Paintball wouldn't really be much fun without the gun, but they can be pretty expensive. There are always the Wal-mart guns, but most of those are not great quality; on the other end, you have custom paintball guns, made exactly to someone’s specifications,but they are too expensive for anyone outside a pro player. So how do you find the perfect paintball gun?
The first thing to do is to determine what’s just right for you.
Are you a beginner: buy a less expensive paintball gun. You can always upgrade it when you have new requirements. Most paintball markers (=paintball guns) are easy to upgrade.
If your a more serious player or even play tournaments you need a marker with more features. You need a gun that fits the type of player you are: do you play in front, are you a sniper or a cover player? The type of player you are determines the size, weight and features of your gun. A sniper doesn't need a big hopper (the paintball container on your gun) or big air supply, while a cover player does. A front player needs a gun that's easy to handle and light, while a sniper might prefer a longer gun with a scope.
Some people would rather use a paintball pistol than a longer gun, whereas others prefer rapid-fire semiautomatic and automatic paintball guns.
There are more things to keep in mind when buying a paintball gun, for instance, newer paintball guns have trouble firing older bullets, and older paintball guns often won't fire newer bullets at all. You need to educate yourself on the different types of guns available out there. Here's a good site to get you started:
http://www.paintball-accessories.com
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Let's say you're a beginner and you want to buy a cheap paintball gun. Where do you go?
The first option would be a paintball shop in your town or city. The problem is that your only source of information in a shop is the shop keeper and I don't say all shop keepers are biased, but a lot of them are.
Second option is buying online.The worst thing about buying paintball guns over the internet is that you don't really see what you're getting until the item is shipped to you. This is especially so on online auction sites like Ebay.com.
Instead of buying at Ebay it's better to buy your marker at a specialized online paintball store. The people who create the sites and who post comments are remarkably well-informed and friendly, and they'll help you determine what kind of gun is good for you.
Beware, though, of the too-good-to-be-true bargain; it usually is. For instance, a refurbished gun that looks great on the outside may rattle like a cage when you shake it; NOT a good thing for paintball guns. You should make certain you have a money-back guarantee.
Also check out the different paintball packages on the net. Paintball packages include all the basic things you need for your games, and they usually come at a reasonable price. Most paintball packages include a paintball gun, a mask, a hopper, an air cylinder, a squeegee and a barrel plug. More expensive packages come with all that and other things, like paintball oil, ammo packs, and paintballs.
Have a look here for good paintball package deals:
http://www.paintball-accessories.com/articles/paintball-packages.php
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©2005 Dirk Laukens
Dirk Laukens, Creator of MarkerHQ.
Written By: Dirk Laukens
