Paintball guns

[Ziero]

How hard is it to keep a bearing of your surroundings and where people are? Like is it difficult to know when someone's to the left of you or something like that, how are your experiences with that?

I haven't played in a long ass time, but I do remember how often the "5' surrender" rule came into effect. Basically if you got within 5' feet of someone they had to surrender and you couldn't shoot each other. In otherwords, it can be very easy to sneak up on someone or get the jump on them from flanking around. But then again, it can depend greatly in the area you play in and the people you're playing with.

Also, I'm going to echo the 98 custom, it's a simple yet very effective little marker, very durable and very reliable. It's also easy to upgrade with things like barrel extensions (like the Flatline system) and improved internals and gas systems. When all my friends and I were big into paintballing, we all ended up buying our own guns, and of the group of us (about 8-10 guys) who got our own stuff, only the ones who bought Tippman guns never had a problem. Others would have jams and breakages regularly, some of the ones who bought full auto ones would have electronics troubles from loose wires or rapid battery drains, but the Tippmans would go through hell and back and work fine with almost no maintenance required.

And as Pandagod suggests, the Mask is *just* as important a piece of gear as the gun itself. You want one that's comfortable, sits tight, doesn't fog up and can have the lens easily removed and cleaned. Getting shot in the face hurts like a bitch so you'll wanna keep that damn thing on any time there are loaded markers without plugs in em being waved around. So you'll want to make sure it's as comfortable as can be without screwing up your vision.

Finally, just a personal bit of info. Try and keep your mouth closed when you're getting shot at. If you take a round to the face while shouting or something, you're gonna get a mouth full of paint...and that stuff tastes nasty. You won't feel anything if you have your mask on, but the paint will just go right through whatever vents you have on the thing and you'll be spitting that stuff out the rest of the day.

[Ragnell]

I do not agree with the tasting bad part, when I last when paintballing one of the ref literally pop em in his mouth like m&ms, shits crazy, I think it depends on the paintballs for taste though

[OWS_Tonx]

Paint is oil based thats fucking disgusting

[Ziero]

I do not agree with the tasting bad part, when I last when paintballing one of the ref literally pop em in his mouth like m&ms, shits crazy, I think it depends on the paintballs for taste though

Maybe to show they were non-toxic, but I don't think he was doing it because he liked the taste. They're more or less harmless to ingest....but they still taste like paint.

[Zeb]

Paint is oil based thats fucking disgusting

More specifically, I think it's fish oil.

[Anton]

Pretty much conclusive already, but the 98 custom is the best budget gun out there. Accurate (especially with the Flatline longbarrel - Shit, I've seen people snipe with 98 flatlines with varying amounts of success). Reliable (98's don't chop paint. Ever.)

The only downside is you need arms like a gorilla to run and gun. The 98 is freakin heavy.

[Chun Liroy]

My room mate was showing me things online. Would it be worth it to get a belt holster for the tank and have the extender coil/pipe/whatever run to it or does it not work as great? As far as accessories, I assume mask, hopper belt, tank paintballs, anything else that's worthwhile to get?

[OWS_Tonx]

ya I keep my tank on the side with a coil running to the marker. You can trick the gun out pretty good too if you get into it. I don't know how large the field your playing in is, but a longer barrel never hurt. I had a 16" rifled on mine and loved it, shots were dead on for the most part.

[Ragnus]

Pretty much conclusive already, but the 98 custom is the best budget gun out there. Accurate (especially with the Flatline longbarrel - Shit, I've seen people snipe with 98 flatlines with varying amounts of success). Reliable (98's don't chop paint. Ever.)

I dunno about the ACT version of the 98 but dont bother with the flatline barrel if you don't have the anti-chop. If you chop a ball in the barrel then you're done for the day since it doesn't screw off like on the A5.

[Zeb]

My room mate was showing me things online. Would it be worth it to get a belt holster for the tank and have the extender coil/pipe/whatever run to it or does it not work as great? As far as accessories, I assume mask, hopper belt, tank paintballs, anything else that's worthwhile to get?

A harness that holds tubes of paint, so you can reload your hopper quickly during play. You'll want a squeegee to clean the barrel out when a ball breaks. A lot of fields require you to have a barrel cover/plug too, for when you aren't in play.

[Silviya]

I never liked to run with a belt rig. I was never a big fan of putting the tank on the belt and running the hose to the gun. I just didn't like the way it felt. I felt slower and my gun didn't seem as balanced anymore. Had a buddy who swore by it. Typically 1 hopper of ammo was enough for me (just be sure to refill it between rounds), so I didn't carry extra pods on me. Just make your shots count and you shouldn't need too much ammo for woods ball. Speedball is different; your pretty much shooting constantly to pin down the enemy. If you're gonna spend money beyond the basic gun I would look into upgrading the barrel first.

[Priran]

I haven't played in a while but...

1. I never liked the Tippmann 98, it's heavy and it doesn't fire fast enough for my liking. Although I guess a gun that shoots slowly is a plus if you're worried about the cost of paint.
2. If you're looking into playing even semi-regularly, invest in a compressed air tank over a CO2 tank. If a steel tank is too heavy, go for a carbon fiber tank instead of one of those hose deals.
3. If you're planning on using anything better than a Tippmann 98, a gravity hopper will not cut it. You will chop paint like no one's business.
4. The flatline barrel, when I tried it, had a tendency to make balls fly around mid-air like a curveball. Also, it requires a barrel velocity far exceeding anything most fields I've ever played at would allow (and refs will chronograph your gun in the middle of a game).
5. Getting shot in the hand or throat sucks extraordinarily.

