ChoicePaintballGuns

Here’s how to best take care of your paintball goggles.  Here is what you will need:
-Toilet paper
-Ultrasoft lense cleaning cloth
-bottle of Plexus lens cleaner
-SalClear Super Anti-Fog SprayPrior to playing paintball, follow these directions to insure a clean and fog free paintball mask:

Clean your mask’s lens inside and out with Plexus lens cleaner.  A little goes a long way so spray the cleaner conservatively.  There’s no need to over spray and throw valuable paintball money down the drain.  Now with your Ultrasoft lens cleaning cloth gently wipe the lens until its dry and streak free.  You may need to do this for a minute or two periodically turning the cloth to a dry spot.  Your paintball mask should be crystal clear and streak free.  If you cannot get a hold of Plexus, then the next best solution should be a 50/50 mix of water and alcohol.  Plexus is what we recommend for true clarity of your lens as water and alcohol may leave streaks.

Now apply a coat of SalClear Anti-Fog Spray to the inside of your lens.  Apply the SalClear as if you were “painting” a thin layer onto the inside of your paintball mask.  Don’t wipe it dry.  It will dry crystal clear and may last well over a 4 hours, depending on your level of perspiration.  The SalClear can also be used as your cleaning solution; it’s a great two in one cleaner/anti-fog spray and you can find it at www.choicepaintballguns.com.

The modern CO2 tank is the staple of recballers and paintball fields across the United States.  The extensive use of CO2 along with the increased appearance of fill stations are retail outlets, along with its reasonable cost, makes it a choice for thousands of players. Understanding CO2 is essential to understanding your marker, potential upgrades, and your own safety when playing.

Remember, CO2 is a liquid and a gas, and your tank might be filled with a combination of the two at any given time.  Please play responsibly and use a chronograph for casual play. CO2’s proneness to fluctuate in velocity makes it extremely important that you keep marker speeds in check!  When liquid CO2 enters the valve of your paintball marker, it can cause erratic velocity spikes and damage o-rings. This is mostly characterized by pieces of CO2 “ice” coming out of the paintball gun. This “ice” does not melt, but will sublimate (turn into a gaseous state immediately) and is very cold.

How do you avoid getting liquid into the marker? Many blowback guns come with angled ASAs to tip the marker backwards and help keep CO2 from going through the airline into the marker. You can take this even farther by holding your paintball marker upside down, with the barrel pointing upwards. This keeps the liquid at the rear of the tank. An anti-siphon tube can be installed, which helps to only allow air into your marker. An expansion chamber or regulator can be purchased and installed on your marker as well.

What do you do if CO2 has entered the marker?  Try holding it upside down and point your barrel toward the sky, at a sharp angle.  Fire your paintball gun around 10 times until the visible white jets decrease and you stop seeing “snow” exiting your barrel.  Then just carry your marker upside down to prevent more CO2 from entering.  You want to make this a practice, especially when playing “outlaw” ball.  Since chronographs are (unfortunately) often overlooked, liquid CO2 usually raises the velocity of the paintball substantially.  A paintball marker chronographed with air at around 290 Feet Per Second could chrono in at 315 when shooting liquid CO2.

‘Pin Valve Tanks’ are the mainstay of the paintball industry.  If you’ve got a CO2 tank, this is what you’ve got.  They are simple, easy to maintain, quick to fill, and very common.  They can be equipped with anti siphon tubes and on/off dials.  They also come in a variety of shapes and sizes.  Unlike HPA tanks whose size is measured on cubic inches of space and pounds per square inch the tank can hold, a CO2 tank’s size is referred to by the amount of CO2 (the combination of liquid and air) that the tank is designed to hold.  The smallest refillable CO2 cylinder available for paintball use holds 30 grams.  The largest common tanks hold around 20 ounces.  As a result, some tanks that hold the same amount of CO2 can be different sizes.  For example, some 9 ounce CO2 tanks are long and narrow, while others look like smaller versions of 12 ounce tanks in the interest of comfort.

When you go to get your tank filled, remember that the fill operator cannot “top off” your tank - its entire contents need to be dumped so that the tank is chilled, and then it is filled. (Technically, a CO2 tank can be “topped off” if it can be frozen and if the exact weight of the tank is known but this would take time and is impractical).  If you haven’t played a lot of games with a tank, use up more of the air it contains before getting a fill.  However if you’re not sure, it’s always best to fill the CO2 tank completely.

Which type of tank you want to buy is up to you.  Keep in mind the length, weight, and approximately how many shots you can get out of your tank when you look to purchase a CO2 or HPA tank.  There’s no way to tell how many shots you can get off any given tank, because of tons of factors (the type of paintball gun, the amount the fill operator filled the tank to, outside temperature, secondary regulation) but here are a few LOOSE generalizations.

