ChoicePaintballGuns

The recent trend in tactical paintball has produced the market to bear some different fruit!  There has been a recent trend in magazine-fed paintball markers.  Since their beginning, paintball markers have always been fed their ammo by a container that sits on top of the gun called a ‘hopper’.  Recently, however there are now several paintball gun companies who are producing military style markers that are fed by magazines – just like real rifles!  These guns are all the current rage on the scenario/tactical paintball field; there is even a big scenario game now that will allow only magazine fed markers during play (Operation End War, put on by RAP4, October 2-3, 2010.

Not only do magazines give your paintball marker a more realistic look, but it also allows for a more low-profile play.  “Low-Profile” means stealthy and subtle styles of movement during the game, consisting of sometimes a complete non-exposure of the player and his/her gun and position on the field.  Hoppers stick out from the top of the gun and often give the paintball player’s position away while running sneaky takedowns or flanking maneuvers.  The magazines on paintball markers are tucked away underneath the gun, located anterior to the trigger (exactly similar to real rifles that use magazines).  This also allows for players to slyly peak over or beside their bunkers and shoot without a big, bulky piece of hopper plastic sticking out, waiting to be seen and shot by an opposing player.

Magazine fed paintball markers available now are RAP4’s .43 caliber METS series and their ever popular T68, MilSig markers and Tiberius Arms.  Real Action Marker also produces magazine fed .43 caliber rifles and the most realistic tactical paintball pistols (also magazine fed). 

            There are many modifications that are available for all marker models in paintball.  Many of these modifications will improve the performance of your gun, while some are simply for cosmetic purposes.  There are some pieces that play the role of both and one of these in particular are buttstocks.  There are many reasons why players equip their markers with buttstocks.  The primary reason is functional; these parts can help bring more balance to the weight of the gun, not to mention significantly increasing accuracy by offering a place to stabilize against your shoulder or cheek while shooting.  Although this enhances the gun’s accuracy, it also adds a bit more weight to the gun, which is why most speedballers do not use buttstocks.  Buttstocks are best used on tactical paintball rifles in scenario games.  Don’t forget about looks though!  Buttstocks come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes and can add a fierce tactical look to any paintball marker, whether it’s a Tippmann A5 or Spyder Pilot; adding to the physical image of your gun is always a blast.

Paintball is totally fun, but perhaps one of the downers of the sport is the constant need for CO2 to power your paintball gun.  If you play paintball, you will soon require a re-fill for your CO2 tank.  If you mostly play at a commercial paintball park or local field, you can get your tanks filled there at any time you want.  However, most players do not have access to these places; there simply aren’t any close enough for most paintballers to use.  Now that Wal-Mart has decided that paintball is not as good as airsoft and quit re-filling tanks - we’re plagued with the dilemna of finding where to get our tanks filled.  Here is a short list of places to try…

Paintball Stores.  If you have a paintball shop in your city, these are the first places to look.  If they don’t fill your tanks, they’re sure to know who will.  You can also stock up on paintball supplies when you’re there.  Find a local paintball supply store via the Internet or your phonebook.
Gun or Firearm Shops.  Many gun and firearm stores will fill up CO2 tanks.  Some gun stores sell air rifles and even paintball guns, so there’s a chance they might also fill tanks.  While few cities have paintball fields or stores, most have gun shops.
Bass Pro Shops.  This is a giant store that may or may not be close enough to you to visit, but they sell and refill CO2 tanks.
Fire Extinguisher Supply.  Find out if there’s a store or company in your area that refills/sells fire extinguishers.  Places that sell or repair fire extinguishers have the tools necessary for refilling a CO2 tank.
Fire Department.  Sometimes your local fire department can/will fill CO2 tanks.  If they do, it’s doubtful they will have the right connections; you will want to purchase a CO2 refill kit before going.  This product includes all the necessary hoses and gauges to refill your tank.
Commercial Air Tank Supply Companies.  Find out where your local hospital gets their tanks refilled.  There is a good chance you will be able to get your tanks filled there as well.

The expenses of paintball can add up quickly!  Constantly re-filling air tanks, paintballs, paintball field/park fees make regular paintballing a bit expensive at times.  CO2 tank O-rings are an essential piece of gear; without them, there is no seal between your tank and paintball gun and air will leak from your tank.  If you aren’t careful, you can go through o-rings like candy and this can add up expenses over time.  O-rings are generally not expensive but if you have to go through a lot of them, it can add up to a lot of money if you play a lot.

