[cyberxen]

I'm looking to get a paintball gun for under 500 bucks. Whats the best I can get in that price range?

[hessogood]

My friend has a few top of the line setups for sale if you're interested.

[CitizenFrye]

I got my stuff here. They seem to have good package deals.

http://www.rockstarsports.com/

[nefarious]

well ya can see my stuff in the for sale section, your really not gonna get a better gun or a more complete set up for the money.. and if you find two people willing to spend 500, and dont mind withholding some truth from them.. you can get yourself a free marker.

[cyberxen]

I wish I had a couple friends that would go in with me, but everyone else already has good equipment.

What are you guys running? I was thinking about a Tippmann 98.

Hey Hess, what price range is you buddies gun in? Any idea what it is?

[nefarious]

not for nothing but if your gonna play more then twice a year.. tippman i just a waste of money.. more so if you ever plan to play anything other than woods ball. but ah well, live and learn.

[hessogood]

nef is my friend with the stuff for sale.

[nefarious]

dont be assuming im your friend just cause id let you bang my sister!

[hessogood]

[CitizenFrye]

I have a 32 degree ICON Z marker.. it had good reviews for a entry level marker. So something to get me in to the sport.. Now I'm thinking about upgrading to a psychoballistics or maybe a smartparts e marker.

http://www.rockstarsports.com/index....PROD&ProdID=64

[cyberxen]

Do you know much about the SmartParts guns? I was looking at their ION one.

[LowSider]

If your limit is $500, you will need to buy a cheaper gun.

Most $300+ guns are going to need a compressed air tank. Depending on what size you get, you are likly to spend $100-$175. Also, more expensive guns shooter faster so you will need to get an electronic hopper. If you are only going to get a mid range gun and don't intend to upgrade to a faster gun, you can get a cheaper hopper. If you want a faster gun or intend to upgrade to a high-end marker at some point, no use in buying a slow hopper now and up replacing it later($60-$180). Keep in mind you will also need a mask and a harness.

Do you want to play speedball or woodsball?

If you are going woodsball, the choice is easy. Tippmann all the way. Since the new custom pro came out, the older 98customs are much cheaper. You can get the 98c powerpack which includes, a cheap mask, CO2 tank, and a gravity hopper. It has everything you need to get started for about $150. Tippmanns are like tanks, throw them on rocks, drop them in water, and they will still shoot great. They are also one of the most upgradable gun around. The only problem is the barrel will be needed to be replaced right off the bat, it really sucks.


You have much more choices in speedball. The Smart Parts Ion is a great gun from what I hear. Every one has one. They are great for the money. You will need a compressed air tank and a faster hopper though. I don't like the idea of plastic clip on colorings, seems like they are marketing it new kids to the sport, of course. There are many boards you can drop in to make them rip.
You might be able to pick up a cheap impulse off of ebay but people either love them or hate them. They are pretty tall and heavy. You can upgrade them with an anti-chop eye, which is very nice to have.
I have an autococker. They are fast and can be upgraded with a new triggerframe(EBlade,Worblade,RaceFrame,E2) to sling paint like you wouldnt believe. They have the reputation of not being reliable and always breaking but I have never run into a problem. Once you tune it, it is all set for the rest of the season.

The best thing I have ever bought for my cocker was the barrel kit. It is sooo accurate and convenient. Paintballs are slightly different sizes and with the kit, the different sized backs match the brand of paint perfectly. This gets you better accuracy and air efficiency.


If you are just playing rec games and have an accurate barrel, you will have fun. When you enter tournaments, that's when everyone has at least a rate of fire of 30 balls per second.




I am selling my Autococker with E2 if you are interested. I will include the hopper, tank, barrel kit, and the old mechanical triggerframe- everything you will need.

Black and Blue Autococker
EclipseBlade 2 Trigger Frame
Black and Blue Check It UniMount
Clear Viewloader Evolution II Hopper with Y-Board
68/4500 Pure Energy Nitro Tank with Dye Rhino Tank Cover
Black 12" Evil Pipe Bomb Barrel Kit




The barrel shown is the stock one, not the Pipe kit.

That is the barrel kit.

[Stupidhawk007]

I have a tippmann 98 RT for sale with many extras right now! It's in the for sale section!!!! I wanted $250, but $225 and it's all yours. It's really a great marker!

[CitizenFrye]

Don't know a great deal about them.. I read an article about the new nerve marker.. and the reviewers loved it.. But it's a 1100.00 dollar marker.. and I don't have that much game yet.. The Ion seems like a nice marker and they have a lot of add-ons for it.. So it is one you could get cheap now and upgrade as you go. I'd see if I could find some reviews on it.

