Paintball is a sport that has grown - and is growing - significantly since it's humble beginnings in the seventies. Paintball markers (or guns) originated from gas-powered guns that the forestry industry used to mark trees and trails, or farmers used to mark cattle. These markers were redesigned for speed and safety, and began to be used for recreation.



Since then, it has developed into a highly competitive, professional sport that takes place outside, inside or in many other forms. According to insurance statistics, paintball is surprisingly one of the safest sports to choose from. In this article, we're going to be taking a brief look at paintball guns - their types, advantages, and where paintball guns are going technologically wise.

Paintball guns (known as 'markers' in many circles, but in this article we will refer to them as 'guns') began with the conventional pump action gun. These needed to be manually cocked, and provided a significantly slow game. Because rate-of-fire (speed and amount of paintballs released) became (and still is) important, and the need to progress into a faster game arose, paintball guns evolved from the pump action to auto-cocker guns, capable of delivering more paintballs at a greater speed.

Since then, the guns have evolved into automatic and semi-automatic categories, as well as Sniper rifles and electronic guns. The barrel of the guns have been significantly elongated, to allow for more accurate shooting. They also come in many different colors - either camouflage (for the purist) or various other colors.

Many paintball gun manufacturers have begun to manufacture military replica's - which is ideal for the real combat enthusiast. The gun's accuracy, weight, speed, rate of fire and gas usage are all necessary pointers to look at when purchasing a gun, and mostly depend on the kind of game you prefer, but these essentials are important in all kinds of paintball guns.

Semi-Automatic and Automatic paintball guns have highly sensitive triggers, and are mostly recommended for the more serious player. The speed of an automatic paintball gun is incredibly fast, and some are capable of releasing 20 balls a second. If you're just starting out, a cheaper gun with the capability for upgrades and cosmetic add-ons is the best choice.

Many of the paintball guns are capable of being upgraded - adding a double trigger, or a bigger 'hopper' (where the paintballs are loaded) or better gas-usage. You can also add some aiming cosmetics - a laser, or just better gun sights, to add to the accuracy of the gun. This is an inexpensive way of improving your gun while you improve, and discovering your game and the way in which you play best.

Paintball guns have begun to move into the electronic era now, with hair triggers, more accurate velocities, programmable firing modes and low gas pressure. Some guns even have LCD panels. These guns are for the serious, professional competitor. They are very expensive, but the advantages these guns bring to your game are exemplary. There are manufacturers which claim that their electronic guns are capable of releasing 30 balls a second - an unbeaten statistic.

When you play paintball you need something reliable, durable, and capable. From semi-automatic, to automatic, to electronic, you have a great choice of paintball guns to suit your level of play.