The most common cause of damaged CO2 tank o-rings occurs when the CO2 tank is removed from the user’s paintball marker.  Most paintball players simply unscrew the CO2 tank from the paintball gun, allowing all the air in the paintball gun to spill out and freeze the tank o-ring causing it to swell.  The tank adaptor’s threads often cut the swollen o-ring as the tank is unscrewed, ruining the o-ring and preventing that tank’s use until you can replace with a new o-ring.  The way to avoid this is… once you’ve unloaded all the ammo from your gun, fire your marker slowly but continuously while you’re unscrewing the tank.  This will slowly release air from the gun through the barrel rather than rushing out at the tank connection.

Don’t approach buying your paintball gun lightly.  There are many factors that you must consider before investing in a paintball marker that you will be satisfied with and will last.  First of all, determine how seriously you take the sport.  If you’re a casual player who only plays every now and then, consider starting off with something cheap, but of course reliable.  If you’re on the other end of the spectrum and take the sport like it’s a real war (but without the casualties), then a realistic military replica tactical paintball marker is for you.  Perhaps you’re somewhere in-between?  

When starting out, a low end paintball marker will suit your purposes.  Most brand name paintball guns have starter models that are relatively cheap.  If you’re not sure whether or not you will even like to play, you don’t want to spend a lot of money.  If you’re really unsure, it’s best to go to a commercial paintball field where you can rent equipment; this is the lowest committment.  However, if you’re a full on paintball warrior, nothing but the best will suit you.  These players end up using top of the line paintball gun packages - decked out with all the trimmings.  Perhaps a sniper rifle with a precision scope and bipod or realistic M4 carbine with an electronic trigger will suit your appetite. 

If you’re in the middle, just make sure you get something sturdy, good quality, has a warranty that won’t break your bank.  Tippmann is a great company and has several different models to choose from.  Their basic model guns are geared toward a younger player and thus are perfect for someone who is not looking for something that is packed with features.  They’re also the most customizable markers on the market, so many players keep their Tippmann’s and upgrade them with accessories as their skill levels increase.

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.

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.

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.

The rover, also known as the insert player, stays more towards the middle of the field; he is the fill in man.  This player takes the front or the Backman’s place if they get eliminated.  It’s also the rover’s job to provide cover for the players ahead of him on the field; this means the rover will shoot a lot more paint than the frontman.  He also is the player responsible for important communications amongst the team - passing messages between the front and back players.  The challenge of this position is being able to fill in any position’s role when it becomes necessary.  It’s best if the rover is well rounded and knowledgeable about everyone elses positions.  He should be quick on his feet so he can take over the new position as quickly as possible.  Considering this, the rover wants his supplies (paintball gun, paintballs and air tank) as light as possible because he has to move around so much and so fast…. but he also wants to have enough to last through the whole game.  Compared to the backman, he won’t shoot quite that much (unless he becomes the backman) but he will still shoot way more than the frontman.  A player manning the rover position will often carry extra pods or air supply to last in case they have to cover someone else’s spot.

The Frontman, also known as the pointman, is the player in the middle of all of the action; you’d better have a strong stomach and plenty of balls to take on this spot on your team.  The Frontman is probably one of the most exciting positions on the paintball field but they’re also usually the first to be eliminated.  The Frontman makes all the daring moves and stays close to the enemies the whole game; this makes him a very key player in the game.   Sometimes, the Frontman is also the captain of the paintball team.  He plays at the front of the field and is the player responsible for getting the other team’s flag or accomplishing the team’s mission.  The frontman is closer than any of his teammates to the enemies.  For this reason he is backed up by several of the other positions on the field: the lockman, the sniper, and the insert.  The frontman carries the lightest load because he shoots the least; his job is to maneuvre.  He needs to be the fastest player with the quickest reflexes; sprinting, jumping, rolling and crouching at the blink of an eye are a must for this player.  Most of his time on the field will be spent going from one bunker to the next until he competes the mission.  The frontman must also know how to make himself small, minimizing the target for the enemy as he runs from bunker to bunker.  The Frontman’s paintball gun should be light, easy to carry, aim and shoot quickly and accurately.  It does not have to hold many paintballs because this position spends more time running and hiding than shooting.  However, every good Frontman will still carry enough ammo in case he gets pinned down with enemy fire!