kevin asked:


The choices can be overwhelming for a paintball beginner.. So, to simplify, there are two main game types: recreational and speedball. You need to know about these to decide the sort of player you want to be and, therefore, what paintball gun features you will need.

Recreational

Recreational markers are used to play paintball games over a large area, often woods or fields. Scenario paintball is played in an area made to replicate a chosen landscape. Woodsball, as the name suggests, is played in a wooded area. Tactical paintball is a strategic game with a variety of rules.

Sniper paintball guns are for recreational players to shoot accurately over long distances. They often have long barrels that can cause the paintball to spin, thus increasing its distance.

Speedball

Speedball paintball guns are used in more confined areas, often utilising bunkers and obstacles. These games are of shorter duration as the players are within close proximity of each other. Camouflage, therefore, isn’t a consideration, so the markers are more visual and come in a wide variety of colours and designs.

X Ball is a type of speedball game for which any standard speedball paintball gun will suffice.

Recreational and speedball markers have the same internal mechanism; the differences are external only. Recreational guns are generally camouflaged or darker in colours. They often resemble real guns; some have been designed to replicate guns from historic battles. Speedball guns are lighter, smaller and more colourful.

You need a paintball gun that fits the sort of player you are e.g. front, cover or sniper. A front player needs a light, easy to handle gun. A cover player needs a big hopper and air supply. A sniper may need a longer barrel with a scope.

Markers can range in price from $50 to over $1000 depending on quality and features. You don’t need to spend too much money on your first paintball gun. You can upgrade it as and when you need to without difficulty. Try renting or borrowing a range of markers before you make a purchase to find one that is suitable for you and feels right. You should expect to pay around $200 for a gun that will give sufficient performance for a beginner’s needs.

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 options to get you started, go to:

Paintball Gun

 



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kevin asked:


1. Don’t rush into buying your gun too quickly. You need to take your time to find out which styles suit you. Try renting or borrowing a range of markers to find out which features are important to you and necessary for the sort of game you want to play. Markers come in a wide variety of types and you need to select one that feels comfortable to you and that fits your specific needs.

2. Don’t spend too much money on your first gun. Prices range from department store at the low end to customized paintball guns, made exactly to someone’s specifications at the high end. The former are not a great quality and the latter are too expensive for anyone other than a pro-player. If you buy a less expensive paintball gun you can upgrade it at a later date without difficulty.

3. Do research on the different types of guns available.You could do this by visiting your nearest paint ball store to see the selection there, use the expertise of the staff and handle the guns. You may not, however, have a store in close proximity and it could turn out to be a time-consuming and costly venture.

4. Do make use of specialized online paintball stores. These sites are a fund of helpful information and the best ones are compiled by experts in the field who are unbiased,well informed and friendly.This way you can browse a wide variety of products and articles in the comfort of your own home to help you determine which gun is best for you.Do make sure there is a money back guarantee if you make a purchase.

5. Do check out the different online paintball package deals; these will include all the basic things you need to get you started at a reasonable price. Most packs will include: a paintball gun, a mask, a hopper (the paintball container on your gun), an air cylinder, a squeegee and a barrel plug. More expensive packages come with additional equipment such as: paintballs, ammo packs and paintball oil.

 A paintball gun is the most important and expensive piece of equipment you will use to play paintball. Don’t rush into a purchase, educate yourself on the different types of guns available and decide what sort of player you want to be.

choosing a Paintball Gun



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Caroline Smith asked:


Having the right paintball gear is essential not just for putting in a good performance on the field, but for your safety. There’s a huge amount of paintballing gear available, so it’s a good idea to know what you’re looking for before you buy. There are several bits of paintball equipment that it’s absolutely necessary to have before you begin paintballing, such as a mask and a decent paintball gun. It’s worth spending some time researching the various paintball products on sale to make sure you buy stuff that’s suited to your skills and budget. Speaking to experienced paintballers is a great way to pick up useful tips on the best types of markers and accessories. Paintballer magazines are also a good source of information on the latest guns and gear.

Before you play any paintball games, you’ll need to make sure you’ve got suitable protective clothing to help prevent injuries when in the heat of the action on the field. It’s a strict rule that all players must wear their paintball masks at all times during play to protect their head and face from the dangers of speeding paintballs. You can hire the basic equipment at the game, or you might prefer to buy your own paintball supplies, particularly if you play regularly. One of the cheapest ways to get kitted out with all the essentials is to purchase a special gun package, which as well as an entry level paintball marker, should include things such as an air tank and hopper, and other accessories.

Inexpensive but reliable brands of paintball markers include the Kingman Spyder and Tippmann ranges. Piranha paint ball guns are also cheaply priced and aimed at new players. Find out about whether the gun you want can be upgraded as your ability improves, and check the level of warranty you’ll get. If you want to be as inconspicuous as possible, a black or matte model could help you camouflage yourself better than a bright and shiny rifle. Look for gear that’s easy to use and light enough to carry when running and crawling around during the game.

By doing your homework you should be in position to spot the best deals and get yourself some great value equipment to help you splatter your opponents.



