Paintball Buyers Guide: Paintball Guns

Not all paintball guns are created equal! Much like cars, that all go when the gas pedal is pushed, all paintball guns are designed to make a paintball go over there towards the bad guys and, at least for that game, make them go away so the player pulling the trigger can win! When it comes time for a player to get serious about the game of paintball and lay their hard-earned money down for a paintball gun, the choices can be intimidating and even overwhelming! The styles, the colors, the features, the terminology, oh my! But worry not- a few simple decisions can substantially narrow the field so a paintball player can make the right choice in their paintball gun purchase and get back to the business of having fun on the paintball field!

The first question anyone ready to purchase a paintball gun needs to ask it what KIND of paintball they plan to play – not just the type of paintball they play currently, but the kind of paintball they are interested in playing in the future! While a player might currently battle it out with their friends at the local field on the occasional weekend now, and a new Valken Blackhawk paintball gun might be perfect for that type of paintball, should that player decide in the future to try tournament style speedball, an Eclipse Etha2 or a Shocker AMP might be a better choice. Or, conversely, should that player wish to try loading up to head into the world of mag-fed tactical paintball where a Valken M17, Eclipse EMF100 or First Strike T15 would be ideal options, the choice they make for a paintball gun for the game they’re playing right this second might not be suitable! It isn’t just what a player is doing in paintball right now, it’s what they might try or grow into in the future that should be considered when buying a paintball gun!

Once a player figures out the type of paintball they’re most interested, a decision that will help steer them to the proper style of paintball gun, it’s time to consider a list of features offered by a particular paintball gun a player considers most important as this will substantially narrow the field. For example, should a player desire a magazine-fed paintball gun for tactical paintball that can shoot fully automatic in addition to semi-auto, a Valken M17 or modified First Strike T15 are excellent choices as other options may not offer this firing mode! Likewise, some players may wish to play mag-fed tactical paintball, but desire the option to add a hopper to their paintball gun should they visit a big game and want to carry more paintballs, and they should select a paintball gun that offers this capability.

In the world of tournament paintball, players are able to enter events that allow electronic paintball guns with programmable firing modes and rates of fire, or events that only allow mechanical paintball guns with no batteries. A player that can only afford one paintball gun may wish to select a Shocker AMP or Eclipse GTek170R as these paintball guns can be converted from electronic to mechanical and back again with the purchase of grip frame kits, making them extremely versatile! Other features a player might consider important are adjustable triggers, adjustable clamping feed necks, low pressure operation, air efficiency per tank fill and size and weight. A small, fast player may not wish to choose a big, heavy paintball gun that requires a large air tank, whereas a tournament player who plays in the back should select an efficient paintball gun so they can shoot plenty of paintballs to dominate the opposition!

Paintball players on tighter budgets need paintball guns that can do it all, and believe it or not, paintball guns like this really do exist! Players looking to keep their paintball gun expenditure to a minimum but still enjoy the game might consider paintball guns like the Planet Eclipse EMek or GOG eNMEy, as these paintball guns shoot great right out of the box but are available at an impressive price, and can later be upgraded and modified to punch way above their weight!

Choosing the right paintball gun is as much an understanding of the style and type of paintball a player enjoys, or might wish to try in the future, as it is about staring up at a fancy, shiny paintball gun hanging on the pro-shop wall and falling in love! Selecting a paintball gun that checks off the proper boxes will allow a player to grow into their game and improve as a player, allowing them to enjoy the game more than ever!