Paintball Gun Types

Paintball is still a relatively new sport - its only been around for about 27 years or so. Given its relative newness, there are a surprising number of choices that players have when choosing a paintball gun. Often referred to as markers, paintball guns come in a variety of styles to fit just about any level of budget and playing style. The available types include pump, semi automatic, electronic, and pistol.

Pump markers are perhaps the oldest type of paintball gun available. The pump is a relatively simple gun to maintain and many people new to the sport choose it as a first weapon. Much like a shotgun, the pump marker requires a pump action in order to fire each round from the chamber. More avid players tend to stay away from pump guns as they can be slow on the field.

Moving up from the pump marker is the semi automatic paintball gun. The semi automatic is a favorite of many players as it has a much faster rate of fire than the pump gun. These markers also have the benefit of having a much more sensitive trigger. Combat enthusiasts will find many semi automatic military replicas to satiate the need to create a more realistic feeling. Semi automatic markers fire more pellets than their pump counterparts. The increased rate of fire will also increase the amount of pellets and CO2 that you use, increasing your cost on the field.

Electronic markers are the newest type of paintball guns available. These advanced markers use computer chips and an LCD panel to allow you to control the programming of the firing modes. The trigger on an electronic paintball gun is extremely sensitive. The benefits of an electronic marker include easy programming and fast switching between firing modes, increased accuracy and more accurate velocity control of the paint pellets, and an overall more responsive weapon. While an electronic marker may take your paintball game to a whole new level, it will definitely cost a pretty penny to do so.

Paintball pistols, like their real gun counterpart, are more of a backup weapon on the paintball field. They have a limited range and a limited round capacity. The perfect use of a pistol marker is as a backup weapon when you are forced to stop and reload your primary marker. Paintball pistols are not recommended for your main marker unless you are playing a particular game in which players are limited to the use of pistols.

Vast improvements have been made in the range and accuracy of paintball guns over the years. Many of these improvements come from paying closer attention to barrel length and mechanics. While a paintball rifle may never be able to match an actual rifle in accuracy, some of the more recent developments have made that discrepancy much less noticeable. When choosing which type of paintball gun to purchase for your ongoing play, it is important to try out as many different weapons on the field as possible. Also keep in mind the frequency at which you play as well as your budget. Some of the more fancy paintball markers may look good, but if you don't understand how to clean and care for your gun, you won't get the most out of it.