paint ball guns?

[dwayne]

GEL you are a brave mommy... I'm dreading the day when my son comes to me and wants to buy a paintball gun (or worse... say he wants to play hockey or football!!)

That being said, my brothers both used to play paintball all the time, though they didn't own their own stuff, they used to go somehwere where you could rent everything. They had boat loads of fun and could go here with $100 and play for just about an entire day. My mother didn't let them play until they turned 15, don't know why, I'm sure it's just an arbitrary (sp?) age that she pulled out of the air, but still. They went once a month to play, and worked weekends to support their hobby.

Besides the black and blues that they inevitably came home with, I only remember 2 major-ish injuries - a spot on my brother's calf that was essentially like 10 black and blues all in one area, that took forever to heal and was painful to the touch for a week. My other brother was hit in just the right spot under his arm, where there was no padding... that was more of a 'lucky' shot though.

I know jack-squat about paintballing, except the stories I'd hear my brothers tell... and like I said above, I am dreading the day my son comes to me and asks to do something potentially dangerous... but I hope that when that time does come I can be as open minded as you and at least entertain the idea... your kids are very lucky to have you for their mom!!!

~Tara

 

[slipknottin]

I'm dreading the day when my son comes to me and wants to buy a paintball gun (or worse... say he wants to play hockey or football!!)

:laugh:

 

[geoffgarcia]

where I grew up kids would play war or whatever you want to call it with bb and pellet guns without eye protection.
I only know one kid that got hurt, he was shot in the eye
oops! correction!
I know 2 kids that got shot in the eye. Neither lost their eyes, but both had eye patches for about 8 months.

My only reluctancy with paint balls is the speed gauges. Playing with kids that crank up the speeds sucks. especially with automatic guns.
Some kids think its funny to stand 4 feet behind you with the pressure all the way up and just hold down the trigger. THAT is the fastest way to have a murder on your hands.

 

[chunksofpoooo]

i have a few friends who play paintball, but i never got into it. The reason; its freakin' expensive. My vote goes to airsoft, if your kids do some research on it im sure they'ed be just as happy if not happier with an airsoft marker rather than a paintball marker.
Airsoft has the same concept as paintball, but its a lot cheaper. Rather than using compressed air or CO2 it uses a battery-powered motor to pump a piston. The air shoots a pellet (6mm) at around the same speeds as a paintball (250-400fps, depending on the gun). The big advantage is also in the ammo. Paintballs are rather expensive, you can get 100count bottle for around $10 i believe, with airsoft you can get a 4000count bottle for around $10. You also dont have to worry about staining or cleaning up anything, you can even buy biodegreadable pellets. Then there is the price of the actual gun. I think they're a little bit more expensive, but in the long run its worth it by far. I ordered mine off a site based in japan, it was about $300 for the gun, two magazines, ammo and a battery and charger; totally worth it.
There are some downsides though....major downsides. Namely the fact that airsoft markers look exactly like the real gun they're modled after, right down to size, and in some cases, wheight.

I play airsoft whenever i can, i have an upgraded tokyo Marui AK-47. There is an interesting back story to that one, involving a game at a water tower, an old lady calling the cops, and eventually running from some cops. I hate CT cops, they have nothing to do

tokyo marui AK-47 w/ stock, looks too real

if you want to check it out, the site is www.redwolfairsoft.com
go to the "products" link on the left, and check out the AEG's. If you're going to get one, get an AEG, dont get a single shot, bolt action, or gas powered one. And NEVER buy a mini; they suck. There is a reason why they are so cheap, a good one. Stick with the AEG's. Might i suggest the MP5's, G3s, or other tokyo marui's. They're the most popular, they look pretty sweet

happy to answer any questions
dave

*edit note*
you cant "crank up the speed" on airsoft guns. You can upgrade them, but you wont ever have to worry about some dumb kid freezing his paintballs or cranking up the speed to 400+fps

 

[N8DOGG]

I think you would be better off with the paint balls guns. Proper atire and safety equipment is a must. I wouldn't want your children to get shot by a cop or another person with a gun because it appears that your kids have guns.
I also agree with this "Paintball is a great sport. It can teach a person plenty about gun safety, responsibility, and other stuff." with the other type of gun I don't think that your children will be taught anything if they have to run from the cops

 

[geoffgarcia]

It can teach a person plenty about gun safety, responsibility

just curious, but what does it teach about gun safety and responsibility?

the object of paintball is to shoot someone...if anything it might breed a better child killer *LOL*

 

[cgrabe]

just curious, but what does it teach about gun safety and responsibility?

the object of paintball is to shoot someone...if anything it might breed a better child killer *LOL*

Hands-on experience with any kind of gun (a paintball marker is still a gun) and proper instruction will help make it second-nature to always be aware of where the muzzle is pointing, what is near the trigger, etc., etc., and, yes, how to hit what you're aiming for. Learning proper handling with a paintball gun is safer than with a firearm because the cost for mistakes is much lower; learning to hit what you're aiming for is important because a stray bullet is a very deadly thing. You must be aware of where your projectiles go when they miss your target, and a visible ball of paint can help with that much more safely than a lump of copper-coated lead.

