Anybody play paintball?

SanPatHogger

SanPatHogger

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Mar 1, 2020
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#1
Shooting 22 PRS style matches, USPSA style matches and a Texas carbine match. All fun. But what's the next step?
Shooting at something that moves and shoots back would take the fun/tactical/training to the next level.
There is a place just outside Corpus that has grown over the last few years, they have laser tag and paintball. The outdoor paintball area has lots of obstacles and props now.
Not that I need another addiction or something to spend money on.... Just never did it before and it seems like the logical next step.
I know you need a paintball gun, paintballs, CO2 a mask, other people to play with and shoot....
Anyway, is it worth it? Fun? Learn anything?
 
#2
I used to paintball. It can get messy and staining so you need dedicated clothes. Some people freeze the paintballs so they hurt more. You spend a good amount of time waiting for a turn at overpriced fields. Most guns are kinda flaky, I had a Dye Autococker, even the better ones. The hoppers need to be jiggled as they feed poorly. Best get a cheap one if you jump in. I started with a cheap Spyder which was decent all in all.
 
#3
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It’s the best.
 
#4
moaorbust said:
I used to paintball. It can get messy and staining so you need dedicated clothes. Some people freeze the paintballs so they hurt more. You spend a good amount of time waiting for a turn at overpriced fields. Most guns are kinda flaky, I had a Dye Autococker, even the better ones. The hoppers need to be jiggled as they feed poorly. Best get a cheap one if you jump in. I started with a cheap Spyder which was decent all in all.
Click to expand...
No one freezes paintballs. That’s how you break them in your hopper/breech and don’t hit anything.
Also, buy once, cry once. Spend around 2K and be worry free.
 
#5
Used to, in the wild. But getting people together to do it was always a pain. Hide and seek or capture the flag was fun. In the desert it makes you mind your surroundings. Cactus, snakes and other thorny shit can distract you. I ran a tipman and it was pretty reliable, but not terribly accurate. Even decked out.
 
#10
Tokay444 said:
No one freezes paintballs. That’s how you break them in your hopper/breech and don’t hit anything.
Also, buy once, cry once. Spend around 2K and be worry free.
Click to expand...
2K on paint ball?! Holy cow. I was thinking $45 would let me play, get me a few hundred paint balls and my fat ass would be tired out in an hour or so. Really, what do I need? Pants and shirt that can be ruined, goggles and helmet. Guess I'll do a little more research.


This is the place near me.

Home | Splatter Action Paintball

www.playextremesports.com www.playextremesports.com
 
#13
I used to play. It's most definitely fun. As far as using it for tactical training, forget marksmanship and gun handling skills. Way too many differences between the ergonomics of paintball guns vs real guns. Who is quickest at point shooting and can lay down the heaviest fire usually wins the day. Paintballs have the trajectory of water balloons. The type of training that you can get out of it is practicing cover and concealment and squad tactics. The first time you go play, I recommend renting your equipment or borrowing from a friend. Many who play on a regular basis have loaner equipment. The equipment is where the hobby gets expensive. Reliable guns start around $350ish for low end recreational guns and can reach $1500+ for full on tourney or custom guns. Throw in $100-$200 for a good mask. When I got out of the hobby, all the local fields around me were transitioning to using HPA only and doing away with CO2 altogether. Last I checked an aluminum HPA air tank was $100ish and fiber wrapped tanks started about $175ish. Then factor in the consumables like clothing, field fees, paintballs, food, gas.
 
#15
SanPatHogger said:
Shooting 22 PRS style matches, USPSA style matches and a Texas carbine match. All fun. But what's the next step?
Shooting at something that moves and shoots back would take the fun/tactical/training to the next level.
There is a place just outside Corpus that has grown over the last few years, they have laser tag and paintball. The outdoor paintball area has lots of obstacles and props now.
Not that I need another addiction or something to spend money on.... Just never did it before and it seems like the logical next step.
I know you need a paintball gun, paintballs, CO2 a mask, other people to play with and shoot....
Anyway, is it worth it? Fun? Learn anything?
Click to expand...

I played for years it seems to be less popular now, most of the fields I played at are closed even the ones that were open since the 80s. Lots of fun if you are young. Being old probably get all worn or twist a knee/hip.
 
#16
SanPatHogger said:
2K on paint ball?! Holy cow. I was thinking $45 would let me play, get me a few hundred paint balls and my fat ass would be tired out in an hour or so. Really, what do I need? Pants and shirt that can be ruined, goggles and helmet. Guess I'll do a little more research.


This is the place near me.

Home | Splatter Action Paintball

www.playextremesports.com www.playextremesports.com
Click to expand...