4 Ounce - 150 to 200 shots
9 Ounce - 450 to 500 shots
12 Ounce - 500 to 600 shots
20 ounce - 600 to 650 shots

Be extremely careful when buying used CO2 tanks! A tank might appear fine on the outside but the internal o-rings could be damaged. Certain CO2 tanks also must go through hydrotesting periodically, an essential safety procedure that tests the integrity of your tank. Using an old tank and trying to “risk it” might seem economical, but safety is not something that can be purchased.

Paintball is a very safe sport when the rules and regulations of the game and equipment are adhered to.  A butcher’s cleaver could maim or kill, but he knows how to responsibly use it for its purpose.  You have the same responsibility to understand and exercise safety with your CO2 or HPA tank.  If your tank is larger than 9 ounces, it will need to be hydrotested periodically. Hydrotesting ensures that the integrity of your CO2 tank has stayed the same and that it can still be filled.  However, this service is reasonably expensive and it might be more economical to simply buy a new tank.  Do not try to fill or use any tanks that are damaged, including deep scratches and gauges.  Most importantly, pay attention when unscrewing your CO2 tank from your gun or remote line and always allow a professional to install new parts to your tank.  If you ever notice that the tank (black part) itself is unscrewing from the valve (brass part), STOP IMMEDIATELY.  Put the paintball marker down and inform a field staff member immediately.  Unscrewing a pressurized CO2 tank from the valve can create, essentially, a small missle.  There have unfortunately been accidents where tanks have come unscrewed from valves and killed people.  These incidents are extremely rare, but vigilance on the part of players can potentially save lives.

Do not install additions to your CO2 tank as a new player. The results can be fatal.

Your tank is an important investment - take care of it! Replace the tank o-ring as soon as you notice any frayed rubber, cracks, or warping.  Lightly oil your o-ring as basic maintenance.  Buying a thread-saver cap which screws onto the top of the tank is also a good way of keeping your threads safe.  Never force a tank in or out of a gun: crossthreading your tank into your ASA will be a costly repair.  Do not keep your tank next to a boiler or heater - the CO2 can expand in the tank when exposed to heat and could cause a problem as well as a safety hazard.  Make sure that any tank that has had something installed on it (like anti siphon tubes, on/off switches, and new valves) is loc-tited and sits for at least one day before being used, as the thread locking agent has to set.  A small sticker on part of your tank may be helpful in telling which tank is yours if you keep your tank among friends, but do not put any scratches into the tank.  Keep a supply of bottle o-rings and gun oil and replace your tank o-ring whenever it appears cracked or damaged.  Small tank leaks can sometimes be fixed with a bit of oil spread over the o-ring or into the pin valve.Despite the fact that HPA is continuing to push into the recball market, CO2 is still one of the most comfortable and practical air systems for blowback and pump marker users. Understanding your CO2 tank will save you money and time, giving you more time to focus on what’s important – playing the game!

One way to increase the performance of your paintball marker is to lighten the internals; replace them with lighter pieces and your marker will perform better.  Another way to improve your paintball gun would be to remove any excess friction caused by a lesser degree in quality.  Now it’s a known fact that the better the internals the pricier the marker due to how stringent the manufacturers quality control is.  Cost is inevitable when making a better paintball marker so companies like Kingman make a marker that performs well for the price you pay; but in the end, you can make it perform much better by taking the time to fine tune your gun.Removing the friction caused by your internals is as easy as taking some very fine grit sand paper and some polishing cream used for cleaning up chrome rims.  I use Mothers Mag Polishing Cream and a light grit emery paper.  It takes some time but when your done, you will notice that not only does your paintball gun fire more shots off of the same tank but it has less kick due to lighter internals.  These are only two ways to improve the Spyder and Spyder-like markers. 

If you want to survive (and win!) in paintball, you’ve got to be fast.  So the lighter you are, the better.  Less weight and less mass, allows for the player to move faster and be more maneuverable.  Who will move faster on the paintball field … the guy wearing a huge down parka, or the player wearing a paintball jersey?  Knowing this, there are certain things you can do to improve your marker’s performance - make your paintball gun lighter!  OK, how do you do this?

The first step would be to lessen the weight used in the internals.  Like a player’s gear, the less weight the better the movements.  In a paintball marker, the less the internals weigh, the less they have to work to perform the same task as any stock internals.  With the hammer and the bolt weighing less, the marker’s operating pressure would be decreased allowing for a better efficiency.  You can purchase lighter-weight, more sophisticated internal parts and upgrades at www.choicepaintballguns.com.

