History of Paintballs
michaelrussell asked:
Paintballing is a relatively new sport that has come into popularity since its creation almost 20 years ago. The core of the idea behind paintball was to recreate the thrill of hunting wild game in Africa without the expenses included in making such a trip. Inspired by Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game and eager to recreate the adrenaline rush of the hunt, three friends–Hayes Noel, Bob Gurnsey, and Charles Gaines–eventually worked out the most important qualities that a hunter could possess, but what they lacked was the necessary tool to make such a game possible.
It wasn’t until a friend of theirs showed them a paintball gun manufactured by the Nelson Paint Company that they found that tool. The paintballs and guns produced by Nelson Paint Company were originally designed for agricultural purposes–tree marking, etc. However, this did not stop these men from developing a game designed along the lines of capture the flag based around them. The very first paintball game took place June 2, 1981, with a dozen players competing against one another. An article was published that same month in Sports Illustrated on that game. The first games were crude compared to today’s standards, with extremely limited ammunition per gun. Players would even resort to throwing paintballs at one another.
Interest in paintball climbed steadily, and Bob Gurnsey eventually founded National Survival Game and contracted with Nelson Paint Company to be the sole distributor of their guns and paintballs. This initial monopoly allowed Gurnsey to turn a profit in six months. Competitor manufacturers of paintballs quickly appeared in the early 1980s, spurring development in paintball technology. Nelson Paint Company would later split into two companies: Nelson Paint Company, which focused on traditional paint products, and Nelson Technologies, Inc. (better known as Nelson Paintballs), which still produces paintballs today.
Competitive tournaments have been going on nearly since the sport’s inception. The first major paintball tournament was held in 1983, with the Canadian-based team The Unknown Rebels from London, Ontario, winning. Originally played in the woods, tournaments shifted over to the speedball format in the late 1990s. Speedball is similar to the idea of indoor soccer, with an even, enclosed field with a set terrain that afforded neither team an unfair advantage over the other. Tournaments since then have largely been in this format. The world’s largest, the World Cup, takes place each October at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Kissimmee, Florida.
Paintballs themselves have evolved over time as well. When the game first began in the early 1980s, paintballs were oil-based. Turpentine parties were not common after a game to get the paint off. Today’s paintballs are a gelatin shell filled with vegetable oil and food coloring. A number of variations have been developed for paintballs, including glow in the dark, scented, and cold weather ones. Some teams in tournament play will put their paintballs in a freezer to cool them and make the paint more brittle to shatter easier on impact and reduce the odds of a ricochet.
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Paintballing is a relatively new sport that has come into popularity since its creation almost 20 years ago. The core of the idea behind paintball was to recreate the thrill of hunting wild game in Africa without the expenses included in making such a trip. Inspired by Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game and eager to recreate the adrenaline rush of the hunt, three friends–Hayes Noel, Bob Gurnsey, and Charles Gaines–eventually worked out the most important qualities that a hunter could possess, but what they lacked was the necessary tool to make such a game possible.
It wasn’t until a friend of theirs showed them a paintball gun manufactured by the Nelson Paint Company that they found that tool. The paintballs and guns produced by Nelson Paint Company were originally designed for agricultural purposes–tree marking, etc. However, this did not stop these men from developing a game designed along the lines of capture the flag based around them. The very first paintball game took place June 2, 1981, with a dozen players competing against one another. An article was published that same month in Sports Illustrated on that game. The first games were crude compared to today’s standards, with extremely limited ammunition per gun. Players would even resort to throwing paintballs at one another.
Interest in paintball climbed steadily, and Bob Gurnsey eventually founded National Survival Game and contracted with Nelson Paint Company to be the sole distributor of their guns and paintballs. This initial monopoly allowed Gurnsey to turn a profit in six months. Competitor manufacturers of paintballs quickly appeared in the early 1980s, spurring development in paintball technology. Nelson Paint Company would later split into two companies: Nelson Paint Company, which focused on traditional paint products, and Nelson Technologies, Inc. (better known as Nelson Paintballs), which still produces paintballs today.
