Common Questions About Paintball
This is a collection of commonly asked questions about paintball.
Index
It's a sport in which a bunch of adults (loosely defined) go out in the
woods and relive our
childhood by playing capture the flag. Only, in this game each player has
a gun that fires gelatin
capsules filled with a water-soluble marking dye. If you're shot and
marked, you're out of the
game and have to wait until the next one starts. The most common
variation is two teams at
opposite ends of a 5+ acre section of terrain, each with a flag hung at
'home base.' The object is
to go get the other team's flag and bring it back to your base. When you
encounter people on
the other team, you try to tag them out before they get you. Pretty
simple and lots of fun.
A paintball gun or paintball marker is basically a large air rifle.
There are 2 sources of power for paintball markers. The first, and most
commonly used is CO2 (Carbon Dioxide). It comes either in 12 gm
disposable cartridges or large refillable tanks (Constant Air) ranging in
size from 3 oz to 20 oz. A new source of power, the use of Compressed
Air or Nitrogen Gas, has just been introduced within the last year or
so. This new source of power doesn't have a lot of the problems
associated with CO2 (More on this later). The guns are either .68 (most
common), .62, or .50 caliber. They fire small gelatin capsules called
Paintballs. There are many models of paintball guns on the markets, but
they can be grouped into 3 groups. Stock (which only use 12 gm
cartridges), pump, and semi automatic.
A paintball is a non-toxic, non-caustic, water-soluble, bio-degradable
paint surrounded by a gelatin capsule. The are very similar to bath oil
balls, only they contain paint. They come in 3 sizes, .68 (most common),
.62, and .50 caliber.
The paint pellets break open upon impact, and generally cause very little
pain. What pain is
experienced is more of a stinging sensation from the pellet's impact
against the skin or through
clothing. The impact of a paintball at close range isn't as bad
as being hit by a thrown tennis ball. Of course, the closer
you are to the muzzle of the gun, the higher the velocity of the pellet
when it hits you. Thus, more
pain may be experienced when shot at close range rather than farther away.
In general, one can count on coming off the field with a few welts from
paintball impacts, but your
most annoying injuries are more likely to be scrapes and bruises from the
local terrain. However without proper safety equipment, as in all
sports, physical injuries can occure. So make sure you use all the
recommended safety equipment.
Paintball games are safer than most other sports except perhaps
tiddlywinks. When played
properly, Paintball is very safe. The following are statistics comparing
various sports: NOTE: The
stats for tiddlywinks were not available at the time of printing.
Sports Accidents*
YEARLY
Injuries
PER 1000
SPORT PARTICIPANTS
-------------------------------------
PAINTBALL GAMES** 0.31
Bowling 0.50
Archery 0.66
Boating 0.92
Tennis 1.09
Golf 1.13
Swimming 1.30
Fishing 1.37
Water Skiing 1.90
Handball 2.42
Racquetball 2.53
Ice Skating 2.79
Snowmobiling 2.86
Snow Skiing 3.44
Volleyball 4.43
Gymnastics 7.13
Soccer 10.54
Bicycle Riding 11.30
Boxing 11.34
Hockey 12.46
Basketball 22.04
Rugby 23.14
Wrestling 27.37
Football 27.50
Baseball 27.67
Lacrosse 223.79
Other Accidents*
RUNNING MILES
PER WEEK INJURIES PER 1000 PERSONS
-------------------------------------------
0-19 294.00
20-29 384.00
30-39 461.00
LOCATION INJURIES PER 1000 PERSONS
--------------------------------------------
Moving Motor Vehicles 26.00
Street 33.00
Work Place 61.00
Home 93.00
There are organized Paintball Fields scattered nationwide. Ask in local
sporting goods stores.
Most fields do not advertise locally, so you will have to look. If you
can find a copy of the
magazines Action Pursuit Games or Paintball
Sports Magazine they contain listings for many
fields.
At the University of Pennsylvania you can join us on one of our trips to
local fields. Just subscribe to the upenn.paintball-club news group or
check out the "next trip" section of the UPenn Paintball Page.
Paintball is not expensive. The average field charges $12-$30 per day
including rental of a gun, goggles, and a mask. Most include some
paintballs and CO2 but figure on spending another $20 or so for extras.
