Choosing Your Paintball Equipment

There are several types of paintball equipment usedThe barrel or breach of the paintball gun may collect
while playing a game of paintball. Many of them servedust or paintball debris. Squeegees, hinge-mounted
important functions like providing safety, while somerubber discs on the end of plastic rods, are used to
of them may be intended for cosmetic purposesclean these out by inserting the rubber end into the
only. There are also some nifty paintball accessoriesbarrel. Cable squeegees, in which the rubber disc is
which can really come in handy when playing themounted perpendicularly on the end of the cable,
game.used to clean open breech and removable bolt
Paintball Gun:paintball guns.
Paintball guns are replicas of actual firearms used toBattle Swab:
mark an opposing player with paint in the popularThis is a double ended stick, with a bendable rubber
game of paintball. These guns propel paintballssection in the middle, which has a soft absorbent fur
through a barrel with a muzzle velocity ofwhich is shoved down the length of the barrel to
approximately 300 ft/s to break upon impact.remove paint debris or paintball shell.
Different types of paintball guns have different firingCommon Accessories:
system such as Electro-pneumatic, mechanical, orDrop forward and Rail:
gas-powered firing systems. Some of the moreDrop forwards, which is attached to the bottom of
popular paintball guns include semi-automatic, stockthe gun, drop the tank a few inches and move it
class and pump guns.forward. This makes the paintball marker/gun taller
Safety Equipment:but shorter in length. Safety features may include on
Paintball Mask:off switch. Another alternative to drop forward,
Paintball Masks protect the face by covering thewhich has become more popular, is the rail system
eyes, mouths, ears and nostrils. Some masks are alsowhich enables a tank regulator to be mounted
equipped with throat guards. Lenses which come indirectly at the base of the grip.
double-layered or thermal designs are more reliableRemote line:
and the air chamber between the outer and innerRemote lines are cables attached to the tank from
lens prevent fogging. High end mask products shouldthe paintball marker/gun so that user can easily move
be considered while playing paintball because most ofwhile handling the marker/gun.
them are designed to effectively halt speedingPod:
paintballs which normally travel at a speed of 200 toThese are plastic containers that can hold about 140
300 ft/s. Polycarbonate or Lexan provides goodto 200 paintballs. Pods may be equipped with springs
impact resistance so be sure to check if the maskat the top for quick opening, locking mechanism to
has lens made with those.prevent accidental opening, and shock absorbers to
Barrel cover:prevent paintballs from breaking.
A barrel plug is normally a neoprene pouch attachedHarness:
over the barrel opening by a cord. This safety deviceA harness, which holds the pods, provides the player
prevents accidentally fired paintballs to cause anywith a convenient supply of paint. They may also be
harm by blocking exit. A barrel sock is more effectivefitted with a pouch to hold the tank during a remote
in reducing the possibility of the safety equipmentsetup, a bellyband with hoops in the back for the
being detached from the marker/gun barrel.pods and pockets for maps, radios, and hydration
Cleaning Equipment:pouches.
Squeegees: