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.





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James Dorans asked:


Paintball is very exciting and adrenaline pumping game which was discovered in the early 1980’s. In this sport the participants eliminate the players of other team by hitting them with a balls filled with paint ball mostly a bright color as orange or pink. Ever since it’s origin, it has captured attention of whole world and is now played in as many as forty nations.

The game consists of two opposing teams, trying to eliminate the participants of other team by hitting them with the paintball. When a player is hit by a paint ball, he is eliminated from the game. There are many variations in the paintball game; the main thing in this game is to accomplish an objective like to capture the flag neutral or central. For example, in capture the flag game, the two teams try to capture the flag of opposing team taking care that their players are not eliminated and the team who captures the flag of other team is the winner. Similarly in the neutral or central flag game, there is only one flag and the objective is to take flag to opposite team’s end.

This game could be played in special indoor arena or outside. Indoors seem to be quicker games since the area is not as big. Outside is played in a more forest area. Outside play seems to be more popular probably since it is easier to get out door property instead of an indoor arena.

Apart from this, there is one more variation in the paintball games; you may go for recreational ball or tournament. Recreational ball is for those who play this game for the purpose of just recreation and for fun only while tournament is for serious players. Beginners may start with any one and then can switch to the one which suits to them.

What keep paintball sport distinct are the equipments that are used to, here the equipments are only paintballs and paintball guns.

Paintball gun is used to move the paintball at a high speed. Paint ball gun has four major components, body, tank, hoppers and barrels. The compressed gases which are usually used in the paintball are carbon dioxide, nitrogen or ordinary air. Paintballs are made of vegetable based oil-based dye in different bright colors which are encased in thin skinned gel like capsule. Now when this paintball hits a player, it breaks leaving a mark on the player.

All in all it is the game which not only requires speed and strength but intelligence and mental alertness as well. It is the game, which should be tried at least once as it will give you every thrill and excitement that you expect from a game!

This is a team sport that also requires military strategies and formations to really excel and beat the other team. You must survey the area which involves locating high points and good areas to hide. Also you must learn how to avoid ambush areas. Also communications is the key to out witting the opposing team. Have both your defenses and offensive strategies in place and you could win the game.



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Chris Abro asked:


It is important to know the different parts involved in the makeup of a paintball gun. The different elements are crucial to the successful working of your marker, and beginners will often be confused when receiving instructions because of their lack of knowledge of what the basic parts are. Knowing the parts of your paintball gun will also help you have a better idea of what you should be looking at when it is time to clean or upgrade your marker.

The body of the marker is the largest part of the gun. The body refers to the area of the gun that incorporates the trigger frame, the valve, and the bolt. All of these pieces can be detached from each other in order to incorporate new equipment, but only experts on their guns should attempt this. Makers of paintball guns have a fairly standard approach when it comes to the body of the gun, with the main difference being in the placement of the trigger and the barrel. Pushing the trigger frame forward shifts the balance of the gun and thus makes it easier to handle with one hand. It will also cause the body to have a lower profile, which is crucial when players are involved in games where hopper hits count towards elimination. The difference is plain when newbies and pros are present in the field, as the rental guns provided by most outfits have huge and bulky bodies that present a lot of hit potential.

The hopper is the part of the gun that holds the rounds of paint. No matter how high end, manufacturers have not perfected a hopper which prevents balls from breaking in containment. These breaks will often lead to jams of the feeding mechanisms and the gun itself, which in turn may cause more balls to break. Gravity-feed hoppers are especially prone to ball breakage while still in the hopper because of their jamming problems. Aside from gravity-feed, there are also agitation hoppers, force feed hoppers, and stick feed hoppers.

The tank is the part of the gun which contains the type of gas that propels the ball forward down and out of the gun’s barrel. Markers use either CO2 gas or high pressure air as propulsion material. The CO2 gas is the original, but HPA is preferred as it is more reliable than CO2 and does not require an evaporation system in order to fire.

Finally, the barrel of the marker is what the ball travels down when the trigger is compressed. The barrel is responsible for the speed and the accuracy, as well as the distance, at which a ball travels, and is thus arguably the single most important component of the gun. Longer barrels will fire quieter than shorter models, but a marker owner should remember that no matter what length of barrel, the paintball can only travel a set distance in order to break. While really long barrels may look intimidating and offer better accuracy, they also are prone to be ineffective since they require a larger burst of air to propel the ball faster to make up the distance within the barrel itself.



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Stephen Turner asked:


Are you looking to buy a cheap paintball gun? Maybe you have been paintballing a while and you are about to make your first paintball gun purchase. Are you short on advice on how to decide what makes cheap paintball gun a good cheap paintball gun? Well look no further for this article gives you clear, practical criteria for assessing what is good and cheap, and what is just cheap.