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davemathews asked:


If you are really serious about your paintball (or more accurately referred to as “woodball” or “woodsball” due to being conducted outdoors in the woods) and really want to know how to make paintball mines that will go off and splatter your opponents with whatever color paint you have chosen you might want to continue reading for some pretty simple and easy-to-follow tips about building your own paintball mines. You need to be aware that these are not meant to be shot out of paintball guns; although you will have a paintball gun with you when you are “playing” paintball/woodball.

This type of large-scale paintball game is run by emergency responders (such as the police, EMTs, military personnel and firefighters) to train them for worst-case scenario situations. It is also plated by those who simply want to get messy and have fun with those they know. The key to knowing what to do and how to make paintball mines is knowing what you need and putting things together the right way. You want your paintball mine set up in just such a way that the only thing necessary to set it off (trip it if you will) is the right amount of pressure when your opponent steps on it. These little paintball mines do not need to be very large; on the contrary, they actually need to be rather small so that they are easy to make. When you are making these paintball mines you are going to be using the same CO2 cartridges that are used in paintball guns.

The main things that you need according to a few how to make paintball mines articles are a small plastic container that resembles a pan (four to six inches is ideal), cardboard (this will form the trigger bottom and the upper chambers), glue, a small nail (part of the trigger) and CO2 cartridges (the propellant for the paint) as well as the paint. These very inexpensive items will do nicely to make your paintball mines. You will find all of these things anywhere that paintball guns are sold and also in hardware stores (the glue, nails, cardboard and container). What most people do not realize is that these little paintball mines are very simple to make, and fun to watch them working as well. You do not need anything that is very large, this will not be as effective as a smaller container will be.

 You will need to make sure that the CO2 cartridges are the type specifically made for paintball guns as the propellant of the paint. As for what type of paint you need to use in your paintball mines that all depends upon what you can afford (given the fact that paint is not exactly cheap). There are going to me many different people that will leave comments and observations following some of the how to make paintball mines articles. Those comments might help you understand the content even more; or they might not be any help at all depending upon what is said.



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Mike Lang asked:


Paintball is swiftly becoming a popular sport all over the world. There are now international competitions with prizes in excess of $100,000. It’s televised on ESPN and you would be hard pressed to not find a paintball field where ever you are. Along with the popularity come books that teach you how to play paintball and give pointers on playing the game as well as reviews on supplies and information on how to create strategies for the game. The following are a few books available on the market today to the paintball enthusiast that will help them develop and improve their game.

The Weekend Warriors is a paperback book by Scott Malensek. This book won’t give you a step by step description of how to play the game. Instead it reads more like a fiction book giving an account of the author’s paintball stories. The author has been a paintball player for many years and the stories span the time from you could only load one paint ball at a time into a paintball gun to today. You might learn something from the escapades of the author and you will learn strategies and what to do if something similar happens to you. The stories relayed in the book puts the reader into the player’s brain giving them insight and enabling them to solve problems on the field.

The Complete Guide to Paintball by Steve Davidson is another paperback that is a must read for paintball enthusiasts. The book gives you pointers and actual drills in order to improve paintball skills. This book gives you newest information on guns and new technology applicable to the game. It also provides information on tournament paintball and there are field listings in the US, Canada and other countries. Learn what to look for in a paintball gun and then read the section on care and maintenance of your equipment. There are over 500 color photos in the book. There is a great deal of detail in the book and it is exceptionally good for a beginner but a seasoned pro will also take away tips of the game. This book will give you an advantage when you play your next game.

50+ Ways to Play with Your Paintballs by Scott Malensek is a paperback that you must read. It gives you variations on games that you have been playing for years and also provides new game ideas. Most of the suggestions are very creative and will create a world in which you can envision yourself while playing a game. Some reviews of the book are less than complimentary stating that the book rambles and says the same thing over and over. Yet, other reviews call the book a valuable asset to anyone that plays paintball.

Gun-fu: the Martial Art of Paintball by Terry Adams depicts paintball as a martial art and explains techniques and strategy and encourages training to improve the game. Chapters detail body positions and psychological preparation for competition. There is even a spiritual flavor given to the game. It is good for the beginner all the way to players that have played the game for decades.



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Chris Jensen asked:


So you want to know what is the best paintball marker out there in the market, and eventually you want to buy it for yourself as you want to enjoy paintball more. Well, there are actually plenty of paintball markers that you can find out there in the market which can be considered as best. But to just name a few, there is the JT Stealth Covert Ops Paintball Marker Gun, the Black Smart Parts ION Paintball Marker Gun, and the Tippmann US Army Paintball Alpha Black Tactical Edition Marker.

Click Here For Best Paintball Marker Best Deal Now!

The JT Stealth Covert Ops Paintball Marker Gun has multiple mounting rails, a 12″ ported barrel with a tactical shroud, a military style optical sight, and a lightweight compact profile. Most likely, it can perform well under some of the paintball’s most demanding and challenging circumstances.

