Paintball Guns Traditional Vs. Tournament
Picking a paintball gun is a lot more difficult than you think. There are 2 distinct styles
The first is the more realistic style where the marker feels more like a a real gun either a butt end that rest against your shoulder and you have to look down the barrel sights to fire your shot, or a type that is like a sub-machine gun and still has the weight and feel of a balanced gun.
The second version is the more common style now a days since the game of paintball has advanced they are more tuned to playing fields and not like a war match. This new style developed my Spyder is where the but end rests against your shoulder but the barrel is more eye level. The reason for this design it give your more maneuverability when hiding behind objects. You can raise the gun up on top of a barrier and your head does not need to be fully exposed. This is more of a sport style paintball marker and have become the more wanted style of play.
The trick with selecting a paintball gun is what you are more comfortable with.
When shopping for a paintball gun do not go to a place where your selection is limited.
If you go to a Big 5 Sporting good store, or a Sports authority the problem with them is they have a very soft selection of markers and styles. Most of the time they purchase their markers in bulk and will have inferior paintball guns. Another reason not to buy from these places is that the employees are less likely to be a real specialist on paintball. This means you are getting suggestions from a representative that gets paid to only push product and will not have your best interests in mind. If this is your first time playing paintball and you buy a horrible paintball gun there is a good chance you will not play paintball again so if you are looking to save money the first time around I would borrow one or rent one and save the disappointment of a brutally bad paintball marker.
The best way to purchase a paintball marker is go to a paintball store and ask to hold, handle, and even fire a few markers to get a feel of what you feel comfortable with. DO NOT BE SHY! You will find most paintball dealers are more than happy to help you in anyway you can since it is such a niche market business. Plus their knowledge base will be much more extensive than your average sporting good store. Another bonus is that most paintball supply stores will have packages to cover all of your needs in one fair low price, sometimes you can get extra air tanks, a face mask, paint balls, and other goodies as an all in one pack.
Once you have selected your marker make sure you pick up the essentials out the door such as Air Tanks for your marker, Paintballs (Duh!), sqeagee for ball breaks, relod canisters, and a few O-ring replacement. This list does not include your protection gear so keep that in mind as well.
We hope this helps and make sure you lock and load, good hunting, and for god’s sake have a great time!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.