In a nutshell, a good cheap paintball gun will satisfy all the following criteria, but it will have none of the fancy features of the more expensive models. When doing your research and asking people how they rate a paintball gun, keep the criteria in mind.

Reliability and durability

Even a cheap paintball gun should be reliable and durable. The paintball gun needs to take some heavy knocks and not complain, it needs to function in all temperatures, be able to load paint and charge up with air and fire without causing you problems. If a paintball gun cannot do this, it is a bad paintball gun. It is therefore essential to take a paintball gun for a thorough field test before you decide to buy.

Ease of operation

A good cheap paintball gun will be really easy to use. A good way to assess usability is to have a read of the manual. Does it look easy to use? Avoid paintball guns where you have to use more than one tool to adjust the paintball gun velocity, or where you have to take the paintball gun apart to adjust velocity. Again, a field test will reveal all you need to know about ease of use.

Precision and velocity

Fired at the same spot, the paintball gun should be sending balls to that target with reasonable consistency from twenty five meters. Try fixing the paintball gun to a tree so that it can’t move. Then fire away and see how precise it is now that you have removed human inconsistency from the equation. If balls seem to occasionally fall short, then it looks like the ‘chrono’ velocity, the speed with which balls leave the gun, is inconsistent and so precision is suffering. Velocity needs to be consistent and high enough to give you reasonable range.

Paintball gun paint

A good cheap paintball gun will work with any brand of paint ball. A good cheap paintball gun won’t get all snooty if it’s firing lower quality paintballs, but a bad one will often break the cheaper balls. This an important issue, since when you get to the play area, you often have little choice in the brand of paintball that you are given.

Weight

A good cheap paintball gun should be relatively lightweight. Keep in mind that you will be carrying it all day, running around and if it really takes the strain on your arms then it is no good for you.

A safety mechanism

A good cheap paintball gun will have a safety mechanism which will make the paintball gun impossible to fire.

Ease of maintenance and cleaning

A good cheap paintball gun will be easy to maintain, easy to take apart and easy to clean. You should not have to spend much time on maintenance or cleaning. Again, check the manual and see how easy it looks to maintain and clean. Avoid paintball guns that require a lot of oiling. For example, if a paint ball gun needs oiling every two hundred balls then this is going to seriously compromise your playing ability and your fun.

Aftermarket upgrades and accessories

A good cheap paintball gun will be upgradeable and will be compatible with accessories.



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Riley Hendersen asked:


Paintball is an exciting sport that has a large legion of fans and devoted players. One thing that every paintball player needs to know, from the beginner to the semi-pro, is the essential paintball gear that every player needs to have before any game.

When talking about paintball gear, the first thing that should come to mind is eye protection. Eye protection is the most important piece of equipment you could possibly invest in. Safety is always the primary concern, and eye protection takes care of the one major worry involved with paintball. It doesn’t matter whether you are playing at a field or in your backyard be sure to have your face protection on.

The second most important piece of paintball gear is your paintball gun. Obviously without this, there is no game to play. The paintball gun is also commonly referred to as the “marker” because it “marks” other players. While it is very important to be familiar with your paintball gun, don’t be intimidated. These are made simply and are easy to figure out and maintain. Along with the paintball gun is the hopper. This is a plastic bottle that holds your paintballs and allows them to feed into the chamber. Basically, this is your ammo supply. Some are actually motorized to insure that another paintball will fall into place after one is shot. If you like to spray and pray, these are the ones for you. Some can hold up to 300 balls, others hold as few as 40. All depends on style and preference.

The air tank is also a critical part of paintball gear and can be attached to most models of paintball guns several different locations. On most guns it hangs horizontally off the back, and they are just screwed in. Some players prefer a vertical mount to keep the liquid (bad) CO2 on the bottom and out of the gun. Most rental places can provide the right equipment to keep the games going.

There is an array of other pieces of paintball gear you will want. One is called a remote. A remote is a long tube that allows you to carry your air tank on a back pack or belt. A light tube is attached to the gun. This is useful because it takes weight off the actual gun and makes it lighter, which makes it easier to lift, aim, and use. It is a cheap, but effective addition that usually runs only around $30-$40.

Another piece of paintball gear is the belt pack. A belt pack is usually worn around the belt and can hold extra supplies like extra air and paint. Experienced players know how useful this can be. Also, you will always want a protective mask. As a side note: if you have prescription glasses you need to wear underneath the helmet, find a “Scott mask.” These fit much better and will allow you to be much more comfortable and more effective during the game. As for clothing, anything dark is acceptable.