The Black Smart Parts ION Paintball Marker Gun comes with adjustable trigger, vertical feed neck with Orings, and durable ball detents. Nevertheless, it can withstand any job or battle that just involves the sport paintball.

The Tippmann US Army Paintball Alpha Black Tactical Edition Marker has realistic military appearance and comes with an integrated carry handle, a high-performance 11″ barrel, and a removable magazine. It is a must-have as it offers true-to-life military battle experience and it will just last long.

Certainly, when it comes to paintball markers, the said paintball markers are certainly the best that the market can offer to you. They just have the features, thus they really deserve to become your options. Consider them, finally enjoy paintball more.



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Gregg Hall asked:


Playing paintball is lot of fun but it can be painful without the right gear. Most people when they first get into paintball just think about the paintball gun, paintballs, air tanks, and a mask to protect their face, until they get hit one good time! Investing in a little extra safety gear will make your playing experience much more enjoyable and keep you from getting injured unnecessarily.

Another tip that you may not have thought of, always bring along the manual for your gun as well as the schematics. Sometimes you have to take apart your paintball markers so be sure that you have your Allen wrenches handy too.

One of the most aggravating things that can happen to you is to run out of batteries. It’s as bad as running out of paintballs or CO2. Always make sure you have plenty of extra batteries with you so that you don’t get shot or have to end your game early due to running out of power.

Now, let’s get into what type of pads you should be looking for. You definitely want a neck guard to guard against those painful hits in the throat and neck area. Unless you are some kind of mutant, those shots hurt like crazy. Get a neck guard that wraps around and is lightweight. Thigh pads are good to get also, thigh shots hurt a lot and if you get a real good one it can give you a cramp that interferes with your play. Shin guards are a definite recommendation for the same reason. As far as I am concerned gloves aren’t even an option. Your hands are almost always exposed, if get popped in the knuckles real good you will be looking for a pair of gloves fast.

Don’t ever participate in paintball without a proper face mask. If your mask is cracked or badly scratched replace it. If you get hit in the eye you could easily be blinded. Keep an extra mask as well in case one is damaged while playing.

Problems with your markers can be easily repaired in most cases by simply replacing the o-rings and cup seals. Because they are made of rubber they will wear down over time and can cause your marker to stop working properly. You should also lubricate your marker regularly and keep the marker oil with you at all times when you are playing. You should also have a squeegee with you in case you need to remove something that gets in your gun barrel.

After you have been participating in the sport awhile and you are familiar with your gear you will have a better idea of what you need to keep with you when you are playing. You will definitely want pliers, screwdrivers, and tweezers to start as well as extra screws, bolts and springs. Be sure to bring along some Teflon tape and duct tape for quick on field repairs. Being prepared ahead of time will keep you in the field longer.



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Riley Hendersen asked:


Paintball is a sport that’s taken the country by storm, with over a million players participating in the exciting, action packed game of player elimination. If you or anyone you know wants to play the game, there are several things to consider, and that includes the issue of paintball gear. While the main component of the game is a paintball ‘gun’ or ‘marker’, paintball gear may also include headgear, special clothing and accessories for both participant and their equipment.

Paintball gear will most likely be determined by player skill. Beginners often make due with basic rented equipment and old clothes and a pair of goggles. For those who really get into the game, paintball gear and equipment becomes serious business that involves purchasing equipment and accessories that may cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. In addition to the paintball gear that’s considered basic, such as paintball markers and pressure systems for propelling paintballs to their intended targets, paintball gear also includes protective headgear, goggles, gloves, and protective vests and pads. Depending on whether game play is causal or tournament, the amount of protective gear is solely up to the discretion of each individual player. Keep in mind, however, that it’s not dangerous to play the sport, and paintballs don’t exceed certain speed velocity, that while painful when hit, are nothing to cause alarm. The exception is if a person is hit in the eye or ear with a paintball, which is why protective headgear and goggles are a requirement to play. Paintball gear masks are designed to withstand a direct hit by a paintball that travels over 300 feet per second.

The paintball ‘gun’ or marker, requires a loader or hopper, in addition to some kind of propellant to work. Most paintball gear guns or markers work on compressed carbon dioxide (C02) or high-pressure air tanks that are worn in a back harness. Several different kinds of paintball gear guns or markers are available depending on skill level. A Rec-Ball player marker like the Tippmann 98 Custom costs around $140 and is good for beginners. For Scenario players, try something like the Tippmann A-5. This model will cost about $200, and for Tournament play, many participants choose the marker that best suits the field position they usually play, which may include, front, mid or rear positioning. Front players like to use a marker that allows for mounting of an air supply bottle that can also serve as a ‘gun’ stock. Middle field players shoot hundreds of rounds, so a high-pressure air system is best. For those who play rear field positions, paint streamers are popular, so a dye marker is your best bet.

No matter what your skill level or what your field position is, paintball gear is available to suit your needs. Shop around and compare prices and always make sure you know what you need before you start shopping. Good buys can be found, so take your time. Finding the correct paintball gear isn’t difficult if you know what you’re looking for.



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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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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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