you are looking to get into paintball fairly seriously and you are going to be playing a lot and shooting a lot of round as quickly as possible we would recommend not going with CO2 and here is why. CO2 is considered by most to be less effective than compressed air and is much harder on your equipment.
High Pressure Air (HPA) or nitrogen is stored in the tank as a gas which saves the headache of the evaporating issue. Air is stored in the tank at a very high pressure, typically 3000-5000 psi, and output is controlled with an attached regulator, this regulates the pressure from 450 psi to around 800 psi depending on the type of tank. This results in a much more consistent velocity than with CO2.
Keep in mind propane is still in its beginning stages but as of now the reports are that it shoots just as consistently as compressed air, you can shoot about 60 times more balls per tank that compressed air and CO2 and you dont have to worry about Hydro or Quality Tests.
Create a video blog…instantly.
Paintball Pistols: Pros and Cons
kevin asked:
Paintball pistols are small pocket paintball guns loosely resembling pistols. They are either pump action or semi-automatic firing.They are usually .68 caliber and powered by a 12 gram co2 power let or cartridge. They are most successfully used as a sidearm or back-up gun to complement a main weapon of choice. There are pros and cons to carrying paintball pistols as compared to standard paintball guns.
PROS
Paintball pistols are extremely light and portable. They are very useful in woodsball because they are compact and can be kept in a pocket, harness or holster.
They are highly manoeuvrable enabling you to move around corners and across the field more easily. They are useful for those tight spots on the field that require quick responses and the ability to shoot fast and hit hard.
Pistol markers are ideal for bunker assaults and quick hit and run or intimidatory tactics. They make the perfect sidearm in a last resort situation.
Most paintball pistols are quick and easy to reload; Some take literally seconds to drop and reload a new magazine. This makes for much swifter action on the field. They are highly upgradeable and easy to disassemble and clean.
CONS
Because of their shorter barrels, paintball pistols lack the accuracy of a good rifle. Most pistols perform best within a 25-50 meter range. If you need to shoot further, a longer barreled gun is a better option. Shorter barrels give paintballs less time to stabilize before leaving the gun, which results in less accuracy over a greater distance.
Pistols have a smaller ammunition capacity than standard paintball guns. This leaves the player at a severe disadvantage against an opponent.
Paintball pistols have a smaller air capacity and are not as powerful as the longer barreled markers. They are usually powered by a 12 gram co2 cartridge. Depending on the weather conditions and how the pistol is chrono’d, you can only expect around 30 shots from one cartridge. This, again, puts you at a disadvantage against a player with a more powerful weapon.
Paintball pistols have their place in the game. They are light weight, easy to handle, highly manoeuvrable and quick loading. They are particularly handy in scenario ball or woodsball as an efficient sidearm. You must, however, be aware of their limitations and not expect the same performance from them as you would from a standard paintball marker.
Hawksbill Paintball Hawksbill Sports was established by players, for players. Our goal is to give you the products you need to enjoy the sport of paintball. We have low prices and fast shipping and promise the best customer service you can find anywhere. for more information about paintball gun, pistols and other accessories, go to Paintball pistols
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Paintball pistols are small pocket paintball guns loosely resembling pistols. They are either pump action or semi-automatic firing.They are usually .68 caliber and powered by a 12 gram co2 power let or cartridge. They are most successfully used as a sidearm or back-up gun to complement a main weapon of choice. There are pros and cons to carrying paintball pistols as compared to standard paintball guns.
PROS
Paintball pistols are extremely light and portable. They are very useful in woodsball because they are compact and can be kept in a pocket, harness or holster.
They are highly manoeuvrable enabling you to move around corners and across the field more easily. They are useful for those tight spots on the field that require quick responses and the ability to shoot fast and hit hard.
Pistol markers are ideal for bunker assaults and quick hit and run or intimidatory tactics. They make the perfect sidearm in a last resort situation.
Most paintball pistols are quick and easy to reload; Some take literally seconds to drop and reload a new magazine. This makes for much swifter action on the field. They are highly upgradeable and easy to disassemble and clean.
CONS
Because of their shorter barrels, paintball pistols lack the accuracy of a good rifle. Most pistols perform best within a 25-50 meter range. If you need to shoot further, a longer barreled gun is a better option. Shorter barrels give paintballs less time to stabilize before leaving the gun, which results in less accuracy over a greater distance.
Pistols have a smaller ammunition capacity than standard paintball guns. This leaves the player at a severe disadvantage against an opponent.
