The
Equipment
The
equipment is an essential part of paintball. While
you don't have to spend a great deal of money on your
equipment, you do need to spend your money wisely.
The following section will give you the basics on the
needed equipment to be successful at paintball.
The
Gun
The
gun is obviously one of the most important pieces of
equipment you get. Before I answer the question
"Which gun do I get?" I'm going to introduce
the basic types of guns available. There are several
types of guns, I'll separate them into four basic classes:
| Pump
guns: These guns are basic guns
that require you to pump them each time you fire
a single round. While some advanced players
still prefer to play with them, these guns are mostly
designer for the casual or beginning player.
The gun pictured to the right is the Eagle Talon,
made by Brass Eagle. |
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 |
Entry-level
semi-automatic guns: These guns
are usually made of molded plastic and can also
be used by beginners or casual players. While
they are not extremely durable or accurate, their
low price and ease of use make them a value for
many recreational players. The Brass Eagle
Stingray II is shown to the left. |
| Mid-range
semi-automatic guns: These guns are
more accurate and durable than the previous class,
but usually require a bit more maintenance.
They are most often made with metal receivers, whether
milled or cast. These guns, such as the Spyder,
Tippmann Model 98, and Scorpion, are widely used
by paintball players across the world for their
accuracy, durability, and reasonable cost.
Most of these guns retail for around $200.
The Tippmann Model 98 is shown to the right. |
 |
 |
High-end,
tournament quality semi-autos:
These guns are usually extremely expensive (up to
$1500 for the "Angel" gun), but are extremely
technically advanced. Most of them are equipped
with electric trigger systems which are capable
of shooting 14+ rounds per second. These guns
are obviously geared towards those who either have
a lot of money to spare, and/or compete in serious
paintball tournaments. The Brass Eagle Rainmaker
is pictured to the left. |
The
most commonly asked question... "Which gun do I
get?"
Yes,
as you might imagine, with the amazing amount of possibilities
facing newcomers to the sport, this is a tough question
facing everybody who wants to get the best "bang"
for their buck. First of all, you should realize
that there is no perfect gun for everybody; every person
has a different style of gun that they like, a different
preference for accessories and features, and so on.
Here are my recommendations for different levels of
players:
- Beginner
type A - this is the beginner who is
only going to play paintball every once in a great
while. For this player, to be perfectly honest,
I don't know if I would even recommend getting a gun
in the first place. Most fields offer rental
guns at a nominal fee. Renting your gun will
save you the money and time spent in buying and maintaining
a gun of your own.
- Beginner
type B - this is the beginner who has
several people in his area who enjoy playing paintball.
Most likely, you're going to be playing about once
a month or even more often. To you I would seriously
recommend looking at a midrange semi-automatic.
Why skip the pumps and low-end semi-autos? Because
there is only about a $50-$100 difference, and the
mid-range semi-autos will last you a very, very long
time if you take good care of them. Here are
the following gun recommendations for this level of
player:
Note: the reason I recommend the following guns
in general is because 1) they are widespread in use,
and have a large user base, 2) they are generally
user friendly, which is important to newbies, 3) they
are compatible with all of the popular accessories
such as barrels, grips, bolts, etc.
- Experienced
Player - The experienced player most
likely already knows what he's looking for in an advanced
paintgun, and won't be looking for information here.
The
Air
| Air
is what powers your gun. Some type of compressed
gas/liquid will be attached to your gun. Most
often, liquid CO2 is used, due to its extremely
low cost and high availability. 12-gram adapters
will provide you with approximately 20-25 shots,
9-oz. cans will provide you with approximately 400
shots, 12-oz. cans will provide you with approximately
550 shots, and so on and so forth. Other air
systems such as compressed air and nitrogen are
used, due to the fact that they do not have the
problems in cold weather that CO2 has. However,
they are much more expensive to obtain and maintain
than CO2 systems. A standard 20-oz. CO2 tank
is pictured to the right. |
 |
The
Barrel
 |
The
barrel is one of the most important parts of your
gun. Many players choose to replace their
factory paintgun barrel with more sophisticated
barrels that provide a better level of accuracy,
range, and sometimes quietness. Many professionals
seem to agree that 12 inch barrels are the most
effective length, although even 18 inch barrels
are available. In essence, there are a wide
variety of barrels to match and augment your paintball
gun. Barrels vary from simple to complex since the
wants and needs of paintball players are as varied
as the number of players. The most common
materials available for barrels are stainless steel,
aluminum, and ceramic-coated. |
The
"loader," or hopper
| The
hopper is the container which holds and feeds your
paintballs into your gun. A common hopper
usually will hold about 200 paintballs. For
players with fast-shooting guns, "agitator"
hoppers such as the ViewLoader Revolution shown
the to the right are available, which help quickly
feed the balls into your gun. |
 |
The
Sight
 |
Although
it may sound like overkill to most beginners, a
sight can be a very valuable investment. If
you have a mid-range gun, low-cost "red-dot"
sights will help you immensely with those tough
shots where somebody has just a leg or a head poking
out from a bunker. The ADCO Hot-Shot, pictured
to the left, is a low cost red dot sight that comes
with a full paintball-related warranty. |
The
Mask
| Your
mask is probably the most important piece
of equipment you put on. It should be a paintball-specific
mask which covers your eyes, mouth, and ears, including
the lens. There are many different masks on
the market with varying costs, fits, and fields
of vision. Find the mask that best fits your
face, eyes, and pocketbook. Pictured to the
left is a Z-leader paintball mask which is popular
among beginners. |
 |
The
Clothes
 |
Your
clothing is also very important to your paintball
playing. First of all, you always should wear
clothing that completely covers your body.
That means even wearing long-sleeves when it's 95
degrees in the shade. Uncovered skin and paintballs
coming at 300 fps isn't a comfy mix. If you
are playing large games in wooded areas, obviously
camouflage is desired. However, when playing
in fast-paced "speedball" arenas, it is
not always necessary. The bottom line is to
make sure that you're comfortable and well-covered.
This guy to the left is a prime example of good
camouflage. |
Paintball
Clothing
| Paintball
Guns | Playing
Fields
|
