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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How Paintballs Are Made

Mike Lang asked:


Have you ever wondered how those thin yet sturdy shells were made that contain paint and can be shot out of a gun to splat all over your opponent? The process for making paintballs is pretty interesting and you might be surprised at what is used to make them.

Paintballs are made of a thin skin of gelatin that will break upon contact. They are filled with non toxic, water soluble ingredients that are colored by a dye. The paint is biodegradable and will come out of clothing or off human skin with just water. When the paintball hits a person it splats color signifying they have been hit.

Paintballs are made on special machines that aren’t available to the public as the process is too intricate and the machines are extremely expensive. The following process is a rather complicated and lengthy one that only manufacturers of paintballs can do.

To make the hollow shell of the paintball, the gelatin is melted down and other additives are introduced while color is added and blended in. This mixture is run through an encapsulation machine, the same type of machine that drug companies use to make gel caps. The machine forces the gelatin onto a cooled drum which produces a thin sheet of gel called a ribbon. Two ribbons each pass over their own rotating die, or mold, that forms each half of the ball. The dies press against each other as they are rotated and eventually align to meet and seal making a round ball by placing the two half shells together. Once that happens the shells are filled with paint injected into them. You can usually see a seam on each paintball. This is where the dies came together. The paintball is sealed and comes out of the die being dropped out of the machine. The shells are very soft and bouncy at this time. The balls go down a conveyor belt and are then put in trays to dry. During the drying period the gelatin shrinks around the paint making them less soft and bouncy.

The paint that goes inside the two shells is made by combining polyethylene glycol, which is also found in cough syrup, thickened with wax.

Two tone or Dual Colored paintballs are made the same way except there are two colors of gelatin being introduced instead of one. One side will be one color and the other side will be another.

After the paintballs have dried they go through a counting machine and into bags and cartons for you to purchase.

The quality of paintballs depends on the quality of the ingredients used to make them. Some companies make excellent quality paintballs but they are very expensive, up to $100 per 2000 round count. These should be left to those playing in tournaments since it could be detrimental to the game to have a defective paintball break inside the barrel of the gun. Other paintballs can cost around $50 to $60 per 2000 round box and still might be too expensive for practice. Practice balls can be purchased in a 500 count for about $16. That is a little more affordable, but they won’t be the same quality of the ones you pay more for. Find the paintball that is right for you by trying several different varieties.



Kansieo.com

Paintballing in Nottingham

John Tarr asked:


This is surely a great fun option. When you want to do something different and just have a ball of a time, well quite literally, paintballing can be a brilliant choice. This is the latest in the range of ballgames you can select from. Paintballing is very popular in the United Kingdoms and is played in many venues in UK. As such, you could choose to engage in paintballing in Nottingham. The game is very simple and can be played by all age groups. You could go Paintballing in Nottingham, whether it is a family outing, old friends get together or even as a group of office mates who need to unwind.

In case you are not aware of paintballing in Nottingham,there’s few basic things you need to know. The intent of the game is to be able to save yourself from paintballs that are dispensed towards you. They do not hurt on impact and simply burst on you when in contact. It is known as paintball because the ball contains color inside and hence every time it bursts on you, you get a whole lot of color on you. So if you’re going paintballing in Nottingham make sure you wear comfortable clothes that help you play. You can simply be dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and wear comfortable shoes that can help you run around. You could go paintballing in Nottingham either in an outdoor or indoor facility.

The game is absolutely safe and you need not be worried about the color you get on yourself. They will come off after awash. The color is safe and not toxic. When paintballing in Nottingham you would be required to wear goggles. This is a safety measure and helps you play the game better as your eyes stay protected making sure you can see what’s happening in the game at all times. This sure is a great way for people to unwind and just let go.

The game is usually played in teams. Two teams compete against each other and try to eliminate the other. The games are not too long and tiring and your paintballing in Nottingham could be over in as less as twenty minutes. You are provided with all equipment at the venue itself. There are different paintballing game types in Nottingham and you could choose the best for yourself. The game is not violent in nature and the balls are dispensed at a tolerable speed. This eliminates instances of injury when paintballing in Nottingham. The game is fast gaining popularity and is a favorite pastime for many. So you could get your gang of friends, form a team and play some really exciting paintball when you have the time. There are many venues that offer this game, so it’s advisable that you enquire in advance to find about rates. This will help you get the best rates in town. And don’t have any inhibitions, cause you really don’t need to compete once you start playing. This is a fun sport and you will have lots of fun when playing paintball. You can simply learn along the way, which makes the sport special and enjoyable.



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How To Paintball – Paintballtips For Beginner

Paintball Tips asked:


Paintball is the fastest growing sports worldwide and every day thousands of new players join this exciting sport. Many might think it is an extreme sport – well, it is but there several differences to “normal” extreme sports. One of the major differences to regular extreme sports is that you hardly can survive a game on your own. Yes, you need to cooperate and communicate with your team-mates.

Have you ever been to one of these career assessment centres held by big companies when you apply for a job where your social behaviour, team spirit, leading skills are being tested? Guess what? I think they should exchange their entire psychological test against a round of paintball and then select their new staff. You have to be highly communicative, you need interpersonal skills to follow or organise a team.

For beginners, the most important thing to remember is to protect yourself. Many injuries with paintball have occurred. The number one paintball rule is: never ever take you mask off because the velocity of a paintball is high and it can easily damage your eyes. So, be careful when you are playing. To be a successful player you need to follow some further simple rules. Well, of course you need the right gear. Without a high quality gear it’s hard to win. But, I think knowledge and skills ‘how to paintball’ are even more important. It does not make sense to spend a fortune on gear, if you don’t know how hide effectively; playing in a team and so on. One question I came across many times is that beginners waste an awful amount of paintball. Unnecessary in my view ! If you have the right knowledge and skills you would use only a minimal amount of paintballs and still be the winner of the game.

I think it is also important that boys and girls have different strategies – by nature. Boys tend to use more paintballs whereas girls are think twice before they shoot, although the percentage of girls actively playing is



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