This is a bit of a random thread but I thought I would put it out there; I went paintballing for the first time last weekend and really enjoyed it; Im quite an active person and love taking part in sports generally and just loved Paintballing as it was as close to a real war situation as you can get without the fear of dying and in a fairly safe setting. I play a lot of football and am pretty decent at it but due to two surgeries on my knee now (ACL reconstruction and torn meniscus) I am giving it a bit of a rest as "twisting" sports put it at risk. I will pick it up in the future but not just yet and although quite demanding; I think paintball is something I could also get into. Anyways so I went paintballing and loved it and am thinking of getting into it a bit more regularly; not every week or nothing but every now and then; maybe every few months. Im going to try get my own equipment for it; my own mask/marker(gun) etc. I have a bit of a problem really; I went with my friends as a birthday do and I dont think they would be as interested in it as I was; I think they just saw it as a one off experience. My cousins and brothers whom I tend to do lots of activities with like this are also not as interested in it which I was disappointed in. So basically im outta friends that are interested in it beyond myself. I'm wondering if there are any paintball lovers or fans here that are from around the east midlands that may be interested in going sometime in the future? I figure to walk-on events and such or even as a group! Also wondering if anyone here engages in it regularly and can offer advice on ways I can play regularly without friends and events where I can just turn up? Sad I know but I figured I would ask!
Used top play walkons, woodland tournies and big games a couple of times a month a few years back, but times are tough so it's on the back burner for a while. Don't worry about going in groups, just turn up on your tod, if it's a good site you'll soon fit in. Go here, read, learn and ask anything you like; http://www.talkpaintball.com/forum.php
Watch out not to get shot on the top of your head from 2 metres away - it leaves some pretty big bumps for a few days. That happened to me on my first time, but apart from that it was some pretty good fun! The best part is hearing your opponents cursing from their 'fort' when they stand up and you shoot them in the back
I'm just getting back into it after a 7 year break. The first thing to buy is a mask. Luckily the sport is very friendly so I suggest before buying anything else, to find a local walk-on and just talking to people. Ask them any and all questions you have. If people know your situation, they are usually happy to let you at least shoot some paint over the range to get a feel of the type of marker you want to buy in the future. http://http://p8ntballer-forums.com/ This is the forum I frequent and will possibly be the best place to find players and walk-ons in your area. I'm down near Watford where there is a well established site called Bricket Wood, but I'm not too sure about any in the Birmingham area but there will be some! If you go to the above site, just create an account and post a thread in the Newbie section asking for people in your area you can hook up with (take that how you wish ) Hope this helps
I played a LOT a few years back, though very little woodsball/bushball, and more speedball. They're COMPLETELY different games, even though you have similar equipment in both (i.e. a mask, markers and paintballs - the design of most of the equipment is vastly different though). I'd suggest giving Speedball a try as well before commiting to one or the other, simpluy bcause woodsball equipment is going to get you SLAUGHTERED on a speedball pitch, and speedball equipment distracts from the essence of woodsball. That said, get a good mask. Don't muck about with a cheap entry level one. Buy something proper. Talk to the guys with the goot gear, they often have expereince, and have made their mistakes with buying cheap crap. Especially on the mask, investing pays dividents. Yes, it's going to break, yes it's not going to make you a better player. But it protects your face, and you'll be wearing it a LOT. You'll be sweating in it a LOT, you'll be breathing heavily - a LOT, and you'll be shouting a lot. Good ear protection, good chin protection, a good fit, wide (undistorted) vision, breathability - all these are more likely in higher end masks than in entry level stuff. Not to mention that the hgiher end stuff is often designed so that "bounces" happen more often and your profile is smaller - if a paintball doesn't break, youre still playing. Make no mistake - it's an expensive sport, and the financial commitment gets quite serious quite quickly. So adjust your budget to that and remember: the tools don't make the mechanic. I remember when I started playing (speedball, though). All pricing in NAD (13NAD=1GBP roughly) Rental equipment - 150-200,- a session then a second hand Spyder Pilot for 1000,- a JT Junior mask for 500,- Then the fun starts: CO2 can: 500,- Thanks to electronic grips, 200 in paint a session. occasionally, things break, so add a bit for that as well. Then the tournament play started. with that, gloves, a new mask, a second visor, a small harness, an electronic hopper. Total cost for that: 3100,- By that time, I was slinging about a box of paint on a saturday afternoon (2000 balls @ 450,-) then the Spyder broke. New marker (SmartParts Eos): 4000,- With the new marker's solenoid firing mechanism (as opposed to blowback), I had to stop using CO2, so in came 1600,- worth of Carbon fibre HPA tank, Quick Exhaust Valve, new grips, tank covers, etc. Not a cheap sport, but OMG we had fun...
