| m-link"> | | | | the barrel, the body, the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) or High |
| Paintball guns come in all sizes and flavors. Choosing | | | | Pressure Air (HPA) tank, and the hopper. The mask is |
| is a tricky proposition, one that involves forethought | | | | a necessity as well for your personal protection, but |
| and trial and error before you find what will fit you | | | | technically isn't a part of the gun itself. Ditto for |
| best. There are a lot of variations on paintball guns and | | | | paintballs. |
| the different ways to modify them. The principle | | | | Barrel length will have a significant impact on your |
| question that you have to ask yourself is what | | | | accuracy and maneuverability with the gun. Most are |
| strategy you're pursuing and what rules you'll be | | | | in the 3-21 inch range of length, though some custom |
| playing by. Professional tournaments have much | | | | ones go as long as 48 inches. Most players select |
| stricter rules and regulations on paintball guns and how | | | | something in the 14-16 inch range. Some players like |
| you can modify them than you and your friends do | | | | to go with longer barrels for tournament use, since it |
| when you're playing a game in someone's field. | | | | allows them to move obstacles without sacrificing |
| Here are some of the main factors that I would keep | | | | cover. |
| in mind when selecting what options to equip your gun | | | | CO2 and HPA tanks are used to propel the paintball |
| with: | | | | out of the gun. HPA tanks offer a more consistent |
| - Am I playing by myself or on a team? | | | | velocity than CO2 does, but come with a heftier price |
| - Do I do better with long range shots or close up hits? | | | | tag. The pressure that the CO2 is held at can |
| - Do I prefer to go hunting for the other players, or do I | | | | sometimes condense into a liquid, which explains the |
| do better when I patiently wait for them to come to | | | | inconsistent velocities with those tanks. |
| me? | | | | Gravity feed and agitating hoppers are the two most |
| - Am I going to be playing professionally one day, or is | | | | popular types to hold paintballs. Gravity feed hoppers |
| this just a fun weekend game with friends? | | | | are simply and cheap, since they rely solely on gravity |
| - How well can I control multiple shots? | | | | to make additional paintballs available for |
| Those are all questions that only you can answer for | | | | shooting. However, sometimes the balls can come |
| yourself. Hopefully these will help you determine | | | | down too quickly and jam things up as a |
| where your talents lie when it comes to handling | | | | result. Agitating hoppers operate off of a battery |
| paintball guns and playing the game. | | | | (which can die if you keep tabs on it) that powers a |
| Now, let's discuss some of the different options | | | | LED light to sense when a paintball is ready to drop to |
| available to you. You'll have to work within your | | | | be fired. |
| budget, of course, so don't feel like you won't get | | | | Paintball guns have an almost infinite capacity to be |
| anywhere if you can't start out with the ideal gun. Find | | | | customized. Finding the ideal one for yourself will take |
| a good starting point, and then upgrade as time goes | | | | time, research, and practice to see what works best |
| on. | | | | with you. |
| Standard paintball guns are composed of four parts: | | | | |