You can rent stuff and go play everyone starts somewhere.

I played in camo cargo pants or military surplus pants forever, then long or short sleeves and a jersey. Sometimes shorts but getting tagged on the ankle sucks.
 
#17
Paintball was awesome as a kid, especially in the woods with forts. Loved watching Ollie Lang do his thing professionally. The DM5 was the paintball gun that my poor kid ass wanted, settled for a Tippman like every other kid.
 
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#18
I’m not sure if I’d call paintball “the next evolution of tactical marksmanship.” Mostly the one with the biggest hopper and fastest auto-cocker wins.
 
#20
I have a field not too far away from me. Been there for years, (started back in the Nelspot 007 marking gun times). I used to ref when I played. Nowadays paint ball matches have to be scheduled, it's all gone to airsoft
 
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#21
Tippmann 98 custom (look for used). A lot of my buddies played capture the flag and woods ball with that. We had an old abandoned house in our woods we'd play defend and conquer. You'll be more comfortable with that marker as it will feel more like a gun in your hands. Spend money on good paintballs and a good mask. You'll pull your hair out messing with cheap balls and having them break in the hopper. Fyi a day of paintball will be at least $60+ in balls and co2.
 
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#22
AngryKoala said:
Paintball was awesome as a kid, especially in the woods with forts. Loved watching Ollie Lang do his thing professionally. The DM5 was the paintball gun that my poor kid ass wanted, settled for a Tippman like every other kid.
Click to expand...
D6878DF1-5954-434B-80B6-E84201212C07.jpeg

This is me and Ollie at a clinic in Toronto that my camp organized and brought him in for.
 
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#23
Thereaper1313 said:
Tippmann 98 custom (look for used). A lot of my buddies played capture the flag and woods ball with that. We had an old abandoned house in our woods we'd play defend and conquer. You'll be more comfortable with that marker as it will feel more like a gun in your hands. Spend money on good paintballs and a good mask. You'll pull your hair out messing with cheap balls and having them break in the hopper. Fyi a day of paintball will be at least $60+ in balls and co2.
Click to expand...
Thats what i had with an air response trigger. Equivelent of a forced reset. Was really fast. Was a killer cheap gun, shot a lot of people with very expensive stuff. Hopper was the key in keeping up. Good mask with a fan was paramount.
 
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#24
Not paintball, but yes with airsoft. I got my sons started. Now they are hardcore. I have no idea what they have spent building guns, but they have fun. They go about once a month to a place in OKC. Used to a lot in the woods here at home, but getting people gathered up is sometimes difficult.
 
#25
Tokay444 said:
No one freezes paintballs. That’s how you break them in your hopper/breech and don’t hit anything.
Also, buy once, cry once. Spend around 2K and be worry free.
Click to expand...
I use to play, shot a Diablo matrix… before that i had a free flow auto cocker. That’s been 20 years ago tho. I’m sure there is some really nice stuff now.
 
#29
Still play a lot. You can spend 2k, but you don't have to. Go on ebay and search for a dye marker dm series. I've found them for $250-300.... and they were at one time $12-1400 guns. Grab a case of paint and let it rip.
 
#32
Couple things that have not been mentioned.

Paintball is an "accuracy-by-volume" activity. There is too much inconsistency in storgae of paintballs, and manufacturing processes, price, and diameter to have a truly accurate paintball "marker". Some are more accurate than others and aftermarket barrels can help. Paintballs with dimples from storage fly all over the place.


Freezing paintballs has happened but if anyone is really into the sport, they won't because they know, they'll thaw in the hopper and condensation will mess things up worse.

Some fields will not let you use your own paint. They'll make more money off rental equipment and paint sales. They'll also make you test your speed on a chrono before playing. If the field doesnt, don't play there. Too fast of speed could blow through your face make and/or goggles.
 
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#33
Slash0311 said:
Couple things that have not been mentioned.

Paintball is an "accuracy-by-volume" activity. There is too much inconsistency in storgae of paintballs, and manufacturing processes, price, and diameter to have a truly accurate paintball "marker". Some are more accurate than others and aftermarket barrels can help. Paintballs with dimples from storage fly all over the place.


Freezing paintballs has happened but if anyone is really into the sport, they won't because they know, they'll thaw in the hopper and condensation will mess things up worse.

Some fields will not let you use your own paint. They'll make more money off rental equipment and paint sales. They'll also make you test your speed on a chrono before playing. If the field doesnt, don't play there. Too fast of speed could blow through your face make and/or goggles.
Click to expand...

