Before Your Buy
BARRELS
A critical part of your paintball marker is the barrel. There are a various reason to upgrade you barrel, such as accuracy, playing field, type of paint use to name a few. A primary consideration when looking to upgrade your gun barrel is construction materiel. Paintball gun barrels can be made from carbon fiber, aluminum, copper, brass, steel each one having its own weight to consider but also length and friction.
Friction: anything that impedes the progress of a paintball through your barrel will impact your accuracy distance. Moreover is your barrel is producing excessive amounts of friction/stress on the paintball you will also be at greater risk of having the paintball break in your barrel.
One paintball gun that uses friction in its overall design concept is the Tippmann Flatline. The Tippmann designers purposely build this marker so the barrel friction would create paintball spin to improve overall aerodynamics.
Length: It is a misconception that bigger is better (ok you can stop giggling now). The reality is that the length of your barrel has very little bearing on the distance your paintball will travel. Where length becomes an issue however is in accuracy. A longer barrel will improve your gun's overall long-distance accuracy.
Keep in mind'
- Weight
- Friction
- Length
- Type of paintball you are playing
Goggles
When considering what paintball equipment to purchase, next to your marker (gun) a paintball mask needs to be next. Paintball masks are design to protect you, your face, eyes and ears from flying paintballs. You CAN NOT substitute safety glasses, ski goggles, shooting glasses or any other type of eye gear. These masked are specially design and build for paintball and take into account safety, field of view and comfort.
What you should look for:
- Thermal lenses: this will ensure that your mask does not fog during the game
- Visor: will help shade your eyes from the sun when playing on outside fields and will help cut down on the glare from inside lights
- Ear protection: Getting hit in the ear is a special kind of pain, make sure you get a mask with that covers your ears but still allows you to hear clearly
- Venting: masks should have vent slots of holes to help dissipate the heat from your breath and sweat
- Fit: the mask should fit snug to your face and be able to be tightened surely to your head. The last thing you want is a mask that bounces around while you are running.
There are a variety of masks and price ranges on the market. Don't just buy the first cheap one you find. Keep in mind that the mask is going to protect your entire face(eyes, ears, nose and mouth) while you a playing paintball.
Gun Upgrades
There are a variety of accessories and add-ons you can purchase for your paintball gun, designed to improve your overall game play. An expansion chamber, spring kit, bottom line, barrel, drop forward, hopper and grips are all paintball equipment that can be modified for an improved gun.
Some paintball equipment must be upgraded to improve consistency.
If you are using a Co2 tank you may experience some problems with rapid fire. Since conversion of liquid Co2 to gaseous Co2 leaves your gun much colder, it slows down firing. Purchasing Co2 tank paintball accessories, like an expansion chamber, will increase the amount of space the liquid Co2 has to expand in, therefore increasing consistency during rapid fire.
Spring tensions also determine the speed your paintballs will be shot. Stronger springs mean faster paintballs. Paintball accessories, such as spring kits, allow you to exchange springs for more precise adjustments and high speed firing.
One of the most important parts of paintball equipment is the paintball barrel. Most beginner or low end guns come with proper barrels, but some are prone to break the actual paintballs. If you are having some trouble with broken paintballs, then a larger barrel should be considered as one of your paintball accessories. This piece of paintball equipment is beneficial to have, especially if the barrel has more porting.
Also, other paintball equipment, like agitated hoppers, which prevent slow firing and moves the paintballs at a steady feed over the feedhole, are beneficial to your gun.
Bottom lines, also important paintball accessories, allow you to screw your Co2 tank into an adapter at the rear of the gun, below the grip, and helps balance the gun.
Grips are also important paintball accessories because most low end guns wear over time and become uncomfortable to shoot. Grips cover your paintball gun handle and should be bought based on comfort, not just style.
When looking to modify your gun it is important to buy the right paintball accessories. Each piece of paintball equipment works differently for every gun. You should do research and read player reviews before making your purchase.