Paintball pistols have a smaller air capacity and are not as powerful as the longer barreled markers. They are usually powered by a 12 gram co2 cartridge. Depending on the weather conditions and how the pistol is chrono’d, you can only expect around 30 shots from one cartridge. This, again, puts you at a disadvantage against a player with a more powerful weapon.
Paintball pistols have their place in the game. They are light weight, easy to handle, highly manoeuvrable and quick loading. They are particularly handy in scenario ball or woodsball as an efficient sidearm. You must, however, be aware of their limitations and not expect the same performance from them as you would from a standard paintball marker.
Hawksbill Paintball Hawksbill Sports was established by players, for players. Our goal is to give you the products you need to enjoy the sport of paintball. We have low prices and fast shipping and promise the best customer service you can find anywhere. for more information about paintball gun, pistols and other accessories, go to Paintball pistols
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Paintball Variety
Mike Lang asked:
Paintballs can be found at many prices all the way from the more expensive, tournament grade paintballs, to the cheaper ones suitable for recreational paintball games and practice.
The more you pay for the paintball, the better it will be. Expensive paintballs will be more accurate and don’t break as easily as the cheaper brands do. The expensive ones have uniform size and shape. They travel farther and don’t curve and the paint shows up better. More expensive paint balls don’t sting as much when they hit you. Cheaper balls are often misshapen and not entirely round. They may have dimples that cause them to drift to the right or left making accuracy an issue. They will sometimes break in the barrel instead of resisting the pressure and breaking on your opponent.
Some of the manufacturers that make tournament grade paintballs are Diablo, Evil, Nelson, and Core. The content of these balls are different than those used for recreational paintball. The shell is made from a very thin shelled gelatin that won’t break inside the barrel of the gun. The paint inside the paintball in these brands is newer and brighter so it can be seen easily even with goggles or a mask on.
There are cheaper paintballs that can be bought but the materials used to make them are not as good as the more expensive ones. The paint is often older and doesn’t show up as well or may *****. The paint is often harder to clean. If you are using paintballs for practice or for recreational games don’t hesitate to purchase the cheaper ones but if you are serious about your game, go for the better balls.
Some manufacturers make specialty paintballs. There ones that glow in the dark for use in night games. These are pretty expensive but worth it if you are going to play in the dark. You can also get winterized and non winterized paintballs. You are starting to find unusual colors in paintballs such as pink. Some paintballs combine 2 different colors.
Core Action Paintballs are a little more expensive than most but boast that the shell breaks on the target instead of inside the barrel. They are sold in a 2000 round box with 4 bags of 500 paintballs each. You can get them for about $45 to $55 per box. Evil Paint balls are a little more expensive at $65. Most tournament grade paint balls will cost you anywhere from $50 to $100 per 2000 round box. Some sell in lots of 500 per box as well.
Monster sells boxes of practice paintballs and you can get a box of 500 for about $15 to $20. Watch eBay for cheaper paint balls as well. There is usually a deal on them there. You will some times see a box of 2000 for $30 or $40.
No one ever said paint ball was cheap. Supplies cost a bit of money but if you are a real enthusiast you can find what you need at a price you can usually afford.
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Paintballs can be found at many prices all the way from the more expensive, tournament grade paintballs, to the cheaper ones suitable for recreational paintball games and practice.
The more you pay for the paintball, the better it will be. Expensive paintballs will be more accurate and don’t break as easily as the cheaper brands do. The expensive ones have uniform size and shape. They travel farther and don’t curve and the paint shows up better. More expensive paint balls don’t sting as much when they hit you. Cheaper balls are often misshapen and not entirely round. They may have dimples that cause them to drift to the right or left making accuracy an issue. They will sometimes break in the barrel instead of resisting the pressure and breaking on your opponent.
Some of the manufacturers that make tournament grade paintballs are Diablo, Evil, Nelson, and Core. The content of these balls are different than those used for recreational paintball. The shell is made from a very thin shelled gelatin that won’t break inside the barrel of the gun. The paint inside the paintball in these brands is newer and brighter so it can be seen easily even with goggles or a mask on.
There are cheaper paintballs that can be bought but the materials used to make them are not as good as the more expensive ones. The paint is often older and doesn’t show up as well or may *****. The paint is often harder to clean. If you are using paintballs for practice or for recreational games don’t hesitate to purchase the cheaper ones but if you are serious about your game, go for the better balls.
Some manufacturers make specialty paintballs. There ones that glow in the dark for use in night games. These are pretty expensive but worth it if you are going to play in the dark. You can also get winterized and non winterized paintballs. You are starting to find unusual colors in paintballs such as pink. Some paintballs combine 2 different colors.
