New paintballer, what to buy

[Curtis Bowden]

Hey guys,
First off I hope I do not annoy too many people with my lack of knowledge.

I am very new to paintballing but am thinking about getting into it.

I was looking at guns to buy, but they show no specs or anything. I don't want to be seriously under-powered when I go paintballing but don't want to be spending loads and loads. I don't know how much I need to spend, but I don't want to spend more than £200. I mean it all depends! If I do to be able to get anything half decent I will.

I don't mind second hand, but would prefer new!

Thanks lads!

 

[Dean B]

Have you had a look at just paintball, they have quite a few package deals,varying in price. and come with all the basics to get you going. http://www.store.justpaintball.co.uk/

 

[Tom]

What do you like about paintball?
Have a preferred style?
Where do you intend to play? Punter sites, walkons, scenarios, tournaments etc

Idealy move away from dedicated punter sites, but if that's all in you area it could restrict your options to have to have a co2 system

Air is prefered. You can use any paintball gun (other than pistols with 12 gram co2) on air
A 3000psi cylinder will do fine and is about £30 - £40
Fibre is 'better' in a number of ways, but unless you know your requirements of balance, size, shape, ergonomics etc. But costs around £150

Gunwise, there is a lot of choice.
If you prefer the woods then don't feel that a woodsball gun is required. So called speedball guns are those ergonomicaly designed for paintball

If you look at packages then call the company and discuss your needs, they will customize and give you a deal on any gear as a package

Goggles - see if you can try some on a and see what feels good / fits your head
Cylinder - I highly recommend starting with an aluminium 3000psi
Gun - also see if you can get the feel of some

 

[Bolter]

You wont be under powered as all guns should run at a very similar "power", what you dont want is a crap gun that breaks paint before it leaves the marker.

There are no guns that run more powerful than others.

 

[Tom]

Bolter has is spot on with 'power', paintball guns are typically fired at 280 feet per second

The maximum allowed in the uk is 300fps, but sites and events keep to 280fps
Indoor / CQB games may restrict down to 250fps

If you have a highly inconsistent gun then when you get chronographed over 3 shots you could get turned down so the highest spike is 280, and thus could be shooting slower then someone with a consistent gun at 280
Other than that one gun shoots paintballs at the same speed as another

What you will notice is people shooting more paint, that is a combination of quick fingers and the maximum rate of fire for the gun, how many balls per second it can shoot
When it's a matter of hitting someone with one or ten balls then rof is not that relevant (except for the person receiving 10 hits when one will do)
But when it's a matter of defending a building against a whole team, or in a tournament and stopping the opposition from moving or coming out to shoot your team mate, then that's when bps becomes more useful
There are maximum bps limits at events

Shop around, if a shop isn't showing the maximum bps etc then look it up elsewhere, or download a manual from the manufacturer. Manuals are useful before you buy to familiarise with a gun and compare servicing & maintenance etc

 

[smudgerebt]

He may be meaning the BPS rather than power.

For instance some can only fire around the 5 BPS which is no fun if you run into a full tourney ramping 15+ BPS.

I would look for a second hand etha, axe etc but before that I would get decent goggles then start looking for markers.

 

[Llexas]

Start with mask, definitely. After- air tank. Respectively to this, gun- if You'll take CO2 (not recommended) bottle... Ah just forget it! Take compressed air tank only! 3000 or 4500 psi, whatever. After all this gun itself.
If you want to start with gun, no matter what, take electronic one. The cheaper - the better, after disappointment (if appears) you'll loose less money on it. And if You're lucky one this gun will shoot many years on. "The cheaper" means older model, but in good working condition.

 

[nick hare]

dont be fooled in to getting a marker and then throwing lots of money at it for upgrades. Get a half decent electronic marker (theres loads), followed by a mask and air tank abd spend the money on paint. Consider looking for second hand equipment on here as they tend to be well looked after and have had various problems/issues already solved and sorted.