Paintball equipment
by Carl Walker
http://www.hotlib.com/articles/show.php?t=Choosing_Your_Paintball_Equipment
There are several types of paintball equipment used while playing a
game of paintball. Many of them serve important functions like providing
safety, while some of them may be intended for cosmetic purposes only.
There are also some nifty paintball accessories which can really come
in handy when playing the game.
Paintball Gun:
Paintball guns are replicas of actual firearms used to mark an opposing
player with paint in the popular game of paintball. These guns propel
paintballs through a barrel with a muzzle velocity of approximately
300 ft/s to break upon impact. Different types of paintball guns have
different firing system such as Electro-pneumatic, mechanical, or gas-powered
firing systems. Some of the more popular paintball guns include semi-automatic,
stock class and pump guns.
Safety Equipment:
Paintball Mask:
Paintball Masks protect the face by covering the eyes, mouths, ears
and nostrils. Some masks are also equipped with throat guards. Lenses
which come in double-layered or thermal designs are more reliable and
the air chamber between the outer and inner lens prevent fogging. High
end mask products should be considered while playing paintball because
most of them are designed to effectively halt speeding paintballs which
normally travel at a speed of 200 to 300 ft/s. Polycarbonate or Lexan
provides good impact resistance so be sure to check if the mask has
lens made with those.
Barrel cover:
A barrel plug is normally a neoprene pouch attached over the barrel
opening by a cord. This safety device prevents accidentally fired paintballs
to cause any harm by blocking exit. A barrel sock is more effective
in reducing the possibility of the safety equipment being detached from
the marker/gun barrel.
Cleaning Equipment:
Squeegees:
The barrel or breach of the paintball gun may collect dust or paintball
debris. Squeegees, hinge-mounted rubber discs on the end of plastic
rods, are used to clean these out by inserting the rubber end into the
barrel. Cable squeegees, in which the rubber disc is mounted perpendicularly
on the end of the cable, used to clean open breech and removable bolt
paintball guns.
Battle Swab:
This is a double ended stick, with a bendable rubber section in the
middle, which has a soft absorbent fur which is shoved down the length
of the barrel to remove paint debris or paintball shell.
Common Accessories:
Drop forward and Rail:
Drop forwards, which is attached to the bottom of the gun, drop the
tank a few inches and move it forward. This makes the paintball marker/gun
taller but shorter in length. Safety features may include on/off switch.
Another alternative to drop forward, which has become more popular,
is the rail system which enables a tank regulator to be mounted directly
at the base of the grip.
Remote line:
Remote lines are cables attached to the tank from the paintball marker/gun
so that user can easily move while handling the marker/gun.
Pod:
These are plastic containers that can hold about 140 to 200 paintballs.
Pods may be equipped with springs at the top for quick opening, locking
mechanism to prevent accidental opening, and shock absorbers to prevent
paintballs from breaking.
Harness:
A harness, which holds the pods, provides the player with a convenient
supply of paint. They may also be fitted with a pouch to hold the tank
during a remote setup, a bellyband with hoops in the back for the pods
and pockets for maps, radios, and hydration pouches.