Any paintball players around here? (1 Viewer)

[Kevin Coleman]

Some friends of mine are getting some paintball guns. I am probably going to get one also. Is there anything I should no about them. I already know you have to wear all the relevant safety gear becuase the paintballs move pretty fast up to 300FPS!
I am wondering about tips on throwing the paintball grenades also if anybody has any experience with them.
Kevin C.

 

[John Johnson]

I used to play a ton in High School. The main reason I stopped is I hate playing indoors, and the outdoor season in MI is like 5 months.
Never used grenades, though... I was a sniper Two guns - a Tippmann SL-68 pump with an 18" internally rifled barrel, and a Tippmann 68 special with a 12" ported/rifled barrel.

 

[Ryan Wright]

I played Paintball a few times, but everyone around here is too lazy to play, so I'm thinking of selling my equipment. Nearly brand new gun (in original box), mask, co2 bottle, the whole works. ~$350 worth of equipment, bought ~6 months ago, used maybe 5 times. If you're interested, email me, I'll make you a deal.
Paintball is a lot of fun, but not many people play around here. Some of my buddies bought equipment and we were all going to play at least once a week. I bought my equipment because I saw it as a fun way to get exercise. Every Saturday morning I'd wake those guys up to play, but they always had an excuse, so I never really got to enjoy it. Oh well..
------------------
-Ryan (http://www.ryanwright.com )
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you do criticize them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

 

[Ashley Seymour]

My son used to get to go with him on his birthday. I onley went a few times. Fun sport, but I think it would be best with teams and lots of friends. I got hit in the stomach one time and had a black and blue mark the size of a softball. Next time out I took my cup from my baseball umpiring days. If you are going to wear a mask, might as well wear a cup if you value your package, or junk as my son says.

 

[James Nguyen]

John,
heh, just so you know, "sniper" in paintball must be used very loosely in the traditional sense....there can be, by laws of physics, no such thing as a sniper in paintball (i.e. someone who can sit at far distances taking guys out one by one w/ skill of shot)..
paintball fields are all regulated, meaning all guns are limited to a specific field speed...typicall in the 280 to 300 feet per second area. given the uniform size of the paintballs (.68 caliber), the relatively uniform speed, and the fact that gravity is constant....all guns end up shooting approximately the same distnace (factoring out gun malfunctions, etc)
"snipering" is often however used to describe those in paintball, particularly those who play in wooded type fields and are adept at hiding and covering and taking an enemy by surprise..
paintball....great sport..I used to play in amateur toruneys and what not out in CA, but since moving to TX haven't had a chance to check out the fields yet. brutally expensive pasttime though, almost as bad as hometheater. very difficult to explain to the misses why I *need* about $2000 worth of guns or why I gooooooota have this valve or this trigger frame for my gun.. lol...
lotsa fun, but yes...wear protection..gogs on at all time, knee pads hiiiighly recommended, and if yer a guy, a cup!! I also never go w/o a neck guard (use one from ice hockey)

 

[Kevin Coleman]

Thanks guys,
The cup is something I definitely didn't think of but is now something I will certainly do. I hope after I buy my gun they don't all change their minds. It has happened before though.
Kevin C.
------------------
If you live in the Wichita KS area and are interested in a local meet click here

 

[James Nguyen]

kevin,
what kind of gun did you purchase?
what kind of air system are you going to be using? (CO2 or N2 aka compressed air)
the type of air system has a great impact on the way your gun is going to end up behaving.... excuse my ignorance, but is KS pretty warm or cold now a days...that also is an important factor in gun configurations... there's a surprising amount of science behind paintball gear actually
as to paint greandes, typically, most people I know don't use them. a) they're rather expensive at 4, 5 bucks a pop. b) they're often ineffective...if you're close enough to be tossing a grenade, you're probably already dead c) people often aren't aware when they've been hit by a grenade..unlike a paintball where the impact is very phsyical, grenades end up exploding and "splattering" paint in a wide area....players in the heat of battle will often not notice this contact and play on..

