Different Types Of Paintball Guns - Which Type Is For You?

Paintball has gained increasing popularity among sports lovers in the past few years. As long as you get a paintball gun and proper protective gear, you and your team are going to have an enjoyable all-day adventure.

When it comes to paintball guns, there is a broad range of models on the market. It may be a little confusing to decide which one to purchase.

Today, we’ll clue you into the information about three main types of paintball guns that have appealed to many players. They’re all available at Discovery UK – where you can find whatever you need for an exciting game.

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Three Different Types Of Paintball Guns

When buying a paintball marker, most players would go for one of these three kinds of gun: pump, mechanical, and electro-pneumatic. Each has its distinct characteristics as well as pros and cons. Below is their detailed information that will help decide which type is right for you.

Pump Paintball Guns

Pump paintball guns turned up earlier than others and are the oldest type of marker. These basic guns require manual operation.

To release a fire, you need to cock the marker using a shotgun-like pump. After each shot, players must pull the pump backward and forward to place the next paintball into the chamber for the next shot.

Their ‘original’ mechanism makes things more complicated in such a fast game. Its firing rate is also lower than the mechanical or electronic type.

For this reason, new players rarely choose a pump marker to get into the game. Unless you’re trying to challenge your speed, you don’t want a pump paintball gun for a fierce competition.

However, this primitive type of gun has a simple design and is exceptionally reliable. Instead of power fire, it focuses on accuracy and stability in fields. Plus, pump models are highly affordable product, which is an excellent choice for tight-budget players.

These guns were prevalent in the last decades. Some old-age paintballers still use pump markers as they consider the shotgun approach a charm. At stock-class paintball events, people also use pump guns to compete with each other.

Mechanical Paintball Guns

Mechanical paintball guns are many players’ go-to companions. They’re the most common markers you’ll find during recreational play.

Basically, a mechanical gun is semi-automatic, implying that a trigger pull fires one paintball.

In particular, the blowback design allows the trigger to move the sear catch, releasing a hammer from a spring force.

As the striker touches the valve, it pushes the paintball out of the barrel. You can hear it when the pressure propels the striker back into its starting position. Now, you can load the next paintball.

A mechanical paintball marker can work on CO2 or compressed air as well. A pro shop or a commercial game field can help you fill the tank quickly. With the right accessories, it’s super easy to operate and maintain.

For beginners, mechanical paintball guns are a nice option as they offer great ease of use, high firing rates, and budget-friendliness.

Electropneumatic Paintball Guns

Electropneumatic, or electronic paintball guns, have been the most luxurious type of paintball gun so far. You should buy these markers only when you’re a serious paintballer.

Unlike mechanical guns, an electronic marker doesn’t feature a mechanized firing mechanism (trigger release). Instead, it uses a circuit-driven solenoid powered by a rechargeable or 9-volt battery to fire. Therefore, players can obtain an exceedingly high firing rate.

Plus, electronic paintball guns come with various firing modes, including burst, ramping, full-auto, and many others.

A common type of electronic gun is the ‘pneumatic poppet valve.’ Due to the pressure-powered ram, this type is super fast and gas-efficient. Pneumatic poppet valve guns need compressed air to fire consistently and don’t use CO2.

The ‘spool valve’ is another kind of electro-pneumatic marker. This one requires little maintenance since it includes only one moving part – the bolt. A spool valve gun works very quietly, but it’s not as gas-efficient as the prior type.

Should You Buy A Paintball Gun?

If you’re an advanced paintballer with superb performances, you may need a better gun than the ones you rent at the fields.

Markers are a significant investment. So only when you make sure you play the game seriously and want to take up private courses will you decide to purchase one.

Should you be playing paintball frequently, say twice, or three times a month, you’d better get your own good gun. Inexpensive models tend to be either low quality or hard to upgrade.

Generally, severe paintball geeks consider a collection of distinct and high-grade markers as their pride. Thus, they always look for a gun that can be a good companion in games and a precious part of their gun line-up.

On the other hand, if you play it very occasionally, you may think twice about going for a paintball gun.

While this major investment can cost you a fortune, you just use it from time to time. It’s such a waste of money, isn’t it? You can rent one on public fields instead!

Plus, if you’re a beginner and taking your first step into this sport, renting gear is also a better choice. You may want to improve your skills and get used to every type of paintball gun before buying your own marker.

When Can You Use Each Type Of Paintball Gun?

We never use pump markers for speedball. Typically, unless you’re in a stock-class game or using your gun as a sidearm, you won’t choose a pump marker to go with you.

Some still use this type in typical games that are full of mechanical guns. But most of them are old-age players, who have years of experience to bring to the table.

Woodsball is an ideal game to use mechanical paintball guns. In speedball, they may cause your trigger pull to be slower and affect your speed.

However, in less aggressive speedball games, a mechanical gun still works just fine.

Apart from games not allowing players to use mechanical markers, this type of gun is the coolest companion for every kind of play.

Speedball is the only variant that suits electronic markers. Any other type of game seems to be too harsh on such sensitive guns. They hardly last through long sessions without repairs.

Wrap-Up

As you learn different types of paintball guns and their characteristics, you can make an informed decision when you’re among thousands of choices available in the market.

Depending on your demands and favorite play, you’d better buy a gun that provides crucial features to your game and make sure it’s a value-for-money choice before making a purchase.