When selecting paintball guns, you may want to take into consideration stock class.  As someone that is looking for a new gun, the gun that you choose depends on the type of game that you are playing.  If you plan to play stock class, then knowing what you are getting into beforehand is essential to selecting the right gun for your playing power.  So, why bother with stock class?

Stock class offers rules and regulations for the game of paintball.  The goal here is to keep the game at its original level well before there was a need for electronic paintball guns.  Instead of high firing rates and overshooting until you finally hit your target, the paintball guns of yesteryear required much more skill.  Skill rather than power is important to many enthusiasts in the game.  Some people feel this way as it is the game they grew up playing or that they simply want to truly challenge themselves rather than just playing with powerful tools.

Stock Class Rules

If you plan to play stock class, you need to know the rules of the games as they pertain to your actual gun. Here are some of them.

• Your paintball gun must have a horizontal paintball feed.  This means that you must tilt the gun forward and backward to feed the next paintball to be fired. 
• No semi automatic paintball guns can be used.  This means that you need to pump or cock your paintball gun before each of your shots can be fired.
• Your paintball gun must be powered by just one 12 gram powerlet.  This means that you are limited to just 15 to 30 shots.  You will get more depending on the efficiency of the gun you select.
• Your paintball gun can only hold 20 paintballs in it. 
• Porting your gun’s barrel is not allowed.
• You can not have an auto trigger paintball gun.
• Your gun can not allow for paintballs to be stacked over the bolt within your gun’s feed tube either.

There are not many locations that you will find to play paintball that make it a requirement for doing so to use these regulations.  Yet, there are modified stock class rules that may be adhered to depending on where you go to play.  If you are truly into paintball, try to play the game without all the firepower you may get from your current gun.  You may be shocked at just how much more difficult the process actually is.

You have the need for a paintball gun.  It may have happened when you just started playing the game.  You may need to replace the current gun that you have.  Or, you may just be interested in purchasing a new gun to give to your son or daughter as a gift.  The question is, how do you buy a paintball gun?  There are several key things to take into consideration, but most importantly you need to know where to get your information.  As with anything else, manufacturers can be misleading and can lead you down the wrong road.

One of the best things that you can do to help you to select the right paintball gun is to use various reviews that you will find offered throughout the web.  Yes, reviews.  Both organizations like Consumer Reports and individuals often offer their opinions of the product that is being sold.  From a professional standpoint, you can count on information that is accurate and detailed.  From the individual’s perspective, the goal will be to determine what the gun felt like in a game, when the time for decisions was being made.  Although most people do not realize the importance of having this information, anyone that has purchased something that is not high in quality and use although it seemed like it knows the importance.

Using reviews to help you to make a decision on paintball guns should take you only a few minutes.  Browse the web to find the right paintball guns for your needs.  Which ones really interest you?  Which paintball guns actually offer you a gun that is in your price range?  While you are sure to have seen the latest ads or the marketing for one gun or another, the only real benefit that gun has to you is when you turn it on while playing.  Once you find a few guns that seem to fit the needs you have, look at the reviews for them.

You will want to concentrate on several key things. 

• What does the paintball gun offer?
• What quality of a product is it?
• How does this paintball gun compare to others in the market?
• Why should you consider this gun over others?
• How does the gun work in play?

Understanding these things can help you to make the right decision about your paintball gun purchase.  Getting a first hand opinion about the product makes all the difference.

If it is time for you to decide on a new paintball gun, you may be able to sell your current gun to someone else.  If you are looking to do this, there are some key pieces of information you need.  The good news is that there is a definite market for new and experience players that are looking to purchase a better gun or a starter gun for their paintball experience.  Since new paintball guns are rather expensive, especially when they are fully loaded, it is a good idea to consider selling yours to get the new one.

The Price Tag

The first thing that you are likely to realize is that the amount that you can sell your paintball gun for is likely to be considerably less than what you paid for it.  This is common with merchandise likely your paintball gun.  The fact is that once it is in someone else’s hands, the cost of the gun drops considerably.  Your going rate for your paintball gun may be as low as 50% of what you paid for it.  Yet, this is better than having nothing to count for your gun’s sale.  Hopefully, you have kept it in good condition and clean and that can help to better your bottom line.

