How Paintball Works

[nreese21]

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ACG does not rule with an iron fist. These rules are basic knowledge and if you abide by them you will do great! Have fun and enjoy!

Paintball Forum Moderator: Nreese21

[PvtJohnson]

Originally posted by nreese21
*No Spamming (multiple posts in a row, pointless posts, clogging up forums, etc.)
No Flaming (yelling, angry comments, rudeness, etc.)
No Racist Comments
No Sexual Comments or Remarks (NO WARNINGS FOR THIS)
No Hacking (trying to log in to others' accounts, changing the board, etc.)

*If you accidently posted more than one post, please edit your message, and put "BUMP" in its place. We will disregard the post and you will be unpenalized.

Remember: Ignorance to these Rules is NOT an excuse. These rules may change so look here weekly.

ACG does not rule with an iron fist. These rules are basic knowledge and if you abide by them you will do great! Have fun and enjoy!

Paintball Forum Moderator: Nreese21

Ya or he'll kill you. But seriously, don't mess around in here. He's a good guy, treat this place good, and in return he'll treat you good.

[nreese21]

courtesy of http://www.HowStuffWorks.com/

How Paintball Works

Paint the Town Red
The most basic piece of paintball equipment is the paintball itself. Just as in tennis or soccer, the ball is the central element of a paintball game. But unlike these older games, paintball has dozens, often hundreds, of "balls" in play at any one time. As the name implies, these balls are actually tiny containers of paint.
Paintballs have an incredibly simple construction. They're actually a lot like gel-cap pills, or bath-oil beads. They consist of a glob of colored liquid encased in a gelatin capsule. The "paint," which comes in many colors, is non-toxic, biodegradable and water soluble (so it will wash off skin and clothing).

Basically, a paintball is like a small water balloon, weighing only a few grams and measuring only 0.68 inches (1.7 cm) in diameter. The capsule holds up if you handle it or drop it from a short distance. When you shoot a paintball from a gun, however, it bursts on impact and leaves a 6-inch (13-cm) splatter of paint.

The job of the paintball gun, sometimes called a marker, is to get the paintball moving at a high rate of speed. In the basic gun, the propulsion system is compressed gas. This gas, which can be compressed carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2) or ordinary air, is stored in small cartridges or larger tanks that can be attached to the gun. The gun is also attached to a hopper, which holds the paintballs.

Different guns have different firing systems, but the basic idea in all of them is the same. The gun is cocked in some way so that a paintball can fall out of the hopper and enter the gun's barrel. Then a small burst of compressed gas is released into the barrel, just behind the paintball. The compressed gas pushes the paintball from behind with much greater force than the air on the other side of the paintball, so the paintball is propelled forward.

In order to make the game safe, the power of paintball guns is strictly regulated. Guns in play are adjusted so that the top speed of the fired paintball is 300 feet (91 m) per second. A paintball moving at this speed is unlikely to cause serious injury if it hits your skin, though it will sting and may leave a bruise. Also, since wind resistance starts slowing the paintball down as soon as it leaves the gun, it has a reduced impact when fired from a greater distance. Speeding paintballs can cause serious injury to the eyes or ears, so paintball players always wear head protection.

The relatively slow projectile speed significantly limits the range of paintball fire: The paintball will fall to the ground in a much shorter distance than a faster projectile, such as a bullet. For this reason, firing a paintball gun is a sort of hybrid between firing a gun and throwing a ball. To hit somebody at a distance, the shooter has to tilt the gun up a little bit, so the paintball flies up in the air in an arc, like a football, and comes down on the target.

There are a variety of gun designs on the market, each with a slightly different system, but they are all based on the same principles. In the next section, we'll find out how guns generally work by examining the specific mechanism in a basic "pump" gun, a design that dominated paintball in the game's early days.

