About.com Paintball

Is It Slow Enough?

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:59:55 +0000

Backyard woodsball can be lots of fun with a chance to play a variety of different games, play as much� or as little as you want and no requirement to pay field fees.� There are some drawbacks with generally no designated referee, on-site air or well-developed bunkers.� Also, there can be a big problem with people not chronoing their guns.

When I play woodsball on an outlaw or backayard field I always take a pocket chronograph to make sure the guns are all shooting at a safe speed - usually around 280 feet per second.� While this works fine the vast majority of the time, there are occasions where people switch to an unchronoed gun or even intentionally increase their velocity as soon as their away from the chronograph.� Sure, shooting at 350 fps increases your range and almost eliminates bouncing balls, but it can really hurt and a new player who gets hit by a hot gun might never come again.

There's a reason that paintball manufacturers always say to shoot less than 300 fps - any faster and a shot that otherwise might leave a small bruise can leave a painful welt that might take weeks to heal.� I still have three paintball-shaped scars on my back from getting hit by someone shooting hot and if I didn't already love the sport I probably never would have played again.

If you're out playing with friends, make sure you're shooting slow enough.� If in doubt, shoot even slower.� It's always better to have a few bounces than to shoot too fast.

Is It Slow Enough? originally appeared on About.com Paintball on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 18:59:55.

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Luck Wins Out

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:16:54 +0000

Excelling at paintball takes a combination of practice, skill, talent and luck.� Not everybody has time to practice to develop the requisite skill and even fewer have the innate talent to really be the best.� But for one game, everybody, from the professional paintballer to the first-day novice, can have the luck they need to win.

My favorite example of luck is the run-through.� When you're down numbers and you are out of options, just run and see what happens.� I've played games of base capture where I was all that was left on my team and so I ran.� The typical result is that I end up getting hit in record time and the game is over (as you would expect), but there have been games where luck was with me.� I remember one time where I was down four players to one and I was not in a good position to run for the flag.� The opposing team, though, was more interested in shooting me than moving in on my flag so I had a second to roll the dice with lady luck.� I internally counted to three and started firing like mad from around a bunker and I got the other team to duck their heads for just a second. I dropped my gun and took off running through the trees in an indirect path to the flag.� I could hear paintballs whizzing past me, hitting trees and one bounced off of my leg as I grabbed the flag.� In my few seconds of running there were probably close to a hundred shots fired at me by four different players, but somehow, luck lead me to victory.

Luck, though, is a very fickle mistress.� For all of the stories I have where I was down big and somehow won, I have many, many more about what usually happens - I start to run and within two seconds I've been hit half a dozen times from multiple directions.� Those times where I defied the odds, though, keep me asking for luck to lend me a hand.

Luck Wins Out originally appeared on About.com Paintball on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 09:16:54.

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Where Can Paintball Manufacturers Improve?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:28:28 +0000

Paintball manufacturing is a cutthroat business as evidenced by the many manufacturers that have come and gone over the years.� In the never-ending fight for consumer's dollars, manufacturers are always searching to do something a little better or a little different than their competitors.� The problem that I see, though, is that all of the manufacturers have lately seemed to be doing about the same thing.� What really differentiates Planet Eclipse from APS?� Both have a new high-end gun out about every year and are available at the same stores.� How about Tippmann from Kingman?� Both can be purchased at Wal-Mart and both just released a new line of paintball pistols.� Then Kee, which now seemingly owns one out of two paintball brands, really is just one company with different faces.

The problem with each of these companies is that they don't distinguish themselves in any meaningful way.� Sure, you can prefer an individual brand or gun, but that usually just boils down to gut preference; nothing seems to really differentiate comparably priced paintball guns.

My question, then, is what would make you choose one manufacturer over another?� Do you care if the gun is made locally as opposed to being produced abroad?� Do you want top-of-the-line customer service?� Do you want a network of local, certified airsmiths?� Do you want a butt-to-barrel warranty?� Do you simply want a manufacturer to produce something that's different while still being fun to play with?� Or, are you just so in love with a certain brand that nothing anybody else can do will ever make you switch?

There are manufacturers who read this blog, so now's your time to tell them what they can do to get your money.

Where Can Paintball Manufacturers Improve? originally appeared on About.com Paintball on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 22:28:28.

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The People I Admire Least

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:05:16 +0000

Paintball news can be pretty frustrating.� Rather than focus on the pros of the sport, most media coverage is still based on the negative - primarily acts of vandalism and mischief.� Whenever I go to a news reader and search for paintball the primary stories are not about the results of tournaments, the camaraderie of teams or individual experiences playing the game, it's about stupid people messing around and causing problems.� I'd count how many negative stories come for every positive one, but I'm sure I'd get depressed doing the math.

