Paintball Gun Reviews: Who to Listen to?

A great resource out there in choosing a new paintball gun is to look at paintball marker reviews.  This way, you can make an informed decision about the gun or guns you want to buy.  The trick is how to navigate through the reviews.  How are you to know the good ones from the bad ones?

Often, the paintball gun manufacturers will put up their own reviews of their products.  This is good only in that you can see the “official specs” of the gun.  The problem with these kinds of reviews is that they might “conveniently” leave out the drawbacks.

Generally speaking, customer reviews are the better of the two options.  If they’re a knowledgeable player, they will know the specifications of the gun.  Also, these reviews tend to be based on experience.  They can inform you of both the pros and the cons of the gun as it works in the field.

Another way to find accurate reviews is by checking out testing groups such as Consumer Reports.  Here you can find potential safety or quality issues that may be missed in a customer review.  While it’s more of a laboratory test rather than a field test, it’s better for determining the approximate lasting quality of your gun.  The downside is that you might actually have to pay a fee to see these reviews.

With these things in mind, shopping around for your new paintball gun should be much easier and well informed.

It’s Better to Clean Your Paintball Gun Than Be On the Sidelines

Few things can be more frustrating in paintball than getting eliminated because your paintball gun malfunctioned.  While it’s probably the most boring part of anything in paintball, cleaning your gun is the only way to prevent this from happening.

Before you do anything else, remove the air tank from your gun.  You should ALWAYS do this before any sort of maintenance.  Also, have the gun’s instructions in front of you, so you have a guide to reassemble it.  Now, you’re ready to take it apart.

Remove the hopper, the barrel, the bolt, the hammer (or striker) and the grip.  Start with cleaning the barrel.  Clean out the inside with a squeegee, and the outside with warm water and a paper towel.  Thoroughly dry the barrel, inside and out, then set it aside.

Next, clean the interior of the gun’s body.  Sometimes you can use a squeegee for this.  Then use an old toothbrush, Q-Tips, or whatever works to get at the hard to reach places.

Then wash the grip frame with a brush, making sure to get all the old paint and debris.  Clean all the rest of the parts with warm water and a paper towel.  Dry everything thoroughly.  While you’re here, check on your O-Rings and make sure they’re in good shape, and replace them if you need to.

Now, lubricate all the interior parts, especially the moving ones, with a light layer of paintball gun oil or lube.  If you have any doubts about what to use, reference your owner’s manual for all the guns you’re cleaning.  Using the wrong kind of lube or oil can damage your gun.  Finally, put your gun back together according to your instruction manual.  You now have a well-cleaned and lubricated gun.

It’s Better to Clean Your Paintball Gun Than Be On the Sidelines

Few things can be more frustrating in paintball than getting eliminated because your paintball gun malfunctioned.  While it’s probably the most boring part of anything in paintball, cleaning your gun is the only way to prevent this from happening.

Before you do anything else, remove the air tank from your gun.  You should ALWAYS do this before any sort of maintenance.  Also, have the gun’s instructions in front of you, so you have a guide to reassemble it.  Now, you’re ready to take it apart.

Remove the hopper, the barrel, the bolt, the hammer (or striker) and the grip.  Start with cleaning the barrel.  Clean out the inside with a squeegee, and the outside with warm water and a paper towel.  Thoroughly dry the barrel, inside and out, then set it aside.

Next, clean the interior of the gun’s body.  Sometimes you can use a squeegee for this.  Then use an old toothbrush, Q-Tips, or whatever works to get at the hard to reach places.  Then wash the grip frame with a brush, making sure to get all the old paint and debris.  Clean all the rest of the parts with warm water and a paper towel.  Dry everything thoroughly.  While you’re here, check on your O-Rings and make sure they’re in good shape, and replace them if you need to.

Now, lubricate all the interior parts, especially the moving ones, with a light layer of paintball gun oil or lube.  If you have any doubts about what to use, reference your owner’s manual for all the guns you’re cleaning.  Using the wrong kind of lube or oil can damage your gun.  Finally, put your gun back together according to your instruction manual.  You now have a well-cleaned and lubricated gun.

 

Caring For Your Paintball Gun

One thing that you have to get out of your mind when buying a paintball gun is thinking that it’s a toy pistol.  When it comes to taking care of your paintball marker, you should treat it as if it’s a real firearm.  This can save you a lot of trouble later on.

When it comes to toy pistols, you can pretty much throw them in a toy box and not worry about them until the next time you use them.  Not so with paintball guns.  When you store them, make sure that it’s in a dry place and that you have a protective sleeve over them at all times.

Always treat your paintball gun as if it’s loaded and ready to fire.  This goes even if you’ve made sure the chamber is empty and that all the air is released.  Do not, by any means, dry-fire a paintball gun.  Besides just being a good rule of practice, you can simply never be too sure that it’s loaded.

Another thing you have to do is clean and lubricate your paintball gun on a regular basis.  Rust and jamming mechanisms are real concerns with the effectiveness of paintball markers, just like with a real gun.  Make sure you reference your owner’s manual for each gun to get the right kind of lube or oil.  Getting the wrong lube or oil can damage your gun.

Finally, if you notice that your marker is getting rusty or worn out, replace it.  Aside from the gun possibly jamming at a critical moment in your paintballing, there’s also the chance that it will accidentally fire at an inopportune time.  Remember, keeping it clean is keeping it safe.

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