The Way of the Gun
In the last section, we saw that paintball guns propel paintballs with a quick burst of compressed gas. In the middle of the gun, there is a long valve tube. This runs from the barrel, where the paintballs are loaded, to a chamber at the back of the gun, where the gas cartridge is connected. Along this path, the tube passes through the bolt, a spring, the hammer and, at the gas-intake end of the gun, the valve seat. At the barrel end of the gun, the tube is always open. But the openings at the other end, which are positioned along the sides of the tube, are blocked off by the surrounding valve seat. The tube is held in position by a cup seal, pushed against the tube by a small spring and the pressure of the gas in the chamber.
On the bottom of the hammer, there is a small spring-loaded latch called a sear. The sear, which pivots on a tiny pin, catches hold of the bolt when the bolt is pushed against the hammer. In this way, the sear binds the bolt and hammer together so they move as one unit.
After pulling the bolt back, the shooter pushes it (along with the hammer) forward. To fire the gun, the shooter pulls the trigger. The trigger pushes up against the back end of the sear, so the front end moves down. This releases the hammer from the bolt, and the spring rapidly propels the hammer backward. As the hammer moves backward, it pushes on a raised lip around the valve tube. This propels the valve tube backward with a burst of force that is greater than the forward force exerted by the rear spring and gas pressure. The valve tube is pushed back for an instant until the spring pushes it back into place. In this instant, the side openings on the tube are exposed, and the pressurized gas can flow through to the barrel. This burst of gas is strong enough to propel the paintball forward at a good rate of speed.
In autococker paintball guns, an adjustable valve automatically diverts compressed gas to the front of the gun after it is fired. This gas serves to push the bolt back again, so the gun recocks. This way, the shooter doesn't have to recock the gun with every shot. Automatic guns use the compressed air, or in some cases an electric motor, to continually recock and fire the gun as long as the trigger is held down. To find out more about these sorts of guns, check out http://www.WARPIG.com.
As paintball has evolved, the equipment has become more and more sophisticated. In the next section, we'll look at the history of paintball to find out when and why the game was invented. We'll also look at how the game is played and at other uses of paintball equipment.

It's All Fun and Games...
Originally, paintball guns weren't intended for sport. The first guns were developed in the 1970s for use in forestry and agriculture. Foresters used the guns to mark certain trees (for research, planning trails). The guns were also used by farmers to mark cattle.
At some point, it occurred to a few foresters or farmers to shoot the guns at each other, and the game of paintball was born. But things didn't really get going until 1981, when a group of 12 weekend warriors got ahold of some forester guns and used them to play a grown-up version of "capture the flag."
In this game, which is still the predominant paintball activity, two teams try to find and steal the other's flag while protecting their own flag from capture. Players are "out" of the game when they get hit with a paintball, and the referee decrees that they are down. Referees are also there to make sure nobody makes physical contact with another player: This is one of the most important rules. A paintball game typically lasts from 15 to 40 minutes, but players may play for six hours or more at a stretch. You can hold a paintball game with only a few people on each team, or with hundreds of people on each team. To find out about other variations on the game of paintball, check out DirectPaintball.com.

The original 12 paintball enthusiasts had a lot to do with launching the sport. Soon after their first game, they bought up hundreds of tree-marking guns from the manufacturer (a company called Nelson) and began selling them to the general public. The idea caught on pretty quickly, and in 1982, the first paintball field opened in Rochester, New York. There are now paintball fields, as well as indoor paintball arenas, all over the world.

One of the most important developments in the history of paintball has been safety equipment. When a paintball hits you on the body, you feel a brief sting. But a paintball round in the eye could actually "knock your eye out." In the early days, many players wore no eye protection at all, and others wore only basic safety goggles. These days, paintball players usually wear full face masks and helmets. This protects them from damage to the eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Just as in football and hockey, safety equipment is absolutely necessary in paintball.

[Shaman_Master]

Very informative.

[nreese21]

hope it helps people understand how the gun actually works. It helped me!

[PvtJohnson]

I think thats all pretty self exaclamatory.

[Shaman_Master]

It si very self explanitory. And had i not had a borther who taught me all about pb that info would have helped a whole bunch.

