Paintball Tips

In this section, I hope to share some helpful tips for making paintball a more enjoyable sport for the new player. Paintball can be intimidating, because the bravado of veteran players, the general aggressive nature of the game and the fear of the paintballs themselves. The retail world of paintball is also frought with many choices and lots of shady merchandise. Hopefully I can help answer the questions about the game and the gear you might have as a new player.

Some Common Questions:

Does it hurt when you get shot?

Yes. It stings a bit, and may leave a bruise or welt. However, that is part of what make paintball different from other games, like laser tag. The sensation of paintballs whizzing by your head and the sting of the impact make the game more visceral and more exciting.

Do I have to spend a lot to play?

Not really. To start off, you can simply rent equipment. Expect to spend $40-50 per full day of play. That's pretty reasonable, considering the per-day costs of other "extreme" sports. To get your own equipment, expect to spend about $300-500 to get good, quality gear that will last a lifetime. See the Paintball Buyer's Guide for more information.

How accurate are the guns?

Paintballs are not as inherently inaccurate as some would believe. They are not as accurate as a bullet, but they are accurate to within inches at practical shooting distances. Due to rapid velocity drop-off, paintballs do have a pronounced arc to their flight compared to real bullets. Within limits, you can accurately hit a man-sized target at roughly 150 feet. At half that distance, you can reliably hit a specific place on the body, or hit a smaller target like a loader. Read more on paintball accuracy.

How far do the guns shoot?

At the typical field-regulated speed of 280 feet per second and a 45-degree angle, a paintball will travel about 280 feet. This is STRONGLY affected by various conditions like wind, trajectory to target, obstructions, velocity variation, etc. This is also not a practical distance for hitting a specific target. The effective range of a paintball gun is roughly 150 feet.