My favorite starting marker ever was called the Black Dragun; it was light, easy to clean, reliable, and shot about as fast as any beginner could be expected to pull the trigger. Plus it was only like $150 iirc.

[antihero]

this thread makes me miss my angel I want another one

[OWS_Tonx]

best speedball marker I had was this ion I found for $40 in a garage sale. was pretty fucking beast, i dont even remember the model. retail value was at about $200 when I checked.

[Zeb]

Talk about barrels should clarify. You want to use paint that matches the size of the barrel you're using. Not all paint is the same diameter. And not all sizes are the same if they're different brands. It's kind of like shoes sizes from different companies. If the paint is too big for the barrel, you'll break balls, and get inconsistant speed. If it's too small, you're accuracy will be shitty. Of course, if someone has the same gun/barrel, find out what they use for paint and go with that, if they're having good luck with it. Otherwise you'll be buying paint at the field. Buy a bag at a time, if you can, until you find a good paint to match your barrel. If the field won't sell you less than a case, see if you can buy a bag off of a player. If the paint is too big for the barrel, you'll break balls, and get inconsistant speed. If it's too small, you're accuracy will be shitty. Just a FYI. I think I was using around 1000 balls every 3 hours or so. That's a combination of woodsball and field games. Some game types are made by the field to make you use a shitload of paint. Paint is by far the most expensive thing about the game.

My favorite starting marker ever was called the Black Dragun; it was light, easy to clean, reliable, and shot about as fast as any beginner could be expected to pull the trigger. Plus it was only like $150 iirc.

That's the marker I have. After doing some modifications to it, (changed the trigger, regulator, barrel, springs, tank mount) I loved it. I haven't played in years but I don't want to sell it incase I get the urge to go play. Just hate getting up at 7am on weekends. And the shit is expensive =/

[Ziero]

The only downside is you need arms like a gorilla to run and gun. The 98 is freakin heavy.

I wouldn't call it heavy, but it can wear on you after a while. A real buttstock(not the silly CO tank cap thing that comes with the gun) and shoulder strap can help ease this issue. Especially if it's a long hike to/from the actual field.

My room mate was showing me things online. Would it be worth it to get a belt holster for the tank and have the extender coil/pipe/whatever run to it or does it not work as great? As far as accessories, I assume mask, hopper belt, tank paintballs, anything else that's worthwhile to get?

I had the hose thing for a bit, but I found the gun to have better balance directly but just sticking the tank onto the gun itself. Especially if you get an extended/flatline barrel. As for gear, Masks are as mandatory as the guns itself imo, but everything else is optional. A single hopper can hold a good amount of rounds, so if matches end quick and you can resupply between them, you won't really need extra tubes of paint. However, if you're in the field you really don't wanna just run out. At the very least a single two tube pouch should be more then enough to get you through a few matches. I personally had a 4 pouch belt and found myself sharing my extra paint with teammates in the field just as much as I used for myself. And I never really worried about running out.

If you get a high speed gun though you'll also want a high speed hopper, a full auto marker has trouble with basic gravity hoppers so you'll need ones specifically made for full auto fire. Conversely, high speed hoppers aren't really needed on semi-auto guns like a stock Tippman 98.

Paint is by far the most expensive thing about the game.

I totally have to agree with this, especially if you play on "Professional" fields and have to buy their special brands of paint. Sure it's only 10 bucks to get in for the day and 5 bucks for all day air...but god damn do they rape you on the paint. It's especially bad if you play infrequently and wind up buying too much, cause then you just end up bringing the excess home and having it go bad before you get another chance to use it.

[Anton]

I wouldn't call it heavy, but it can wear on you after a while. A real buttstock(not the silly CO tank cap thing that comes with the gun) and shoulder strap can help ease this issue. Especially if it's a long hike to/from the actual field.

Well, it's not ridiculous, but it's reliable for a good reason - the innards are simple, and the gun as a whole is very solid. There's definitely lighter markers though.

If you get a high speed gun though you'll also want a high speed hopper, a full auto marker has trouble with basic gravity hoppers so you'll need ones specifically made for full auto fire. Conversely, high speed hoppers aren't really needed on semi-auto guns like a stock Tippman 98.

The best part about getting a 98 (and for god's sake splurge for the Anti-Chop Tech [ACT] version, it's like 20 extra bucks and drastically reduces misfires) is how established it is. Everyone in this thread recommended it because that's the beginner marker to get, and has been for 11 years. There are a zillion aftermarket parts you can get if you wanna get into paintball... you can rebuild everything in the gun pretty much.

For example, this is a Tippmann 98 Custom
http://www.rap4.com/os/images/Tippmann_98_Custom.jpg

And this is a Tippmann 98 Custom
http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/14...600x600Q85.jpg

Not that I'd recommend a full scope for paintball, you'd be better off with a smaller magnification or a red dot/green dot/some sort of reflex sight, but you see how. Running and gunning is the game, but I like a bit of magnification for the woodsball place I go to.

You could get a flatline barrel for better range and accuracy outdoors. The trigger grip has been milled out already to accept a response trigger or an E-grip. All models have picatinny rails already to add scopes, sights, or what have you. The front grip comes right off.

But the best cheap upgrade (besides the Flatline barrel or the response trigger) IMO is the Cyclone hopper. So piss easy to install, the only tool you need is a flathead screwdriver. It supports up to 15 rounds per second, and yet loads exactly one round (and no more than one) at a time. If you upgraded to the response trigger, or you bought a 98 without ACT, get the Cyclone - it does pretty much what ACT does, but better supports the rapid-fire capability of faster trigger setups.