Pump paintball guns are the oldest type of weapon that has seen a resurgence in recent years. The bombs must be operated manually to be fired.
Usually you have to operate a shotgun-like pump to cock the marker and release the next paintball with each shot. Bomb Cannons like the Empire Sniper Bomb Cannon are very reliable and will keep the player focused on their field skills and accuracy rather than firepower.
While playing the Pump is a rewarding challenge, it is also the most difficult for
a new player entering the sport, especially when constantly facing opponents with semi-cars.
Mechanical Paintball Weapons are the most commonly used markers in arcade games. Mechanical markers are usually semi-automatic, meaning they fire a shot each time the trigger is pulled. They are easy to care for and can be very affordable. With the right accessories, they're the easiest markers to use, the paintball equivalent of a point-and-shoot camera. Most mechanical markers can be operated with CO2 or compressed air.
If you play at a commercial course or have a well run pro shop nearby, you can usually easily refill both tanks.
If you can't just fill them up with compressed air, you will want to make sure your marker can work with more readily available CO2. Most mechanical markers will do this.
Most mechanical paintball guns on the market today are of what is known as a blowback design. When the trigger is pulled, it moves a sear.
This will release a spring-loaded bat or hammer. The firing pin strikes the valve, opening it wide enough to eject the paintball from the barrel. The resulting pressure also throws the firing pin back until it is caught by the surf when the next paintball falls into the chamber.
Recoil is typically a stacked barrel design like Kingman Spyder pistols or an online design like Tippmann, BT-4 or Valken SW-1 pistols. Stacktube designs tend to be more fuel efficient. So if you're playing around with the
and can't breathe all day, you might want to consider it.
Inline guns aren't as fuel efficient, but they have a lot more upgrade options if you later decide to trick your marker.
Electronic paintball guns were once an expensive luxury, but now they are more affordable than ever. Electronic paintball markers use an electronic solenoid to fire the marker and are typically powered by a 9 volt battery. Instead of a long, heavy trigger like mechanical markers, an electronic pistol's trigger clicks a microswitch or fires a laser beam.
Squeezing the trigger is like pressing a button on a computer mouse to get a
capable of very high rates of fire. One circuit board controls all the commands going to the solenoid, so almost all electronic markers are capable of burst, full auto, ramp (adding extra shots the more you pull the trigger), and other modes of fire.
Electronic paintball guns can be divided into three basic types: electric trigger, pneumatic poppet valve, and control valve.
Electric triggers are basically mechanical markers that use solenoid electronics to move the locking bolt. . They increase the rate of fire and give you more options for shooting modes. They're still quick and easy to maintain, just like your mechanical marker originals. Some of the more common Sear Tripper electronic markers are Kingman Spyder
Fenix, Tippmann A5 with E-Grip and Empire Battle Tested BT-4
ERC.
Pneumatic poppet valves are similar in concept to stack tube valves but use a pressure actuated plunger instead of a striker. The result is a paintball marker that fires very quickly and consistently, which is also very fuel efficient and gets many shots per fill. The Planet Eclipse Etek4 is a classic example of this marker style. Almost all pneumatic poppet markers require compressed air to fire. Using CO2 can permanently damage the solenoid.
While maintenance is easy, control valve markers are incredibly popular for a variety of reasons. Spool valve markers have only one moving part (the screw), so they have virtually no recoil and require very little maintenance.