What is Paintballing? All You Need to Know (Paintball Hopper and Barrel)

What is Paintballing

Introduction of Paintball Game

A shockingly safe sport that has recently emerged into the mainstream world of sports activities is paintballing. Paintballing, as a sport, started in the 1970s. The sport consists of the participants using paintball guns, commonly called markers, to shoot small balls filled with paint at other participants. The idea of shooting paintballs was first used by forestry workers to mark trees and cattlemen to mark cattle.

The markers, or paintball guns, are powered by using compressed gas, most often used is CO2. Markers range in price from around $20 to over $1,000. There are somewhere between two and three dozen paintball marker brands. Paintball markers come in semi-automatic, burst, automatic, and pump action.

 The ammunition used for paintballing is paintballs. They are very literally balls made of paint. The paint used to create the balls is non-toxic, washable, and made from food-grade materials. They are made with ingredients similar to those used in the making of gummy candies, such as gummy bears or gummy worms. The more liquid paint on the inside is encapsulated in a painted shell made from the same ingredients. There are many paintballs of differing qualities and colors. Paintballs for different seasons are available, as well.

There is a huge variety in the types of games played by paintballers. The types of play are only limited by the imagination of the players. However, there are some standard paintball games and scenarios that are common among participants of the sport. Most games are played by two opposing teams of players. Some common types of team games are Capture the Flag, Elimination, and “King of the Hill”.

Woodsball often uses games such as Capture the Flag or Elimination in a wooded area with bunkers of various types and materials. Speedball is the type of game format most often used for tournament paintball. Speedball requires a flat, treeless terrain where artificial obstacles are set up for bunkers.

The Paintball Experience – Sport or Team building?

What is it all about when you give someone a gun (albeit one with paint pellet bullets) and put them in a forest with lots of other similarly equipped people, that suddenly they think they are Rambo and go charging about (some more stealthily than others) seemingly possessed? The popularity of paintballing as a sport has increased over the last ten years and is now not only used just as a hobby but as a team-building event.

For the individual paintball enthusiast, there are many places in which to find out more information on paintball equipment, paintball tips, and paintball games. There is a wide range of paintballing websites, forums, and blogs that give you up to date information on all the latest trends, games, and events associated with the sport. Specialist Safety shinguards can be used to protect you whilst taking part in the paintball experience.

 For the company, it gives a great opportunity to help with team building by providing exercises and activities that enable all members of the team to contribute their ideas and strengths to the task of “winning the game”. Without an office environment to restrict them, all team members get a chance to learn more about themselves and each other. The various activities involved in paintball allow the teams to identify strengths to promote and weaknesses to improve on.

Paintballing is fast becoming a serious business venture involving all kinds of interested parties from kids to grown-ups. But beware if you think you might want to try it out, then make sure you are fit. Paintball mostly takes place outdoors as it basically simulates a “war” scenario with two or more teams battling with each other to win the game or the “war”. The gear and equipment used are specialized and must be worn to protect you from the gunshots of the other players. If you are hit be prepared that it may hurt and that later you will have bruises in all sorts of places (I know – I’ve tried it!).

Paintball is an exhausting but thoroughly enjoyable sport for those that love outdoor activities and/or the thrill of the challenges of the game. It is also a great vehicle for companies to encourage their teams to bond and to identify strengths to build upon and areas of improvement for individuals and teams.

What a great way to keep fit and enjoy yourself – try out a paintball game with work or your friends and see how you get on.

If you are intrigued by the discussion of the paintball experience why not give it a go? You might quite like it!

Paintball hopper

Purchasing the best hopper for Paintball can be super difficult if you do not know exactly what you are looking for. We have an extensive selection of both high-end and basic paintball loaders to choose from, not to mention everything in between! Here’s a little run-down of some of the hoppers we carry.

On the cheap side, better yet ~ beginner stage, we have your standard Gravity fed paintball loader. An example of this type of hopper would be the 32 Degrees standard 200 round hopper. This loader is compatible with all paintball guns on the market (Excludes Cyclone feed).

However, being gravity fed, it will only feed as fast as the paintballs drop. Gravity feed hoppers usually consist of a 200 round container complete with a lid. With a maximum feed rate of 5-8BPS, these hoppers may become jammed as too many balls accumulate above the tube. Of course, when this occurs, rocking the gun gently should successfully dislodge any jammed paintballs.

Next, we have the Extreme Rage, Kingman, Invert, and Tippmann paintball hoppers. These loaders are both inexpensive and effective for any player on a budget. Being electronically agitated, these hoppers provide a constant flow of paintballs to the gun at roughly 10-12 balls per second. These are good options for any type of player who does not have a ton of money but wants an effective electronic loader for their gun. The lowest level of these will run constantly while turned on. The higher end of this level including the Invert DHalo Too will only run as the paint is needed, so your hoppers are not running if you are not shooting.