Paintball is a great game, but you need the appropriate paintball gear to make the most of any afternoon or weekend excursion.



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Kangaroo Jack asked:


Paintball is a sport that shown tremendous growth in the United States. Information about Paintball reveals that if the appropriate gear is worn during the game, this sport is considered one of the safest sports to play. It is even a bit more safer than tennis. Information about paintball shows that it has become very popular because it has been widely sought since since it was first introduced as a game called “Survival”. When the sport first began, there were no paintball mines, grenades or any different styles of weapons.

Recent information about paintball shows that you can implement a variety of different tactics to win the game. For example, the use of using paintball bunkers give you more efficiency and helps you in the game. You can hide behind these bunkers to protect yourself. It is a great defense weapon.

Making the best of these Paintball Bunkers

To use the information about paintball and paintball bunkers to create different tactics for the game to correctly maneuver your way around correctly. You must get comfortable with the paintball marker that you are using. This can be a person or a motionless target that you are aiming at. It will help you to prevent being a target yourself and get more balls down the range.

Make sure you stay closely behind the bunkers and then use the snapshoot tactic as your secret weapon against your opponent. Information about paintball will teach you what you need to know about snapshooting. Snapshooting is good way to wait out your opponent so that they don’t know what your next move will be. When you pop out of your bunker and shoot the paintball, then duck back in and wait some more. Your opponent will be caught off guard, and you will always be covered. However, you have to practice and hone this skill to master the technique.

You will learn information about paintball that will also teach you how to shoot from both sides of the bunker that you are hiding behind. You will be able to shoot your targets all around you while you still keep hidden behind the bunker. Shooting from both sides help you to have a better range both from the left and the right of the paintball bunker and yuu are able to confuse the person that you are playing against. You are able to create different angles at the same time.

Your opponent may hit you with a barrage of paintballs, but the information about paintball that you learned and through practicing should enable you to strike back effectively. All you need to do is to get down tighter in the bunker and come out only when you are ready with your shoulders lined up to hit your target. Whe you shoot from the right side of the bunker, put your left kee forward and then shoot with your right hand. Do the opposite when you are shooting from the left side.

It is apparent that information about paintball has proved invaluable to highlight that the most important aspect of the sport is the paintball bunker. Once you get onto the paintball court, you have to use your bunker wisely to protect yourself from harm.



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Sam Everson asked:


Paintball is a game played with many people or teams. It can be played indoors or out, with as few as two people or as many as 500. Paintball is played at designated fields, back yards or even in the woods. A game can last as little as 4 minutes or as long as hours with all depending on one to take something, find something, or to just be the last person not marked.

Depending on where you play, the spot that you play, the strategy of your game will vary from being quiet and sneaky and choosing your shots carefully, to being loud, fast, and shooting constantly. Paintball is a competitive sport played like any other competitive sport, to win. It is challenging game of tag, hide-and-seek or my favorite, capture-the-flag. Since you are shooting at people, and people are shooting at you, paintball requires safety equipment to be worn such as goggles, special clothing and etc.

An important part of paintball is the paintball itself. As in tennis, the ball is the main element of a paintball game. But unlike a tennis game, paintball has dozens, often hundreds, of “balls” in play at any one time. As the name implies, these balls are actually tiny containers of paint.

Paintballs have a very simple construction. They’re actually a lot like bath-oil beads. They are made of colored liquid enclosed in a gelatin shell and are available in a variety of colors. Paintballs are also non-toxic, biodegradable and are water soluble. They will wash out of clothes, just don’t leave them sitting on your clothes for a week before washing them.

Basically, a paintball is like a small water balloon, weighing only a few grams. The shell holds up if you handle it or drop it from a short distance. When you shoot a paintball from a gun, however, it breaks on impact and leaves large splatter of paint.

The job of the paintball gun, also known as a paintball marker, is to shoot the paintball at a fast rate of speed. In a standard gun, the propulsion system is compressed gas such as CO2, nitrogen or ordinary air, and is stored in small or large tanks that can be attached to the gun. A hopper, which holds the paintballs, is also attached to the marker

Maintaining safety in paintball is important to make the game safe. The power of paintball guns is strictly regulated. Guns in play are adjusted so that the top speed of the paintball is 300 feet per second. A paintball traveling at this speed is not likely to cause serious injury if it hits you, though it will sting and can leave a bruise. Also, since wind resistance starts slowing the paintball down as soon as it leaves the marker, it has a reduced impact when fired from a greater distance. Speeding paintballs can cause serious injury to the eyes and paintball players always wear protection. Get more info about recreational paintball at tips for paintball.

