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Many players may complain about being outgunned because the other players may have $1000 guns while you're shooting a $75
gun. You shouldn't let this scare you off from paintball. With a low end paintball gun, you can slowly build up your gun to
a fine marker just as good as theirs. Among the favorites in upgrades are consistency and rate of fire but I will attempt
to discuss all aspects.
I know that choosing upgrades for your gun is a very difficult decision. There are so many options available nowadays that
it can be overwhelming because you just don't know where to start. Almost all of us don't have the money to afford a $1000
gun but getting pretty close is just as good and can be done for a fraction of the price. One of my low end guns that goes
for about $75 stock, that I currently have fires almost as fast as one of my $1000 guns and faster than some of the guns out
there that go for about $250 to 500, so trust me when I mention these upgrades.
There are many different paths depending on the type of gun you use, your style of play, and the type of games you play.
First I will explain various types of upgrades, how they work, and their average costs.
Electronic Loader - also known as an agitated hopper. These types of loaders generally operate on AA batteries or 9-volt
batteries. Faster hoppers generally use more batteries.
With your basic hopper, paintballs drop into the chamber before they can be fired. If they drop into the chamber too slowly,
your bolt within the gun will break the paintball within the chamber causing it to be messy and creating problems with accuracy.
Normally, you can purchase various electronic hoppers anywhere from $20 to $135. The best way to judge which type of hopper
is for you is to figure out how fast you're actually shooting and how fast is your paintball gun. Some electronic hoppers
are capable of feeding 21bps (balls per second) while most players use paintball guns which are capable of firing a maximum
of 12bps. Then you have to consider how fast you're firing in a game. Most players may only be firing at a peak of approximately
6-8bps in a game.
Recommendations
Halo B 21bps
Empire Reloader2 12bps
Viewloader Quantum 8bps
Ricochet Rhino LED 8bps
Compressed Air Tanks - also known as N2 tanks or Nitro tanks. Compressed air and nitrogen are both interchangeable
so you can store both within the same tank.
Compressed air is favored over your common CO2 for one reason - consistency. CO2 is stored within a CO2 tank as liquid. When
CO2 moves into your paintball gun, the liquid is converted into gas. Under certain weather conditions and rapid fire, there
is not enough time for the liquid to be converted into gas. This results in 2 problems (1) the consistency will be off, you
will sometimes receive spikes in your velocity measurement which will result in paintballs dropping because of drops in velocity,
they can create losses for you within a game if your shots aren't hitting their targets and (2) liquid entering your paintball
gun. Liquid entering your paintball gun can damage the internals as well as cause your gun to freeze.
Compressed air and nitrogen are stored as a gas within compressed air tanks therefore no time is needed for them to convert.
Regulators on compressed air tanks allow high flow of air into your paintball gun, allowing you to rapid fire with a constant
feed of air. Regulators limit the amount of air being fed into your gun which means you'll get more consistent shots all the
time.
You can further enhance consistency of your shots by purchasing an adjustable tank. Most tanks come with a preset regulator
meaning the amount of airflow allowed into the gun is already set and cannot be changed. 3000psi tanks always have a high
pressure preset of 850psi while 4500psi tanks have an option of either a high pressure preset of 850psi or a low pressure
preset of 450psi. Adjustable tanks allow you to lower your pressure even more. A good consistent flow allows consistent shots.
Low settings also give you less kick when you fire. Too low will cause your marker not to fire properly because you are simply
"choking" your gun. A compressed air tank will run an average of $75 to $150. They can go all the way up to about $300 or
more sometimes.
Recommendations
Air America 47/3000
WGP 50/3000
Crossfire 72/4500
Empire 68/4500
Barrel - first, there are many misconceptions about barrels. There are also several different features on barrels including
bore, length, porting, honing, internal rifling, and material.
Many believe some barrels are better than others and can create better accuracy. But rest assured that this notion is false!
You don't have to spend $200 on a full barrel kit just to shoot as accurately as others! The BEST way to shoot more accurately
is to match up the bore size of your paint and your barrel. Bore size is the diameter of the hole in a barrel. Most stock
barrels (barrels that come with your gun) generally have a bore size ranging from .685 to .689 because a majority of fields
use paintballs with a bore size of .687 to .689. Generally when you're dealing with paintballs, the best way to measure if
your barrel matches well with the paintball is to hold your barrel and put your paintball on top of the entry hole. If the
paintball can rest comfortably 1/3 of it's size into the hole, it's a good match. If the ball drops through the barrel, the
barrel bore size is too big, if the ball cannot fit, then the barrel bore size is too small. If you're using a low quality
or medium quallity of paint, it is recommended to use a barrel bore size larger than the paintball. If you're using a high
quality paint, it is recommended to use a perfect bore size match or slightly larger.
Having too small of a barrel bore size will result in paintballs breaking within the barrel. Barrel bore sizes much larger
than the paintball will also yield the same result with brittle paint becuse the paintball will bounce constantly throughout
the barrel. Broken paintballs in your barrel will also cause your shots to curve.