[nefarious]

my advice, is drop the big money on things that will stay with you when the marker quickly becomes insufficient. I bad gun will never suffer from a hopper being to fast, or from a good reg and tank set up etc.

[cyberxen]

I am getting it for woodsball. I have 4+ acres of land, and my neighbor has the same, so we're going to get some guns and invite some friends over.

I went for the first time last month and loved it! It was at this place out past Worcester and it had all these plywood buildings and an old truck to hide behind. I haven't had that much fun in a long time, should have tried it years ago.

What exactly is speedball?

The custom 98 was only 117 bucks with a mask, tank, and butt plate (WTF is a butt plate??). What kind of barrel should I get for it? What upgrades are best for it?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=7185966187

[nefarious]

speedball is twice the fun, twice the rush, but also twice as expensive it terms of slinging paint. woods ball is fun, but sometimes spending countless minutes looking for action gets tedious, when you could know the enemy is "in your mirror"

speedball is played on a field with barriers or inflatables, its what youll see when you see paintball on tv.

[LowSider]

If you thought woodsball was a rush, try speedball.

Woodsball



Speedball




The buttplate goes on the end of the CO2 to make it feel more like a stock of a gun.

If you play woodsball, you are goign to have your helmet on a while. Don't skimp on the mask. An expensive ($80) mask will be comfortable, cool, easier to clean, and have a higher chance of refelecting any paintballs.

I have the VForce Profiler. The most comfortable mask I have ever seen.


There is also the Dye Invision but it is much heavier and does not provide any neck profection (You do not want to be shot in the neck! Get a neck protector! They are very cheap($8) and worth every penny.)



As for barrels, Tippmann offers the FlatLine barrel for the 98c. It has a bend in the barrel that puts a backspin on the ball. This adds about 100 more feet of range, if I remember correctly. The problem is that the ball will break at the same distance as it would with any other barrel. You may be able to hit them at a further range, but the ball might not always break. Also, the accuracy deminishes pretty quick. The worst thing is, if you do ever get a ball break in the barrel (pretty likely to happen), you might as well walk off the field. Your accuracy will turn to suck crap you are going to have to clean it out in the sidelines- not just run a squeegy though it, during play, like any other barrel.
Maybe it is my speedball mantality but I would much rather have accuracy and impaired range then not able to plant a ball where I want to.

If you take the barrel kit path, you will have great air efficiency and accuracy. Range is be great, just not as far as the flatline. All you have to do is remember to tip your barrel into the air for more range.


If you want a cheaper barrel ($30-$60) you can get the J&J ceramic or the Lapco Bigshot. They are both accurate and pretty quiet.

When picking a length for a barrel, anything between 12 and 16 inches will be the same. Anything smaller, accuracy will suck and anything longer, air efficiency will suck. You will not got more range with a shorter barrel as you will not get anymore accuracy with a longer barrel.
I have 12 inches barrels and would sugest them. While running through bushes and trees, you don't want it getting caught on anything in the woods. Some people like the 14inch barrels for speeds ball because they can push the longer barrel into the air bunker and play more profile (not expose as much of them self while seeing and shooting at the target).

Accuracy and air efficiency comes from a perfect paint to bore(inner diameter or the barrel) match. This is where the barrel kit comes in handy- worth the extra money(only talking $100-150).

[LowSider]

As for normal upgrades, with a Tippmann, the possibilities are endless....


You can get a remote line($30). It moves your CO2 tank to your pack/harness. This makes your gun a little lighter. Personally, I don't like them. I use the tank as a stock for better stability and in return, better accuracy.



(If you have not noticed yet, accuracy wins games!)


You can get a red-dot sight.
You can get a scope.
You can get a tripod.

You can get a drop forward. This moves your tank down and forward a few inches. This makes the gun a little shorter.

You can get an expansion chamber. This gives the CO2 more time to expand from a liquid to a gas. During high rates of fire, your gun can suck in liquid CO2. This doesnt hurt your gun, Tippmanns are tanks. However, it will give you drop off. You will loose velocity and the paintballs will not go as far and as fast.

You can get a double triger. This will give more leverage on the trigger and maybe increase your rate of fire.

You can get a responce trigger. It is a little piston that goes behind the trigger and pushes the trigger out. You can apply a little pressure and sweet spot it and achieve a full-auto affect. You can pump out 20balls about 12 balls per second.

There are many more upgrades you can get.

[cyberxen]

The mask that comes with my kit is the Scott Voltage. Anyone used one?

I'm planning on getting the J+J creamic barrel. What is the difference between the one and two piece?

I definitely want a response trigger. 15 bps sounds pretty deadly.

The gun I bought has a Hypershot trigger system. What is that?