Choosing Your Paintball Equipment

There are several types of paintball equipment usedThe barrel or breach of the paintball gun may collect
while playing a game of paintball. Many of them servedust or paintball debris. Squeegees, hinge-mounted
important functions like providing safety, while some ofrubber discs on the end of plastic rods, are used to
them may be intended for cosmetic purposes only.clean these out by inserting the rubber end into the
There are also some nifty paintball accessories whichbarrel. Cable squeegees, in which the rubber disc is
can really come in handy when playing the game.mounted perpendicularly on the end of the cable, used
Paintball Gun:to clean open breech and removable bolt paintball
Paintball guns are replicas of actual firearms used toguns.
mark an opposing player with paint in the popularBattle Swab:
game of paintball. These guns propel paintballs throughThis is a double ended stick, with a bendable rubber
a barrel with a muzzle velocity of approximately 300 ftsection in the middle, which has a soft absorbent fur
s to break upon impact. Different types of paintballwhich is shoved down the length of the barrel to
guns have different firing system such asremove paint debris or paintball shell.
Electro-pneumatic, mechanical, or gas-powered firingCommon Accessories:
systems. Some of the more popular paintball gunsDrop forward and Rail:
include semi-automatic, stock class and pump guns.Drop forwards, which is attached to the bottom of the
Safety Equipment:gun, drop the tank a few inches and move it forward.
Paintball Mask:This makes the paintball marker/gun taller but shorter in
Paintball Masks protect the face by covering the eyes,length. Safety features may include on/off switch.
mouths, ears and nostrils. Some masks are alsoAnother alternative to drop forward, which has
equipped with throat guards. Lenses which come inbecome more popular, is the rail system which enables
double-layered or thermal designs are more reliablea tank regulator to be mounted directly at the base of
and the air chamber between the outer and inner lensthe grip.
prevent fogging. High end mask products should beRemote line:
considered while playing paintball because most ofRemote lines are cables attached to the tank from the
them are designed to effectively halt speedingpaintball marker/gun so that user can easily move
paintballs which normally travel at a speed of 200 towhile handling the marker/gun.
300 ft/s. Polycarbonate or Lexan provides goodPod:
impact resistance so be sure to check if the mask hasThese are plastic containers that can hold about 140 to
lens made with those.200 paintballs. Pods may be equipped with springs at
Barrel cover:the top for quick opening, locking mechanism to
A barrel plug is normally a neoprene pouch attachedprevent accidental opening, and shock absorbers to
over the barrel opening by a cord. This safety deviceprevent paintballs from breaking.
prevents accidentally fired paintballs to cause anyHarness:
harm by blocking exit. A barrel sock is more effectiveA harness, which holds the pods, provides the player
in reducing the possibility of the safety equipment beingwith a convenient supply of paint. They may also be
detached from the marker/gun barrel.fitted with a pouch to hold the tank during a remote
Cleaning Equipment:setup, a bellyband with hoops in the back for the pods
Squeegees:and pockets for maps, radios, and hydration pouches.