Competitive tournaments have been going on nearly since the sport’s inception. The first major paintball tournament was held in 1983, with the Canadian-based team The Unknown Rebels from London, Ontario, winning. Originally played in the woods, tournaments shifted over to the speedball format in the late 1990s. Speedball is similar to the idea of indoor soccer, with an even, enclosed field with a set terrain that afforded neither team an unfair advantage over the other. Tournaments since then have largely been in this format. The world’s largest, the World Cup, takes place each October at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Kissimmee, Florida.
Paintballs themselves have evolved over time as well. When the game first began in the early 1980s, paintballs were oil-based. Turpentine parties were not common after a game to get the paint off. Today’s paintballs are a gelatin shell filled with vegetable oil and food coloring. A number of variations have been developed for paintballs, including glow in the dark, scented, and cold weather ones. Some teams in tournament play will put their paintballs in a freezer to cool them and make the paint more brittle to shatter easier on impact and reduce the odds of a ricochet.
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Paintball Markers Vs. Paintball Guns
michaelrussell asked:
Paintballing is a relatively new sport that has come into popularity since its creation almost 20 years ago. The core of the idea behind paintball was to recreate the thrill of hunting wild game in Africa without the expenses included in making such a trip. Inspired by Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game and eager to recreate the adrenaline rush of the hunt, three friends–Hayes Noel, Bob Gurnsey, and Charles Gaines–eventually worked out the most important qualities that a hunter could possess, but what they lacked was the necessary tool to make such a game possible.
It wasn’t until a friend of theirs showed them a paintball gun manufactured by the Nelson Paint Company that they found that tool. The paintballs and guns produced by Nelson Paint Company were originally designed for agricultural purposes–tree marking, etc. However, this did not stop these men from developing a game designed along the lines of capture the flag based around them. The very first paintball game took place June 2, 1981, with a dozen players competing against one another. An article was published that same month in Sports Illustrated on that game. The first games were crude compared to today’s standards, with extremely limited ammunition per gun. Players would even resort to throwing paintballs at one another.
Interest in paintball climbed steadily, and Bob Gurnsey eventually founded National Survival Game and contracted with Nelson Paint Company to be the sole distributor of their guns and paintballs. This initial monopoly allowed Gurnsey to turn a profit in six months. Competitor manufacturers of paintballs quickly appeared in the early 1980s, spurring development in paintball technology. Nelson Paint Company would later split into two companies: Nelson Paint Company, which focused on traditional paint products, and Nelson Technologies, Inc. (better known as Nelson Paintballs), which still produces paintballs today.
Competitive tournaments have been going on nearly since the sport’s inception. The first major paintball tournament was held in 1983, with the Canadian-based team The Unknown Rebels from London, Ontario, winning. Originally played in the woods, tournaments shifted over to the speedball format in the late 1990s. Speedball is similar to the idea of indoor soccer, with an even, enclosed field with a set terrain that afforded neither team an unfair advantage over the other. Tournaments since then have largely been in this format. The world’s largest, the World Cup, takes place each October at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Kissimmee, Florida.
Paintballs themselves have evolved over time as well. When the game first began in the early 1980s, paintballs were oil-based. Turpentine parties were not common after a game to get the paint off. Today’s paintballs are a gelatin shell filled with vegetable oil and food coloring. A number of variations have been developed for paintballs, including glow in the dark, scented, and cold weather ones. Some teams in tournament play will put their paintballs in a freezer to cool them and make the paint more brittle to shatter easier on impact and reduce the odds of a ricochet.
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Paintballing is a relatively new sport that has come into popularity since its creation almost 20 years ago. The core of the idea behind paintball was to recreate the thrill of hunting wild game in Africa without the expenses included in making such a trip. Inspired by Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game and eager to recreate the adrenaline rush of the hunt, three friends–Hayes Noel, Bob Gurnsey, and Charles Gaines–eventually worked out the most important qualities that a hunter could possess, but what they lacked was the necessary tool to make such a game possible.
