Paintball Gun Guide

If you are looking for information about Paintball guns / Markers before you invest your hard earned money, I hope you find this site helpful. How do you determine what is the best paintball gun for me? Are you a beginner and not sure how much you are going to like playing paintball? If you are like the most of us once you start playing, you are hooked.  If you are only going to play a few weekends a month, you would not want to spend a lot of extra cash for a tournament style paintball gun. You do want a paintball gun that will with stand the vigorous of paintball all of the running and sliding behind man-made structures for protection from being splattered with paint. Talk to you friends or the buddies that introduce you to Paintball, ask to see what he uses and ask other players on what they like or don’t like about their gun.

Note; Paintball guns have come a long way in a very little amount of time and some of the older models will not use the newer style paint-balls. Look around ask question, pick one up how does it feel, can you carry it around easily? Can you work the gun properly, can it take some rough housing, and does it shoot straight for you? There are a lot of paintball manufactures out there choosing the right fit for you is a great way to go looking for the type of gun to match the type of paintballer you are going to be.

Beginners, you are looking for something reasonable price but not cheap in workmen ship. For around $100 – $160 you can go to your local Wal-Mart store and get a complete starter kit from Tippmann.

 Tippmann 98 Custom Paintball PowerPack   or you can go on-line to purchase that paintball gun that your buddy put in your hand and you squeezed off those rounds of paint now you got to have one.

Here is a small List of Manufactures and Manufacture List Prices and Manufacture web sites. Remember that when dealing with manufacture list prices, that if you shop around you can do a better deal on price.

A1 Gothic  $1600  

Angel - http://www.angelpaintballsports.com                                                                                                                                 

 KAOS  $120                          

 Azodin – http://www.azodinpaintball.com/

Protege Gen 5   $700            

Bob Long  – http://www.boblongdirect.com/

   BT TM-7  SSE Olive $450                              

    BT – http://www.btpaintball.com/

  Phantom Pump .45 Grip  $320                                                                 

     CCI – http://www.phantomonline.com/                    

  V2 Classic Pump-Blue  $220  

Check It -  

 Rev-i Lava Red  $930                                                      

Dangerous Power -http://www.dangerouspower.com/

  2010 Limited Edition NT  $2550                                              

Dye – http://shop.dyepaintball.com/

  Mini Blue Flame $400                                      

Invert – http://www.invertpaintball.com/

Select Fire Vibe $160 

ION – http://www.smartparts.com/

 2009 Spyder Sonic Semi Auto $110 

Kingman – http://www.kingman.com/

Gray Ghost Stock class Pump $430

LAPCO – http://lapcopaintball.com

DlX Tech Island Blue & Red  $1650

Luxe – http://www.luxepaintball.com/

MAC DEV $1300                     

MAC DEV – http://www.macdev.net/

Piranha GTI $80 

Piranha -

Planet Eclipse Ego 10 $1400

Planet Eclipse – http://www.planeteclipse.com/

PMI GTI Plus $120 

PMI -

 Matrix Rail PMR 2010 $500

Proto – http://shop.protopaintball.com/

SP1 Tactical $280     

Smart Parts –  http://www.smartparts.com/

Spyder Victor $175

Spyder – http://www.kingman.com/

Tiberius ArmsT9 CQB ST $430 

Tiberius Arms – http://www.tiberiusarms.com/

Alpha Black Tactical $150  

Tippmann – http://www.tippmann.com/splash.aspx

Worr Machine RG $70          

WGP – http://www.worr.com/

Other than getting a couple of friends together a playing a hide and seek to shot your buddy there are many different types of paintball games that can be played.

Woodsball Paintball is probably the first exposure that most of us have experienced when we first got our paintball gun / marker. It is played in a wooded area as on may have guess from the name.  The boundaries are determined or marked in some wooded field areas what is out of bounds etc.  The first is like the hind and seek that I had just mentioned. It is called Elimination. The last team member that survives from being splattered with paint wins. Can be play with more than just two teams can be divided up to as many as needed. You do not need to defend your home base of flag. Shoot anything that moves just make sure it is not one of your our team members, OOPs because it doesn’t matter how or who just shot you now you out of this round waiting on the sideline for the next round to be played. I take a little planning to play or strategy you don’t want the other team or teams to take you by surprise and wipe out your whole team at once.

Capturing the Flag, Your team works toward getting to the other teams base where their flag is hung. Strategy is used more in this style of play than in other paintball games. You need to setup a defense action plan to protect your team’s home base and keep your flag from being overcome and taken to the other team’s home base. If it is taken your group can try to recapture your flag from whoever is carrying it, if you still have any team member that have not been splattered with paint. The match is over when you have captured the opposing team flag and brought back to your base and hangs it with your team’s flag. The team with both flags hanging at their home base wins.

