ChoicePaintballGuns

Last weekend, my friends and I got together for what can only be described as a paintball war. Our typical battles last a few hours, but this encounter was epic. We started at 8am on Saturday morning, and after a short hiatus for the evening, didn’t finish until after noon the next day.

Each side had over 50 players, and in the end, I am happy to say, my team prevailed. Strategy was definitely the determining factor, as each team was equally skilled. We used a combination of guerilla warfare with strategically placed sharpshooters armed with sniper paintball rifle weaponry in lofty perches.

The problem with CO2 is it can convert from gas to liquid and visa versa very easily; this is a problem for paintball players and their equipment.  CO2 is very sensitive to temperature changes.  When rapid shooting, it’s common for CO2 tanks to ‘freeze up’.  Next you will notice the velocity of your shots drop off and starts becoming inconsistent.  When you rapid fire your paintball gun you are use a large amount of C02 very quickly.  Your tank gets cold because the liquid C02 inside is changing into gas to replace the C02 used during rapid firing.  This change from liquid to gas is called a ‘phase change’.  When you fire your gun (with a chilled tank), you are releasing less C02 than if the tank was warm. 

There are also problems if your CO2 tank gets too hot; if you left your gun and tank in the sun for example.  If your tank approaches 89 degrees (F) all of the liquid in the tank will expand and the gas has nowhere to go.  Hopefully you have the right rupture disk in your tank because at this point only two things can happen.  Either your tank’s rupture disk will burst preventing your tank from rupturing or your velocity will rise to very dangerous levels.  Moral of the story…. consider an hpa tank or keep your CO2 tank a constant temperature.

A recent beer commercial uses paintball as the crux of its joke. During the commercial, one of the actors calls in a paintball airstrike against one of his foes and is seen at the end of the ad calling off the tanks. While this type of technology may be a fantasy for the paintball enthusiast, there are constant innovations being made in paintball technology.

When paintball was first developed, the range of weapons that you could choose from was severely limited. As the game has garnered more mainstream popularity, the arsenal that players can select from has grown as well. Now there are a myriad of guns to choose from, as well as specialized paintball landmines, grenades and other weaponry.

Many paintballers hang up their gear for the winter, but some of the more hardcore fans play all year long.  Playing in the cold, however will require you to use certain paintball equipment.  CO2 tanks tend to freeze up after shooting your marker repetitively; this causes inconsistencies in the temperature of the gas, making your paintball gun’s shooting less reliable. CO2 tanks will freeze up much faster in cold temperatures; so a better choice is to use High Pressure Air (HPA) tanks for winter-time paintballing.  HPA tanks deliver the same temperature air more consistently and your marker will shoot better.  When playing paintball in winter, it’s also important to use ‘winter formula’ paintballs.  These are made by a company called Karnage and make a huge difference in being able to play in the cold. Regular paintballs get warped, become harder to break and may fly inconsistently in cold weather.  Winter formula paintballs act like regular paintballs in normal temperatures.  Playing in winter will force you to dress warmer and heavier too - this will give you more protection for when you get hit.

If you’re sick of speedball and you’re looking for the ultimate in tactical scenario play - I mean a real tactical scenario event.  The most realistic games have restrictions on paint - this forces you to use tactical stategy and real war tactics.  There’s an event called Operation End War coming up in California that requires everyone on the field to have realistic magazine fed paintball markers.  Rap4 is running it and it looks like it’s going to be an awesome event.  Don’t worry, if you don’t have a magazine fed gun, with your admission fee for the game your rental consists of a brand new T68 Gen6 with 3 additional mags and a MOLLE Vest to hold it in..  it’s the perfect game.  My team and I are so looking forward to this game and just know it’s going to be the greatest thing since sliced bread, we’re already bugging RAP4 to do it more than once/year and in more places than on just the west coast.  So if you want to see more well-run big tactical scenario paintball games, go to the event and also help us encourage RAP4 to please the nation and all of us true tactical paintballers by running this event more often.
Matt Kresch Team Trinity

Paintballing is a fun and relatively safe activity which allows for the creation of realistic combat situations. One of the most fun aspects of paintball is that it can take place in any kind of environment, however heavily wooded areas tend to be the most enjoyable. To create a paintball course, you don’t need much, but a little preparation can make for more excitement.

