Best Paintball Gun for You

Everyone wants the best paintball gun. What most people forget is that what is the best gun for one player may not be the best paintball gun for someone else. You need to make sure that you are shopping for your own style of play and your own needs. When you get onto the paintball field, it is important that your marker is a good fit FOR YOU, not just a good marker overall.

An example of what I mean by that is the length of the paintball marker barrel. You will find a lot of players that will advise you to get a longer barrel to improve your accuracy. Yes, overall it is true that a longer barrel can help you shoot straighter. What they do not tell you is that you have also made your gun heavier and increased your target size for the enemy to be able to hit.

If you are extremely fit and have spent a lot of time practicing to make yourself a smaller target, a longer barrel may be a win-win situation, maybe even one as long as 12 to 14 inches. If you are newer, a little out of shape, or not very experienced on the paintball field, you may want to find a barrel that is going to be easier to carry around, easier to run with, and not hard to fit into a small target profile.

All you really need for your paintball gun to shoot straight is a 6 to 8 inch barrel. If you cannot shoot straight with a barrel that length, you probably need more practice instead of a longer barrel. You would be better off investing in paintballs rather than getting a longer barrel that will weigh down your gun.

Also check to see if the gun you want can be upgraded. If you are buying a high end marker to begin with, this may not be as important, but for a new player, never forget that you playing style will change as you play more. You can save yourself money if you are able to upgrade your paintball gun a time or two before you have to buy another one.

Make sure you read reviews of the gun you are looking for. While this will not always determine if the gun will be good for you personally, it will let you know if the gun may not be worth buying at all. If the reviews are particularly bad, then you have at least narrowed your search down by eliminating one gun from your list.

Another important factor to consider is maintenance. Many of the higher end guns have features that can only be taken advantage of by very experienced players. All players, though, will need to learn the more difficult maintenance of those guns. In some cases, they need to be oiled more often, they have more moving or electronic parts that might need repair, and they can be harder to take apart and put back together.

If you are not sure how well a gun might be for you, you can always call your local paintball field and ask if they have that type of gun available for a rental. That way you can literally field-test it. A gun that looks cool in the magazine picture may not be so cool in your hands.

Take the time to price compare just buying a gun with buying the gun as part of a paintball marker package. Sometimes you can get extra features that may be helpful to you without spending a lot of extra money.

The bottom line? Find a practical, easily maintained gun that is within your budget. The more you practice with your gun on the field, the more it will become a part of you. The best paintball gun for you is any paintball gun that is comfortable, fits your style of play, can be maintained by you, and will last several seasons at least. Go get your best marker and have fun!