| Do you hate your first paintball gun? Oh dear, where | | | | far as the rules go, the mask is the crucial bit of |
| did it all go so wrong? Well here are a few | | | | paintball equipment, since without it you cannot enter |
| possibilities, and all of them are avoidable.Rushing to | | | | the field of play. However, many first time buyers |
| purchase after too little time on the fieldToo many | | | | forget to buy a mask, or to budget for one. As a |
| first time buyers of cheap paintball guns rush into | | | | result, they end up with a cheap mask, one which |
| buying a paintball gun without having spent enough | | | | fogs up and is really uncomfortable. Keep in mind that |
| time playing the game to know how to judge a | | | | you are going to be wearing this thing all day. If you |
| paintball gun. Further, they don't really know what | | | | have to keep taking it off every 20 minutes to |
| sort of player they are, or what sort of game they | | | | adjust it for comfort you will be risking your eyesight |
| like to play. Only once you have been playing a while, | | | | from a paintball. If a referee sees you he/she might |
| will you know how to spot a good gun, and what | | | | send you out of the games for good. So budget for |
| sort of gun will suit your game. Crucially, you will also | | | | a good comfortable mask that will not fog up.Yeah I |
| have had some experience of bad rental guns, | | | | upgraded the barrel! 21 inches!It's a well known that |
| perhaps even terrible rental guns, but the up-side is | | | | replacing the barrel that comes with your average |
| that you won't own any of them!The rental | | | | cheap paintball gun (known as the stock barrel) will |
| equipment at the field of play is universally poor, but | | | | improve its performance. Knowing this, many first |
| it is what you should be using the first few times | | | | time buyers mistakenly go for length when they buy |
| you play. Don't focus on the gun; focus on the basic | | | | a new barrel (known as an aftermarket barrel). '21 |
| tactics of the game. Then once you have played a | | | | inches, yeah that must be a good one. Size matters, |
| few times, borrow a cheap paintball gun from a | | | | doesn't it?' Well yes it does, but in this case small is |
| friend for a game. How is it better? Why is it better? | | | | beautiful. Don't go above 14 inches, any longer and |
| What do you really like about it? What don't you like | | | | performance will suffer.Buying a high maintenance |
| about it?Not doing sufficient (any) researchBy | | | | gunAs a new player, the last thing you need is a gun |
| borrowing a friend's gun and taking it for a field test | | | | that needs constant oiling, or tweaking with tools in |
| you are performing the most important part of | | | | the field. You need a gun that will just work |
| research. You are learning what a cheap paintball gun | | | | consistently, no frills, no fuss, leaving you free to |
| can do in your hands and you are assessing it. But so | | | | concentrate on learning the game. Good cheap |
| many first time buyers of cheap paintball guns just | | | | paintball guns will just get on with the job, and |
| rush out and buy without doing any research at all. | | | | adjustment of them in the field, for example |
| Within as short a time as a week they can be | | | | changing velocity, will be easy. Similarly, a good cheap |
| regretting their haste.Only then does the first time | | | | paintball gun will be easy and quick to clean.I'm new |
| buyer get on the internet to read up on their subject. | | | | here, so I figured I'd get the best gun availableFor |
| They visit content websites devoted to paintball | | | | better or for worse, paintball has got a bit of |
| guns, they read reviews, visit paintball forums and | | | | attitude. There are few things that irk experienced |
| within as little as a few hours on the right sites they | | | | players more than the sight of a clueless new payer |
| know where they went wrong, and what they | | | | ambling around the field carrying state of the art, top |
| should have done. They learn that there are so many | | | | of the range hardware. Yeah I know, they are only |
| cheap paintball guns out there, and only some of | | | | jealous, and they probably dream about owning your |
| them are good guns. They learn that paintball guns | | | | gun.But there is also a serious point to make here |
| are technical products, with a fair bit of variation and | | | | about maintenance. A good cheap paintball gun will |
| range. Unfortunately, for many the knowledge comes | | | | have the performance and durability advantages of |
| too late. They are out of pocket, and out on the | | | | an expensive gun but none of the advanced |
| field of play carrying a blunderbuss when they should | | | | features--which only an experience player will be able |
| be carrying an assault rifle.Yeah, but it looks greatIt's | | | | to really take advantage of. A good cheap paintball |
| bright metallic blue, or red, or yellow, or orange or | | | | gun will also be very easy to take apart, clean, and |
| any other colour that gives your position away in a | | | | reassemble. Contrast this with many expensive guns |
| wood as easily as if you had lit a fire. Choosing your | | | | which can be a real maintenance headache for |
| paintball gun solely or primarily on the basis of looks is | | | | someone unfamiliar with paintball guns. Taking it apart |
| a very bad idea. Never judge a gun buy its looks. | | | | is easy, putting it back together is the hard part, and |
| Some nice looking guns are rubbish. Buy the gun | | | | expensive paintball guns tend to come with big but |
| because it is a good gun when judged against a | | | | not necessarily clear manuals. You could be looking at |
| reasoned criteria: because it will last, will help you win | | | | highly complex schematics wondering how life got so |
| games, be reliable etc. If it looks good, great, but | | | | complicated.So keep things simple. Buy a good cheap |
| keep in mind that if you want to stay hidden, 'black | | | | paintball gun, and then concentrate on the playing. |
| and matt is where it's at'. The gun should blend into | | | | Learn the tactics, and learn about yourself as a |
| the surroundings, and not give your position | | | | player. Meanwhile, you'll be cleaning your basic gun in |
| away.Really? So where do I get the mask from?As | | | | no time at all. |