It wasn’t until a friend of theirs showed them a paintball gun manufactured by the Nelson Paint Company that they found that tool. The paintballs and guns produced by Nelson Paint Company were originally designed for agricultural purposes–tree marking, etc. However, this did not stop these men from developing a game designed along the lines of capture the flag based around them. The very first paintball game took place June 2, 1981, with a dozen players competing against one another. An article was published that same month in Sports Illustrated on that game. The first games were crude compared to today’s standards, with extremely limited ammunition per gun. Players would even resort to throwing paintballs at one another.
Interest in paintball climbed steadily, and Bob Gurnsey eventually founded National Survival Game and contracted with Nelson Paint Company to be the sole distributor of their guns and paintballs. This initial monopoly allowed Gurnsey to turn a profit in six months. Competitor manufacturers of paintballs quickly appeared in the early 1980s, spurring development in paintball technology. Nelson Paint Company would later split into two companies: Nelson Paint Company, which focused on traditional paint products, and Nelson Technologies, Inc. (better known as Nelson Paintballs), which still produces paintballs today.
Competitive tournaments have been going on nearly since the sport’s inception. The first major paintball tournament was held in 1983, with the Canadian-based team The Unknown Rebels from London, Ontario, winning. Originally played in the woods, tournaments shifted over to the speedball format in the late 1990s. Speedball is similar to the idea of indoor soccer, with an even, enclosed field with a set terrain that afforded neither team an unfair advantage over the other. Tournaments since then have largely been in this format. The world’s largest, the World Cup, takes place each October at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Kissimmee, Florida.
Paintballs themselves have evolved over time as well. When the game first began in the early 1980s, paintballs were oil-based. Turpentine parties were not common after a game to get the paint off. Today’s paintballs are a gelatin shell filled with vegetable oil and food coloring. A number of variations have been developed for paintballs, including glow in the dark, scented, and cold weather ones. Some teams in tournament play will put their paintballs in a freezer to cool them and make the paint more brittle to shatter easier on impact and reduce the odds of a ricochet.
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A Brief History of Paintball Guns
John Brock asked:
Back in 1970, a gentleman by the name of James C. Hale, an employee of Daisy Manufacturing, designed and patented a device to be used by the forestry and farming industries to mark trees, trails and livestock. This mechanism was to become the very first paintball gun the Nelspot 007, and was manufactured by the Nelson Paint Company.
Charles and Evan Nelson founded the Nelson Paint Company in 1940, as the forest and farming industries needed a way to mark hard to reach places. Charles is credited with the creation of pellets filled with paint that could be shot out of a regular type of gun to complete this difficult task.
The first game-style milestone in paintball history came in 1981 New Hampshire when 3 friends (Bob Gurnsey, a sporting goods retailer, Hayes Noel, a stockbroker and Charles Gaines, a writer) planned to play the organized game “Capture the Flag” with 9 others. On June 27, 1981, the game was played using the original Nelspot 007 paintball gun. The winning team never even fired a single shot. The twelve friends had such a good time, they decided to buy into the Nelson Paint Company, and began marketing their newfound fun as a recreational sport.
The paintball guns themselves had to evolve along with this newfound recreational activity, as alternations to make the paint pellets fire softer so they wouldn’t hurt their human target. George A. Skogg, employee of the Nelson Paint Company, invented a “washable marking fluid” formula for soft gelatin capsules, which were more accurate and bright easy-to-see marks that would wash away easily with water and/or detergent. This patent became the Nelson formula for paintballs, as they were the perfect mix for the sport.
The very first paintball outdoor playing field opened in Rochester, New York in 1982. Very soon after, paintball originator Charles Gaines began marketing it as the National Survival Game (NSG), and the following year saw the first NSG championship complete with a $14,000 cash purse for the triumphant party. Upcoming years saw the first indoor playing field in Buffalo, NY, as well as recognition and outdoor fields in Canada, Australia and England.