 

[Stephen]

I personally would NOT go with airsoft guns. The reasons follow...

1. Mistaking the airsoft gun for the real thing. Manafactures currently are required to place a blaze orange plug on the end of the gun to distinguish it from real or toy. Some still don't do it however and this plug is easily and often removed even by adults.

2. Airsoft hasn't become as popular as paintball and finding a field to play at or other airsoft players may be a challenge depending on where you are in the country.

3. Airsoft guns have a velocity of 250-400 feet per second. An airsoft bb is 6mm. Paintball guns have the same velocity HOWEVER most insured fields have a requirement that your gun shoot no more than 180 feet per second. All the fields, tourny's, and scenario's I've played at anyway. Paintballs are also 0.68". I'd much rather have something soft, more than likely going to bust, and a little over a half inch coming at me at 180 feet per second than something that's 6mm and hard coming at me 250 - 400 feet per second! Yes someone could turn thier gun up while playing but usually the action is intense enough that it doesn't happen. The ref's pay close attention too and I've seen people that are shooting a little fast have thier guns chronographed on the spot.

4. Airsoft games that I've played are a lot more struuctred than the paintball games I have played. With airsoft I find it's mostly adults that take it so seriously it becomes a little disturbing.

5. Both can teach safety with firearms simply by the rules posted on most fields. The paintball fields I play at have strict rules concerning barrel plugs, goggles, safety on, and direction of fire. There are also plenty of ref's there to enforce these rules.

6. Airsoft may be cheaper to play during a day but there are ways to also make paintball cheaper. Most fields offer field paint. Some even require you buy it there. I play at least one weekend a month and sometimes more. I shoot about 800 - 1500 paintballs each time I play. I buy field paint at $10 for a bag of 500. For $50 I can pay the field and air fee and have more than enough paint. I don't feel there's a need to take my $65 a box paint I use unless I am in some sort of competition.

Personally I think paintball is much more satisfying and honestly I'll stick with it over airsoft. The intial cost for a decent starter marker and a good mask can be kept under $200 if you shop deals. I'd shy away from buying a used marker from a paintball field. Most of these markers are put through a bunch of abuse and I can almost bet you something like a cup seal will go out and need to be fixed before long. A small inexpensive item but having a gun fail on you during play is not worth it to me. I still use the second gun I ever bought. A Spyder Xtra with a 16" J&J Ceramic barrel, 6 stage expansion chamber, Shocktech Bolt, and a few other aftermarket internals. I actually like it more than my expensive WGP Outkast, unless I'm playing speedball.

IMO a Good Starter Package
Spyder Xtra = $80.00
Upgraded Barrel = $40.00 (could be less or more)
Dye Invision Mask or V-Force Profiler Mask = $80.00
Guppies and pack = $30.00 (could be less depending on brand)
Loader (standard) = $5.00
Vertical Powerfeed Elbow = $5.00
12 oz CO2 tank = $15.00
TOTAL = $255.00

There are other things you could buy that would also add to the price. Gloves in my opinion are definately a must. It stings a bit to get hit in the hand or fingers. Your kids may also want a jersey eventually or a pair of pants. I've only used Dye pants, jersey's, and gloves so I can't recommend anything else.
Also a powered loader is a good item to have if you're shooting a faster gun that a standard loader couldn't keep up with. I personally use a powered loader on both of my guns. Sypder's and Tippy's are both very upgradable and sure bets in my opinions. So are things made by Dye, V-force, WGP, 32 Degrees, Smart Parts, and Psycho Ballistics.

Paintballs vary in price greatly. From as cheap as $20.00 per box of 2000 to well over $100.00 for a box of 2000. I'd recomend you take your kids to a local field and actually play with them. Just to make sure they like it before you invest in the equipment. A lot of people get into paintball and love it for the first few times. Then they end up never playing agian.

If you haven't yet take a look on Ebay for paintball stuff. You can buy things on there for much less than you'll find them locally.

 

[slipknottin]

1. Mistaking the airsoft gun for the real thing. Manafactures currently are required to place a blaze orange plug on the end of the gun to distinguish it from real or toy. Some still don't do it however and this plug is easily and often removed even by adults.[/b]

There are plenty of paintball guns that look like real guns, and plenty of airsoft guns that look fake.

I'd much rather have something soft, more than likely going to bust, and a little over a half inch coming at me at 180 feet per second than something that's 6mm and hard coming at me 250 - 400 feet per second!

Paintballs have much higher mass, and therefore will transmit as much energy, if not more, into their target.

 

[greeneyedlady]

I don't think there are any paintball fields around me so they would be in the woods around my house, we have lots of trees for them to shoot......as for learning gun safety, they both took the NRA gun safety course for handling firearms during a summer camp session. They both target shoot bb's and 22's at their grandparents house out in the middle of the woods with no other person around (they have their own target area set up with targets and such). So I'm not really worried about them knowing how to handle firearm's responsibly, they have a good base knowledge already..........