So, you have decided to join the exciting world of paintball. A wise choice, given how fulfilling and exciting the paintball experience can be. But, to experience paintball to the fullest, you will need to find a proper paintball gun. To make this easier for you. We have prepared a small but useful guide.
Consider the location
Many novice paintball players usually overlook the importance of the location. Will the location be a local wooded area, an abandoned factory or lot, or a paintball course? This is the question you will have to ask yourself. This fact is important because it should influence your decision of which guns to buy, in regards to their air supply. Playing at a commercial paintball location will mean that there will be access to CO2 or compressed air, which serve as power sources for the guns. If you are in a remote wooded area, you will need something else.
The power source
The majority of modern paintball guns use one of two power sources, to operate. These sources include High-Pressure Air, or HPA, and carbon-dioxide gas, or CO2. Depending on your style of play and the location where the game takes place, it would be easier to refill your CO2 tank than an HPA tank. If you use a gun with a CO2 power supply, you need to make sure to use paintball markers that are specifically designed for CO2. If you mix these up, you risk significantly damaging your gun.
High pressure air
The second power source for paintball guns is high-pressure air or HPA. The majority of modern and more expensive gun models use HPA as their powers source. This is mainly attributed to the fact that HPA is much more stable than CO2, which results in a greater firing accuracy.
Consider additional features
When looking for a great paintball gun, the single biggest price determining factor should be the number of main and optional features a gun has. To view the specifications of many guns, you can visit Paintball Dojo, and take a closer look. However, you can learn to differentiate these on your own. For example, pay attention to the marker, whether it is electronic or not. Electronic guns feature different firing modes, which can be adjusted via an electronic trigger.
With this feature, you can quickly and easily change your gun’s firing rate from a single shot mode to a 3-shot burst mode. You can also set the gun to semi-auto and full auto, as well. Due to this feature, electronic guns are considerably more expensive that the standard, non-electric ones. In addition to being expensive on their own, these guns also require a number of additional features. Some of these are the auto-feed loaders, which are used to hold the balls and anti-chop systems, which are needed to prevent the balls from breaking.
Consider the maintenance needs
When you arrive at a course, ready to play, you need your gun in perfect condition. There is hardly a more frustrating situation than to come at the course, all pumped up for the game, only to find your gun is malfunctioning. This is why you need to pay special attention to the maintenance needs of various guns when you are searching to buy one. If you are not crafty enough to fix the guns on your own, avoid buying overly complicated guns on sale, as they contain many parts that can malfunction and break. If you want to buy a cheap gun, make sure that it is a simple model, without any advanced special features.