Paintball Gun Buying Guide

By Tim Osborn

You have made up your mind. It is time to buy a paintball gun.You begin your research and quickly find out there are so many choices and features. What does it all mean and what should you buy? This article will help narrow the choices.

The first thing we usually ask people is where are you going to play? Will you be playing on an organized field or will you be playing around your own land or a friends land in the woods? The answer to this question will guide you to certain models of guns due to the air supply. If you are going to play at an organized field, they will have resources for compressed air or CO2. The type of air you have access to, will lead you to choosing an applicable gun.

Knowing what air the paintball guns operate under is the key question. You can quickly destroy your paintball marker by using the wrong gas. CO2 guns need to run on CO2. Vice versa, compressed air guns need to run on compressed air. Many models of paintball guns are made to run both. Be sure to check with the manufacturer and read your owner's manual completely to be sure. Don't just look to see if it runs both. Find out which one is recommended for the model of paintball gun you are considering to purchase. A call to the manufacturer is a great start. Ask if the paintball gun is best suited for CO2 or compressed air.

Once you have decided that CO2 paintball guns are what you need to focus on, your attention can shift to the makes and models. For non-electric models we recommend the Spyder Victor, Xtra, Sonic. If you are looking for electronic models you can choose from the Spyder Pilot, Electra, VS1, VS2. Smart Parts has excellent mid range CO2 models designed to run on CO2. New technology and easy to maintain are the Smart Parts Vibe.

CO2 paintball guns with a military look are the Spyder MR1, MR2, MR3. Smart Parts has the SP1 model designed to run on CO2 and a military scenario look. New releases from Tippmann are the Tippmann Alpha Black Series. These paintball guns are packed with features at competitive prices. Tippmann also has its more rugged and upgradeable Platinum Series Custom 98, A5 and X7 paintball guns. They are all great brand names backed with good warranties.

We left the compressed air paintball guns until now because generally the compressed air markers are a little more expensive to a lot more expensive. Paintball guns range from the low $150's to close to $2000.00. This is often where the range and choices on the market confuse everyone. Simply stated, at this point it is about features, price points and you get what you pay for. You really have to determine what it is that you are looking for. Are you a recreational player, or are you playing competitively? There are several main features and so we will briefly explain some the popular features.

One of the basic decisions is if you want an electronic paintball marker or not? Then, an extension of this is what kind of electronic firing modes and speed of firing are important. Single shot, 3-shot burst, semi-automatic, and fully automatic are some firing modes that are popular. Like adding new clubs to your golf bag, each added feature will add cost. There are some great values out there, so do your research and you will find many of the same features at lower price points.

We like to ask if you are the type of person that likes to take things apart and rebuild them? Or are you more likely to play, clean and put away until next time? If so, please buy a paintball gun that is easily maintained. Smart Parts has some very easy guns to maintain as are the new Tippmann Platinum Series paintball guns. Cleaning and lubricating your paintball guns is the key to longevity and happy ownership. If on the other hand you like to tinker with your equipment, there should not be any limitation in your choice. There is plenty of help with manuals, manufacturer internet sites, and help videos on Youtube.

Paintball markers can usually be upgraded. However, some a lot more than most. A Tippmann X7 paintball marker can be upgraded in several ways. Triggers, barrels, sights, magazines, foregrips, stocks and more. The Tippmann X7 paintball marker can be changed from an M16 to an M36 with a few upgrades. If upgrading is important to you, please research your model of paintball marker to see what can be added after purchasing. For example, the Tippmann Alpha Black Series are very economical to buy. They are meant to be starter guns. You cannot upgrade a Tippmann Alpha Black Basic to an Egrip because they have not made an upgrade for it. Instead, Tippmann made the Egrip model inexpensive so that you would buy the paintball gun with the electronic upgrade in the first place.

This article was the beginning of the fun involved in finding out what you really want and need. Decide on the air you have access to and match your style and type of play to the paintball guns you are interested in. Compare features and price ranges. Narrow in on your choices and finally buy a paintball gun and take out your friend or enemy in style!