Selling It

So, you have some idea of how much your gun is worth, now how in the world will you sell it.  While selling to friends or family is an option, you may actually get more for your gun if you sell it any place but.  You can try your local paintball shop, but you may also find that these retailers are not going to offer you less than the best price you can hope for.  They do have to turn around and sell the unit so they too need to find a bit of a profit there.  You can also try to visit your local paintball shop field.  Some help paintball players find new and used paintball guns.  Or, just talk to some of those playing there, with probably less of a quality gun than yours to see if you can sell it.

In addition, you can try to sell your paintball gun online.  There is a definite market here whether you visit online auction sites, paintball websites, or paintball forums.  Whatever you do, make sure you know what the fair price for your gun is and don’t expect to make a killing off of it.  Even the newest products are old guns in a year.

When purchasing a paintball gun, it is important to take into consideration the way in which they fire.  Obviously, this will determine not only how you will use the paintball gun but also the efficiency and the accuracy of the paintball gun itself.  With some different choices, you are sure to find the success you need.  Take a few minutes to select the right firing action and your game will improve.

Pumping Action Paintball Guns

One choice you have is the pumping action paintball gun.  This gun is one of the earlier models.  Like any other type of pump action gun, these will need to have the bolt pulled back manually.  Then, you will need to inversely push the paintball gun forward to let a paintball out.  When you do this, the paintball itself will fall in front of the actually bolt then when pushed forward enters the firing position.  You are likely to have fewer fires than with a semi automatic paintball gun, but it will help you to improve your accuracy and skill level if you select this paintball gun instead of the other.  In fact, some enthusiasts will use this type of gun to help them gain some skill rather than just having good firepower.

Semi Automatic Paintball Guns

Your next choice is the semi automatic gun.  There are many of these and most of them offer their own unique method of bolt moves.  The bottom line here is that the paintball gun will load a paintball into the chamber each time that you pull the trigger, allowing you to get automatic benefits from it.  This means you do not have to actually pump the trigger but rather just allow the gun to handle the hard work.  With this gun, you are going to see more fire power and increased accuracy because of it.

Fully Automatic Paintball Guns

Yet another choice is that of a fully automatic paintball gun.  This gun will automatically fire paintball after paintball until you say stop.  As long as you hold the trigger down, it will release paintball after paintball here.  Of course, this does increase accuracy and firepower as there is no delay from one paintball to the next.

Selecting the right method of firing for your paintball gun is a crucial step.  As with anyone that is looking for a method of purchasing the right paintball, it is crucial that you insure that the paintball gun is the right level of skill for you.  Of course, increasing the method of firing also increases the cost of the gun.  Yet, power is not always everything when it comes to paintball guns.

While some think there is no rhyme or reason to paintball, there actually is quite a bit of strategy in the game.  After all, you do need to go from point A to point B without being hit with a paintball.  Yet, did you know that there are some very key players in the game that are now using specific positioning and strategizing their way to the top?  There are and to make the game even more fun, there are certain physical types as well as certain mentalities that each of these positional players should have in order to win the game.  Of course, each person playing, in various positions, does have an integral part of winning the game in their hands.

There are three very key positions in the sport of paintball that you should be aware of.  Again, each player is key in the game but there are some players that perhaps get a greater amount of fun out of it.  The front player, the middle player and the back player are the three positions to take into consideration here.

The Front Player:  He needs to be smart, agile, fast and trusting.  Because he is on his own for the most part, this guy needs to be quick and he needs to be able to move through the territory easily through the break or through a rapid jumps.  As the front player, you are likely to be the guy that gets hit first, but if you get hit so that the other teammates can advance, then it is well worth it. 

The Middle Player:  The middle player needs to be able to assess the situation in a game and take charge of it.  He needs to be able to see what is happening in the game.  For example if the front player is eliminated, then he may need to step in.  Or, he may need to guard a bunker.  He needs to be fit and capable of handling some of the most difficult of assignments.

The Back Player:  With his strong voice, the back player is the guy for communication.  Even though he is slower, he is integral in the game.  But, he does need to be a quick shooter even if he’s not fast otherwise.  Carrying the most paint and being the most solid of the players, he needs to make the game happen.

Paintball is an art.  Each one of these players needs to have a good quality paintball gun in his hand with the skills that his position requires. 

