ChoicePaintballGuns

When paintball made its first debut, people were still learning the ins and outs of the sport. They were just becoming used to the various paintball guns and accessories and how to utilize them best in a game of paintball warfare. But before long, people had mastered this new game, and they were ready to take it to the next level. Strategy became an absolutely essential part of the process. And as people became more serious about these tactical and strategic measures, the required equipment increased as well.

As this demand grew larger, the selection of paintball tactical gear expanded greatly. While paintball used to consist of little more than a simple paintball gun, the sport now includes paintball masks, camouflaged holsters, gun bags, riflescopes, and more. All of these accessories and pieces of gear help add a level of intensity and reality to the game that heightens the level of play. Whether you’re playing with your neighbor, your friends, or organized teams, paintball has certainly increased in popularity over the years, and it only looks to continue.

The first time I went paintballing I assumed that the guns would be glorified toys, spewing a pathetic amount of paint towards the target. Needless to say, I was in for a surprise the first time I got shot and a welt immediately began to form underneath my shirt. I quickly realized that paintballing wasn’t for the faint of heart, and a wide arsenal of weapons was at my disposal.

As I’ve experimented with a variety of paintball weaponry, paintball machine guns have become my unequivocal favorites. Unlike traditional paintball markers, the machine guns have the capability of unloading over 400 rounds per minute. This type of firepower comes in handy in games where you are outnumbered or have to defend a post.

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.

When it comes to paintball war games, strategy is king. All players have access to the same selection of guns and equipment; the cerebral aspects of the game set the elite players apart. One of keys to planning for a paintball match is positioning your men according to the weaponry they are carrying.

For a good formula, look to old military strategies that were employed when two opposing armies used to meet head-to-head on the battlefield. Typically it was the foot soldiers wielding small arms that were in the front ranks. Your heavy and long-range artillery, such as paintball grenade launchers, should be positioned in the rear, as they will be protected and still have the range necessary to attack.

While being shot with paintball markers tend to sting, provided the area of impact is protected, the sensation will soon fade. However, if you’re shot with a paintball in an unprotected area, the result of the impact can leave a nasty welt or cause other damage.  During gameplay, it’s most important to cover your face with a paintball mask.  This is important to protect the eyes most of all, but also the skin around the face is more sensitive and there are places that if shot at close range can leave permanent marks.

It’s also a good idea to protect the rest of your body with heavy clothing like a vest or sturdy jacket and pants with tight woven fabric. For men, it’s a good idea to wear a cup, just as you would in baseball. When you wear the proper protective equipment, you might even find yourself a bit more daring during the game.

I’ve been organizing a local paintball club for the past few years in my hometown. The club is split into two rival teams, which meet once a week to participate in paramilitary simulations. The two factions remain relatively “hostile” even away from the field of battle. It’s all in good fun, but we make sure not to leak valuable tactical information to the opposing side.

It struck me not long ago that I’ve been spending so much time drawing up detailed strategies that I’ve neglected my equipment. It’s crucial to have an array of non-lethal weaponry at one’s disposal, so I updated my cache with a pair of paintball pistols. Rifles are great for long-range sniping scenarios, but pistols provide an added element of surprise. The other team never saw it coming, and I returned to the drawing board to determine the next week’s plan of attack.

Here’s a short list of things you should practice to become better at paintball.  This is the boring type of practice - not necessarily the practice that comes with just playing and playing paintball; we’re talking about training specific movements and skills to help sharpen your shooting skills and physical ability to move.  There are physical skills you can’t become a great player without. Here’s a short list:

– Shooting with your off-hand (left handed shooting for right handed people and visa versa).
– Snap shooting.
– Learning how to crawl.
– Learning to shoot while moving.
– Sliding into bunkers, trees, and other assorted coverings.

Shooting with your off-hand: This is probably the most important skill a player can develop. Why? If you’re playing the left back bunker and shooting down your left tapeline, you will expose a lot of your body if you shoot right-handed.
How to practice:  Training to develop this is simple…. just do it, over and over again.  Go to the backyard, paintball field or wherever, and practice shooting off-handed.  It will seem awkward at first, but you will get better at it quickly.  Even if you never become as good a shooter off-handed as you are shooting naturally, it’s still better to shoot at seventy five percent accuracy from behind your paintball bunker, than one hundred percent accurate with half your body exposed.

Snap shooting: This is when you can pull your gun up and immediately sight in your opponent, while firing off a string of accurate shots. Snap shooting is a great tool to have when you come to a stop while running, or when playing behind big bunkers, especially when you’re playing in close quarters to your opposition.
How to practice: Set up some coffee cans (or equivalent) about 125 feet from you.  Run 25 feet (to the 100 foot point from the targets), come to a dead stop while bringing your paintgun to the shooting position.  Snap shoot the targets.  Do this until you drop or run out of paint.  If you have several targets, try timing yourself from the start, to the time you hit all of the targets.

Crawling: This is a skill you need whether you play arena type of ball or in the woods.  In the arena (airball, Hyperball, etc.) you will need to crawl, especially if you play the snake.  If not in the snake, from low bunker to low bunker, at least from time to time. 
How to practice: Get on your belly and practice.  You’ll want to learn to stay low and move quickly.  Also practice shooting on your belly.  Practice drills where you’re crawling, shooting and then get up quickly and immediately snap shoot.

Shooting on the move:  The game has gotten too fast and the playing field is too small to not have this skill in your toolbox.  There will often be times where you are shooting on the move - with the initial runout, at the game’s end and in one-on-one situations.
How to practice: Practice this like the snap shooting drill, but shoot during the run.  This is one you’ll get better with quickly; you should see an improvement within the first hour of practicing this.  Realistically, you’ll wonder how you ever got by with your average skills.

Sliding into bunkers:  This is actually not that easy; it’s common to slide right out of bounds, lose your feet or get hurt sliding.
How to practice: There’s no trick to sliding, but practice doing it at first without your gun.  Practice sliding feet first and head first.  Add the gun later.  Be careful, these movements can be dangerous, so stay within your physical abilities.  Paintball jerseys, pants with padding or at least baggy clothing will help protect you from getting hurt when sliding, diving or crawling.

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.

If you have been paintballing for years, you probably know exactly what you are looking for when you are shopping for paintball guns. For newbies, however, the wide range of markers available can make the buying experience rather daunting. When purchasing a new paintball gun, there are a few specifications to always consider.

One of the most important things is the muzzle velocity. Most paintball guns are around 300 feet per second; too much lower, and your gun won’t be up to snuff; any higher, and the marker may be dangerous. It is always advisable to go with a reputable manufacturer as well, such as Spyder or Angel.