I ran a tippman A5 with a flatline barrel, m4 stock and a response trigger. Because of being a ref I didn't have to pay fees or for hpa. I would buy paint for 35.00 a case (cost) from the field owner. However if you rented a gun, you had to use field paint because the owner got tired of people using cheap Walmart paint and trashing out the guns.
 
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#36
used to play quite a lot.
was in a team and we used to meet up and take on other bogan teams unofficially, it was fun for a while then it all drifted apart.
sometimes i would go along alone and hook up with other teams and give them direction on how to spread their team out to be effective against the other side. Then the refs would step in and help out the other side so we didnt wipe their buts all the time.
If you have your own gear, they all get scared of you when the teams line up thinking your some sort of pro...lol
now my kids want to go and I'm getting a bit old to slide along on my knees and ly in the dirt on my elbows
 
#41
Tokay444 said:
He played in our camp for Toronto Rage in the CXBL back in the day.
Click to expand...
His son is really good. They won the youth division at WC 2022 and Sunshine State in 2023. He played on another team (infamous kids couldn’t make it) in Texas and they got second place. It’s fun playing against them every weekend. They are gonna be scary good in a couple years.
 
#45
Worked at a paintball park in Tomball Texas in my early 20's (2009ish). Got into it some. Was fun to play with friends. Woods ball type fields were more fun to me than the speed fields. My boss was big into 24hr Woods type matches. I thought he was nuts.

Some of the craziest stories of kids saying they were SF or things like that there.
 
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#46
kenny1773 said:
I played when everyone was using the same gun and when the sound of a CO2 cartridge being removed could be used as a 'tactic' ;)

View attachment 8145732
Click to expand...
Ahhh, a good ol' Nelspot 007. I worked in a machine shop and made a better and longer barrel. A welded feed tube was problematic, so I went to an interference fit using liquid nitrogen. Most of the other parts in the Nelspot were replaced with ones I made. I was part of a team that played in a few national tournaments, finishing third in one of them. At that time, tournament play mandated 12 gram cartridges. The game was played on large tracts of woods.
 
#47
LeftyJason said:
Worked at a paintball park in Tomball Texas in my early 20's. Got into it some. Was fun to play with friends. Woods ball type fields were more fun to me than the speed fields. My boss was big into 24hr Woods type matches. I thought he was nuts.

Some of the craziest stories of kids saying they were SF or things like that there.
Click to expand...

The 24-48hr scenario games are incredibly fun.

And yes all sorts of weirdos show up.

Of course there's always airsoft which is much more serious:

airsoft.jpg
 
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#48
Back when I started playing there were very few semi auto markers. I want to say that was 86 or maybe 88? Tippman had a box fed magazine with 5 shot stripper type clips. They did a hybrid with the pump front half and the semi back half. I think it was the model 68? Everything else was PGP or Nelson based. I remember when the first quick change 12 gram things came out then the 7 and 20 ounce CO2 bottle came on the scene. Not too long after the 40 round hoppers. You would have to shake them to get them to feed.

My dad was a prototype aerospace machinist and had access to all sorts of materials. He made me barrels with different ID's for the different sized paintballs and they were two piece with the front being ported aluminum and the "throat" from stainless. I think I had a Titanium one at some point. This was years before any of that stuff came to market many years later. He made me a full custom pump gun. All I had to buy was the valves for the tank and for the bolt. I had different barrels, pump styles, grips as a modular setup...Good times as a kid. I wish I still had it. I can't remember what happened to it.

I shot the prototype Autococker at a field called SC Village when Budd Orr was developing it. That changed the market and opened the door to the electric guns, then compressed air and agitators in the hoppers. I went from shooting maybe a half a case of paint in a full day to 2-2.5 cases with the electric markers.

The early days were pretty damn fun. It was fun until it basically turned into speedball and volume of fire. Then it lost some of the fun. I haven't played in years. Maybe 2007 or so was the last year I played. I still have my Angel and Autocoker that was converted from a WGP "Snpier" pump somewhere.

I would suggest getting your own mask even if you rent the marker. Someone else's sweat filled foam and non thermal lens sucks to play in. Cheap investment.
 
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#49
dustingaunder said:
If you want to get into it, buy an Etha3 or 3M. Spire IR2 hopper and a cheap aluminum tank for now. Buy a good mask. I like the Bunker Kings CMD a lot. Pro DNA pod pack is probably about the best out there. I like my Bunker Kings Fly pack too. Gen X Global pods. Have fun.
Click to expand...
Just bought an Etha 3m and it’s pretty damn nice for the price. I put in an inception secret pin and it’s really enjoyable to shoot for a mechanical gun. Ergonomics are good too. I like it better than my axe 2.0.
 
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