 

[Kevin Coleman]

I haven't bought one yet. I am going looking tommorow. There is a paintball specialty store here in Wichita. Interesting thing you said about the air type. That is the type of stuff I was wanting to hear about. Right now the weather in Wichita is about 60 degrees high in the day. But that will soon change. In the Winter it gets up to an average of 30 to 40 and in the summer it averages probably 85 to 95 degrees. Is one air tpe better than the other? I am getting layed off soon so I definitely want something cheap. The store I called yesterday had guns starting about 125.00 and he said they came with some sort of warranty. I will probably being looking in to that.
Thanks
Kevin C.

 

[James Nguyen]

Kevin...
general rules of thumb:
compressed air tends to be the favored choice of air supplies....the positives is that it tends to be less impacted by temperature (more on that in a bit), tends to operate at a more steady rate (again more on that in a bit), and is relatively cheap to refill your tank.
the negatives is that the tanks themselves cost a bit more than CO2 counterparts; most, not all, compressed air tanks use a fiber wrap design in which the tank has a thin layer of fiber wrapping around it for insulation purposes...the structural integrity of your tank is at risk if these get damaged (rare), so to be safe, most payers use some form of wrap around their tanks...it is something to be aware of though ;the big negative is that not all fields are equipped to do compressed refills or can't do a full refill if you have a high pressure tank (i.e. 4500 psi and above).
Compressed air tanks are usually sold based on two measurements....1) cubic inches 2) PSI
the cubic size of the tank correlates to the physical size of the tank...some players prefer large tanks since they use it to prop against their bodies, others prefer small tanks since they might play aggressive fast running styles where they curl up and want to keep a low profile.
the PSI measures how much actual air the tank stores...this essentially correlates to how many shots you can fire on a full tank. as I said though, not all playing fields (or shops) can refill compressed air tanks, and those that do, not all have the compressors required to fill past 2000 or so PSI...check up on these things before purchasing. Compressed air tanks run from about 100 on up to 600 or so. The typical configuration for the average compressed air tank is 68 cu inches, 4500 PSI.
okay....on to CO2......CO2 unlike N2/compressed, is stored in a bottle in a liquid, not gaseous form. in order for it to propel the paintball through, the liquid must be converted to gaseous form and then through the gun to shoot the paintball. because it is stored as a liquid, CO2 is sold in bottles and w/ only one advertised measurement, fluid ounces. the more ounces, the more it weighs, the more shots you get, and the larger the bottle. most players use a 12 oz bottle (approx 400 or so shots based on conditions) though some players again, prefer larger or smaller based on style,physique, etc.
positives: CO2 bottles are cheap as hell. CO2 is a given at any field or shop...you *will* be able to get refills. Overall, the CO2 system is "safer" in that you don't really have to worry about the integrity of your cannister.. you don't have tow atch for frayed fibers, check to make sure your canniser is still certified (like scuba tanks, N2 paintball tanks have a "shelf life", after which they have to be tested for integrity before being recertified for use....they're not supposed to ever be refilled unless they're w/in that date).
negatives: in the long run, CO2 ends up being costlier. Per shot, if you play long enough, eventually the N2 becomes cheaper, even factoring for the cost of the tank. You'd have to be playing pretty regularly for this math to work out this way; CO2 is heavily temperature sensitive. in cold weather, CO2 as it travels through the nozzle in liquid form and then to gas through the gun has the tendency to freeze if the ambient temperature outside is cold...this becomes increasingly worse if you fire rapidly. frozen guns cause cold hands and jammed guns CO2 also causes what are known as velocity spikes. If you hold a gun in a position so that the tank is above the gun, the liquid is going to rush toward the nozzle. The next few shots you take now are going to have more liquid than the nozzle can compensate for....your shots are now going to fire out in a puff of CO2 "smoke" everywhere, and your shots are going to go abnormally fast...so if they hit will not only hurt more, but can potentially be moving at an unsafe rate of speed. this can all be countered somewhat with what are known as "anti-siphon" kits, but can't really completely eliminate the problem.
heh....I'm rambling huh?
okay, real briefly now....in the low price range, there's basically two guns that dominate...both are considered good solid guns, great for the newcomer to the game...
the first is the Tippman...most notably their M98 aka Model 98...Tippmans are reknown for their durability and reliability. for this, a LOT of fields use tippman m98s as their rental guns since newbies will abuse the hell out of their guns. the tend to be on the heavy side and some just feel they're outright ugly. solid all around gun.
the other extremely popular model in the entry level price range is the Kingman Spyder....there's about 9 or 10 variations (i.e. Spyder SE, Spyder TL, etc). Most differences are cosmetic, but some aren't...talk to your shop. Spyders are popular for being all around good guns, relatively reliable, few moving parts, and unlike the M98s are quite heavily modifiable. There are a bevy of aftermarket pieces available for the various Spyders out there. Spyders tend to run a bit more than M98s though.
There are many out there on the market in the low end...bruizers, outlaws, others. In all honesty, there are few outright *BAD* guns these days. Paintball is popular enough that the markets have voted with their dollars and few guns are sheer shite. Just don't, don't, don't EVER buy a plastic paintball gun (Brass Eagle is notorious for their plastic toys). They may work, but you'll be laughed at all day.