Length does play important roles in a barrel. You need approximately 8-10" to reach your desired velocity then an additional
2-4" to guide the paintball once it reaches that velocity. Short barrels will not provide enough guidance and can cause problems
in accuracy when it comes to shooting long distances. Long barrels create additional friction on the paintball resulting in
higher chances of breaking within the barrel and sometimes curved shots. Also with the longer barrels comes an efficiency
issue, more air is needed to guide the paintball through the barrel meaning you may have to adjust your paintball gun to reach
your desired velocity and aim. If you're coming from behind a bunker, an opponent may see the tip of your barrel coming out
and begin opening fire. A good rule of thumb is to use a barrel that is 10-14".
Porting are holes that are already drilled into a variety of barrels, you will see these holes at the tip of your barrel or
sometimes half way down your barrel. Porting serves 2 functions (1) is the air surrounds your paintball and can create turbulence
or serve as a block. If your paintball is traveling faster or farther than the surrounding air, it will hit the traveling
air in front of it causing the ball to curve or not reach it's desired range. Porting allows the air to escape the barrel
much more quickly resulting in less air in front of the paintball. (2) Because more air is exiting the barrel, it will normally
result in quieter shots, they won't be completely silent but it'll be noticeably quieter. Porting also has it's con, more
porting results in more air being needed to accelerate the paintball even though more porting can quiet down the shots even
more. It's up to you on which you'd rather go with. Many barrels have different patterns for the porting, these patterns do
not serve a function.
Honing is the manufacturer's brushing of the barrel's internals. Back in the day, flexible brushes were used but nowadays,
all barrels follow the same type of honing which uses a stiff brush and results in a smooth finish so there is no need to
go into detail with it. A new process is being used known as micro-honing which uses stiff brushes with smaller bristles to
create extremely smooth internals. Touchups are fairly inexpensive.
Internal rifling is a spiral pattern within the barrel, some manufacturers will create the spiral where you can noticeably
feel it if you run your finger through it, some create it where it will be very hard to feel it, and others just don't do
it. Internal rifling was created only as a theory that the air will travel within the spirals causing the paintball to spin
in a controlled manner rather than just blasting foward and surrounding the paintball. The internal rifling is supposed to
result in consistent shots so if your shots are curving or shooting straight, the rifling will attempt to make it those straight
or curved shots consistent so that if you miss you're opponent, you'll get them on the next shot.
Some research has been performed on internal rifling and it's believed that an extremely high flow of air is needed to make
it useful otherwise it doesn't serve a purpose.
Today, there are 5 types of materials in creating a barrel (1)Aluminum, (2) Stainless Steel, (3) Titanium, and (4) Ceramic.
Aluminum is the most common today and most paintball guns will come with an aluminum barrel. Aluminum barrels are very light
and the honing within the barrel will normally last you about 30 cases before needing a touch up.
Stainless steel is much more slicker and much more heavier than an aluminum barrel. The honing will outlast your marker.
Titanium will yield the same results as stainless steel and because of their durability, they will normally be as light as
aluminum barrels.
Ceramic barrels are fairly new. They offer a very slick surface and so slick that if you are to break a ball inside, you only
have to shoot about 2 paintballs to clean it rather than go through it with a squeegee. Ceramic barrels are also the lightest
barrels available.
A barrel kit is not needed but often recommended due to the fact that they come with a variety of barrel lengths and interchangeable
bores. You can also purchase parts of barrel kits rather than buy an entire kit. Most barrels also are available in a variety
of different length and bore sizes. Many barrels today are also created in 2 pieces, the bore and tip. So say that you enjoy
your 14" barrel and need a larger bore size, you don't have to buy another 14" barrel with that bore size. You can simply
unscrew the bore end from the barrel, buy a new bore end, and attach it to the tip of your barrel giving you you're 14" barrel.
Most barrels will go as cheap as about $25 to $40 for a decent to pretty good barrel. If you're only planning on getting one
barrel, I recommend getting a bore of about .691 to .693 to handle odd shaped paintballs during the warm weather. Some barrel
kits can go upto about $200, sometimes more depending on what kinda features they have to offer. Don't be discouraged by a
player who walks around with a barrel kit. Still to this day, one of the most sought after barrels which comes only in .689
that everyone loves only used to cost $20 until it was discontinued. Many people are still willing to pay $20 or sometimes
more for that barrel if it's in good condition inside.
Recommendations
Smart Parts Freak Barrel
Empire Revolver Barrel
JJ Ceramic Barrel
Smart Parts All American Barrel
Empire Twister Barrel
32 Degrees Terminator Barrel
Armson Stealth Barrel
Armson Pro Series Barrel
Trigger Frames, Triggers, & Circuit Boards - you can normally purchase a variety of trigger frames for your own personal
taste. Mechanic triggers run on springs and yield a heavy and longer trigger pull. With some work, you can modify the length
of your trigger pull. Another option is to purchase an electronic trigger frame which has a shorter trigger pull as well as
a light trigger, allowing you higher rates of fire.
