How Far Can Paintball Guns Shoot?
Rushing around the paintball field, you see your targets coming from different angles and distances. You try your hardest to get the shot just right, but sometimes it just doesn’t reach. Are you too far away? Are you having an equipment malfunction? Are they just too fast?
There could be a number of reasons that your shots are not hitting how you intended. The best way to get to the bottom of it and succeed in the future with more hits and less misses is to really understand the ins and outs of the paintball gun itself. This includes how the paintballs are expelled, how far your shots can go, and your role in the process.
The mechanisms of the paintball gun
The ammunition of a paintball gun, the gelatinous paintball the game is named after, is sent flying from the paintball gun by way of compressed air. The chamber of the gun has a mechanism that releases the compressed air, propelling the paintball into the abyss and hopefully at your target. There are some things that also take place in this type of gun that help determine the trajectory and velocity with which the ammunition is sent flying.
The paintball itself should be spherical in shape and roll down the chamber at the greatest speed possible when pushed by the compressed air. The chamber will need to be smooth as well as the outer perimeter of the paintball in order for it to reach top speeds. This isn’t always the case; either component may be scratched or contain debris.
The need for speed
When determining the speed and distance a paintball gun can shoot, it is important to note that no two shots will be the same, just as no two paintball guns will give the same shot. Many outside factors play a role, from the user’s experience to the cleanliness of the equipment and even the weather. Gravity also plays a role in how far the paintball can go, along with the angle of the shot.
For a general consensus of how far a paintball gun can shoot, we can check out the range of the shots themselves. To be an effective shot, a paintball must have a good speed the whole way to the target. Should it lose speed at any moment throughout the trajectory, the paintball will simply not have enough oomph to break on the target. Similarly, if the speed is interfered with and the range is off, the paintball may break prematurely before it even makes its way to the target.
Safety first
All paintball guns are made with full safety in mind. Paintball guns are used for game play only, without any intention of harming someone. Therefore, there is a safe range for paintball guns for the safest shooting velocity, with many paintball associations opting for a safety cap of 200 miles per hour as the top rate of speed allowed. This can help avoid unnecessary injuries.
With this cap in mind, if you angle the paintball marker just right, an experienced player could find a way to get enough velocity and speed from the compressed air and a little help from gravity to send an effective paintball shot up to 100 yards. That might be the farthest you’ll see a paintball go, but with regular equipment and safety rules being followed, a regular shot while running around the field will go up to 100 feet.
Using the best of the best
Of course, there is a great way to help ensure your paintballs fly out of the chamber as fast as you wish, and that is by investing in high-quality paintball markers and paintballs. You can never be too prepared with extra ammunition and vests to hold it all, and having a new, upgraded paintball gun allows you to keep improving your shot thanks to higher speeds and accuracy; consider models such as the Dye Rize CZR Paintball Gun Marker.
You’ll quickly get the hang of your specific paintball gun and how far away you can be to still have effective and successful shots. Pick up a vest with plenty of space for pods, like the Maddog Tactical Paintball Battle Vest, and try your distance shots to get a real feel for what you’re working with. The more practice you can get at different angles and in different scenarios, the better equipped you will be during game time.
