| Paintball which originated back in 1976, has had a | | | | Tanks such as these can also have the tendency to |
| steady increase in popularity. The primary strategy | | | | leak because of erosion of the seals and o-rings, yet |
| behind paintball is to shoot your opponent with a ball of | | | | with some maintenance and care this typically can be |
| paint that is traveling at excessively high speeds, | | | | prevented. Carbon dioxide paintball tanks should not be |
| hence "killing" him and bringing your team one step | | | | directly left in the rays of the sun for too long as there |
| closer to another victory. | | | | is some risk of the internal gas expanding to a level |
| The rate of acceleration that a person's paintball | | | | that would be unsafe. |
| travels is a very critical factor for this type of sport, as | | | | Type 2 - High Pressure Air and Nitrogen Paintball |
| the slower moving paintballs can be dodged more | | | | Tanks |
| easily by your opponents. There are basically two | | | | Nitrogen tanks and high pressure air function in a |
| types of propellant tanks that are used; High Pressure | | | | different manner compared to carbon dioxide tanks |
| Air / Carbon Dioxide or Nitrogen. | | | | since they don't have to expand a liquid into a gas to |
| Type 1 - Carbon Dioxide Paintball Tanks | | | | result in the propellant effect; this is because the |
| These type of tanks utilize what is known as a liquid | | | | material is already formed in a gaseous state. |
| CO2 which then expands itself into a gas which then | | | | Because of this process it augments both of the |
| takes the paintball and propels it out the barrel. One of | | | | distance and accuracy over carbon dioxide paintball |
| the side effects of using a carbon dioxide tank for | | | | tank. These type of tanks will have a tendency to |
| extended periods of time is that crystals of ice can | | | | grow colder when used, nevertheless the overall |
| form on the tank itself. The primary cause of this is | | | | effect is much less compared to CO2 tanks. |
| because the liquid CO2 expansion turning from a liquid | | | | Even though they are generally preferred over carbon |
| to a gas requires heat energy, eventually this can | | | | dioxide paintball tanks, the nitrogen and high pressure |
| result in the counter effect of the propellant tank | | | | types of air tanks do have some disadvantages. The |
| becoming very cold. Combine this with long periods of | | | | weight of nitrogen and high pressure tanks are higher |
| use and you get the creation of ice. | | | | and they are also larger compared to CO2 tanks, |
| When these carbon dioxide paintball tanks are used in | | | | since the propellant is already in a form that is |
| a rapid fashion they can become unreliable for both | | | | gaseous. There are smaller tanks that are produced |
| distance and accuracy. This is mainly because the | | | | but will typically not have enough gas to last out a long |
| carbon dioxide requires time to expand out to a form | | | | game. Nitrogen and high pressure paintball tank also |
| that is gaseous and when your trigger pulls are too | | | | are more expensive to buy, yet refilling them is much |
| rapid the inner pressure might not form fully. | | | | less costly then having to refill tanks. |