Entries Tagged as 'Paintball Gears'
The paintball barrel aims the direction of the paintball and controls the gas pocket located behind it. There are different sizes of bore that matches different sizes of paintballs. Also, there are different lengths and styles to go well with different markers.
Older kinds of paintball barrels is slid into the marker and screwed in place. Barrel threading must be carefully matched to the markers, the usual threads are Autococker, Angel, Shocker, Impulse/Ion, Spyder, 98 Custom and A-5.
There are three basic configurations of paintball barrels which are one-piece, two-piece and three-piece. Barrels that has interchangeable barrel is referred to as barrel system which commonly has two to three-piece.
The usual length of paintball barrels range from 3 to 31 inches. Customized barrels can measure up to 48 inches long. Longer barrels are more silent as compared to short barrels. The usual length that players go for is between 14-16 inches also due to portability and accuracy. Many players also go for longer barrels because they can easily push the inflatable bunkers that are used in tournaments.
Most barrels have a holes in front of it to allow the propellant to dissipate gradually which makes the marker quieter. Gas efficiency is decreased when the holes are drilled in the first 8 inches of the barrel.
The interior diameter of the barrel is called the bore. The bore must be a perfect match to the paint which is very a important factor because it affects velocity. If both are mismatched it causes inaccuracy. Two to three-piece barrels will match the paint's diameter perfectly without changing the barrel.
Tags: Paintball Barrel · Paintball Gears
Paintball loaders are also referred to as hoppers. This is where the paintballs are placed. There are there main kinds of loaders which are agitating, force-feed and gravity feed. Another kind is called as stick-feed though it is not referred to as hoppers.
Stick-feed: This is mainly used on stock-class and pump markers. It carries 10-20 paintballs and it sits parallel to the barrel. The player must tip-off the stick-feed for the next paintball to load.
Gravity feed: This is considered to be cheapest and also the simplest. This is made up of a feed tube and large container that is molded in the bottom. The paintballs enter the marker through the sloped sides of the gravity feed. Every second, it is able to load 8 paintballs. It is cheap because it is only a shell and closed with a lid. Though, paintballs can be easily jammed above the tube. To prevent jamming, rocking the loader and the marker will do the trick.
Agitating: It makes use of a propeller that is spinning inside the loader to agitate the paintballs. This prevents jamming which in turn rapidly feeds paintballs into the marker. There are two kinds of this paintball loader, one with sensors and one without. The one with the led and photodetector will sense if a paintball is present and it does not allow the marker to shoot until a paintball is loaded fully. On the other hand, agititating loaders without sensors drains the battery life and depletes paintballs.
Force feed: It makes use of an impeller that catches paintballs and loads it into the marker. The impeller is either using a belt-system or a spring. This allows constant pressure on the paintball stacks. This kind of paintball loader is usually used in tournaments because they are most reliable as compared to the others.
Tags: Paintball Gears · Paintball Loaders
Paintball mask is also referred to as googles it is required for the players to use when playing. This does not only protect the eyes but basically the entire face. There are also other masks that has throat guards. The googles are designed to halt paintballs that are travelling 300ft/sec. faster rate than that may not be stopped by the googles.
Thermal or double-layered lenses is also available. These are said used to avoid fogging. An air chamber is placed in the middle of the inside and outside lenses which allows different temperatures without causing any condensation in the googles. But if by any chance moisture got in between the inside and outside lenses, this will cause fog in both inner faces of the lenses. This does not dry right away and sometimes it does not dry at all.
Paintball masks that are prone to fogging can be dangerous for the player. It limits the vision of the player and when this happens the player might be tempted to remove his mask exposing him to serious eye damage. To avoid fogging, there are masks that makes use of an electric fan to dry the lense and remove humidity. This is very useful especially when playing for longer periods of hours. There are also topical solutions that players can apply to the lenses to avoid fogging.
The outside part of the lenses are made up of Polycarbonate which excellent in resisting impacts. Anti-scratch coatings are also used for this material because it is soft. Manufacturers advice players to change lenses that already sustained a lot of scratches and those that receive great impact.
Tags: Paintball Gears · Paintball Mask · Paintball Safety Tips
Paintball propellants are used to power markers. It contains an expanding gas that is responsible for shooting paintballs down into the barrel of a marker. The two most commonly used are carbon dioxide and HPA or high pressure air.
High Pressure Air (HPA) or N2: When HPA is compressed it retains as gas. It cools the tanks when it expands because of the Joule-Thomson effect but a lower rate as compared to carbon dioxide. With this kind of transition it makes shooting more accurate which is why it is said to be the best source of propulsion. Though, tanks using HPA are quite expensive because it is stored at higher pressures and it is also heavier as compared to tanks using carbon dioxide.
