Paintball marker

A paintball marker, also known as a paintball gun, paint gun, or marker, is the main piece of equipment in the sport of paintball. Markers use an expanding gas, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) or compressed air, to propel paintballs through the barrel and quickly strike a target. The term 'marker' is derived from its original use as a means for forestry personnel to mark trees and ranchers to mark wandering cattle.

The muzzle velocity of paintball markers is approximately 90 m/s (300 ft/s). While greater muzzle velocity is possible, it has been ruled unsafe for use on most commercial paintball fields. When paintballs hit an object at high speed they have the potential to cause damage; a paintball colliding with human skin, even protected by cloth, may cause bruising or further tissue damage. However, the damage depends on the paintball's velocity, its impact angle, whether it breaks, and which part of the body it hits. Because of the potential for serious soft tissue damage, paintball players must wear masks to protect their eyes, mouth, and ears when barrel blocking devices are not preventing paintball markers from firing.

Most paintball markers can be disassembled into four main components: the body, hopper, barrel, and gas system or air tank.

Paintball Masks Or Goggles

Masks are safety devices players are required to wear at all times on the field, to protect them from paintballs. The original equipment used by players were safety goggles of the type used in labs and wood shops; today's goggles are derived from skiing/snowboarding goggles, with an attached shell that completely covers the eyes, mouth, ears and nostrils of the wearer. Masks can also feature throat guards. Modern masks have developed to be less bulky compared with older designs. Some players may remove the mouth and/or ear protection for aesthetic or comfort reasons, but this is neither recommended nor often allowed at commercial venues.

Paintball Clothing

Paintball clothing needs to be tough and durable. For woodsball, camouflage clothing is effective for blending in with the environment; players may wear army surplus military fatigues, Battle Dress Uniform (BDU), Army Combat Uniform (ACU) or DPM styles. For speedball, however, the small field and artificial obstacles make camouflage ineffective; players therefore will often choose to wear a brightly coloured team uniform for ease of identification. For scenario games, players will tend to dress themselves in a style appropriate to the character or force they are representing. In order to minimize the sting of close-range hits, players often wear extra layers of clothing padding as well.

Clothing worn for tournament paintballing is constrained by tournament rules, which prohibit thick padded materials likely to adversely affect the chance of paintballs breaking on the target.[9] Players need adequate padding to protect the elbows and knees for slides on hard ground and chest protecters for shots to the chest. The player(s) could get seriously injured if these parts are not protected.

Footwear varies enormously between Speedball and Woodsball/scenario games. In woodsball, the rough terrain and uneven, often muddy ground makes footwear with good grip and plenty of ankle support a necessity. This lends itself to boots, either military style or walking/hiking boots. In speedball, however, the added weight of thick boots is a distinct disadvantage, as is the reduction in mobility. Speedball players therefore tend to wear athletic shoes with soft cleats designed for field sports, such as soccer or football.