Equipment for the Extreme Sport of Paintball

Paintball is a sport that can trace its roots back to the 1950s when paintballs were created by an agricultural company to mark trees and livestock. Today, paintball is a game that is well-organized and uses many types of equipment. The most obvious of paintball gear is the paintball gun; these guns are also known as paintball markers. The paintballs themselves are also a key piece of equipment to this game, as well as the paintball tank used to propel the paintballs to their target. There are also several pieces of safety equipment that paintball enthusiasts may use.

Paintball Guns

Paintball guns come in many varieties. In fact, their price can vary from under a hundred dollars to several thousand for professional paintball markers. The paintball gun is made up of several key parts including the body, the barrel, the hopper, and the air tank.

The Air Tank

A paintball gun's air tank may use either a carbon dioxide tank or a high pressure air (or nitrogen) for propulsion. The carbon dioxide tank is worthwhile because it is less expensive and smaller than the high-pressure air or nitrogen tanks. However, the carbon dioxide within the tank can cause ice build up on the tank after extended use. They can also become unreliable when fired rapidly because the carbon dioxide must have time to expand from a liquid into a gas to fire the paintball marker; when fired too rapidly the shots may become inaccurate. Therefore, many paintball players prefer high-pressure air or nitrogen tanks.

The Hopper, Body, and Barrel

The paintball gun's hopper is the part of the gun used to load the paintballs. There are several different types of hopper feeds including gravity feed, force-feed, agitating feed, and stick feed. The body of the paintball gun is usually made of carbon fiber, plastic, aluminum, or similar material to lessen the paintball gun's overall weight.

Paintball gun barrels may come in one to three-piece sizes and may also have different lengths and diameters. Paintball players must consider both distance and velocity when choosing the barrel that is right for them. After all, it's useless to have a paintball travel a long-distance only to have it not break on impact.

The Paintball and Safety Equipment

Paintballs are small, round, gelatin capsules that contain a mixture of nontoxic substances that includes water and dye. However reassuring this may seem, they do travel around 90 miles an hour out of paintball markers. To make paintball safer, many players rely on safety gear that is designed to protect them from paintballs. One example of this equipment is goggles worn by paintball players. Many of these goggle systems contain protective ear covers and masks. When played with the proper equipment, paintball is a safe sport.