Newbie Help Paint GUn

Before I say anything, I'd like to ask if English is your native language.

Ah. There we go. No, the answer wouldn't change, but my willingness to deliver it would be reduced. There are a lot of people here who can help you, but it's a bit of a discourtesy to force them to try to interpret gibberish. There's plenty of time on a forum to make a post legible.

That said, the most important thing I'd like to touch on is range in paintball: at the same velocities (always keep it 300 FPS or less to avoid injury), all paintball guns will have the same range. There are three exceptions to this. Firstly, the Flatline. This is Tippmann's curved barrel. The paintball rides across the top, and this imparts a backspin on it, keeping the ball aloft a bit longer. This is a finicky barrel that requires thick-shelled, small bore quality paint, or it will tend to break paint. Cleaning it is also a bit of a pain, and it needs to be properly aligned or it will shoot at an angle. Secondly, there's the Apex barrel. These aren't curved, but use a rubber ramp on the end to create the backspin. These are capable of out-ranging the Flatline, are easier to change and are adjustable in how much spin is imparted. Also, you can rotate the ramp, causing the ball to deliberately hook right, left or down for "trick shots." You can buy an Apex barrel, or just an adapter to mount an Apex tip on a quality barrel, and the Apex can be turned off. I have yet to own one, but I do want one. The last way to improve range is by purchasing First Strike paintballs from Tiberius. They are finned, and have been proven to increase range. However, they are ridiculously expensive, and can only be loaded one at a time. Due to their shape, they can't be held in a hopper.

Now on to many myths of paintball barrels and range. In short, rifling, "upgraded" internals and longer barrels do not work. Rifling is a marketing gimmick more than anything. Will a rifled barrel still shoot well? Sure, but they won't work any better than a quality smooth-bore.  Longer barrels don't increase range either. Two paintball guns, one with an 8" barrel and the other with a 21" barrel, both chronographed to 280 FPS,  will shoot the same distance. Muzzle velocity being consistent, the paint will fly as far from one as the other. Lastly, internals do nothing to increase range. The same barrel comment applies: consistent velocities = consistent range.

So the  only real way to increase range is with the First Strike, Flatline or Apex. However, with the Flatline and Apex, accuracy at distance will be reduced, so you will need to make up for it with firepower. If your goal is to be a "sniper," you will have difficulty one-shotting opponents.


Edited by Magoo - 02 June 2010 at 2:24am

98 customs and A5's are nice guns to start off with.

id agree, the 98's and the A-5 are a very reliable gun. The range, and the accuracy, however depend on the barrel, to say the least, the flatline barrel adds range, and butchers the accuracy. i would not suggest it, if you buy an a-5, i would recommend a dye 2 piece boomstick. If you go with a 98, the J&J ceramic would suite you well.

the only difference between response, and e-trigger is that the e-trigger is electronic. the response just makes it able to shoot faster. the trick is to find what's called the "sweet spot" which is a technique of adjusting the response trigger setting and holding the grip somewhat loosely, and then pull the trigger, the recoil from the first shot will cause the marker to keep "bump firing" until you either fully release the trigger or run out of paintballs.

Hudson wrote: the only difference between response, and e-trigger is that the e-trigger is electronic. the response just makes it able to shoot faster. the trick is to find what's called the "sweet spot" which is a technique of adjusting the response trigger setting and holding the grip somewhat loosely, and then pull the trigger, the recoil from the first shot will cause the marker to keep "bump firing" until you either fully release the trigger or run out of paintballs.

Incorrect.  The response trigger operates on air redirected from the firing of the paintball.  It has nothing to do with recoil and there is no reason to hold the grip loosely. The term "bump firing" doesn't really apply either as this term could be more correctly applied to an electro-pneumatic marker that with the trigger adjusted for maximum sensitivity to the point that the recoil actually moves the trigger the minuscule distance necessary for it to fire again.

The response trigger has fittings that attach to the exterior of the marker at the valve (forward of the trigger) and the top of the grip frame.  A small diameter hose runs between them to direct air to a cylinder assembly inside the grip frame.  This air pressure (from each shot) pushes a plunger forward which resets the trigger for the next shot. 

The sweet spot is a combination of tuning the trigger and just the right amount of pressure on the trigger which essentially allows the trigger to vibrate under the user's finger producing the effect of fully-automatic fire with what is actually a semi-automatic firing system.