Discount and Cheap Paintball

How to play paintball – and still save your hard earned cash

Playing paintball can sometimes run up your credit card bill – especially if you play pretty regularly, but there are some good deals out there to help keep your cash in your pocket.

If you play quite a bit and rent your equipment, you may want to figure out if it’s cheaper in the long run to buy your own gear. And remember, you don’t have to buy brand spanking new guns and accessories; you should be able to find some good used equipment out there.

Some equipment you may want to buy at a lower cost and there’s other items you should make sure are top of the line. When it comes to your face mask, you should buy the best model you can afford. Lower cost masks are often uncomfortable and have a tendency to fog up. You’re better off spending a bit more to get a comfortable, fog-resistant mask.

If you’re an occasional player, there’s no need to pay more than $250 for a decent gun. You can even get a good one for under $150. However, you’re going to have to do some research to make sure you’re getting a good brand, as there are some poor quality guns on the market. It’s a good idea to get a gun that you can upgrade with various accessories and add-ons. If you’re a local tournament player, you should also be able to use a cheaper marker, or upgrade your present one.

Top of the line guns usually come with reliable barrels, but you may want to buy a two piece barrel set so you can always match the barrel bore to the type of paint you’re using and you can match the barrel length to the style of game you play.

If your gun works well with carbon dioxide (or CO2), and you don’t shoot fast (sniper) and don’t play in extreme temperatures, then a 12 ounce tank is probably good enough for you. If you’re gun has some trouble with CO2, you may want to buy an expansion chamber to help it operate better. If you’re a tournament player, you should get a nitro/HPA or low pressure air system. These cost the most, but they’re the most dependable. For more information on gases, please check out our Carbon Dioxide vs. Nitrogen page.

If your gun fires less than 12 bps you only need a plastic 200-round hopper. If it shoots higher than 12 bps you should use an electronic hopper. Make sure whatever you buy is dependable and quick enough to keep up with your gun.

Some people buy gun packages to save money. Most kits (or packages) include a mask, air tank, hopper, and sometimes accessories like a squeegee, o-rings, and paintball gun oil. This can be a good way to save money, but make sure the mask is good quality and that all of the other equipment - such as the gun, tank, and hopper - are really the type you want to play with.

When it comes to buying paint at a commercial paintball park, generally the more you buy, the less it costs. It’s a good idea to get a friend or two and go splits on a case. If you have a choice of what paint to buy, make sure it matches your barrel’s bore. If you only play once a while don’t buy a ton of paintballs as they’ll probably be no good the next time you play. This will mean you’ve wasted money on the original paint and you’ll have to spend more for new paint.

As for clothing, it’s cheaper to use some old clothes to play in, and if you want camouflage, you may be able to concoct an outfit from your old wardrobe. Basically, if you want to play cheap paintball, look for quality equipment and lower prices, don’t buy any equipment and accessories you don’t need, and don’t waste your paintballs.