So if you want to improve your paintball game, wear a paintball jersey instead of a down parka.  If you want to improve the performace of your paintball marker, get new, lighter, more high-tech internal parts.  Paintball guns that are great for this - easy to take apart and many upgrades are readily available - are a Tippmann 98, Tippmann A5 or Spyder paintball gun. 

There are a few more aiming variations which come into play often.  A common variance is the one-handed shot.  This is used often while blind shooting,  crawling, or diving.  Its main advantage is that it allows for a greater freedom of motion that allows the player to crawl, dive, or maneuver more easily while still lobbing some shots at the opposition.  This is a handy position to learn and get good at, because its uses are numerous.  Another common variance is attempting to shoot while running.  Bunkering and run-through maneuvers are dependent on this technique.  The easiest way to employ this method is to not rest the paintball marker or CO2 tank on the shoulder, but to rather carry the paintball marker with only the hands.  This will eliminate the majority of the bumps and vibrations caused by running. Trigger speed will be affected by this, so aim carefully and squeeze off a few shots at the target. And remember, before attempting a bunkering maneuver, always find a position to run to after eliminating the target!

Here’s another aiming technique that will improve the aim of any position that can be used.  This magical technique is actually not a technique at all, but a natural characteristic of the body.  It is called muscle memory, and can only be formed by practice.  Muscle memory is a natural aspect of the body which causes the body to “snap” to a certain position while performing a familiar action.  A prime example of this is the action of talking.  Yes, talking.  The mind knows that the body needs to say something, so it tells the body to move the lungs and mouth in accordance with the phrase to be spoken.  The perfect synchronization of the lungs, tongue, jaw, and other parts is a product of muscle memory.  The body has practiced talking so many times that it knows what to do and when, and it becomes second-nature.  Practicing enough at something will result in it becoming part of muscle memory.  A paintball marker will snap towards the correct place to eliminate the target, fingers will move with a practiced and familiar motion as to maximize the rate of fire, and the target will put up his or her hand and yell “OUT!” because of experience, practice, and familiarity.  Get to know your favorite technique, and use it often.

And remember, practice does not make perfect, but perfect practice does make perfect.

Here’s a cool method of aiming from a smart fellow named Tim Gavlick from the PaintballTimes.  The method he likes the most is called the “arc shot” method.  This method works best for medium- or long-range targets.  The only effort involved is popping the head out for less than a second to find the target.  When you look, take note of where your target is, and what is directly above him or her. After gathering this information, there is no need to expose your marker to fire at all.  Keep yourself and your paintball marker below the top of the bunker, point your barrel towards a point directly above the target, and let loose with a barrage of shots.  The paintballs will arc down toward your target as it flies through the air.  Knowing where to aim will greatly increase the chances of anyone hitting the target. Remember to estimate the distance to the target so that you can aim at the right angle as to hit it.  This method works best in woodsball or any format with a similarly-sized playing area.  Short-ranged shots will not have enough time to travel downward and strike the target.

One of the largest variances you will come across while playing paintball is the difference in positions people hold their markers with.   Some hold their paintball marker at eye level and some hold it as low as their stomach while shooting.  Every position has its ups and downs, and it’s all a matter of personal preference to which you use at which time. 

First on the list is the shooting from a low level, usually near the hip or stomach and sometimes closer to the chest. This position can lead to extremely inaccurate opening shots, but it can be corrected quickly by seeing where the paint flies and adjusting the aim accordingly. The primary advantage to this method is visibility; sight is not obstructed by the paintball gun being held on one side of the player’s vision.  This can make sneaking up on him or her quite hard to do if they pay attention to their peripheral vision.  This aiming position is not recommended at all for speed-, air-, or x-ball, and can be very difficult to use in a close-ranged game of woodsball.

The most common position is aiming from eye level.  This allows the player to see down the barrel and line up his or her shots.  Some paintball markers, like Tippmanns and power-feed markers, allow the sighting down the top of the marker, allowing a better lateral or horizontal shot. This is usually the preferred method of aiming because the first few shots are usually accurate, which means less “spraying and paying”.  This method has almost the opposite advantages and disadvantages of shooting from a low level.  Visibility is decreased due to the paintball marker taking up a third or a quarter of your vision. Tunnel vision is very easy to get using this method; the player is so focused on bringing down his target that he neglects to pay attention to anything else happening on the field. This leads to very painful outcomes.  This method can be employed in any format of game, ranging from airball to woodsball and beyond, and you will find most pro level players aiming like this.