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.

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.

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.

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

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!

The back player, also referred to as the ‘backman’, is usually a more experienced player.  It is not uncommon for him to have to shoot with both hands, or even switch up trigger fingers when one finger gets too tired.  He starts shooting early in the game and doesn’t move around outside of his starting area much during the game.  The backman has a lot of responsibilities.  He pretty much controls the movements of the players on his team because he has the view with the most advantage.  He not only has to protect the flag or keep the opposing team from accomplishing their missions, but he must also defend his own teammates further up on the field, keep them informed on the opposition’s movements and progression, and tell the rover when he needs to take over for the pointman.  The backman needs a paintball marker and gun barrel that will shoot fast and hard.  It’s also smart for him to carry plenty of ammo; he will be shooting a lot throughout the whole game.  For this reason, he will need to carry the most paintballs, a larger air supply, and shoot a gun with a long barrel to improve his reach.  He must also be able to shoot and be accurate at high rates of speed and while he’s moving around the field.

There is a lot more to a paintball game than just shooting your paintball gun.  Winning the game takes skill, knowledge of the game and strategy.  You must know your moves and how to execute them, but be ready to change your plan in a minute’s notice.  Speed also plays a large role in the game of paintball.  Knowing what to do isn’t enough; you need to have the speed to make it happen before you enemy has time to catch on or shoot you.  In addition, try to cut your reaction times down.  Learn and practice what to do in certain situations so that in an actual game the move will be instinct.  You want to keep moving in the game from beginning to end; everyone knows a moving target is harder to hit.  Never stand in the same line of fire as a teammate.  You don’t want to give your opponent any advantage.  Plan ahead and mark the bunkers and landmarks that your opponents frequently use.  This may give you an advantage of knowing where your enemy’s probably going to go in the game.  When you are attacked, stay low to the ground as you retreat.  Staying low gives the opponent a smaller target to shoot at.  This will help keep you from getting eliminated.

If you want to keep your opponents guessing in your next game, try creating diversions.  You don’t ever want your opponent to know what’s coming and you certainly don’t want them to be able to guess what moves you’re getting ready to make.  If you’re planning on making an attack on the right side, you may want to build up more players on the left side to make your opponent focus more on the left.  Then, as your opposition prepares for more defense on the left, you can launch an attack from the right.  Another effective diversion is recruiting floaters for your team.  This position must be designated ahead of time/before the game.  A floater is a player who has view of the whole field.  This is helpful because they can see all eliminations made during the game, make sure backup is where ever it’s needed, and can call for defense at the appropriate times.  If you have a sniper on your team, sometimes they make good floaters and can use this position to pick off key players.  They may also be able to see the field better with their paintball sniper scope.