Playing in the cold... A winter guide to fun.

I am busy in the spring and summer, cutting grass, farming, and driving my kids to all of their events... But, fall and winter, that is the time I can play. And my friends have similar issues. So they are only available to play in the winter/fall.

And paintball is a blast. For the past 4 years I have been playing at my field. And since I had never played at a real field before, it was trial and error. Many times error...

 

But, I have learned a ton, and I figured this would be a good place to put down some of what I have learned, which if you follow my advice you will have more time playing and less time messing with gear that is giving you fits.

 

Now, being a cheapskate, I don't like spending a bunch of money on stuff... I usually like to purchase stuff for the same price I can later sell it for. Meaning I watch ebay and craigslist for deals. And since it is hard to find air fill stations (not to mention the tanks are more expensive) I run C02 at my field. It is pretty easy to find filling stations, and low cost.

 

Now scheduling guys to play, that is the tricky part. When I first started, I got my father in law a gun (off ebay, a listing where they spelled Tippmann "Tipman" and I got a 98 custom, with 4 air tanks a couple of extra barrels, and a nice mask with a carry case for all of it for $65...) and figured if he had one, my brother and law and I would follow.

 

We did, and got my cousin to get one... Then I found a couple of friends who had guns. And then we started playing. First we had 9 guys, then 12, then 15 for a while, and now we talk to all our friends, and get them into it.

 

First game at Trails of Doom

 

And afterwords...

 

Today, we average over 25 players per event. Here is a picture of our group from Saturday, where we had 34 players.

 

First things first. Safety. Get a chronograph, and use it EVERY time you play on ALL guns. I remember the first time we played, I had never been hit by a paintball before, and I went over all the safety rules (keep your mask on at all times, don't shoot someone closer than 15 feet, wear good clothes with boots to protect your ankles, wear knee pads, gloves, and yell "Out" when hit and raise your arm as you leave the field of play.) when I was finished everyone was looking at me, so I reached down, and picked up my A-5, and my finger tapped the trigger, and POW.

 

YEEOWWW!!!

 

I shot myself right in the leg!

 

They say you never forget your first time... I know my friends won't let me forget that one!

 

They called me Barney for months and would offer me a paintball to "put in my pocket"... It was pretty funny though.

 

But, I learned something. Besides the fact that you should always use your safety on your gun, and never put your finger INSIDE the trigger guard unless you are planning on firing it.

 

I was wearing a pair of neoprene knee pads, and the paintball hit half on and half off the pad. And you know what, the neoprene is just enough of a shock absorber that I had NO welt where it hit the knee pad, and a huge half welt where it missed it.

 

That is when I wondered about how fast it was firing... I ended up after that day going to a field where I could test the speed... My A-5 was shooting 355... In fact I have chronographed a lot of Tippmanns over the years brand new, and most shoot over 300 out of the box.

 

Get a Chronograph, and set your velocity at around 260-280. That way when it spikes it will be under 300.

 

 

 

Get a good reliable marker. If you are brand new, get a 98 custom. It is super reliable, and if you get one that is regular semi auto, you can drop it in the creek and it will still work fine.

 

Plus Tippmann markers work GREAT in the cold. Get a spyder, and based on my experience, you will have problems. Typical issues with spyders are air leaks, dead batteries, and too powerful, I have had more than one time, where we couldn't turn it down under 300, with the screw all the way out...

 

What is the most important thing you use in paintball?

 

Your mask! I use a JT Flex 8 full helmet in camo (they don't make the camo anymore, but it is a great helmet. And I have a fan in it, that I have modified with dynamat to lessen the buzz...) Get a good helmet, and wear it at all times. Trust me, take off your mask for a second to wipe it is all it takes to get one in your eye.

 

I've seen it happen...

 

Not pretty, and if you didn't chronograph that gun, you could lose your eyesight forever.

 

 

But, the thing people don't realize is masks fog. Period. It doesn't matter what brand, how much you spent, how old it is (although the factory anti fog does wear off the "glass", and when new they do work better) if not used properly it will fog up.

 

I play in all weather, when playing in warm rain, fogging is just a way of life. I run a fan in my mask for these type of situations, and they really help if you can stand losing your sense of hearing as they are pretty loud. It won't get you killed, as they are only loud about 5 feet from you... So although it sounds like everyone can hear your buzzing... Unless they are right next to you, they can't.

 

I recommend if you are new, and your mask fogs up. Raise your hand and leave the game. DO NOT take your mask off on the field and try and wipe it. That is just asking for trouble.

 

Another tip that I see newbies do all the time, is to raise up your mask after a game and prop it on the top of your head.