Tournament play paintball matches can be played indoors or outdoors most of tournament played field I know of are outdoors. It is played at faster pace than other paintball games the woodsball and capture the flag. They can be very fast paced at time but in a tournament style of play it is constant action until the other team is pinned down an eliminated so that you can take their flag back to your side of the field. The boundaries are a lot small so that team players are within of shooting range of each other at all times and the field is made up of different bunkers or manmade structure so that players cant scurry behind before being splattered with paint.  When playing in a tournament there are referees on the field because it is so fasted paced, to help ensure if you have shot an opponent or you have been splattered yourself. The referees are there to enforce the rules that the tournament have put in place to back it fair for all of the members and teams that are playing.

I am sure that there many different versions of the games that I have mentioned out there. There is another game that I do not know much about Is Scenario Paintball, as the name suggests you play a real life scenario or scripted out situation. Some of the Scenario war games based on World War story lines, D-day, battles at Normandy to name a few. Some of these Scenario games last from a day to several days to play out.

Paintballing as a Sport has grown rapidly in such a short period on new sporting event that taken on not only the United States but all over the world. With regards to personal safety personal protection equipment has come a long way also. When look at what we used to protect ourselves from no eye protection, to first safety glasses, to goggles, to the colorful mask that are available today you would have to agree accomplishment that were made. I cannot imagine on what it would feel like  if you were accidentally shot in the face or EYE without a mask today. The Markers in the 1970s were more powerful than what they are regulated or controlled to shut paintballs (round gel capsule filled with paint) today. If you had an object coming at you at 300 feet per second you would want more than your eyes protected making the deployment of the paintball mask so important.

When looking for your paintball mask what is it that you need or want?  Your mask is a very important part of your paintball equipment needed to play in a match or just with friends. A proper fit to your face is also important comfort to your face for hours of playing time without the mask cutting into your face or forehead is what you are looking for. Having a clear view if you cannot see to shot your opponent you will not last very long.  Before being shot yourself and out of the match or game. Seating along the sideline waiting for the next game there is not much fun in that. When looking there are two things for dealing with these issues a mask with a widest field of view that you can. This will let you have a greater side view of movement and less tunnel vision to keep from being blinded sided from your opponent. The other is anti-fogging lens are available if you mask fogs up and you have to lift it from your face to let it air out or defog you have exposed yourself to possible injury from being shot. Worst than that, if you are not shooting you are being shot at, and if you are hit you are out, no time out in this game. There is anti-fogging spray that you can use to keep your mask from fogging up. You need to us it before you start play it does not work as well after your lens start fogging up.

I would not recommend purchasing lens that are tinted for in your mask the reasons are it seems that the paintball compound in the paintball capsule have a adverse effect on tinted lens and it may not be sunny every time that you get a chance to play if it cloudy or very overcast outside how are your tinted mask going to help you find your next target. Will you be someone else target instead?

I have give a great amount of important to the eye protection and seeing rationale for a paintball mask and it deserves to greatest amount of talk but what about the parts of your head that need protection your ears,nose and mouth.

Have ever had your ear slicked in the coldest day of winter by one of your friends when you were younger? Well multiple that by ten, now you have so good idea of what paint slatted along your ear would feel like.  I do not think I would like what it would feel like if that same capsule of paint hit my top or lower lip of my mouth. Forget about what it might feel like, look at what it did to this guy with clothing on for some protection even though it was very little.

 When looking for your perfect Paintball Mask for you use this post as a guide. If you are looking to purchase your masks online I would first find a store near you and try on the different styles and sizes and make sure that it meets all of your needs before you purchase it online. Making sure when you do buy it online that you can return what you purchased online if it does not fit.

Good shooting.

 CAUTION:                                  

Your paintball marker is not a TOY. It can cause serious injury or death. It is recommended that you be 18 years or older to purchase this product from the manufacture. When the marker is not in play installation of the barrel plug should be installed. All team members and individual using paintball guns or markers or within range of the products being used, must wear eye and face protection designed for paintball. Never shoot anyone who is not wearing his or her proper protective equipment PPE. Treat every paintball marker as if it were loaded. Never look down the barrel of your marker. Keep your marker safety on until you are ready to shoot. Always remove your air or gas source before you disassemble your marker for cleaning, repairs or retain maintenance. Only fire 0.68 caliber size paintball in your marker. This was the short version of your owner’s manual NOW read your manual on your marker and air system warnings before you use it or thinking about firing paint.