1988 brought with it the IPPA- the International Paintball Players Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to the safety, education and growth of the entire paintball industry. The NPPL (National Professional Paintball League) was founded in 1992, which then started the NPPL Pro-Am series that are found all over the U.S.
Paintball has evolved into quite the lucrative business, boasting quite an array of products for its trade. The accessory trade has grown to include barrels and sites for the guns and sport-specific paintball clothing and gear, with lots of the newest, latest inventions adding to the paintball family the Paintball Bodybag to organize and carry all of your gear in one handy carrier.
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Back in 1970, a gentleman by the name of James C. Hale, an employee of Daisy Manufacturing, designed and patented a device to be used by the forestry and farming industries to mark trees, trails and livestock. This mechanism was to become the very first paintball gun the Nelspot 007, and was manufactured by the Nelson Paint Company.
Charles and Evan Nelson founded the Nelson Paint Company in 1940, as the forest and farming industries needed a way to mark hard to reach places. Charles is credited with the creation of pellets filled with paint that could be shot out of a regular type of gun to complete this difficult task.
The first game-style milestone in paintball history came in 1981 New Hampshire when 3 friends (Bob Gurnsey, a sporting goods retailer, Hayes Noel, a stockbroker and Charles Gaines, a writer) planned to play the organized game “Capture the Flag” with 9 others. On June 27, 1981, the game was played using the original Nelspot 007 paintball gun. The winning team never even fired a single shot. The twelve friends had such a good time, they decided to buy into the Nelson Paint Company, and began marketing their newfound fun as a recreational sport.
The paintball guns themselves had to evolve along with this newfound recreational activity, as alternations to make the paint pellets fire softer so they wouldn’t hurt their human target. George A. Skogg, employee of the Nelson Paint Company, invented a “washable marking fluid” formula for soft gelatin capsules, which were more accurate and bright easy-to-see marks that would wash away easily with water and/or detergent. This patent became the Nelson formula for paintballs, as they were the perfect mix for the sport.
The very first paintball outdoor playing field opened in Rochester, New York in 1982. Very soon after, paintball originator Charles Gaines began marketing it as the National Survival Game (NSG), and the following year saw the first NSG championship complete with a $14,000 cash purse for the triumphant party. Upcoming years saw the first indoor playing field in Buffalo, NY, as well as recognition and outdoor fields in Canada, Australia and England.
1988 brought with it the IPPA- the International Paintball Players Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to the safety, education and growth of the entire paintball industry. The NPPL (National Professional Paintball League) was founded in 1992, which then started the NPPL Pro-Am series that are found all over the U.S.
Paintball has evolved into quite the lucrative business, boasting quite an array of products for its trade. The accessory trade has grown to include barrels and sites for the guns and sport-specific paintball clothing and gear, with lots of the newest, latest inventions adding to the paintball family the Paintball Bodybag to organize and carry all of your gear in one handy carrier.
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The Paintball Game: Evolution of the Gun and Game
kevin asked:
The evolution of the game has been swift from its origins in the 70s to the modern game we know today. It all started with the paintball gun; the term “marker” is a much newer term introduced to make the sport more marketable to the masses. So, what is the history of this relatively new sport and how has it evolved over three decades?
The first paintball guns were used on cattle ranches in the 1970s to single out animals from the herd. James Hale, of Daisy manufacturing , invented a gun for this purpose.
This practice soon evolved into a game and the first ever recreational paintball game took place in June 1981 in New Hampshire, USA. A group of friends used Nel-Spot 007s to play a very basic form of the game over a massive area to capture the flag.
One of the earliest guns available was the Splat Master; it was made entirely of plastic. It could hold ten paintballs, was powered by small co2 cylinders and had a slow fire rate. The gun had to be tilted back to drop each paintball into the firing chamber and cocked by pushing a button on the handle.