Also factor in that beyond your gun you'll have to buy goggles (30 to 50 bucks) and i'd highly recommend knee pads and a neck brace.
have fun though, and feel free to post any other questions

 

[Brad_Shifflett]

I have been playing for about 6 months. I got a Spyder TL with a 18" DYE barrell (I think it is 18"), anyways, I would highly recommend this marker. It shoots awesome and looks great. Here are a couple of sites to check out:
http://www.warpig.com http://www.p8ntballer.com
This will get you started. Very addicting, I am playing in a tournament on Nov 4th and another one in Feb. Team playing is so different then rec ball. I am looking at a new marker next year to upgrade, not sure yet. Anyways, email me with any questions. Take care and be safe out there.
Brad

 

[James Nguyen]

Other good sites to check out would be:
http://www.paintballguru.com
honestly, my inclination to *all* people is to try playing a couple times first...rent a gun, check it out...try some recball (i.e. capture the flag out in the woods somewhere).. try a game or two of more tournament (aka speedball) style play... make sure you LIKE paintball before dropping 3, 4 hundred on gear. paintball afterall just isn't everybody's cup of tea... tho I find it bloody fun.

 

[Kevin Coleman]

Thanks for the reference post James,
I think I will print that out and take it with me tommorow. Or at least take notes. Thanks for all your time.
Thanks also Brad,
Since your the second person to mention the Spyder series I will definitely check that out also.
This is what I like about the after hours lounge I hope they don't ever shut it down.
Kevin C.

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

The biggest rule of thumb: Cover Every Square Inch of Flesh With All The Padding You Can Move With! The first time you take one of these paintballs in the neck, or arm or hip...you will find out why.
Bruce
------------------

Welcome aboard the Satellite of Love

 

[Kevin Coleman]

I actually have already been hit by one. I even hesitate to tell this stupid story... But what the hell I will. I bought a plastic paintball marker about 6 or so years ago. Neither I nor any of my friends had ever been hit with one before so I think you guys can see where this is going. Anyway we were out shooting it around for target practice and then I decided I wanted to see how bad it would hurt to get hit. I could tell they were coming pretty hard but I didn't realize how hard. So I stood back about 15 feet from my buddy and stuck my arm out and put my palm towards him and closed my eyes. Well it hit me right in the main knuckle area right at my forefinger on the inside of my palm with nothing on. OUCH!!! It swelled up instantly and got all purple. It was that way for about a week. I will never forget that day. I paid 260.00 for that plastic piece of junk and the trigger quit working after less than 1000 rounds. I sold it in a garage sale a few years ago.
Kevin C.

 

[BertFalasco]

I just went last weekend and I have an Impulse 32 Degrees with a blade trigger, vision, etc. I have an LCD screen (with computer chip) turbo mode and other various modes of fire. Paintballing is great, I dont agree with Bruce, it's either you are a rancid piece of shite or you are a man. I, am a man, I wear a mask and a cup. Thats it! Paintballs don't hurt much because at regular parks, when they chrono you, they make sure your FPS is at most 280. Nothing to worry about. Paintballing is fun as hell..
AIM: BertFalasco