Paintball Section
by Sheldon Kennedy



Did you realize that paintball is the fourth largest extreme sport? You are playing a sport that has over six million players. Options: scenario games, big games, tournament, and plenty of good fun in recreational games. Target shooting is fun, too. 

The best thing about paintball? It welcomes everyone who wants to play. You don't have to be a fast young speedster. You can be over 30, over 60, and still have fun. Women compete equally with men, too. People who aren't all that good at any other sport can excel in paintball. Say you can't make the football team? Can't hit a tennis ball? Plunk golf balls into sand traps all the time? The door is open in paintball. You can be good at paintball. 


 Have you played your first game yet? Are you ready to buy a paintball gun for yourself? 

1. GOGGLES. First, buy a good goggle system. Try on the different brands. Choose the one that is most comfortable for you. People don’t all have the same head size, and your eyes aren’t in the same place relative to your nose as someone else’s eyes. You will be wearing your goggle system several hours out of every day you play. Spend the extra dollars if you must, but get a system that feels comfortable. 

Remember, if the goggle system is not clearly marked as a paintball goggle system, do not use it! Totally UNSAFE for paintball use are all shop goggles, motorcycle goggles, ski goggles, sunglasses, shooting glasses, and any other kind of eye system that does not clearly state on the packaging that it is designed for paintball use. There is an ASTM standard for paintball goggles. 

2. MARKER. A paintball gun is called a marker or a paintball marker. It is a sporting goods item. Learn the rules of safe paintgun handling. Learn how to shoot it (goggles on!). Learn how to load and reload, what the power system is, and how to squeegee broken paint goo out of it when that happens. 

When you buy your own marker, read the owner’s manual. Remember the first machine you learned about? Maybe it was a car engine, a radio, or a sewing machine. Learn your marker the same way. Paintball markers need some cleaning and maintenance and usually a special kind of oil, just like all machines. They have parts that wear out or break. There are upgrades and different models. 

3. LEARNING YOUR MARKER. When you’re ready to learn more about your marker and have read the owner’s manual, put your goggles on. Be sure there is no air in the marker. The air source should be removed and there should be no paint in the marker. 

Be in a place where you won’t be interrupted and where you can concentrate. Get the owner’s manual, a pen or pencil and paper, and begin. Go through the owner’s manual again. Look at your marker as you read the manual. Take your time. 

You need to understand what the owner’s manual is saying. Walk yourself through the marker. 

It is ok if at first you do not understand how a marker works. It is ok that you have to learn how it works, where to oil it, where the orings are, what might break, and how to fix it. 

Different models of markers work differently. 

4. After you have the “big picture,” now go back to learn the basics of oiling and disassembly for cleaning. If you’re totally lost, it’s time to go back to the store where you bought the marker and get a lesson from their air tech. 

Now is the time to learn the basic disassembly of your marker. (That does not mean tear it down totally unless you are truly an airsmith or technically skilled. The mechanically challenged should consult a qualified airsmith.) 

You should have the basic tools: allen wrenches to fit your marker, pliers, screwdrivers, oil, something to put little parts in or on (a small plastic bowl would work). The owner’s manual should tell you if you need other tools. When you build your tool box to take to the field, you’ll find other items are handy, such as electrician’s tape. A dental pick is very helpful to have (take care not to nick o rings when you use this tool). 

As with any piece of equipment, it’s best to follow the owner’s manual. It can be a little embarrassing to walk into a paintball pro shop carrying a plastic bag full of parts, asking for help. When the owner’s manual says “factory service” then that’s a part or a circuit board that should be serviced only by factory trained technicians. 

You need not feel alone if you feel intimidated by this piece of sporting equipment. For many players, especially young guns, a paintball marker is the first piece of equipment they really want to understand and the first one they have ever tried to understand in detail. 

You have to make the decision of whether you want to learn to take care of your marker. If you decide it’s over your head, your local pro shop or airsmith will be happy to do the maintenance for a fee. Also, there are on line owners’ groups for some markers, where you might get helpful information. 

About that intimidation: remember, it’s machinery. It was designed and assembled by people. It was assembled. It can be disassembled. And most markers for entry level players are not particularly complicated. 

5. Helpful hints: Have plenty of flat working surface. Make a little drawing of anything you take apart so you remember which end goes which way. If parts come out in a bundle, pay attention so you can put the same bundle back in. Pay attention to the screws (they are not all alike). 

Learn where the velocity adjuster is located and how it works. Before you’re done for the day, turn it to the mid range or all the way down (never all the way up). If the marker is set to a high velocity, you are likely to see the first ball out of the barrel turn into splooge (you have to clean the barrel and turn down the velocity). 

6. Learn your marker. Know how to change the velocity. Be able to clean the basics at the field if paint breaks in the marker, or an o ring goes. Know the common sources for leaks (loose connections, air line connections, o rings). 

Buy spare parts! Have extras of all the teeny screws and parts that are a bear to find if you drop them. Have spares for the parts that are likely to wear out in the middle of your paintball day. 

Take your tool kit with you to the field. Take paper towels and the owner’s manual. The manual lives well in a zip lock baggie. 

7. After every play day, take the marker apart and clean it. Oil it. Look at the parts for wear. See where it gets dirty. Check the o rings for wear and replace them before they cause a leak in the middle of a game. 

Your marker should be your friend. You take care of it, it takes care of you. 

CONCLUSION
Since it is starting to get cold and maybe snow, I am gonna start to do marker reviews while I am not playing paintball. It might help you purchase a new marker or upgrade your old aging pump gun. In the next issue I'll put in tactics and the following issue I'll start the marker reviews. If you want me to write something or have a question about paintball  just email me at ninerheadliner@email.com