[Dark_Dirk6565]

wow it like history channel (that a good thing) thx:thumb:

[Shaman_Master]

Ya history channel is pretty cool.

[Shaman_Master]

BUMP

[nreese21]

#
4-way valve n a.k.a. 3-way valve. Directs gas to a pneumatic ram for cocking certain paintball guns, can be activated by one of several methods but is often linked to trigger action.

12 gram n a small Co2 cartridge which is non-refillable

A
Action n The moving internal components of a paintball gun which facilitate the loading and firing of paintballs.

Agitated Hopper n A hopper with a feed system in it so that balls move more flawlessly and faster into the chamber of the gun

Anodizing n The process of using electricity (an electro-chemical bath) to open pores in aluminum to accept dye. The most common process for adding color to paintball guns.

Anti-Siphon Tank n Refers to a system in which a tube or other device is installed into a Co2 tank designed to prevent the introduction of liquid Co2 into the gun. Opposite of Siphon Tank.

APV n Armored Paintball Vehicle (a.k.a. PAV). Vehicle designed to be used in paintball games to emulate tanks or various other military vehicles. APV page.

ASA n Air Systems Adapter. Standard threaded receiver for attachment of a Co2 or HPA tank

Autococker n A gun which cocks itself automatically after each shot


B
Back Bottle n A type of gun configuration where the source tank is attached to the rear of the gun body and acts as a stock for shouldering the gun.

Backspin n The reverse rotation of a paintball launched by special means, which in theory gives the ball lift.

Ball n A paintball

Barrel n the extension of the gun which gives it the ability to have a straighter approach at the target.

Barrel Plug n A safety device used to protect balls from escaping when an accidental discharge has occured.

Blow-back 1. n A type of paintball gun operating system where the opening of the valve releases gas in two directions, one to propel the ball, and the other to blow the linked bolt and hammer back into a cocked position. Two-tube blow-back page.

Blow-back 2. n Excessive gas traveling up the feed tube of the gun which can impede the smooth feeding of balls during rapid firing.

Blow-Forward n A type of paintball gun operating system in which gas released from the valve blows the bolt forward. The bolt pushes the ball into the bore and then the gas is released into the bore to propel the ball.

Bolt n A cylindrical internal component of a paintball gun which serves to push the paintball from the breech into the bore, and channel a burst of gas released from the valve to impact the ball and propel it.

Bolt v The act of fleeing the scene in a rapid manner. He just bolted, lets move up!

Bore n The inside of the barrel.

Bottomline n Device that allows a gas source tank to be relocated beneath the grip frame, originally designed for the purpose of allowing face mask clearance behind guns which had a back bottle set-up.

B.P.S n Balls Per Second. A unit of measurement concerning ROF.

Break n Refers to having a paintball break inside the gun. I didn't have any breaks.

Breech n The internal area of the gun into which the balls enter before being pushed into the bore by the bolt.

Breech v To infiltrate a fortification

Bunker n An object, usually man made, which is used for cover on a paintball field.

Bunker v To sneak up on someone, trap them, and shoot them at point blank range while they are behind a bunker.

Burst Mode n see Multi-shot mode

C
CA 1. n Constant Air. Any kind of bulk gas source, whether Co2 or HPA, but not a 12 gram cartridge. 2. n Compressed Air.

Cannon n A device used to fire multiple paintballs in one shot for the purpose of emulating artillery fire, rocket launchers, or grenade launchers.

Chamber n The area of the gun where the ball is loaded and is bolted out of the barrel.

Chronograph n A device which uses light sensors or radar to check the velocity of paintballs. Also see F.P.S.

Chrono v slang for the act of using a Chronograph.

Chop v the act of inadvertently chopping a paintball inside of the gun, usually by the bolt.

Closed-bolt n A type of cocking system in which the bolt is in a closed position (the bolt is in its forwardmost position and there is a ball in the bore) before the trigger is pulled.