I love paintball as well. A mate of mine got me into it, but I have the same problem as you. it is just us two. Some of my other friends like playing, but they often don't have the time or money (students) What we usually do is go to a paintball range and kinda hook onto other groups that are willing to play with us. I prefer bushball to speedball, as the fields are larger and i prefer the slow tactical movements in contrast to the hectic ones. (Don't get me wrong, bushball gets really intense really quickly) I started out with a mask as well. One of the most important aspects of paintball, as this will ensure your safety and the ability to actually see your opponents. I then went with a BT-combat. This is a very nice gun and you have huge customize-ability options, but it is not the right gun for speedball. You should try play with a couple more people for a couple more rounds to see what kind of play style you prefer
Your bushball sounds like our scenario games, players get all mil spec gear to play in and use realistic looking markers. Our usual walkons are more fast paced, wear what you like and use what markers you like, I used to use tourney markers in the woods no bother Me in my very early days long balling; One of my middling years cockers; A little later I got an Etek; then moved onto Egos But best bet is find a site doing walkons and just rock up, try scenario, try walk ons, try tourney (sup air (speed ball)) try big games, see what you like
Well yeah kinda. Our bushball fields are usually a bit bigger, with some 'map' being over 2km^2. I run with this gun (Sorry for bad phone pic) I also have have German fleck-tarn camo. It works surprisingly well. I was hiding behind some thin bush and the guy approaching didn't see me until I shot him.
Bushball and Scenario Ball are very similar. Generalyl, Bushball is more of a "team deathmatch" "CTF" type of game, where Scenario is more Attack-and-defend, secret objectives, larger range, etc. I've used my speedball marker in a bushball game or three, as well as a scenario ball game, and the electronic trigger, light weight, small size, etc pay dividents there as well, but ultimately, I always felt that these formats should be more "milsim". Re: that BT4 - am I right in assuming that it's similar to a Tipman A5, what with the side-based rotating hopper that's a gas hog (until you upgrade it, that is)? A mate had an A5, and when the gas ran low, that thing blew a bit. Before that point, it ROCKED though. The Apex barrel on the thing shown (for new players that don't know) gives the ball a bit of a spin in a certain direction, allowing for a bit of lift (longer range) or general curvature int eh shot, meaning you can "hook left", if you want. I was never convinced of them, until i got taken out by one behind cover.
Pretty much have to agree with everything said here. No it's the Rip Clip. It's an electronically powered feeder, very similar to the cyclone system for the tippmans, but has batteries. The Apex is a lot of fun to play with. I want to get a 18" J&J ceramic barrel though with a picatinny rail hand guard like this one: So that I can attach my forgrip again, as it is a lot nicer to play with one of those
My knowledge on barrels is somewhat limited. I played with a short 14" J&J on one of my markers once or twice. I remember finding it nice and quiet (a concern on a speedball field, especially when playing in a back-corner spot and are screaming the whole time - you try and keep your marker silent, so you can still hear what your teammates are shouting). As a speedballer, 18" always seemed a bit daft and impractical to me, especially since there's no tangible distance or accuracy effect involved. Probably the best speedball barrel I have played with was a Smart Parts All American front on a Freak back with Freak inserts. Accurate, shoots through breaks, not too noisy... a thing of beauty. MUCH better than the Freak Jr I had on my Eos. Some thoughts on speedball markers (all MY9/10): I LOVE the Planet Eclipse Egos. They look GREAT. Unfortunately the Ego09 I got to handle was HORRIBLY loud and had quite a bit of reciol and "barrel lift" under steady fire. It was also a bit too skinny. The Dye DM9 is probably the best marker I ever handled. Comfy as hell, Sticky grips, comfortable trigger and perfectly balanced. It's a matter of pick up and shoot - you WILL hit what you're after. It's that natural to me. Proto PM8 - it's essentially a Dye DM7. Great marker, msising the polish of the Dye DMs, but for the price difference, worth looking into (a LOT cheaper than the Dye DMs) SmartParts whose name I can't remember now (the top end one at the time. Dynasty played with them) I was disappointed by. It jsut wasn't much better than my half-priced Eos, and would need serious upgrades to compete with a DM or an Ego. The one marker I NEVER gelled with was the DLX Luxe. It just felt weird, even though it was accurate, light, compact... never felt right with it. Then there was the mixed bag that was the Proto Mini... That thing was fun, though a bit too cramped for my hands.
