What Really Is A Paintball Marker?
Riley Hendersen asked:
One of the terms you may run into early on while getting involved in the adrenaline pumping sport of paintball is “paintball marker.” So what is a paintball marker? To put it really simply, it’s the paintball guns. Many players refer to them as “markers” because the paint balls the guns shoots “marks” the target. A paintball marker might also be called a paintball gun or just a paint gun. After the safety mask, which is always the most important piece of equipment, the paintball marker is the next most important since there can not be a game without it.
The first paintball game was played in 1981 in Henniker, New Hampshire. Nine players took part, and the sport of paintball was born. The earliest models of paintball markers were uniform (after all, this was just the beginning of the sport). Now there are literally hundreds of choices between various makes and models of paintball markers. Some are very cheap, some are extremely expensive. No one could have imagined the huge variety in choices.
One of the first decisions you’ll want to make when using paintball markers is to decide what type of action you want from your paintball marker. By action, this refers to the way that an individual paintball marker fires. There are three types of actions that cover most of the cheaper and basic lines of paintball markers: pump action, semi-automatic blow back, and hybrid blow back. Each type of action makes a paintball gun work very differently, so think about how quickly you want your marker to shoot and how much work you want to do to make it fire. Obviously the pump action is the slowest, while the other methods offer better rates of fire.
The other factor to think about with paintball markers is performance. Performance is one word that covers many several factors including good rate of fire, accuracy, range, durability, and reliability. Some cheap paintball guns will perform like clockwork one day, but then not at all the next. This is why early homework is important: to learn first hand the reputation one model of paint marker has compared to another.
Buying the right paintball marker can be difficult. Do your homework ahead of time, and don’t rely on price alone. There are higher priced paintball markers that are extremely unpopular with players because of obvious deficiencies. A $500 paintball marker is not always guaranteed to be bigger and better than a cheaper $200 one.
Appearance is also a factor. Just because a gun “looks cool” means that it is a good buy. Do your research on paintball markers and buy the one that works for you and you’ll be much happier than you would have been otherwise.
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One of the terms you may run into early on while getting involved in the adrenaline pumping sport of paintball is “paintball marker.” So what is a paintball marker? To put it really simply, it’s the paintball guns. Many players refer to them as “markers” because the paint balls the guns shoots “marks” the target. A paintball marker might also be called a paintball gun or just a paint gun. After the safety mask, which is always the most important piece of equipment, the paintball marker is the next most important since there can not be a game without it.
The first paintball game was played in 1981 in Henniker, New Hampshire. Nine players took part, and the sport of paintball was born. The earliest models of paintball markers were uniform (after all, this was just the beginning of the sport). Now there are literally hundreds of choices between various makes and models of paintball markers. Some are very cheap, some are extremely expensive. No one could have imagined the huge variety in choices.
One of the first decisions you’ll want to make when using paintball markers is to decide what type of action you want from your paintball marker. By action, this refers to the way that an individual paintball marker fires. There are three types of actions that cover most of the cheaper and basic lines of paintball markers: pump action, semi-automatic blow back, and hybrid blow back. Each type of action makes a paintball gun work very differently, so think about how quickly you want your marker to shoot and how much work you want to do to make it fire. Obviously the pump action is the slowest, while the other methods offer better rates of fire.
The other factor to think about with paintball markers is performance. Performance is one word that covers many several factors including good rate of fire, accuracy, range, durability, and reliability. Some cheap paintball guns will perform like clockwork one day, but then not at all the next. This is why early homework is important: to learn first hand the reputation one model of paint marker has compared to another.
Buying the right paintball marker can be difficult. Do your homework ahead of time, and don’t rely on price alone. There are higher priced paintball markers that are extremely unpopular with players because of obvious deficiencies. A $500 paintball marker is not always guaranteed to be bigger and better than a cheaper $200 one.
Appearance is also a factor. Just because a gun “looks cool” means that it is a good buy. Do your research on paintball markers and buy the one that works for you and you’ll be much happier than you would have been otherwise.
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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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