Most paintball propellants today that carries HPA makes use of carbon fiber to provide thinner walls which results to a lighter tank. The propellants can contain pure N2 or 79% N2 referred to as compressed air. These are usually used by players who have tournament-grade markers and those who play often. But today, these kind of propellants are now popular to casual players.
Most players prefer to use HPA because it is easier to fill. It is filled through a nipple and not through an ASA valve which means that HPA paintball propellants can be refilled while connected to the marker. And it also does not need to be weighed to know if it is full unlike propellants that make use of carbon dioxide. A gauge is present to indicate if it is already full.
Carbon Dioxide: When it is compressed it turns to liquid and it must be turned to gas to be used by paintball markers. Transforming it to gas needs energy and the tank cools as it expands to gas. But this can be difficult to do during cold weathers because ice crystals can form outside the tank. If there is no anti-siphon fitted into the tank and it is accidentally shaken the liquid carbon dioxide can enter the marker. When this happens the liquid evaporates and freezes the marker. This incident can cause damage to the marker overtime because it can destroy electrical parts of the marker. Carbon dioxide paintball propellers must not be placed under the sun because it can expand at a very dangerous level.
Tags: Paintball Gears · Paintball Propellants
We can no longer deny the growing popularity of the sport called paintball. It was first introduced in the seventies but now, it is already a favorite competitive professional sport. It can be played indoors or outdoors and is actually, according to insurance statistics, one of the safest sports.
At times, paintball marker are referred to as markers. The pump action gun that still needs manual cocking was the most conventional version. Using this type of gun, the game will be much slower.
Later, these pump action guns were modified to become auto cocker guns that deliver paintballs at greater speed. Aside from that, semi-automatic guns, automatic guns, sniper rifles and electronic guns were also manufactured. Available both in camouflage and in different colors, shooting using these guns will be more accurated because of their elongated barrels.
Military replicas were also manufactured. These guns are perfect for real combat aficionados. They are known for their accuracy, weight, speed, rate of fire and gas usage.
For semi-automatic and automatic paintball marker, their strength is in their triggers that are highly sensitive, making them ideal for serious players. Aside from that, their fast speed is also an advantage. A cheaper alternative may also be chosen for beginners as long as it has an upgrade capability and cosmetic add-ons.
Several paintball marker are designed to allow being upgraded. Some of the upgrades you may want to put in your paintball marker is more triggers, bigger hopper, and more aiming cosmetics. It is also possible to add laser to your paintball marker to increase its accuracy.
Breakthroughs and innovations are not just limited to technology but are also visible in paintball markers. Latest versions of paintball markers now have more accurate velocities, firing modes that can be programmed and even an LCD panel. Yes, you may need to spend more than the usual but once you step foot on the game, you will also be gaining more than the usual.
Tags: Paintball Marker
If you decided to play paintball you must know the proper gears that you need for this kind of game. You must have the right gear to protect you from the shots made through a paintball gun. The minimum paintball gears that a player must have for this game are mask, marker with propellant, paintballs and its loader. A barrel sock is also needed.
- Paintball marker: This is also known as a paintball gun. This is the main equipment that is used in this game. It makes use of expanding such as compressed air or carbon dioxide to launch paintballs into the barrel. The term marker is used for this equipment because using the term "gun" can imply a negative conotation to others and entails violence. The muzzle velocity of this gear is measured at 300 feet per second, a velocity more than that is deemed dangerous.
- Propellants: This encloses the expanding gas needed to launch a paintball down the barrel. Aside from the commonly used compressed gas which is HPA or high pressure air and carbon dioxide, propane was also introduced. Tippman was the first to introduce a pump-gun that makes use of propane. Propane is said to be more advantageous because it lets the player shoot more balls before refilling the tank.
- Masks: Well, this is common sense. This is to protect the face from being hit. The googles that are used were designed to protect paintballs that are travelling 300ft/sec. but is not able to protect the eyes from paintballs that are travelling with greater speed. Aside from googles, thermal lenses are also used which is said to be less prone from fogging. There are masks that are really expensive which are smaller that the usual but more comfortable.
- Loaders: This is also known as hoppers which is used to hold the paintballs. There are different kinds of loaders which are force-feed, gravity feed and agitating.
- Paintballs: These are simply called as paint that contains materials that are usually seen in foods. It is enclosed in gelatin capsules. The higher the price of paintballs the higher the quality and these improves the accuracy also.
- Clothing: Paintball game involves a lot of running, crawling, diving and sliding. Clothing is one of the most important paintball gears a player must have. It usually designed with camouflage to blend with their surroundings. This makes it harder for them to be spotted. In every tournament, clothing is also checked to make sure that they have enough protection before diving into the game.
These are the most important paintball gears that you should have when playing the game. Always check your equipments before a game starts to ensure yours and others safety.
Tags: Paintball Gears