Moving on, the Empire line of paintball hoppers ranges from good to great in regards to performance! Nothing stands up to rough scenario paintball competition like an Empire Hopper. Sound activated firing means this paintball hopper loads a ball every time you fire your marker.

Good-bye misfires, hello rapid-fire fury! Forget about chopped balls. Empire hoppers even let you adjust the sensitivity of the sound-activated feed system.

The Empire Prophecy is Empire’s answer to the ultimate tournament level paintball loader.

The latest incarnation of the prophecy is the Prophecy Z2

Easily the most recognizable paintball hoppers around, Halos have held the top spot by the pros for some time! Whether it be tournament play or just high-intensity friendly fire, Halo hoppers get the job done! These babies combine incredible speed with precision monitoring.

Infrared technology actually tracks the acceleration rate of the ball stack to keep the drive spring properly set. When you increase your firing rate, the Halo hopper ups the feed rate. The Halo hopper, like most other high-end paintball loaders, is EYE activated which entirely does away with chopped balls! That, along with its ‘stock’ 22+ BPS firing rate enables its user to fire at will and own the competition! If 22+ BPS doesn’t get you excited, check out halos even higher-end paintball loaders complete with upgraded V35 boards ramping up your firing abilities to just about as fast as your fingers can trigger!

And last but certainly not least, DYE Paintball’s latest and greatest paintball hopper yet. the all-new DYE Rotor! With unmatched aesthetics, the Dye Rotor does more than just look good! REVOLUTIONARY PATENTED ROTOR TECHNOLOGY – The ROTOR LOADER far exceeds pro level feed requirements with an ever-impressive 50+ balls per second feed rate. No need to even speculate, just try to beat this beast on the field! Battery performance on this baby is insane with 50K+ shots recorded before they got tired of counting.

So, there you have it, start with your paintball marker and go from there! Whether you’re looking to upgrade you’re already-sick set-up with a high-end terror of a paintball hopper or simply just getting started.

What kind of hopper do I need for my paintball gun?

A – Unless you have a Tippmann paintball gun with a cyclone feed or BT paintball gun with the Rip Clip, you will use a standard paintball loader. If you have a Tippmann, your choices will be limited to a gravity-fed hopper that will clearly say it is cyclone feed compatible. All other paintball guns will use a standard paintball hopper, just choose gravity-fed if 3-6 BPS is sufficient for your paintball marker. Electronic hoppers start at 8-12 BPS and go all the way up to 50+BPS with the Dye Rotor.

Paintball barrel

Whether it’s a cheap paintball barrel you looking for or Tournament quality, we have what you need. Current Paintball Barrels include Tippmann, Proto, Dye, Smart Parts, Redz, J&J; Performance, CMI, and more.

An example of a great starter barrel would be the J&J; Ceramic Barrel. This barrel has a ceramic coat inside that acts as a self-cleaning mechanism if a ball is chopped. The Ceramic coat prevents the paint from sticking inside the barrel. Just shoot a couple more and it will clean itself out. This starter barrel is available for multiple types of threads, as most of the barrels we carry give those thread options. We continue to add new products every week. If you don’t see what you need, let us know and we’ll get it. Be sure to check out our live chat for instant answers to your questions.

Can or Should I upgrade the barrel on my Paintball Gun?

A – Yes, the paintball barrel is typically the first upgrade you want to make on any paintball gun priced below $500. The stock barrel on these paintball guns is typically decent, but for the best performance, you will want to upgrade to a barrel that allows you to adjust the bore or internal size of the barrel to match your paintballs.

Paintballs tend to vary slightly from batch to batch and even depending on humidity and temperature. Higher-end barrels like the Dye Ultralight, Deadlywind carbon fiber, Smart Parts Freak, and Empire Super Freak System are highly recommended. Just make sure you check what thread type is on your gun. The most popular paintball gun barrel threads include Autococker, spyder, Tippmann 98, Tippmann A5/X7, and Ion / Impulse / Smart Parts thread. All of the paintball guns on our site should list the barrel type on the product and category pages for reference.

What do I need to buy with my Paintball gun to play paintball?

A – When you buy your first set of paintball gear, there are a few things you’ll need. First of all, you need a paintball mask to keep you safe on the field. You will also need to buy a loader to hold the paintballs, a tank to provide gas to your gun as well as some paintballs.

You may also want a harness to carry some extra paint for those long games. A lot of source offers a complete line of paintball packages to get you on the field and ready to play without the hassle of knowing.

How about scenario paintball? We stock a full line of scenario paintball guns and gear you will need to get in the game.

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