Now that you have read your Owner’s Manual about your Marker. You have spent your hard earn cash for your paintball marker taking time to clean and lubricate the maker correctly will help insure the longer life and enjoyably of play. In your manual, learn all about the parts, what they do, how they work and where they go is very important. Taking a few moments now, to get into the habit of setting up steps to follow after each play, will give you the best ability and years of performance from your marker.

Here is a general guideline of cleaning paintball guns (markers) because I am sure that your Momma already taught you how to wipe and you cannot wipe on the field. It is better to have a clean gun and free firing trigger than sitting out a few games with a jammed trigger or barrel problems.

When you finish a round of play inspect and remove any pieces of broken paintball from your marker. To start cleaning first remove the air source from the gun, Never try to clean your paintball gun unless the air or gas source has been disconnected and the unit is depressurized.  Once a month or more if you are an avid player the next thing you should get your manual for the parts list view of your unit so that you can strip down your marker for a good cleaning with warm water. The manual will make putting your gun back together much easier until you have done it a few times and then you will be surprised how easy it is. Next, remove the hopper, barrel, bolt, hammer and grip frame as your manual instructs, place them orderly nearby. This should ease any of your frustrations when you go to reassemble your unit.

Start at the barrel using a squeegee to clean the inside of your barrel. Use warm water and clean the inside and outside of the barrel. Mark sure that the inside of your unit is dry and that the outside is dry.    Use your warm water to clean the hammer and bolt of your unit. Dry, them inspect the o-rings and lubricate them using only the lubricants that your units manufacture recommends because some lubricants will damage o-rings causing air leaks to your marker. Also replace any damaged or any o-rings that look old and cracked. Cleaning the inside hard to reach places use a Q-tip, small toothbrush or pick to clean whatever it takes these hard to reach areas need cleaned too.

The last thing to clean is the grip and frame of your unit using a toothbrush or scrub brush to get down into the grips.

Once you have inspected the internal parts and have determined that they are clean and working properly, you will need to lubricate moving parts, o-rings, barrel and frame with the oil or silicone that your manufacture of your unit recommends with a light layer of lubricant.

ONLY USE MANUFACTURER RECOMMEND LUBRICATE TO PREVENT ANY DAMAGE OF PARTS TO YOUR MARKER.

Now reassemble your marker following your owner’s manual as a guide and store your marker in a safe dry place. Make it a good habit of cleaning your paintball gun regularly and it won’t be a boring choir and you won’t be on the side line wondering why my marker won’t FIRE.

The history of paintballing is very young compared to other sports activities but, as colorful as the balls used for making. The first marker, paintball gun was invented in the 1970’s would become the first paintball gun or marker because it was used to mark tree for the forestry industry and to mark livestock if the field. The colorful history of paintballing would so start.

Picture here are two of the very early stage of paintball markers a pistol and a pump-action rifle. Pump-action gun or marker are the oldest style and are still available.

Paintballing as a recreational sport really began in 1981 it was played by twelve men all using pistol markers and playing a game of capture the flag. The winning team competitor that capture the flag did so without firing a shot as the story is told. His team mates kept firing keeping the other team down and ducking for cover as he made a mad dash to retrieve the opposing team’s flag.  This first event took place in New Hampshire

One of the last states to legalize paintballing was New Jersey in 1988. Yes, paintball play was considered illegal there. The NJ State Police interpreted paintball guns to be a firearm. So if you fired your paintball gun at another player it could be consider an Assault and Battery charge because paintball guns were classified as a firearm. It took over five more years of lawsuits before the first paintball field was open at TOPGUN Paintball site their current site today at was in 1993.

Footnote:  With the increase of drive-by shooting, Halloween pranks and vandalism with a paintball gun involved and the media being more than happy to cover these colorful events several towns in New Jersey and other states are aiming to restrict use of paintball gun on public properties and the transportation in towns. Laws could prohibit paintballing again in NJ and other states so act appropriately.

Time line:

1981 First game played in New Hampshire

1982 First outdoor field was opened to the public in New York

1983 First National Championship was held $14,000 cash prize

1984 First indoor playing field in New York

1985 first outdoor playing field in England

1988 IPPA (International Paintball Players Association) was founded to educate safety promote paintballing

1992 NPPL (National Professional Paintball League) was founded

1993 NPPL Pro-Am Series started with sites around the U.S.A.

1996 Paintball fields, stores, and tournaments can now be found in these and other countries:

USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, England, Scotland, Denmark, France, Holland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Africa, Russia, New Zealand, Brazil, Venezuela, Philippines, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Belgium, Greece, Israel, Korea, and Thailand.

Today’s Markers: Price for over $2000 to $67.00