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History of Paintball
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In the beginning, there was RP Scherer. The people saw RP Scherer and they saw that it was good. RP Scherer begat the Nelson "paintball" and the Nelspot "markers" for the forestry industry so that foresters could mark trees that were to be cut from some distance away. It was also used for the cattle industry, marking cattle and separating them with different colored 'balls into groups.
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Then one fine day, a frisky forester decided that it might be fun to shoot one of "them thar markin' balls" at a buddy of his. Needless to say, a huge fight began, and in those woods that day a new star was born: paintball.
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The birthdate of paintball is generally believed to be sometime in 1981. Players were pretty much isolated until the wonderful summer of 1987 when the inaugural issue of Action Pursuit Games, the first magazine entirely devoted to the phenomenon that is paintball, hit the shelves. The basic equipment back then was Nelspot 007s and Nelson paintballs, which were oil-based. Yes, oil-based, as in "it don't wash out." The introduction of first water-based paint, and then "non-toxic, hypo-allergenic, biodegradeable" gelatin paintballs, was a godsend to the players. The markers themselves can be likened (in looks) to today's PGP. They ran on 12-gram CO2 cartridges, and were fed by 10-round plastic tubes. No one had ever heard of a "hopper" back then. Players would have to shake their markers like an Etch-a-Sketch to get a ball to drop into the chamber and then cut their fingers open closing the bolt action. Still, it was all worth it to hear the satisfying 'thwack' when your 'ball did find its mark.
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Paintball technology has come a very long way from those days. Eye protection back then consisted of chemistry-class soft plastic goggles. The holes in the sides meant you still might end up with an eyeful of paint and the lack of full facial coverage meant you might go home with a few welts on the forehead, but at least you didn't have to worry about a little gelatin ball smacking you in the eye at 200 feet per second. Nowadays we have complex "goggle systems" with UV-blocking anti-scratch anti-fog anti-shatter dual-layer interchangeable lenses and full facial protection. There's also something called "Goggleflauge©." To my understanding, it's supposed to break up the outline of your goggles, allowing you to hide better. Propulsion has evolved at a geometric rate. The 12-gram cartridge became all but obsolete with the release of constant-air systems and their 7-, 9-, 10-, 12-, and 20-ounce CO2 cylinders. 'Guns began to be released that ran on not only CO2, but also nitrogen and compressed air. We now have everything from the simple pump-action single shot "starter" 'guns to full-auto 12-rounds-per-second (that's 720 a minute!) super paint-wasters (well, that's what they really are, ask any pro)!
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Feeding went all the way from the little clear plastic 10-rd tubes to hoppers. Suddenly players could go 50, 100, and even 200 shots without having to reload their 'guns! The evolution of other gear spread like wildfire, too. There are now belts and fanny packs that can hold 9 50-round feeder tubes. A regular sight at fields now is camouflage. Realtree, military, brush, you name it, you'll see it. I have a friend who always played in a ghillie suit, for crying out loud! This odd habit earned him the nickname Sasquatch. (For those of you that don't know, a ghillie suit is a suit made of some sort of netting with strips of burlap and other materials all run through it. It's a full-body thing. Military snipers invented them to help them hide better. You can see some here.) Wait, now I'm getting sidetracked. Where was I? Oh yeah, other gear. Knee and elbow pads are now common. Aftermarket parts for 'guns is a huge market. You can get anything and everything from decorating decals to advanced optics such as laser sights, fiber-optic sights, and even night vision! There's a thing now called a TracerBall©. When used at night, it will excite certain chemicals in special Tracer balls, making them glow! Tracers! For paintball! What they won't think of next, eh? I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, They haven't made a grenade launcher yet, chuckle chuckle. Yes, they have. Tippmann Ordnance© manufactures the TM-203©, a 'gun-mounted CO2-powered 40mm paint grenade launcher. You can check it out here.
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Anyhow, that should be enough about the history of the great worldwide institution of Paintball. I bet you want to run out right now and pop a few 'balls in the direction of a few choice people, don't ya? Come on, admit it. I know you want to. Don't shake your head at me, I bet you have people you would love to peg with a few paintballs. Everyone does. (Insert evil laugh here.)
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Examples of Modern Paintball Equipment
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This is the Brass Eagle© Talon©, a classic example of an entry-level 'gun. It is a pump-action paintgun, or pumpgun. This is your typical starter gun, as it is very inexpensive and still able to perform well on the field. It costs about 45 dollars for the beginner set, which includes the gun, a barrel plug, some ammo tubes (10-rd. plastic tubes) and an instructional video. The gun runs on 12-gram CO2 cartridges, and the 10-rd. tubes can be replaced by a 45-round hopper.
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This 'gun is the Brass Eagle© Stingray©, a better 'gun than the Talon©, but still a pumpgun. It also runs off of a 12-gram CO2 cartridge, but it can be adapted to use a larger cylinder, such as the 7-oz. This gun comes with the 45-round hopper. It's a pretty good gun, but if you're trying to move up in the ranks of 'guns, I'd go a little farther.
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Now this pretty baby is my pride and joy, the Brass Eagle© Raptor©. This beautiful 'gun is a semi-automatic. Unlike the two previous 'guns, almost all of the parts on this baby are interchangeable. The grips, the barrel, the bolt, you name it, you can probably get an aftermarket part to trick it out. It also has three 3/8" dovetail sight rails on it (one on top, one on each side) for aftermarket sighting systems, such as a fiber-optic dot sight or a laser sight. This 'gun doesn't come with a hopper, but you can get one all the way up to 200 rounds. There is a velocity adjustment screw on the back of the gun that can easily be adjusted with an allen wrench. All in all, this gun is a good mid-market gun.
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This gun here is a slightly better gun than the Raptor© above. This is the Kingman© Spyder Classic©. It's a bit more expensive than the basic Raptor, but it's worth it. It's still a semi-automatic, so you rich people who can spend a lot of money on paint can keep looking for the full-auto paint wasters below. The Spyder© comes with a horzontal tank adapter, so that the tank is attached to the bottom of the grip rather than screwed vertically directly into the gun. The rear sight rail is raised slightly so that a laser sight placed on the top will not intersect with the ball feed tube. This is a very nice gun.
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This is the RTC© Tracer©. It is an aftermarket unit that attaches to the end of any 7/8" or 1" barrel. It uses electricity to "excite" special RTC© TracerBalls© and causes them to glow in the dark. It only works with the TracerBalls©, but it is great for night games where normal sights such as fiber optic dot sights don't work. The balls glow brilliantly and allow the shooter to see where his or her fire is going. The Tracer unit runs on 4 AA batteries and will last for approximately 5-6,000 shots before the batteries need to be replaced. It does not reduce muzzle velocity at all. It weighs about 9 ounces with batteries.
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This beautiful, wonderful thing is the Tippmann Ordnance© TM-203© 40mm Paint Grenade Launcher. It can lob 6 to 8 ounces of paint up to 60 yards with an astonishingly slow muzzle velocity (80-100 fps)! It is available from www.tippmannordnance.com for $359. It's a little on the expensive side, but if you can afford it, the looks you get from the newbies on the field are priceless. =)
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