A beginner should plan on using 100-200 paintballs for the first few days
with rental guns. Paint costs about $.03 to $.04 per pellet, so this cost
should be a long term consideration. Depending on the type of gun you're
using, the cost of CO2 should also be a long term consideration. If
you're using a 12-gram gun you can buy disposable 12-gram "powerlets" at
your local sporting goods store for a few dollars a pack. If you're using
a constant air tank, you should be able to get it refilled at your local
paintball shop or field for about $3-$5, depending on its size.
You will also need some old clothes and boots. Pick something that blends
into
the bushes. Red, yellow, or white are not very good camouflage. Old army
fatigues or
camouflage uniforms work very well and often can be bought cheaply at
yard sales. A flop hat or baseball cap protect the head from sun bugs and
paintballs. Most fields have sodas and snacks for sale or you can bring
your own. After you've tried Paintball, you may decide that you want your
own equipment. Prices range from $100 to ridiculous for paintball guns. A
good mid-price gun will cost $250-$300. When you include mask, goggles,
camouflage uniforms, good boots, web belt, carrying cases for paint, CO2
etc., a good basic set up will cost about $400-$500. This sounds like a
lot of money and it is. Only go this route if you have decided that
Paintball is for you. Remember: the $5-$15 per day rental fees for field
equipment saved by owning your own as well as using the same equipment
each time that you play can more than make up for the investment.
The easiest and best way to find out more is ask around and find people
who play. The next is to
talk to the people who run your local Paintball Field. The last is to get
a local store to carry the
magazines Action Pursuit Games and Paintball
Sports Magazine. These are the leading Paintball
magazines and list equipment suppliers, fields and have articles dealing
with everything from new
products to tactics to listings of people looking for fellow players.
You can also read some of the news groups dedicated to Paintball:
rec.sports.paintball
alt.sports.paintball
upenn.paintball-club
First of all, fields like groups to come out together. Most fields will
support and even give
discounts to teams for practice time so if you find that you and your
friends enjoy playing, you
might consider forming a team. Fields nationwide sponsor team competition
with substantial cash
and equipment prizes.
You don't have to have an organized team or go to an organized field in
order to play. If you have
some paintball guns, paintball goggles, and a few friends, you can simply
get together and shoot at
each other.
Most commercial fields allow walk-on games, where anybody can show up and
play.
The University of Pennsylvania Paintball Club is open to all Penn
students. Check out the upenn.paintball-club news group or e-mail one of
the "People of Importance" to find out more about the club.
The field owner may not supply food or have facilities where food can be
bought so a lunch and
snacks should be brought just in case.
Bring water, lots of water.
Bring old, sturdy, dark clothes and shoes or boots with some sort of
ankle support.
The minimum safety equipment necessary is goggles, facemask with ear and
throat protection,
and, for men, a protective cup.
When you rent equipment at a field, goggles are usually included.
However, you may want to by your own pair as soon as you can. This is
the first piece of paintball equipment you should buy and is the one item
you should splurge on. You can't put a price on your eyesight.
Not really, but it will helps. As with all strenuous exercise
participants should stretch and warm up
before playing. Since typical games require quick sprints followed by a
rest having good
an-aerobic fitness is benefit.
Players should gauge their play to their level of fitness.
All players in poor physical condition or with physically limiting
conditions should consult a
physician before playing.
Proper footwear is very important. Some players find that lightweight
canvas topped army boots
or leather workboots protect feet and ankles in the woods. Other players
prefer the support that
sneakers give as paintball does involve running. Personal preferences
vary, but footwear should
not be overlooked.
Paint is water soluble and should wash out as normal.
Injury is defined as one which results in some
degree of permanent impairment, or renders the
injured person unable to effectively perform his regular duties or
activities for at least one full day
beyond the day of the injury.
*Source:
National Safety Council.
**Source:
Control Systems Inc.
Administrator of paintball game accident insurance plan for air gun game
operators.
Action Pursuit Games
Subscriptions 1-800-435-0715 Published monthly.
Paintball Sports Magazine
295 Main St.
Mount Kisco, N.Y., 10549
Tel: (914)241-0020
Note: Some materials and ideas were borrowed from:
The Mississippi State University Paintball Club Page
The Web Paintball Field - maintained by Jim Burke
The rec.sports.paintball Beginner's FAQ - maintained by Steve Mitchell
Common Questions about paintball - by David P. Allen
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