Most guns have the availability for you to take out the original trigger and replace it with another. Triggers come in different
shapes, materials, and weights. A majority of inexpensive guns normally come with plastic triggers, heavy reinforced triggers,
or triggers with long pulls (meaning the distance you need to pull the trigger for it to fire). Lighter triggers will allow
ease in pulls and result in higher rates of fire. Triggers are normally made of plastic, aluminum, or stainless steel. Many
people don't enjoy specific materials and their feel or weight so they upgrade to a different trigger. Triggers for electronic
guns/grip frames can normally be adjusted to how far you want to pull the trigger and where you want the trigger to rest.
Some paintball guns have other options besides electronic guns such as reactive triggers (this option can also be set on most
electronic guns). When you pull the trigger of a reactive trigger, it will fire. When you release the trigger of a reactive
trigger, it will fire again.
I won't go too much into circuit boards but many electronic paintball guns are capped at 15bps. Meaning they are capable of
firing faster than 15bps but are limited to 15bps for many reasons. Most electronic guns also come with semi-automatic modes
only, but many other have several other firing modes. Various boards will allow you to fire higher than 15bps and other modes
besides semi-automatic.
Recommendations for Spyders & Clones
Kingman Rocking Trigger
Kingman ESP C.A.M.D. Trigger
Recommendations for Tippmanns
Tippmann E-Grip
Tippmann RT Kit
Air Efficient Upgrades - there are a large number of air efficient upgrades on the market today. They include expansion
chambers, gas thru foregrip, anti-siphon, remotes, regulators, low pressure regulators, valves, volumizers, bolts, and much
more. Because of the long list of details, I will only list a few.
Expansion chambers are mainly used on guns running CO2. They are used to attempt to capture excess liquid so that it doesn't
reach the gun.
Gas Thru Foregrips are similar to expansion chambers but should only be used if you're running on compressed air. They do
not capture air, they simply serve as a grip.
Anti-Siphons are fittings applied to your CO2 tank. They aid in preventing liquid from leaving the tank. You should not attempt
to install it yourself. A certified air smith should install it for you. Purchasing a tank w/ an Anti-Siphon installed normally
costs as only a few dollars less than a compressed air tank at 45/3000, 47/3000, and 50/3000 so a compressed air tank is still
recommended.
Remotes are lines which allow you to keep the tank in a harness rather than on your gun. Remotes can also serve as expansion
chambers by collecting liquid from CO2 tanks.
Regulators are much more recommended than an expansion chamber or gas thru foregrip. They allow you to control the amount
of air which enters your gun allowing you more consistent shots each time. You should not use a regulator with CO2 unless
you have an anti-siphon installed.
Volumizers also known as vaccuum chambers are used to store air within the paintball gun. You can think of it as a surplus
of air waiting to be used. With compressed air, these don't serve a purpose except for looking cool.
Bolts come in many different materials and designs. First there are 2 designs, free flow (also known as open flow) and venturi.
Free flow bolts simply give the paintball a straight shot of air while venturi bolts contain a star design and attempt to
act similar to internal rifling of barrels. The theory behind venturi bolts is also the same. Barrels normally come made in
aluminum on most inexpensive guns but also come in the form of delrin and aluminum. Most high end guns and mid level guns
come with delrin bolts. Some bolts are made almost entirely out of delrin. Delrin bolts differ from plain aluminum bolts because
delrin is a very light and very smooth material. Because it's smooth, it normally does not use o-rings, if it does, it is
not necessary to lubricate them like standard bolts, saving you money on lubricant. Because they are very light, they move
much more quickly allowing you to lower your pressure or release tension on your springs on lower end guns. And a combination
also increase your velocity and cycling time, allowing you higher rates of fire.
Valves are simple brass parts which re-direct the air flow throughout your paintball gun. They can serve a variety of purposes
including increase in velocity, consistency, higher rates of fire, and air efficiency.
Just remember that you don't have to spend insane amounts of money to make a gun as fast as higher end guns. Nowadays, you
can take a $50 gun and make it possible to shoot 15bps for a little more than $100 or capable of 31bps for about $200. The
possibilities are endless, so don't look down on your gun if it's only shooting 8bps.
It is completely up to you on how you would like to upgrade your paintball gun but here are the levels of recommendations
which I normally suggest.
Recommended Upgrade Order for Woodsball & Scenario
Electronic Loader
Barrel
Compressed Air Tank
Air Efficient Upgrades
Trigger Upgrades
Recommended Upgrade Order for Speedball
Electronic Loader
Compressed Air Tank
Trigger
Barrel
Air Efficient Upgrades
Recommended Upgrade Order for Higher Rates of Fire
Electronic Loader
Compressed Air Tank
Trigger
Air Efficient Upgrades
Barrel
Recommended Upgrade Order for Low/Mid End Guns
Electronic Loader
Compressed Air Tank
Barrel
Trigger
Air Efficient Upgrades
Recommended Upgrade Order for High End Guns
Electronic Loader
Compressed Air Tank
Barrel
Air Efficient Upgrades
Trigger
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