Paintball is a growing sport.  Yes, it is a sport as there are plenty of people that are physically active in it.  It takes a lot of effort to shoot your paintball gun, to duck and cover and to effectively hit your target.  In fact, with the tourneys that are being played around the world, paintball is likely to become a sport that more and more people look favorably at.  Why is this?  What is so grand about it?  And, why do so many parents still worry about it?

What Is It?

Paintball is a sport in which two teams (or two players) will strategically plan to achieve success.  The goal is to capture the flag of the other teams and bring it back home safely in the process.  The problem is that getting struck with a paintball will cause you not only some comfort but also being kicked out of the game.  The courses are set up to enhance play and to challenge just about anyone that is looking for a challenge.  The game can last a few minutes or much longer, depending on skill and experience.

Why Is It So Popular?

To put it bluntly, who wouldn’t want to run around a pretty cool looking course with a gun in hand, shoot others, dive for cover, and have paint splattered all over them all in the name of fun?  Really, the sport is like any other.  It takes skill, concentration, strategy and physical fitness to achieve success.  These things all play a pivotal role in what makes any sport successful.  You need to have people that are being challenged and pushed to the next and higher level of play.  Paintball allows just that.  In fact, today, more and more people are looking for higher technology, more power and even more accuracy in their paintball guns.

Why do parents dislike the game so much?  It could be that the game is just something of their worst fear: watching their child get struck by something hard, possibly in the chest or head and the thought of their child using a gun. The good news is that when played correctly, paintball is completely safe and even if parents don’t like it, they will soon see it is no different than heading outside with a football.  The fun part of it all is that paintball just keeps getting better as technology improves.  For that, we can all be happy.

You are in the market to purchase a new paintball gun.  What should you look for?  The construction of your paintball gun is the focal point.  Your goal is to determine what aspects make up the perfect paintball gun.  One aspect to take into consideration is the paintball gun barrel.  As part of your search for the perfect paint ball gun, consider these aspects about the barrel.

The Length

One of the first things you will consider is the right length for your paintball gun.  You can select from sizes ranging from 12 inches, 14 inches, 16 inches, 18 inches or 20 inches.  You can have them custom made, if you are really looking for something specific.  When you do this, you can have them as long as 48 inches.  Most paintball enthusiasts will tell you that beyond 11 inches, you do not get a better efficiency from the barrel to warrant the larger size.  Some feel the additional size adds to the sighting on the barrel.  In addition, longer barrels are less noisy but longer than 16 inches offers no additional benefit here either.  If you have a longer barrel, you will need more propellant.

Porting

You are likely to see manufacturers claiming about porting.  Some claim that you will have less turbulence as well as increased accuracy with porting.  Unfortunately, there does not seem to be much truth to these claims.  In addition, the more porting that you have, the less efficient your paintball gun’s gas will be as your propellant is easily escaping. 

Bore

Another aspect to take into consideration is the bore.  This is the interior diameter of the barrel of your paintball gun.  If you have a barrel that has two to three pieces, you will find that the barrel bore is more matched to the paintball diameter.  When this is the case, the paintball will not roll out of the barrel if you have a larger barrel.  This is important if you have an auto-cocker as well.

Threading

Finally, you need to take into consideration the threading of the paintball gun.  You need to insure that the barrel threading matches the paintball gun specifically.  Some of the common types of threads include autocockers, angels, shockers, sphyder, Tippmann, and Inpulse or Ion.

Selecting the right paintball gun barrel will help you to get the overall best performance from your gun.  Planning to purchase the highest quality is a good way to go, but remember that bigger is not always the better choice no matter how impressive it looks.

Selecting the right paintball gun is a very serious bit of business.  You need to have the right equipment when you head out onto the field and you absolutely need to know that what you need is what you are getting.  When it comes to paintball guns, one thing that you need to take into consideration is your gun’s tank.  The tank is the area of the gun that holds the compressed air that will eventually propel your paintball to your target.  Therefore it is an essential element in the decision of which paintball gun to purchase.

Most tanks are filled with liquid CO2.  They can also have compressed air in them.  HPA is a term you may here.  It stands for High Pressure Air or you may know it as nitro, as nitrogen is one of the main gases in air.  The most standardized paintball guns will come with HPA or nitro tanks.  Unless you are an occasional player with limited resources, you are probably going to want to use these choices. 