I played paintball pretty frequently for about three years. The fist year I joined the local paintball club with three other friends. In the club was a recreational level of woodsball, cool layed back atmosphere just a easy and fun approach to the sport. My friends stopped after one year, I wanted to continue and had made new friends at the local club. Soon I bought my own gear and upgraded to an Planet Eclipse Ego 09 (Vicious Model) later on. Next to the layback recreational games at the club, I also played some supair (not in a real competition, more in open days). For me, Supair is the biggest thrill you can get in paintball. I stopped (just last year) and sold my gear as I have just too many hobbies, too little time/money and I also started a new job wich requires more dedication. So yeah, if you have the time & cash to burn, go for it! Be adviced though, Competitive supair can require quite a bit of your body (especially knees during sliding and sprinting). So it definatly helps to be in a shape. Good luck.
Makes sense. In the scenario/bushball games we often find ourselves shooting further than 20m and a 8 - 12" barrel just won't do. A 14 - 16" might be ok, but the apex is around 14" and I want something that can accurately shoot out to 30-50m. But for speedball i slap my little 8" barrel on, as it makes the gun so much lighter. This is a concern as well. Scenario markers are usually quite a bit heavier than their speedball counterparts. So quick maneuvers are often out of the question, as the barrel is long and can get stuck if you are not careful and the gun is heavy and takes longer to lift up, but they therefore make up with precision shooting and suppressing targets that are further away...
Before you commit to the 18", just make sure that you test that and a 14/16". Logically, the longer the barrel, the more friction and air dispersion. Thus, the LESS range. You hit a point where the longer barrel becomes hindering rather than beneficial. This point varies from barrel to barrel, so make sure you make the right choice. Last I checked the J&J Ceramics weren't cheap to start with...
The thing about airsoft is it seems your hit by these pellets and as they leave no mark I assume cheating is easier to do? (im assuming here?) As opposed to paintball where there is actual paint. Does airsoft hurt less or more than paintball? In some ways I like the fact that paintball hurts as its realistic and just another incentive not to get shot like in real life - i imagine airsoft isnt as painful? Although I could be wrong? I bought a mask and it just arrived; a dual pane thermal JT Flex 8 Camo mask. Im considering which marker to get and thinking perhaps the Tippmans A5 is a safe bet?
Can I ask what drew you to the Tippman? Was it price, style or the fact it would be new? Also, would you be focussing on woods play (scenario) or speedball (inflatable bunkers used in most tournaments)? The reason I ask is because you can get some really good markers second hand on UK forums that may be better suited to speedball and will be just as reliable as the Tippman. I know costs play a major factor with paintball and was the reason I left the sport. If £160 or so for the Tippman, which is a new marker that comes with a hopper, is along the upper limits of what you're willing to spend right now, then it will work perfectly fine for you. If you have closer to £200 for marker and hopper and you want to experience the faster-paced game of speedball, then personally I would steer you towards a second hand marker that will be maybe 3 years old but most likely have been well maintained.
Yeah I am going to go check with some guys on a local forum as well. I know quite a f. ew run the J&J ceramics. They are not that expensive for the performance. A friend of mine bought a 18" apex and it really outperformed my barrel in accuracy and distance. (we have the same marker and they are chronod the same as well) But first hand experience is always the best The A5 is very similar to the BT4. You will have to check the upgrade options later on to see which path you want to take.
