paint ball guns?

[greeneyedlady]

Okay now I'm looking for advice on these my 16 and 14 yr olds both want one, I admit I have reservations, but in an effort to be fair (I always try to be), I am willing to explore them and find out more, I readily admit I know nothing about them at all, I don't want something that they can hurt themselves with, nor do I want something that is going to stain. So who knows about these, what would be the best deal on one price wise (I'm not looking to spend alot), and also realiability, I don't want to buy one that is going to fall apart 2 days after they get it. After I figure I learn more about them then I will decide if they can have them or not

 

[cgrabe]

There's always the risk of serious injury when handling anything that shoots out any kind of projectile. A kid I know was out shooting paintballs with some friends on his 16th birthday. He was wearing a face mask, but as he jumped up, a branch caught it and pulled it down just in time for a paintball to find his eye. He's got a glass eye there now. Of course that's a rare occurance, but it's something you have to think about. Things happen. If you get them the guns, dont skimp on safety equipment, make sure it fits properly, and insist it is always worn with no exceptions. I'm not sure, but airsoft might be safer (and cooler looking!). The velocity of the bullet might be slightly higher than paintball, but the bullets weigh less than 1/12th as much as a paintball. (Up to .25 gram as opposed to ~3 grams).

 

[SimonWoodstock]

Nearly all paintball guns have a way to adjust the velocity of the paintball. If it shoots too hard or not hard enough, you can change it. To me, it hurts worse to have it turned down too low and the paintball not burst than for it to be too high. Wearing loose or baggy clothes will help, too.

Paint does not stain, or at least I have not heard of a brand of paint that will. My 16 and 13 year old cousins play it almost religiously in the woods and on the paintball courses. On top of that, they have friends younger than that they have met on the course and at school. So your young'ins should be fine.

If you even want more protection, you can buy gloves to protect your knuckles and fingers (those can really hurt sometimes), things that protect your neck and these vest things that will protect your chest, stomach and back areas.

I say go for it, but be warned, it can very easily become a expensive game. It is fun, I wish I still played but my gun is crap and I have other priorities for my money now.

Edit: As far as picking out a good marker, this is where I go to check out equipment I am interested in. I have even left a few reviews here.
Paintball Review

 

[Stephen]

If you're not planning on spending much I'd suggest a gun made by Kingman or Tippman. Maybe a tippman custom 98 or a kingmann spyder xtra. Both markers are around 100 and both IMO are very good guns. Safety equipment is something you do not want to skip on. The mask most importantly is somewhere I wouldn't skimp and save. I would suggest you get the best mask you can afford. I personally use a Dye Invision mask and I love it (80 bucks). Gloves are something else that are nice to have. Also a ball cap or some type of head covering is nice too...

 

[SomeGuy88]

Paintball is one of the safest sports in the world when using the proper equipment. I have been playing for 2 years and the only time i got hurt was when i fell down a hill lol. The main thing is a good mask. I have a basic V-Force mask and it nice and sturdy and reliable and cheap. Yes paintball can be expensive, but i play in a forest by my house so all have to buy is thepaintballs and gas to play.


As far as guns go, I would stay away from anything made by Brass Eagle. The tend to break down very easilly. A Kingman and a Tippman are good reliable guns as Stephen said. I have a Mokal Fokus and it is VERY reliable. I have had it for 2 years and no problems so far. If you can, try and look for one of those. They are very good priced too.

-Dan

 

[SimonWoodstock]

As far as guns go, I would stay away from anything made by Brass Eagle

He knows what he is talking about. Tons of people start out buying BE from wal-mart, but they eventually realize their mistake. It doesn't take long before the quality of the marker really begins to show. It would be wise to spend a little extra and get better brand, even if they end up giving it up. I speak from experience. Since me and my friends were about the only ones that played in this town for the longest time (that I knew about), I didn't have anyone to warn me.

 

[slipknottin]

but i play in a forest by my house so all have to buy is thepaintballs and gas to play.

Still could be expensive, my cousins and I do the same thing and they use some 600+ paintballs a day each. I use about 10-20, lol.

 

[Snake Eyez]

Another vote for the Tippman series. I have a 98 custom and love it. It's reliable gun right out of the box and it's upgradable. I bought mine online years ago and great packages are available at various online stores. One thing, don't go cheap on the mask. It's the most valuable piece of equipment since you'll wear it all day long. You have to find one that is comfortable and provides the amount of protection that you are looking for.

 

[ChicoRaton]

I love my 98 custom too. I had some brass eagle piece of junk and after about 50 shots the gun actually exploded. the part that encases the firing mechanism, which is supposed to be one solid piece, broke and the bolt shot bcak and hit me in the chest, and little springs and pins went everywhere. I brought it back and went to the hobby store and got a 98 custom the same day. no regrets

 

[sguthrie]

When I used to play, I've had paint stain before, but I'm not sure which brand it was.

As long as one doesn't get hit in the face (eyes), there's not much else that can go wrong provided all the proper safety precautions are met. Fields, or at least licensed ones, are very particular about the safety precautions for insurance reasons. I've been hit in the throat and it left a nice red mark on my skin, but that's it. What boys don't like the look of a nice welt or two to make them look tough. Its fun to show them after a round of paintball. It hurts, but not for long.

In case the point hasn't already been made, I'd stay away from pretty much all of the paintball stuff sold at Walmart. I do think they sell the 12 volt Viewloader Revolution, and that's a quality product. It may be the 9 volt, and I'm not sure how well that one works.

Tippman does make a quality marker. I liked the feel of the Kingman Spyder markers, too. A lot of fields use one of these two brands for their rental markers. I had an Automag R/T (not to toot my own horn, but...toot toot.)

One thing to consider while they're getting started is seeing if the field will sell you one of their used guns. It'll be beat to hell and back, but it'll get them started. If they want to stay in the sport, they'll want something better than a starter marker anyway like the Airgun Designs Automag, Worr Game Products Autococker, or even the electronic guns, tsk tsk.

Here's a link for National Paintball Supply's dealer listing page.
http://www.nationalpaintball.com/html/dealerlist/dealerlist.asp

Paintball is a great sport. It can teach a person plenty about gun safety, responsibility, and other stuff. Then again, it can also put someone's eye out.

Sam