How The CO2 Works

You may consider the CO2 tank for your paintball gun.  If so, your tank will hold the CO2 in the form of a liquid.  When this liquid is released to be used, it needs to move from a liquid into a gas before it will actually be able to be used.  The problem with this process, which you may experience with your CO2 paintball gun, is that the process can lead to velocity that is inconsistent, making your game harder to play.  You may also find that freezing is happening as well, especially in the tourneys that you will play in winter or colder months.  When the weather is cold, your paintball gun will have problems turning the liquid to a gas simply because it takes longer to do.  Finally, if you do decide to go with this tank, realize that they are measured based on the amount of liquid that they can hold in ounces.

HPA Tanks

ON the other hand, you have HPA tanks.  These tanks offer more controlled pressure, which helps to stabilize just about all aspects of the game.  The pressure is released as needed.  This allows your gun to have consistent velocity and therefore fewer problems.  They are measured in PSI’s and IN3.  Although these are more expensive, they give better playing results by far for their consistency.

The tank of your paintball gun is just one of the many features that you need to take into consideration when it comes to purchasing these guns, but it as important as all others as well.

One of the components of a paintball gun is the hopper.  The hopper is the location where your paintballs will be held until you decide to shoot them.  Why bother talking about this subject?  It is rather easy to see that different variations will provide different results.  When it comes to choosing the right paintball gun for your needs, you will need to take into consideration the hopper’s ability to meet those needs.

There are several different variations of paintball gun hoppers.  Most of the time, you will have a gun that is feed based on agitating, force feed or those that work with gravity.  These methods are all unique.  If you have an agitating or a force feed hopper, you may find that your gun doesn’t give you the security you need.  These often fail in the worst of times.  Most of the time, this is caused by your paintball gun’s battery getting wet, which stops everything in its tracks.  Yet, the good thing about these types of hoppers is that they offer the highest rate of fire possible, perhaps making up for their failings here.

Other hopper choices are out there.  The Tippman A-5, for example, has a cyclone feed.  This hopper does not use batteries.  Instead, it is equipped with a CO2 tank (or nitrogen.)  They work by the feeder rotating internally.  This then loads the paintball into the breech.  It happens just as the bolt clears.  This makes it quite efficient of a choice in hoppers. 

As for gravity style hoppers, you have the most basic of abilities here. These work by having a 90 degree angle designed into them so that the feed flows perpendicular to the actually paintball gun.  This does not offer the same amount of shots per second, some in some cases it may not be worth the cost.  Yet, as it does not use batteries to power it, it is less likely to fail you when you do not want it to.

Choosing the right hopper for your paintball gun is important.  The problem is that with the better technology also comes increased price, of course.  Yet, you can find ideal paintball guns that work fairly well for a decent price if you take the time to compare models significantly.  You are likely to find the most significant hopper choices offered on the web or in your local specialty shop.

If you are just getting started with paintball guns, it is a bit interesting to learn how they work as well as what they are.  You may be planning on spending some of your time on the field playing the game that you love, but this information can help you to make the right decision when you decide to purchase your own gun.  A paintball gun is, as you may know, the tool that you will use to mark your fellow player in a game of paintball.  A paintball will come flying out of the chamber when you trigger it to.  Most paintball guns work similar to a standard gun, but the details are much different.

Here are some bits of important information you should know about the paintball gun.

• Paintball guns use rapidly expanding gas.  Usually it is CO2 or air.  This gas will push the paintball out of the barrel.
• Most paintball guns range in velocity but the most common are those that have a muzzle velocity of about 300 feet per second. 
• This amount of force is enough to break open the paintball when it hits its target.  Yet, it is not hard enough to break the skin, rather only sufficient at doing some mild bruising at most. 
• If you plan to play on a standard, commercial field, you will probably be restricted to a paintball gun that is at most the 300 feet per second type. 
• One of the most significant and painful injuries that a paintball gun can cause is eye injury.  Therefore, when playing you should always have on protective gear.  The fact is that there are plenty of players that didn’t and now have blindness in that eye.  Most paintball fields require it.

The paintball gun is a weapon in the sport of paintball.  It is your tool to help you to win the game.  Yet, misusing your paintball gun can cause a great deal of damage not only to you but to those around you as well.  Therefore, most commercial locations do have limits on the type of gun that you can use as well as the safety equipment that you must wear.  If you are considering the purchase of a paintball gun, then, make sure to take into considerations these restrictions so that your purchase is worthwhile.