In addition to playing paintball for recreational use, paintball is also part of military and police training. In terms of feel and handling, a paintball gun has little in common with an actual firearm, but paintball is still good training for combat situations. Mainly, it lets soldiers and police practice strategy and the fine art of not getting shot.

There are many paintball leagues around with American Paintball League being one of the largest in the paintball industry. Another paintball league is the National Professional Paintball League. Though they both pertain to paintball, each has their own set of rules for playing the sport.



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kevin asked:


 

Paintball gun packages are offered by most paintball gun shops, dealers and paintball gun manufacturers. They offer an ideal start up kit for players new to the sport, or players on a tight budget. They give you all you need to get you out there on the playing field. However, are the package deals as useful as they seem on the surface?

Typical paintball packages will include: a paintball gun (or marker), a mask, a hopper (or loader), an air tank, a squeegee and a barrel plug. More expensive packs may have in addition paintball oil, ammo packs, paintballs and other accessories. This covers all the basic kit you need to get you started at a reasonable price.

The greatest advantage of the paintball gun packages is their value for money. Buying piece by piece is expensive; it would cost you a lot more to buy the package items separately. For those of you on a limited budget, new to the sport or just not too fussy, a gun package is a good way forward.

Another advantage in purchasing these packs is a guaranteed compatibility. Every gun needs compatible paintball parts, such as the hopper. Paintball gun packages come straight from the manufacturers and they know what pieces go together. You could end up spending a lot of money on separate pieces which may not even fit your marker if you are not well informed.

Also, buying everything in one swoop is far more convenient. You will save a lot of time, energy and aggravation.

There are,however, drawbacks to paintball gun packages. They are compiled for beginners and although they offer relatively low prices, their quality may not be as good. Also, you may not actually want all of the pieces included in the package.

Most packs will include a traditional gravity feed hopper. If you want a marker with a firing speed of greater than 11 balls per second, you would be better off with a more sophisticated hopper. Packages will generally include a small co2 tank, when a bigger tank or a high pressure air tank may be of more use to you.

The gun and the mask are the two items you should choose most carefully. The gun must be easy to maintain, reliable, hard wearing and perform well. The mask must fit well and be comfortable. You must do your research and select a good quality, sensibly priced gun and mask that you really want. These two items must be your first consideration when browsing different package deals. If the package includes the gun and mask that you want, it is a good compromise to get you started and you might be prepared to put up with the other items in the package with a view to upgrading them at a later date.

In short, paintball gun packages are good value for paintball beginners as long as they include a good cheap gun and mask that you actually want. To settle for less would be an unwise compromise and a false economy.

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, features and paintball gun packages to get you started, go to: Paintball Gun Packages



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Riley Hendersen asked:


So you’ve joined a few paintball games and now the adrenaline rush is in your blood. You want to be more than just a casual gamer, and so that brings up the question of what you should buy for equipment. The first obvious piece is the paintball gun. But how can you know which gun is right for you?

Purchasing the right paintball gun is a big step, and can be a pretty steep financial price depending on how expensive or advanced a weapon you want to buy. One of the things you should do is play with as many rented guns or borrowed guns as possible. There is a very wide variety of paintball guns from expensive to cheap, and some very good cheap ones, and you want to find the ones that you are comfortable with. This is also the right time to figure out your budget. There is no point in finding the perfect $700 gun if you aren’t willing to spend more than $200.

Don’t forget to ask the experts around you about what they think as far as paintball guns. Find out what fellow paintball enthusiasts at paintball fields, stores, and clubs think. Don’t only find out which guns they like and dislike, but find out the reasons for each individual’s opinions. Some may like their gun overall, but not like certain features. Decide the size and type of paintball loader you want. A bigger loader holds more balls, but is heavier. Are you a sniper, or a “spray and pray” type? This makes a difference as to which guns, models, and accessories are best for you.

A major decision to make involving paintball guns is how long a barrel you want on your paintball gun. A longer barrel is generally slightly more accurate, but this is only true to a certain extent. A barrel is more accurate to about 14 inches. There are several ones around 21, but these are showy, and are not a good idea. Most experts agree that after 14 inches the extra length doesn’t help at all, and it leaves a much larger target for other players to hit.

Once your order a paintball gun, be sure to learn everything about it. You should learn how to completely take apart the gun, and then put it back together. You should know how to clean it, load it, fire it, and repeat. It is always good to know this before extensive use. There are some great cheap paintball guns, but there are many more that are junk, so be sure to do your homework before making a purchase.

Buying a paintball gun can be a great experience, but you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a cheap piece of crap, and likewise you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a gun that just doesn’t fit your style. Do your research, take your time to figure out what type of paintball gun best fits your personality, then buy it. The perfect model paintball gun will make you a far happier player than a mismatch.



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