Co2 n Carbon Dioxide. An inert compressed gas (stored in liquid form, but expands into gas) used to power paintball guns.

Cock v On most mechanical paintball guns, refers to the compressing of the main spring, and placing other components in a position where the gun is ready to fire.

Cocker n Slang term usually used to refer to the Worr Game Products Autococker, or one of it's clones

Cosmetic Enhancements n Additions made to a paintball gun or accessories purely for looks.

Cup Seal n A component usually attached to a valve pin or valve tube, which forms a seal on the valve of the paintball gun, holding gas in the valve chamber until time for release.

Cycle n refers to the complete movment sequence of the internal action of the gun necessary to fire one paintball.


D
Dead Man's Walk n A tactic used with the intention of making opponent believe a you are already eliminated from the game, when in fact you are not. Considered cheating under some field rules.

Detent n device which protrudes into the breech of a paintball gun, designed to keep the gun from feeding more than one ball during each cycle of the action.

Direct Feed n The feed tube attached to a paintball gun, setting the ammo hopper at an angle allowing it to use gravity to feed balls. Standard direct feeds place the hopper at a 45 degree angle from the bore of the gun.

Double Action n an operating system in which the trigger pull both cocks the action of the gun and fires the gun.

Double Trigger n a modified trigger where a person is able to use two fingers on the trigger instead of one, which adds an added BPS.

Drop Forward n A piece which attaches to the bottom of the paintball gun allowing the gas source to be relocated forward of its original position in order to make the gun more compact.

Dry Firing v firing your paintball gun without paintballs in it

E
Elbow n A short piece of tubing which makes a 45 degree turn and acts as a connector between the hopper and feed tube on paintball guns.

Electro n Any gun using electronics to control the action. Also see electro-pneumatic below.

Electro-pneumatic n Paintball guns which use electronically controlled solenoids to activate the pneumatic operation.

EPO n Event Paint Only. Policy under which players must use paintballs sold by event organizers for that particular event. See also FPO.

Expansion Chamber n Accessory which allows Co2 the room to expand from liquid into gas before entering a paintball gun.


F
Face Mask n A safety device, usually made of plastic and attached to goggles, designed to protect areas of the head from a paintball impact.

Feed Tube n A tube attached to the gun through which paintballs feed.

FPS n Feet per second. A unit of measure used to check the velocity of a paintball exiting the barrel.

FPO n Field Paint Only. A policy enforced by some commercial fields under which players must use paintballs purchased at that field during play at that field. See also EPO.

Freeze up v when paintball gun o-rings and seals freeze and the gun fails to operate properly, usually associated with the use of liquid Co2.

Full Auto n (a.k.a. FA) a mode of operation in which the paintball gun fires when the trigger is pulled, and continues to fire until the trigger is released.


G
Gas-Thru n Refers to various accessories which attach to paintball guns, usually at the ASA, and allow the transfer of gas through the accessory, i.e. gas-thru grip or gas-thru stock.

Gravity Feed n See Direct Feed.

Ghillie Suit n A three dimensional camouflage suit designed to emulate the surrounding terrain.

Goggles n Safety device designed to protect the eyes from paintball impacts.

Goggle v To shoot someone in the goggles. Also gogged or goggled.

Going Liquid v Term used to describe when a paintball gun inadvertanly draws liquid Co2 into its valve chamber, increasing the operating pressure and velocity.


H

Hammer n A.k.a. Striker. A weighted internal component of some paintball guns, designed to strike open a valve, causing a release of gas.

Hammer v To shoot with ferocity.

Hang n The event of hanging the flag. He got the hang!

Hit n Marked. Eliminated from the game by being marked by a paintball.

Hopper n Ammunition container for paintball guns.

HPA n High Pressure Air. Compressed air used as a power source for paintball guns

taken from:
http://www.punkindogspaintball.com/

[nreese21]

I
ID n Inside Diameter, often referred to in relationship to the barrel.