You will want to have a plethora of covered areas, so move some overturned stumps or trees, or pile up wood.  Blinds used for hunting are great for camouflage, and for serving as cover from paintball fire. There are also specialty products that you can invest in, such as paintball bunkers. When paintballing you also want all of your guests properly protected with headgear and heavy clothing which covers all of the skin.

I’m very impressed with the collection of sniper paintball guns on your website, but I’m new to paintball.  I was a sniper for the police department from 1984 - 1997; retired but now I just want to have fun.  The T68 is a great looking rifle but how well does it react?  What’s the distance I can get with a calm day?

The T68 models are some of the most realistic military replica paintball markers on the market right now; there are many snipers in this line as well. The T68 is magazine fed and also has an option called the ‘SplitFire’ that offers both magazine and hopper feed.  They also offer the option of a ‘Flexi-air’ buttstock system; this allows you to carry the gun’s air tank inside the buttstock, making your tactical marker look that much more realistic.  One thing you should realize about paintball markers…. most paintball guns start losing accuracy after 250-300 ft. - no matter what gun you’re using. You can turn the velocity up on most guns and this helps you get a bit farther; you may also get a bit farther with a sniper but beyond this don’t expect to have real precision with a paintball gun.  It’s because you’re shooting a round ball rather than a bullet.  Many of the sniper guns we carry have rifle scopes on them; honestly, the scopes can see much farther than the gun can shoot.  As far as the way a sniper paintball marker ‘reacts’…. there are generally so many variables with the equipment itself - paintballs that are not ‘fresh’, warped, have moisture or react to different environmental temperatures; whether or not the barrel on your gun is rifled, etc.  Since you’re not going to get anywhere near the precision with a paintball sniper gun than you would with a real sniper rifle; most players don’t have much to say about how their gun reacts on a calm day.

What’s the difference between the Apex Barrel and the Flatline Barrel?

Both the Apex and Flatline barrel are upgraded barrels for your paintball marker. The Apex is an interesting little attachment; it has a switch on the side that will allow you to curve your shot one way or another. It’s supposed to also increase the distance of your shot somewhat. It has to be used on a rifled barrel though for it to work best. The barrels that come standard on most paintball markers aren’t rifled, so you will first need to upgrade to a rifled barrel before adding the Apex. The Flatline will not curve your shot but compared to the Apex, it should shoot farther and straighter. Whereas there’s more tricks you can do with the Apex, the flatline seems to have a larger ground swelling of testimonials behind it saying it’s the best. The Flatline barrel, however is made specifically for Tippmann paintball guns and may not fit on any others.  Between the two, if you already have a rifled barrel on your gun, you may want to see what the Apex can do.  If you have a Tippmann paintball gun and you’re just looking for more distance and a straighter/more accurate trajectory, try the flatline.  Tippmann markers can use either barrel (the Apex dependant on having a rifled barrel to attach to first of course).

There are lots of people who are interested in the competitive spirit and camaraderie inherent in paintballing. They find friends or clubs that they can join and have target shooting or war games. You will need your own weapon if you want a high caliber weapon and don’t want to rent.  There are pistols, rifles, and even shotguns that are powered by CO2 cartridges.

You will need a variety of paintball accessories to be able to enjoy the sport. Some of the must-have accessories include:

~rifle slings
~shooting gloves
~scopes
~lasers
~flashlights
~mask

Use a little discipline with your trigger finger and you’ll not only save paintballs but you’ll also keep your opponents guessing!  You cannot win without regular shooting at your opponents and stay focused on avoiding getting shot yourself at the same time - it has to be one or the other (and both at the same time!).  This is why practice is so important.  Remember not to always come out of the same bunker in the same spot; vary your positions to always keep them guessing on where you’re at.  Otherwise your opponent may catch on to your pattern and use it against you.  It takes a lot more than just dodging a few paintballs headed your way to win the game.  If you’re not moving forward, you’re not winning.  You have to be able to move, shoot and be able to hit your target - all at the same time.  Obviously, the more accurate your shooting is, the more quickly you will eliminate your opposition.  Practice your accuracy by trying to hit moving targets as well as still ones.  To get the most out of practicing, it’s essential to have a reliable paintball marker that has a straight shot in a high rate of fire.  Practice shooting targets all you want but the best practice is doing - the more paintball you play, the better you get at playing paintball!  Schedule in a set amount of time each week that you can devote to practicing and improving your skills.  Practice drills can make all the difference if you take your practice time seriously.  Have one of your buddies coach you to help point out your strengths and build up your weaknesses.