What is All This Paintball Stuff?

By Susan H

My family will tell you there’s no better way to spend a Saturday than on a good paintball course. There’s nothing they like better than to let each other have it with a blast of splattering paint when they’re caught off guard! Paintball is pretty popular in most areas, and after you’ve experienced what several different fields have to offer, you get a sense of what to look for to make sure your day is spent having the most fun you can have. You want to get it right because its an all day affair, if you play like my family does! So just what is all this paintball stuff, anyway?

First of all, you’ve got a choice of indoor or outdoor fields. Here, both inside and outside of the Dallas metroplex, the range offered is pretty good. Both types offer obstacles and game choices, but they differ depending on whether they are outside or inside fields. Indoor obstacles tend to be gigantic inflatables of varying shapes and sizes, used for shelter while advancing to your goal. They also tend to have AstroTurf instead of grass, so they get pretty nasty through the course of the day. That’s not a downside. Every so often between games the water-based paint has to be hosed off the playing field, and even grown adult men LOVE to slide across the wet floor like a batter stealing home while shooting at their opponents!

On outdoor fields, located a little outside of town in any direction, the barriers, obstacles, and goals are trenches, forts, and giant bricks. There are several fields and games to choose from, and referees make all the final decisions. If you say, ‘paintball!‘ my family will go anywhere, but they prefer the outside courses much more.

Most courses will let you walk on without a reservation, but if you think to call ahead, remember to ask about these things for an eventful day that meets your requirements:

• Outhouses? Yes, outdoor courses will usually have outhouses. Some are fine, others, well…
• Teenage referees? How about the size of the staff?
• Do they have a Pro-Shop, do they offer service as well as sales?
• Can you fill your CO2 on site? Can you purchase more paint balls?
• Do they offer food and drink, and a safe observation area to eat and watch?
• Are the cars protected from flying paint balls?
• Do they implement a safety lesson prior to going out to the fields?
• Are safety issues prominently posted and enforced?

Go have fun, but I leave you with a tip:If you get shot in the butt when bent over for any reason, don’t turn around too quickly. This could lead to further unexpected shots to the groin and that are particularly painful! Furthermore, if you’re a loving, caring father, and you bend over to comfort your child, this too could result in a painful buttocks target shot! Are you ready? Let’s go!

You may want to check out my other guide on :  Airsoft MP5 and  Paintball Squad

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Air Soft

Airsoft is a type of a combat sport which is played for recreation as well as training purposes. In this game the participants try to eliminate each other by hitting them with airsoft pellets fired from airsoft guns. The weapons look very similar to real firearms. Tactical gear and other accessories are used as well by the players.

Airsoft has its origins in Japan where real firearms were difficult to procure by common people. Hence they resorted to replicas of real weapons and soon the market spread to nearby countries of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Today there are Chinese guns domination the market as they are easily procured. Reputable companies manufacturing airsoft products are Classic Army, ICS and Tokyo Marui. Interest for the sport is spreading to other continents like Europe and North America.

The sport is usually played outdoors though it can be played indoors as well. One can play a variety of games like organized scenarios and military stimulations like war. Airsoft has been used for training military personnel and preparing them for real time wars. The main purpose, as mentioned before is to eliminate all the players of the opposite team. Unlike paintball there are no visible marks left on the clothing and so when a player is hit with a pellet he has to declare himself out according to the rules of the game.

Airsoft was invented in Japan while paintball finds its origin in the United States. Paintball is more popular than airsoft in the United States but airsoft is quickly picking up. In East Asia airsoft is more popular than paintball. As mentioned before airsoft is used in Military Stimulation (also known as MilSim). Certain ammunitions are provided to each team. The ammunition includes batteries, rations, pellets, rifles and other accessories like a vest. The team will have to be on the field at all times, only returning to the safe zone in case of medical emergencies. The game may last for several days depending on the rules.

Airsoft is today used widely in the police department for real life stimulations. Police use airsoft weapons which are similar to M16 and M9 guns and also use replicas of pipe bombs. The players might introduce some special rules to make the game more interesting or longer. It is necessary to follow an honor system in airsoft where the players admit honestly when they are hit by the opposition member. This increases sportsmanship and helps to conduct the game in a fair manner.

An air pellet travels at a velocity of 300 feet per second similar to the velocity of the paintball. Most of the airsoft guns shoot at 150fps to 400 fps. There are upgrade versions also available that can shoot at 500fps. In terms of the cost of hardware, airsoft is cheaper than paintball. The prices are the same for both when it comes to apparel. Low quality electric guns that cost $10-$60 can be used for airsoft. Medium priced guns come at a cost of $80-$180 while high priced guns start from $200. Custom made guns can cost upwards of $2,500.

It is necessary to follow all safety precautions while playing airsoft. Precautions like keeping the gun pointed away from anything that is not intended to be shot at should be taken. Protective goggles and clothing like vests should be worn at all times as shots taken from near distances can be very painful. Keep the trigger locked when you are not playing the game. There are protection masks also available that protect sensitive areas on the face such as eyes, ears, chin, nose, neck and cheeks.

May you check out my other guide on Tippmann Paintball Gun

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