In-Line 1. n Refers to devices used in sequence in the line between the gas source and gun, as opposed to on the gun itself. i.e. in-line regulator. 2. n A type of paintball gun body style, where the components are housed in a single horizontal tube.

L

Link Pin n Small pin which connects the bolt and hammer on two-tube blow-back guns.

Liquid Co2 n original form of Carbon Dioxide. Co2 is stored in liquid form and boils or "expands" into gas.

Loader n An accessory players can carry which holds paintballs to reload the hopper. Available in varying capacities.

Low Pressure Operation n Method of operating guns at lower than what is considered the standard tank output pressure of 750+ psi. Blow-back LP FAQ.

Low Pressure Regulator n see Pneumatics Regulator

LP Chamber n Low Pressure Chamber. See Volume Chamber.


M
Mag n Slang term usually used to refer to the Air Gun Designs .68 Automag.

Main Spring n The spring which is compressed when the paintball gun is cocked, and drives the hammer toward the valve pin upon release of the sear.

Marker n Politically correct term for "paintball gun".

Max v To win a game scoring all possible (i.e. maximum) points.

Multi-shot Moden (a.k.a. burst mode) Electronic operating mode for paintball guns which allows selected number of shots to be fired for each trigger pull - i.e. 3-shot burst or 6-shot burst.

Muzzle n The end of the barrel through which the paintball exits after the trigger is pulled.


N
Nelson Based n Guns on which the operating system is based on the Nelson Paint Company's Nelspot 007. Nelson Page.

Newbie n A new or inexperienced player. Newbie page.

O
One for One n (1-4-1) A tactic in which a marked or eliminated player attempts to eliminate an opponent before calling himself out or being called out by the referee. Cheating.

Open-bolt n Cocking system in which the bolt is in an open position (bolt is in the farthest back position) and pushes the ball into the bore after the trigger is pulled.

O-ring n Common parts found in paintball guns and accessories made of various materials and often used to seal pressurized areas such as Valve Chambers.

Outlaw n Refers to paintball games played on land or in areas without permission of the land owner.

Overshooting v the act of shooting an opponent a number of times beyond what is required to eliminate that opponent from the game. Subjective.

P
Paint Check n The act of asking a referee or fellow player to check one's self or another player for an eliminating mark.

Pneumatic Operation n Refers to paintball guns which are cocked or otherwise operated with the assistance of a gas- powered piston called a ram.

Pneumatics Regulatorn A regulator which typically reduces the high gas pressure from the source tank down to a very low pressure for use in pneumatic operation.

Porting n A pattern of holes drilled in a barrel, theoretically for the relief of excess gas.

Powerfeed n A type of feed tube designed to combat the problem of blow-back by attaching at a right angle to the breech access hole on the body of paintball guns.

Pull n The result of obtaining or pulling the objective flag during a paintball game. He got the pull or We had first pull.

Pump n1 A type of paintball gun which is cocked manually by a single pumping action.

Pump n2 Refers to the handle, or device used to pump a pump gun.

Pump v The action of pumping a pump gun.


Q
Quick Disconnect n A device used in gas lines on paintball guns allowing them to be quickly disconnected without tools, for maintenance, refills, etc.

Quick Changer n Device used to quickly change 12 gram Co2 cartridges.

Qaurter Rule n Rule used at some fields and events which says a player is eliminated if the amount of paint found on that player constitutes the size of a quarter.


R
Ram n A pneumatic multi-directional piston used to cock some paintball guns, while driving the hammer on others.

Reactive Trigger n A trigger on paintball guns with an assisted return, designed to kick back into it's "ready" position in order to allow faster rates of fire.

Rear Cockingn refers to a paintball gun where the manual cocking lever is located on the rear of the gun. Also see Side Cocking and Top Cocking.

Recharge v Refers to the refilling of the valve chamber with gas following a fired shot which releases the gas.

Recharge rate n The rate at which a valve chamber refills.

Regulatorn A device which controls the gas pressure coming from the source tank. Regulators can only reduce pressure from the source.

