ChoicePaintballGuns

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.

Knowing different techniques is what will seperate you from the other players on the field.  It’s important to not only have a knowledge of  different playing strategies, but to be practiced in them as well and make them your own.  One good way to eliminate opposing players is by using a technique called sweet spotting.  This is when you shoot extended fire at high traffic areas such as bases and bunkers without aiming.  This method works best in games with time limits because you know at some point the opponent will have to come by that area.  When he does, he will have a very good chance of getting eliminated.

Shooting while you are moving is another important skill to master.  You should practice shooting your paintball gun as you walk, run, and even rushing out from behind bunkers and such.  Experienced players can come out from behind cover with their marker at eye level, ready to fire.  Using this skill along with keeping good communication with your teammates will not only help avoid accidental shootings, but will also keep you informed about what your teammates are doing.  This will also make it even more difficult for your enemies to eliminate you or your teammates.

A rifle is a gun with a long barrel that is fired from the shoulder. Spiral grooves inside the barrel make the bullet spin, improving its accuracy over a long distance.  Rifle scopes are used on rifles to magnify the target from a low 3x to as much as 9 or 12x. Some hunters find that as they age, their eyes simply can’t focus as they used to. The scope will correct this defect.

Selecting the correct rifle scope will involve considerations such as mechanics and construction, image quality and magnification. A person will buy a rifle scope for any of a variety of activities, from traditional hunting rifles to paintball rifles for recreation; the correct scope should be chosen for these activities. Visit sporting shops to know more about the rifle scope that you need.

After watching and being involved in paintball for over 7 years, I’ve watched the sport grow and advance.  I guess you could say I’m a purist and I dream of advancing paintball technology so the game becomes as close to real war as possible.  Imagine how real the game will be when everyone on the field is using military replica tactical paintball guns fueled by a hidden air tank and loaded through magazines.  Actually, with paintball guns from RAP4 and MilSig, I’ve found out that this is not that far from reality.  In fact the T68 gen6 by rap4 is so close to the real thing it’s scary.  These guns are not only magazine fed, but the flexi-air systems are ultra cool - this is what allows you to hide your air tank inside the buttstock -  it’s by far one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.   It’s also amazing how many different options there are to choose regarding what type of weapon you want…. There are multiple snipers, CQB, AK47 and carbine combination packages available; seriously there’s like 60+ different customized T68 guns to choose from.  If you want to take your tactical game to the next level of realism, get a T68 and I’ll meet you on the battlefield!  This gun is transforming the sport of paintball!  
Matt Kresch,  Team Trinity