 

This is about the worst thing you can do, as all the heat that escapes from your head is now going directly into the inside of the mask... It may not have fogged up before, but after you do this... You are really pushing the anti fog capablities of your mask. If you are going to take off your mask between games (bad idea) just remove it and carry it.

 

Now, what is the second most important thing you buy to play paintball?

 

 

PAINT. Paint is not something you can just purchase and throw in the corner of your garage. You have to treat it well in order to have good paint. I always hear guys on youtube complain about how their paint is "old" and that is why it doesn't work.

 

Sorry, being old doesn't make your paint bad... Poor storage makes your paint bad.

 

If you leave it in the box it came in, it will go bad. I NEVER buy paint without opening the case up and making sure A. there are no broken paintballs, and B. it isn't dimpled in any way. I ask a store employee for a tape gun, and after I open up the boxes and find a case with four good bags of paint, I tape all the others back up and put them back on the shelf. Don't leave a mess for someone else to clean up...

 

Dimpled paint is worthless, it is inaccurate and will ruin your fun on the field.

 

Also, wal-mart cheap paint will make your friends hate you. Ever wondered why the cheap wal-mart paint never has a broken paintball inside? Because they use a very tough shell, one that even when fired often doesn't break. You want paint to break, as eliminations depend on it. Shooting cheap paint will only bounce off your opponents. And a paintball that hits you and doesn't break will leave much more of a welt than one that breaks.

 

Now that you know what to look for lets talk about paint to bore size. This is extremely important when talking paintball accuracy. And paintballs vary, many vary box to box, but I found a very consistant paint, and I have stuck to it, which makes my paint buying experience much easier. I only use Xball scenario woodsball paint, available at Dicks for $39.99 a case (2,000). It goes on sale between Thanksgiving and Christmas for $34.99 and I usually look for a $10 off $50 purchase and buy a few cases then... Making my paint cost $65 with tax... That is around $33 a case!

 

So anyway, back to bore size. Take your barrel into the store with you... You need to take a paintball and drop it into the barrel. If it rolls right through it is too small. It should stop about halfway and you should be able to blow LIGHTLY into the barrel and the paintball should continue through. I have found that the paint I recommended above is very consistant and works in tippmanns very well. (although spiders typically have a smaller barrel and this paint breaks in those guns)

 

Many guys spend a fortune to match up their paint to their barrel buying bore kits to adjust their barrel to the paint... I find just finding an accurate paint much cheaper with the same result.

 

 

Which brings us back to paint storage... OK, how long can you save paint and it still be good. Depends on where you put it. I stored all of the paint for this video for a long time before I shot the video, some of it was a year old. Just because everyone complains about "old" paint not working. I wondered if that was the case. Well it isn't. Old paint is just like new paint if you do what I will show you.

 

First off, it has to be in a climate controlled area. I put mine in my basement woodworking shop, the constant 65 degrees is just about perfect. I also put down two towels on my table and lay the bag flat on the towels. And every few weeks I turn the bag over. This will keep the weight consistant on the paint and it will last, dimple free. I have stored paint for over a year in this way. Keep the bags sealed closed, the only time you want them getting regular air is if they are dimpled and you are trying to save them. I have heard that you can open the bag and it will collect the humidity in the air and expand a little... But, I haven't tried it.

 

 

Don't store your paint in a plastic container or pod... Put it back in the plastic bag and lay it flat on towels. This will save your paint long term.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vapor clouds, while cool looking they are a part of playing in the cold with Co2. They give away your position as you can see them easily from far away. If it is snowing, get yourself a painters coveralls, they sell them at hardware stores for under $10... You can see a bunch of players (including myself) wearing one in this video. Fun time!

 

 

Now, if you watched the video, you saw a lot of paint breaking, as I had the camera mounted to my apex barrel on my A-5. I LOVE playing with an apex, but in temps like this the added stress of the cold, and the apex tip will cause paint to break every so often. And if your paint shell is sharp it will cut up your ramp on your apex... I have destroyed ramps with this issue. Afterwords, just cut off the pieces that are sticking up and you should be fine. When it gets real bad, you will need to replace that ramp. I've replaced 3 of mine.

 

Personally, I would rather have a few breaks from the tip than not play with my apex... But, that is just me. The more sensable thing is to not use ramping technology in below freezing temps. Flatline barrels are almost useless below 25 degrees. As the little bumps in the barrel, plus the paint getting colder with each passing minute is just asking for barrel paint breaks... Course I have one guy that uses cheap wal mart paint in his flatline in those temps and with the added strenght of the cheap paint it doesn't break in the barrel. It isn't very accurate either... But, hey that is the great thing about paintball, you can use what YOU like.

 

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