I am considering getting my two sons (9 and 6) paintball guns this christmas. They have been asking for them for quite sometime now. I do not know anything about paintball. Are they too young? What model to get them and any accessories. Any info,advice and tips would be greatly appreciated.

have they ever played before?

field rules on age? (a lot of fields have minimum ages)

are they mature enough?

My reccomendation is to get them playing a few times first. If they have played before, then they are old enough to own one in my opinion.

any questions on the sport?

no they have never played. I believe they are mature enough. My only concern is does it hurt when you get hit. I am familiar with the rules. We live in a rural area and some of their friends play in the woods near their homes and they want to join in

"Does it hurt" is a loaded question.

some shots do, some don't

it does hurt alot sometimes, it will sting for a bit. especially now in the winter months when it is becoming colder.

though every gun is chronoed at under 300 feet per second if you play at a field. this ensures safety if you are wondering about that.

im going to suggest not getting them guns until they have played. Nothing in particular for them i would just not suggest that anyone gets a gun without playing a few times at least.

but im going to have to say not to get them guns for now

Welcome to the forum.

Boy, that is awfully young.  Most fields have age limits of 12 or so, and for good reason.

While the chance of injury is extremely low under normal circumstances, the chance of injury skyrockets with irresponsible play. 

The central safety precaution of paintball is the face mask.  This mask is kept on AT ALL TIMES, and it can frankly get quite uncomfortable.  Even experienced players feel the need to take the mask off once in a while.

Without a mask on, there is a very significant risk of very serious eye injury - blindness is a possibility.  In normal play, the muzzle velocity is almost 200 mph.

So the threshold question is whether you believe your children can follow that rule - keeping the mask on - no matter how hot and sweaty, no matter how fogged up, and no matter how many mosquitoes crawl up inside.  If so, then there is really no particular safety concern.

There is also a simple matter of pain - getting shot with a paintball is by no means comfortable.  But here of course the only risk is that the kids will hate it.

In addition, keep in mind that paintball guns are frequently used by kids for other, inappropriate purposes.  It is a favorite for vandals, for instance.  I would strongly recommend against allowing your children unrestricted access to the guns - for many purposes they are functionally similar to firearms.

Many of these matters can be controlled if the only play will be with you and each other - you might turn the velocities down, significantly, and add additional safety precautions.  If the kids will be playing in regular games, however, all concerns apply in full.

I have played with some 10-year-olds, and some did fine, some did not.  I have never played with anybody younger than that.  I would be very concerned about involving a 6-year-old in this game.

But, of course, these are ultimately your children.

rambino is right.

but all those things may be fine if you honestly think they are mature enough to follow all that. Drill the mask rule into their heads. Hammer and nail works fine.

the age rules in paintball are mostly based on maturity.

does the field you will be playing at have a website?

As said above, if you think they are mature enough, and they will ALWAYS follow the rules, and they dont mind a little pain, go for it.

Definantly do not allow your kids access to all the equipment. it may be fine to allow them to keep their markers, but make sure you keep all the Co2 tanks in a safe place. and PLEASE make sure your kids dont try doing something like shooting marbles or metal spheres.

again to echo the above, play a game or two before you buy an even moderatly expensive marker. go to somewhere that you can borrow or rent a marker. if you cant, buy a really cheap marker at first so they can get used to it and see if they like the game before actually commiting to buying a good marker

one thing I just thought about might be a matter of finding a mask for your children to wear. your younger child, being only 6, are rather small and most paintball masks will be to large, or will require a little modification to fit snuggly on your child's face.

again, play once or twice before buying an expensive gun. maybe ask to borrow the equipment of a friend, or the friends of your children. it would be a shame to buy a couple 140$ guns and a couple masks and Co2 tanks if they only get used once and then your kids decide they dont like the sport of paintball.

If your kids are playing paintball with their friends, I would suggest not letting your six year old play paintball. Although its mean, its not that great to let him play paintball with his friends at six, and even nine is pushing it. I play paintball with different groups of people, some are mature and accually play paintball, some probably make your nine year old look like he is your age. It all depends on who they are playing with.

If I had to choose, I would say buy three guns. One for those two, and you.

There are alot of father/son groups playing paintball. I got my father into paintball (Kind of ironic the way I got him to, one day I was getting my tank filled and he saw a marker he wanted and eventually he started playing). Playing paintball with your sons would be a great thing. It teaches them responsibility, if their friends are immature you know they are not going to pull anything, and you know your kids will be safe. And with paintballs hurting, they really do not unless at close range, in the neck, in the hand, or you-know-where. Ive been shot at point blank (Like I said, some people cant play paintball) with un-chronoed guns and it has stung like crazy. As long as your kids are wearing their mask AT ALL TIMES they will be fine. But since they are young I would suggest gloves (Any should do) and a neck protector, as well as a sweatshirt or jacket. As for markers I would suggest a Tippmann/Triumph XL, Brass Eagle, or lower end spyder since they are so young. Some examples would be: Edit: three of the URL's  are edited by the Tippmann forum because they are from Dic.ks sporting goods, so the last three you will have to change the **edited** to what it is supposed to be.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4532540 - http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4532540

http://www.**edited**ssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2504063&cp=2367824.2295234.2295235&view=all&parentPage=family&searchId=19075073242 - http://www.**edited**ssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?pr oductI d=2504063&cp=2367824.2295234.2295235&view=all&pa rentPage=family&searchId=19075073242

http://www.**edited**ssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1450112&cp=2367824.2295234.2295235&view=all&parentPage=family&searchId=19075259092 - http://www.**edited**ssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?pr oductI d=1450112&cp=2367824.2295234.2295235&view=all&pa rentPage=family&searchId=19075259092

http://www.**edited**ssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2052102&cp=2367824.2295234.2295235&view=all&parentPage=family&searchId=19075126742 - http://www.**edited**ssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?pr oductI d=2052102&cp=2367824.2295234.2295235&view=all&pa rentPage=family&searchId=19075126742

And with the markers, keep the paint/CO2 away from them. Let them have the markers, because if you take the marker itself away from them, they will want it even more.

If you have any questions PM me.

been trying to get my dad to play for years.

maybe you should play, even before they do.... just so you gett a feel for their sport and the importance of safety.

i know you may not want to but 9 is young and 6 is really really young

im not saying you shouldn't let them, but you need to consider it... alot

I just wish I can get my wife to play just one game.

and If you do let them play, make sure that when they hear 'Im out!!" that they should stop shooting at that person.

jerseypaint wrote: If you want your kids to get involved in paintball. Don't get "real" markers, get some BattleMaxx markers and teach them the importance of safety. That way when they are ready for the real thing, they know safety, have skills and all that is left is ignoring the pain.

Good idea.  Even take them to a field and rent for the day.  See how much they'd like it.  

I took my son out for the first time when he was 10 because that was the age limit at most of the fields we went to. It was a 24-hour scenario game. He was timid the first day and up in the front lines the second day. Yeah, it stung some ( I made sure he knew that going in ) but he had a little extra padding under his BDU's.  I think 6 would be too young unless you're out there with them every time they play. Maybe even chrono down to 200fps or less until they get older and more experienced.

the first hit always hurts and youre scared before it.

after that you wnow what it's like and it doesnt matter

not mine

getting hit gives me a special feeling

check and see if there is a hunter's saftey course available in your area, check at sportsmans clubs or outdoor stores.

I took one when I was 9 and the gun saftey pratices they teach still apply, a gun is a gun