Core Action Paintballs are a little more expensive than most but boast that the shell breaks on the target instead of inside the barrel. They are sold in a 2000 round box with 4 bags of 500 paintballs each. You can get them for about $45 to $55 per box. Evil Paint balls are a little more expensive at $65. Most tournament grade paint balls will cost you anywhere from $50 to $100 per 2000 round box. Some sell in lots of 500 per box as well.
Monster sells boxes of practice paintballs and you can get a box of 500 for about $15 to $20. Watch eBay for cheaper paint balls as well. There is usually a deal on them there. You will some times see a box of 2000 for $30 or $40.
No one ever said paint ball was cheap. Supplies cost a bit of money but if you are a real enthusiast you can find what you need at a price you can usually afford.
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How to Buy and Select Cheap Paintball Guns
matt q may, Sr. asked:
While one should never sacrifice value over the quality of paintball safety equipment, paintball guns are available today at reasonable prices and with a wide variety of interesting features.
When deciding which the best paintball gun is for you, be realistic and determine your “skill level”. When just beginning, and do not know the frequency of your play, begin with an inexpensive gun.
To decide which features you need in a paintball gun, you can borrow markers from your friends and try them on different paintball fields. After you have decided on the features you want then start shopping for your gun.
When playing for recreation, there is really no need to spend a great deal of money as there are many recreational guns of good quality that are not expensive. Note that there are also several poor quality markers on the market so you need to your research before you buy to make certain that the marker that you purchase is dependable and can be upgraded.
When you are making plans to play in tournaments, determine what type of tournament that you will be entering. If you are going to play in small tournaments you may use a less expensive marker or upgrade your old one.
However, in the larger tournaments, you will need an “electro-pneumatic” or a “blow-forward” gun, which costs a minimum of $350.
The cost of markers depends primarily on the gun’s pressure system as well as its accessories. The most popular system today is the “carbon dioxide pressure system” normally used in the less expensive markers.
The primary disadvantage is that usually the carbon dioxide’s performance is influenced by the temperature outside, and changes from its gas state to liquid resulting in velocity instability that affects its shooting accuracy.
Serious paintball players use the “high-pressure air and nitrogen system” markers that are much more accurate because the nitrogen will never liquefy. Having this characteristic, these markers are more expensive.
Extra accessories also increase the cost of your marker. A loader or hopper is a very popular accessory. It is a container that feeds paintballs into the gun. Hoppers are available in many varieties – some are powered and automated. Fast and lightweight hoppers are more expensive.
Just keep in mind that the any marker that you purchase will not be perfect and will ultimately have flaws. So when purchasing your marker, always double check the choices offered and purchase a gun only if you know what you really want.
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While one should never sacrifice value over the quality of paintball safety equipment, paintball guns are available today at reasonable prices and with a wide variety of interesting features.
When deciding which the best paintball gun is for you, be realistic and determine your “skill level”. When just beginning, and do not know the frequency of your play, begin with an inexpensive gun.
To decide which features you need in a paintball gun, you can borrow markers from your friends and try them on different paintball fields. After you have decided on the features you want then start shopping for your gun.
When playing for recreation, there is really no need to spend a great deal of money as there are many recreational guns of good quality that are not expensive. Note that there are also several poor quality markers on the market so you need to your research before you buy to make certain that the marker that you purchase is dependable and can be upgraded.
When you are making plans to play in tournaments, determine what type of tournament that you will be entering. If you are going to play in small tournaments you may use a less expensive marker or upgrade your old one.
However, in the larger tournaments, you will need an “electro-pneumatic” or a “blow-forward” gun, which costs a minimum of $350.
The cost of markers depends primarily on the gun’s pressure system as well as its accessories. The most popular system today is the “carbon dioxide pressure system” normally used in the less expensive markers.
The primary disadvantage is that usually the carbon dioxide’s performance is influenced by the temperature outside, and changes from its gas state to liquid resulting in velocity instability that affects its shooting accuracy.
Serious paintball players use the “high-pressure air and nitrogen system” markers that are much more accurate because the nitrogen will never liquefy. Having this characteristic, these markers are more expensive.
Extra accessories also increase the cost of your marker. A loader or hopper is a very popular accessory. It is a container that feeds paintballs into the gun. Hoppers are available in many varieties – some are powered and automated. Fast and lightweight hoppers are more expensive.
Just keep in mind that the any marker that you purchase will not be perfect and will ultimately have flaws. So when purchasing your marker, always double check the choices offered and purchase a gun only if you know what you really want.
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