| One of the terms you may run into early on | | | | semi-automatic blow back, and hybrid blow |
| while getting involved in the adrenaline | | | | back. Each type of action makes a paintball |
| pumping sport of paintball is "paintball | | | | gun work very differently, so think about how |
| marker." So what is a paintball marker? To | | | | quickly you want your marker to shoot and how |
| put it really simply, it's the paintball | | | | much work you want to do to make it fire. |
| guns. Many players refer to them as "markers" | | | | Obviously the pump action is the slowest, |
| because the paint balls the guns shoots | | | | while the other methods offer better rates of |
| "marks" the target. A paintball marker might | | | | fire. |
| also be called a paintball gun or just a | | | | |
| paint gun. After the safety mask, which is | | | | The other factor to think about with |
| always the most important piece of equipment, | | | | paintball markers is performance. Performance |
| the paintball marker is the next most | | | | is one word that covers many several factors |
| important since there can not be a game | | | | including good rate of fire, accuracy, range, |
| without it. | | | | durability, and reliability. Some cheap |
| | | | paintball guns will perform like clockwork |
| The first paintball game was played in 1981 | | | | one day, but then not at all the next. This |
| in Henniker, New Hampshire. Nine players took | | | | is why early homework is important: to learn |
| part, and the sport of paintball was born. | | | | first hand the reputation one model of paint |
| The earliest models of paintball markers were | | | | marker has compared to another. |
| uniform (after all, this was just the | | | | |
| beginning of the sport). Now there are | | | | Buying the right paintball marker can be |
| literally hundreds of choices between various | | | | difficult. Do your homework ahead of time, |
| makes and models of paintball markers. Some | | | | and don't rely on price alone. There are |
| are very cheap, some are extremely expensive. | | | | higher priced paintball markers that are |
| No one could have imagined the huge variety | | | | extremely unpopular with players because of |
| in choices. | | | | obvious deficiencies. A $500 paintball marker |
| | | | is not always guaranteed to be bigger and |
| One of the first decisions you'll want to | | | | better than a cheaper $200 one. |
| make when using paintball markers is to | | | | |
| decide what type of action you want from your | | | | Appearance is also a factor. Just because a |
| paintball marker. By action, this refers to | | | | gun "looks cool" means that it is a good buy. |
| the way that an individual paintball marker | | | | Do your research on paintball markers and buy |
| fires. There are three types of actions that | | | | the one that works for you and you'll be much |
| cover most of the cheaper and basic lines of | | | | happier than you would have been otherwise. |
| paintball markers: pump action, | | | | |