| First, let's get one thing clear. To the avid paintball | | | | Which leads to the hopper itself. The hopper is the part |
| player a paintball gun is known as a paintball marker. It | | | | that holds the paintball rounds. Try as they might, |
| is obviously a throw back homage to the origins of the | | | | manufacturers have still not perfected a hopper to |
| extreme sport of paintball. Markers were originally | | | | prevent paintballs from breaking while contained. As |
| used by the forestry service to mark trees, and by | | | | you can imagine, breaks can lead to jams both in the |
| farmers and rangers to mark cattle. Almost 30 years, | | | | feeding mechanism and in the gun itself, which leads to |
| and hundreds of modifications later, modern paintball | | | | a vicious circle of causing even more balls to break. |
| markers are fast, efficient machines that can cost | | | | The different types of hoppers include gravity-feed |
| over a thousand dollars. | | | | hoppers, force-feed hoppers, stick-feed hoppers, and |
| The marker is a crucial piece of equipment for the | | | | agitation hoppers. |
| paintball player, and should always be in tip-top shape. | | | | The part of the gun that holds the gas that propels the |
| Regular cleaning and maintenance is imperative to | | | | paintballs is logically called the tank. Markers use |
| maintaining the performance you are looking for. You | | | | carbon dioxide gas or high-pressure air. Carbon dioxide |
| should literally know every component to your marker | | | | is the original propulsion material, but high-pressure air is |
| inside and out. | | | | more reliable and easier to handle. |
| Each part of the marker has an important job to | | | | Finally, the last part of the marker is the barrel. The |
| perform. The largest part of the marker is the body. | | | | type and length of the barrel determines speed, |
| The body is made up of the trigger frame, the valve | | | | accuracy and distance of the paintballs. Longer barrels |
| and the bolt. Each of these parts can be broken down | | | | offer better accuracy, but it also takes a larger burst |
| from each other for cleaning and upgrades. Most | | | | of air to actually get the paintball out of the barrel, so |
| companies that manufacture paintball markers all use | | | | that accuracy performance could be compromised. |
| the same approach to the body. The variations come | | | | Some barrels are rifled on the inside. The jury is still out |
| in the placement of the trigger and barrel. By placing | | | | on whether a rifled barrel enhances shooting |
| the trigger frame forward the balance for the gun | | | | performance. |
| shifts making it easier to hold and handle with one | | | | This quick overview of the parts of a paintball marker |
| hand. It also gives the body a lower profile. This is | | | | covers the basics. If you aspire to become a serious |
| especially advantageous when you are playing a | | | | player you owe it to yourself to become even more |
| game where hopper hits get you eliminated. | | | | familiar with the details of your marker. |