Remote n Using a hose to set up a Co2 or HPA tank to be carried on one's person, as opposed to having the source attached to the gun.

Renegade n Refers to a form of paintball played on private land, or non-commercial fields.

Revvy n Slang term usually used to refer to the Revolution series of agitated hoppers.

ROF n Rate of Fire. The cyclic rate at which a paintball gun is capable of firing balls, usually measured in balls per second.


S
Sear n Device either attached to the hammer or gun on mechanical paintball guns, which holds the hammer and compressed main spring in place until the trigger is pulled.

Sheridan Based n any gun based on the Benjamin/Sheridan operating system.

Shoot Down n A condition in which the velocity of paintballs steadily drops over a successive string of rapid shots, usually attributed to an inability of the the gun to recharge the valve chamber quickly enough.

Shooting Hot v The act of using a gun shooting above the maximum legal velocity set by the rules of the field or event. Also see Chronograph.

Side Cockingn refers to a paintball gun where the manual cocking lever is located on the side of the gun. Also see Rear Cocking and Top Cocking.

Siphon Tank n Refers to a system in which a tube is installed in a tank designed to draw liquid Co2 into the gun. Opposite of Anti-Siphon Tank.

Slimed n Slang term for a barrel filled with paint from a broken or chopped ball. Also see Chop.

Speedball n a variation of paintball played on a small course with man-made bunkers. Originally intended for the purpose of creating a spectator-friendly game.

Squeegee n Device used to clean barrels when balls break and leave paint in them.

Squeegee v To use a squeegee.

Stock Class n refers to a type of game which uses stock class guns, or the gun itself which emulates early stock guns, i.e. 12 gram powered, pump action, and low ammo capacity in a magazine parallel to the bore.

Striker n see hammer


T
Tank n2 a storage cell designed to hold compressed gases (Co2 or HPA) used to power paintball guns.

Tank n2 An armored vehicle. also see APV.

Timing n or v refers to the adjustment of component actions to establish a sequence of events which will allow the gun to operate properly.

Thermal n refers to a type a lense configuration for goggles, designed to prevent fogging.

Top Cocking n refers to a paintball gun where the manual cocking lever is located on the top of the gun. Also see Rear Cocking and Side Cocking.

Two Tube n a.k.a. Stacked, a.k.a. Over-under. A body style for paintball guns where the components are housed in two horizontal, parallel tubes. Two-tube blow-back page.


U
Unregulated n any paintball gun system operating without the use of a regulated gas source, i.e not having a regulator.. Most low-end Co2 based systems are unregulated.

V
Valve n internal component of the gun through which gas is released to propel the ball. On blow-back guns, the valve also releases gas for re-cocking.

Valve Chambern Area where gas is stored behind the valve.

Valve Pin n A small metal pin which when struck by the hammer, moves the attached cup seal to open the valve and release gas.

Valve Spring n spring which is attached to the rear of the cup seal, and determines the speed at which the valve closes.

Valve Timing n refers to the amount of time the valve remains open, which affects the velocity of the ball.

Valve Tuben on in-line pump guns, functions similar to a valve pin, opening the valve when struck by the hammer (see Nelsons page), except that gas is directed through the tube to impact the ball. On in-line blow-backs, the valve tube is not struck by the hammer, but merely directs the released gas through the bolt to impact the ball.

Vertical Feed n a type of feed tube which places the hopper directly above the breech/bore of the gun.

Volume Chamber n A.k.a. LP Chamber, a.k.a. Volume Chamber Extension. Refers to an aftermarket part designed to increase the overall volume of the valve chamber.

W
Wiping v The act of removing paint from a paintball impact off of one's person during a game. a.k.a. cheating.


Z
Zinger n name given to a paintball which takes a completely unexpected path upon exiting the barrel, usually attributed to a problem such as paint from a broken ball in the barrel.

[PvtJohnson]

Nicely done nreese.

[Dark_Dirk6565]

very nicely done im saving this for further refrence

[DrumDude6565]

wow. i bet u have sum experience.