Paintball is a very constructive activity and the world should know about it.� For some reason though, too many boneheads drop all common sense whenever they pick up a paintball gun.� It's frustrating and it's not helping the sport grow.� Unfortunately, when all somebody knows about paintball is that they got shot in their car while driving home they often don't have any desire to try the game or learn more about it.� I can't say that I blame them.

The People I Admire Least originally appeared on About.com Paintball on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 18:05:16.

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Another Manufacturer Signs on to .50 Caliber

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:38:00 +0000

Whether .50 caliber paintballs and paintball gear will catch on remains to be seen, but another manufacturer has bought into the idea.� Kingman has announced the Spyder .50 line of equipment.� It appears that they're planning on releasing similar guns to what they already have, just in the .50 caliber format.

I'm still undecided whether I think the .50 caliber format is a good idea for paintball or if its just an attempt by manufacturers to get existing players to spend more money on new equipment.� Either way, I'm very interested to see which other companies announce new .50 caliber gear and how much support is given to the smaller format.

Another Manufacturer Signs on to .50 Caliber originally appeared on About.com Paintball on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 17:38:00.

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The Whiteboard - A Paintball Comic Strip

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:50:13 +0000

I spent last night reading through old comic strips of The Whiteboard written by Doc Nickel (It received its name since it was originally drawn on a whiteboard and then photographed before turning into a traditional, paneled comic.).� As far as I know its the longest-running paintball comic strip (or webcomic).� While it's based on the life of paintball store owner (who happens to be a polar bear), almost anybody who has ever worked on a paintball gun can relate to some of the comics.� While not every comic is paintball-related, some very accurately describe what anybody who has ever hosted a paintball event already knows.

If you've never read The Whiteboard, check it out.� If you've ever worked at a field, spent time at a store or run a small business, you'll probably catch yourself relating all too well.

The Whiteboard - A Paintball Comic Strip originally appeared on About.com Paintball on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 20:50:13.

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Off-Label Use

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:29:22 +0000

Paintball equipment is designed for the sport of paintball, but that doesn't mean that it can't be used for other, useful, things, too. Check out some of the unique ways paintball equipment can be used and feel free to add any more that you know of in the comments.� Keep in mind, this is a list of legitimate, useful things - nothing illegal, cruel or overly-childish.

Off-Label Use originally appeared on About.com Paintball on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 17:29:22.

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Tippmann Goes Electro

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:22:47 +0000

Tippmann, long known for its durable, mechanical, blowback guns such as the 98, A5 and X7, has entered the electropneumatic arena with today's introduction of the X7 Phenom.� Tippmann claims that the spool-valve Phenom will get 1,400 shots on a 68/45 tank and will run on compressed air or CO2 with basically no recoil.� Since the gun is based on the existing X7 body, existing upgrades (including the flatline barrel) will work on the new Phenom.� I'm very interested to see if Tippmann's claim of the durability and reliability of a Tippmann coupled with the speed and efficiency of an electropneumatic will win over customers.� If nothing else, it's definitely a change of image for paintball's woodsball leader.

Tippmann Goes Electro originally appeared on About.com Paintball on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 15:22:47.

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.50 Caliber Paintballs?

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:48:08 +0000

I've been following the recent attempt by G.I. Milsim to start the next great change in paintball gear with the introduction of .50 caliber paintballs and paintball guns.� G.I. Milsim is a joint venture between Richmond Italia (inventor of XBall and former owner of Procaps) and the Gardner brothers (owners of Smart Parts), so they definitely have some clout in the industry.� An article at CatShackReports.com reports that the new .50 caliber paintball guns are more accurate and efficient than traditional .68 caliber guns, plus the paint costs less and it hurts less to get hit.

I haven't yet had the opportunity to try out one of these new, smaller guns, but I hope to in the near future.� What do you think about this new gun size?� Are you willing to purchase new equipment to save money on air and paint in the long run?� Do you think .50 caliber will even catch on or will it be a passing fad?

Whether .50 caliber paintballs catch on or not, it will be interesting to see how the industry reacts to such a radical change.

.50 Caliber Paintballs? originally appeared on About.com Paintball on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 16:48:08.

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Paintball Pistols

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:25:06 +0000

Paintball pistols have become increasingly more popular in recent years.� Some people use them as simple sidearms or backup guns while others use them as their primary gun.� Additionally, they can be used as training devices for law enforcement officers.

With Tippmann's and Kingman's recent entry into the paintball pistol arena, it will be very interesting to see if pistols become a paintball mainstay or a passing interest of the manufacturers.� It will also be interesting if this really does signal the start of the switch from the standard .68 caliber paintball to a smaller size.

If you've never played with a paintball pistol or even didn't know they existed, it's time to see what you've been missing.

Paintball Pistols originally appeared on About.com Paintball on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at 10:25:06.

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