The paintball game was first marketed by Charles Gaines, a writer, as National Survival Game- NSG. It started in a very primitive form with players working individually rather than in teams. As the game evolved over time, the rules became more sophisticated and teams became a matter of course. Different types of games sprung up, but the “capture the flag” principle was the most popular.
As the paintball game developed, so did the need for a more sophisticated gun. The pump action marker was introduced with its increased rate of fire.
Caleb Strong opened the first outdoor commercial paintball field in Rochester in 1982. Two years later he opened an indoor version in Buffalo. The development of the commercial industry allowed for more organised, tournament style games and interest in the sport accelerated. The games became more exciting as smaller fields made the action quicker.
The gun continued to evolve in line with the paintball game. As the need for speed increased, the introduction of the 12 ounce co2 tank with its constant air was a major breakthrough.This in turn led to the advent of the semi-automatic gun with its incredible fire rate. Then followed the electric hopper to cope with the fire power of the semi-automatics.
Private and commercial fields are everywhere today as the sport has attracted a huge following. Whilst most players will only ever compete at a recreational level, professional teams compete at a national and international level with prizes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The National Professional Paintball League was founded in 1992 and is the major force in the professional tournament circuit.
Professional players today are using fully automatic computerized markers. The Angel was the first of its kind. It was equipped with a motherboard in the gun’s handle offering a selection of different modes of fire.
There is no reason to believe that the paintball game has completed its evolution. It has come a long way from the cattle ranches of thirty years ago, but it is fair to assume that the sport has not finished its journey just yet.
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 guns and other accessories, go to:
http://www.hawksbillpaintball.com
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The evolution of the game has been swift from its origins in the 70s to the modern game we know today. It all started with the paintball gun; the term “marker” is a much newer term introduced to make the sport more marketable to the masses. So, what is the history of this relatively new sport and how has it evolved over three decades?
The first paintball guns were used on cattle ranches in the 1970s to single out animals from the herd. James Hale, of Daisy manufacturing , invented a gun for this purpose.
This practice soon evolved into a game and the first ever recreational paintball game took place in June 1981 in New Hampshire, USA. A group of friends used Nel-Spot 007s to play a very basic form of the game over a massive area to capture the flag.
One of the earliest guns available was the Splat Master; it was made entirely of plastic. It could hold ten paintballs, was powered by small co2 cylinders and had a slow fire rate. The gun had to be tilted back to drop each paintball into the firing chamber and cocked by pushing a button on the handle.
The paintball game was first marketed by Charles Gaines, a writer, as National Survival Game- NSG. It started in a very primitive form with players working individually rather than in teams. As the game evolved over time, the rules became more sophisticated and teams became a matter of course. Different types of games sprung up, but the “capture the flag” principle was the most popular.
As the paintball game developed, so did the need for a more sophisticated gun. The pump action marker was introduced with its increased rate of fire.
Caleb Strong opened the first outdoor commercial paintball field in Rochester in 1982. Two years later he opened an indoor version in Buffalo. The development of the commercial industry allowed for more organised, tournament style games and interest in the sport accelerated. The games became more exciting as smaller fields made the action quicker.
The gun continued to evolve in line with the paintball game. As the need for speed increased, the introduction of the 12 ounce co2 tank with its constant air was a major breakthrough.This in turn led to the advent of the semi-automatic gun with its incredible fire rate. Then followed the electric hopper to cope with the fire power of the semi-automatics.
Private and commercial fields are everywhere today as the sport has attracted a huge following. Whilst most players will only ever compete at a recreational level, professional teams compete at a national and international level with prizes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The National Professional Paintball League was founded in 1992 and is the major force in the professional tournament circuit.
Professional players today are using fully automatic computerized markers. The Angel was the first of its kind. It was equipped with a motherboard in the gun’s handle offering a selection of different modes of fire.
There is no reason to believe that the paintball game has completed its evolution. It has come a long way from the cattle ranches of thirty years ago, but it is fair to assume that the sport has not finished its journey just yet.
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 guns and other accessories, go to:
http://www.hawksbillpaintball.com
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