Paint Ball

[AKPilot]

Okay, okay, I know I'm a bit slow but, in all my years I've never played paintball. I played wargames in the military with Miles gear, ground burst simulators, smoke, etc, but never paintball.

So we brought our son home for the weekend and I took him out. We rented the gear and him and I had a one-on-one battle in the roped off area outside. It was pretty darn fun.

Sad thing was I was too nervous to get hit, so I didn't give him any opportunities to shoot me. I know, I'm a bad dad. He got me three times in the end.

Some other kids showed up for the first time with their mom and asked if it really hurt (12-14) when hit. I just told them to get it over with, enter the combat zone and shoot each other on purpose just to get it over with.

Now my son wants to buy the gear and go each weekend. Kinda fun, but I don't know where to begin. So we bought him a paintball magazine and I gave him an assignment to tell me what we could use. The only thing I really want is a full cover helmet! You think kevlar is over the top for paintball?

How do you pick our "markers" as well?

 

[georgegassaway]

He got me three times in the end.

I, ah, hope you mean that by the time that the game concluded, you had been hit three times.
And not literally hit three times “in the end”....

- George Gassaway

 

[CharlaineC]

Ahhh the joys of paint ball. full cover helmet in not hard to find light waight and strong with a facemask is a must. kevlar to heavy and way to kleshe. as for the other gear. a decent set of thick overalls. like what mecanics use or soldiers. knee and elbow pads. and a cup. yes a cup! oh my god pain!!! (thats all i'm gonna say bout that) for both men and women (if to much info remove last statement)also a decent set of gloves. as well.

Guns are fun to decide but I like the computer controled psi setups the best as well as the rifle setup(elongated barrel, butstock. air on backpack.) I like a automated hopper over the standard(keeps the balls moving in the hopper to avoid jams. As for your marker balls its up to you. unless your on a team. I use gold and pink as well as pink glow in the darks.

if you have a decent paintball store you could talk to them as well most have a book for beginners

 

[jj94]

My youth group from church (yes, church) unofficially (meaning that it isn't an activity officially recognized by the church itself) goes paintballing near the end of summer/beginning of fall every year at Skirmish, in the Poconos. I went two years back, and boy was it fun! That was the first and only time I've gone paintballing so far, so I obviously don't have my own equipment. I don't know too much, but what I would do is to get a gun that would be easy to use for beginners. I used the Tippman 98 when I went, and it was pretty good. Get some of the more simple equipment to start with and move up, kind of like you would in rocketry.

 

[troj]

I tell people that about the worst it hurts (in my experience) is like a bee sting. And it can leave nifty bruises, depending on where you get hit, how close, etc.

The worst seems to be the shots that glance off of you, without the ball breaking. Those suck. No other way to describe it.

BTW, paintballs whizzing over your head is an adrenaline rush like few I've experienced.

-Kevin

 

[H_Rocket]

BTW, paintballs whizzing over your head is an adrenaline rush like few I've experienced.

Try Greg Gardner's Flaming Tetrahedron of Doom howlng over your head on a big honking K. That gets the adrenaline pumping and induces a little known genetic ability to find the nearest culvert.

 

[MysticalRockets]

Paintball is how I almost had to have a finger amputated.

Somehow, I got hit under the glove, and it hit my wedding ring. My finger immediately swelled to about twice its normal size. By the time the ring got cut off in the emergency room, the doctor told me he had actually considered amputating if they couldn't get the ring off.

Still have no feeling in that finger.

Yeah, I never played after that.

 

[MysticalRockets]

Try Greg Gardner's Flaming Tetrahedron of Doom howlng over your head on a big honking K. That gets the adrenaline pumping and induces a little known genetic ability to find the nearest culvert.

Yeah, that was frightening.

Also really cool.

 

[jj94]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, if it isn't too obvious already, be careful when you look up during a game. Here is a little story of what happened to me. I was playing at Tippmann Castle at Skirmish. Basically a large open topped building with towers at each corner. So I was in a bunker in front of the castle with slits for you to look and shoot through while inside. About 20 feet from me was one of the towers. There was an open window on the first floor of the tower and you can also be at the top of the tower. Both spots were occupied by 2-4 people each. I look up through one of the slits to see if I can manage a shot at the people up at the top of the tower. Right at that second, a paintball from the ground floor of the tower flies through the bunker's slit. Now it would've hit me square in the mask, but since my face was pointing upwards, the paintball managed to go underneath my mask and burst. I was bleeding a bit, but that stung like a b****. I guess it's not too likely to happen, but it is possible.

EDIT: Now that I recall, it might not have been Tippmann Castle, but a field similar to it.

 

[Meat]

Ahh paintball perhaps the one larger $$ sink you will find worse than rocketry . I played for 3 years on a semi pro team . If you are playing at home I cannot stress this enough that you need a chronograph. These cost $50 - $70 I would check you local field if I were you. You may ask why you need one of these well it is simple . a paintball traveling at 300 fps will take your eye out and break the skin if hit within 20 feet or so . The first time some one tears a nice hole in themselves you will understand. Also CO2 powered guns are susceptible to overpressure this can kick the gun up to 350 - 400 fps. I can say from experience that 400 fps will leave a whelp on you the size of a half dollar with a perfectly round skinless center . For starter guns I would suggest tippman guns they are typically on the lower price scale and are usually made very well the tippman 98 is one of the most resilient rec guns I have seen used at the fields. a good face mask is always needed make sure it covers your whole face and a neck gaurd is a good idea but not 100% necessary . th main thing about playing paintball away from a field is just be safe keep the guns under 285 fps and make sure everyone keeps their mask on . I have seen lips peeled back ear lobes ripped and kids nearly blinded by not playing safe .

I am not trying to scare just trying to push make sure you take the safety considerations seriously . I played for 10 years and had a blast playing it and it is alot of fun it can get expensive if you ever move out of the rec stage but I would suggest not doing that unless your 20 years old and like to be a contortionist .

 

[troj]

Paintball is how I almost had to have a finger amputated.

Somehow, I got hit under the glove, and it hit my wedding ring. My finger immediately swelled to about twice its normal size. By the time the ring got cut off in the emergency room, the doctor told me he had actually considered amputating if they couldn't get the ring off.

Still have no feeling in that finger.

Whoa!

That's in the category of downright scary!

-Kevin

 

[BR549]

Meat included some good info there.

Find a paintball store. They will probably have some package deals with everything you need. Spyder is another good marker that you can get parts for anywhere.

The store I use here gives you a lifetime warranty on all stuff you buy from them. Ask about that where you live.

 

[BsSmith]

Ahh paintball, the most fun I've had doing a physical activity in a looong time!

Who cares if it hurts a little, it goes away. And I agree, the painballs that don't break hurt WAAAAAAAAAY more than the ones that do!

 

[evil ed]

There is a convent just east of Indianapolis that has a paintball team.
It's real unnerving to draw down on a Nun, have her tell you that you will burn in He11, THEN have her nail you when you lower your guard!

Who says penguins play fair?

 

[evil ed]

the painballs that don't break hurt WAAAAAAAAAY more than the ones that do!

I KNEW those nuns were using ball bearings!