The evolution of the game has been swift from its origins in the 70s to the modern game we know today. It all started with the paintball gun; the term “marker” is a much newer term introduced to make the sport more marketable to the masses. So, what is the history of this relatively new sport and how has it evolved over three decades?

The first paintball guns were used on cattle ranches in the 1970s to single out animals from the herd. James Hale, of Daisy manufacturing , invented a gun for this purpose.

This practice soon evolved into a game and the first ever recreational paintball game took place in June 1981 in New Hampshire, USA. A group of friends used Nel-Spot 007s to play a very basic form of the game over a massive area to capture the flag.

One of the earliest guns available was the Splat Master; it was made entirely of plastic. It could hold ten paintballs, was powered by small co2 cylinders and had a slow fire rate. The gun had to be tilted back to drop each paintball into the firing chamber and cocked by pushing a button on the handle.

The paintball game was first marketed by Charles Gaines, a writer, as National Survival Game- NSG. It started in a very primitive form with players working individually rather than in teams. As the game evolved over time, the rules became more sophisticated and teams became a matter of course. Different types of games sprung up, but the “capture the flag” principle was the most popular.

As the paintball game developed, so did the need for a more sophisticated gun. The pump action marker was introduced with its increased rate of fire.

Caleb Strong opened the first outdoor commercial paintball field in Rochester in 1982. Two years later he opened an indoor version in Buffalo. The development of the commercial industry allowed for more organised, tournament style games and interest in the sport accelerated. The games became more exciting as smaller fields made the action quicker.

The gun continued to evolve in line with the paintball game. As the need for speed increased, the introduction of the 12 ounce co2 tank with its constant air was a major breakthrough.This in turn led to the advent of the semi-automatic gun with its incredible fire rate. Then followed the electric hopper to cope with the fire power of the semi-automatics.

Private and commercial fields are everywhere today as the sport has attracted a huge following. Whilst most players will only ever compete at a recreational level, professional teams compete at a national and international level with prizes worth hundreds of thousands of  dollars. The National Professional Paintball League was founded in 1992 and is the major force in the professional tournament circuit.

Professional players today are using fully automatic computerized markers. The Angel was the first of its kind. It was equipped with a motherboard in the gun’s handle offering a selection of different modes of fire.

There is no reason to believe that the paintball game has completed its evolution. It has come a long way from the cattle ranches of thirty years ago, but it is fair to assume that the sport has not finished its journey just yet.

Hawksbill PaintballHawksbill Sports was established by players, for players. Our goal is to give you the products you need to enjoy the sport of paintball. We have low prices and fast shipping and promise the best customer service you can find anywhere. For more information about paintball guns and other accessories, go to:http://www.hawksbillpaintball.com

Paintball guns are also referred to as paintball markers and they are the primary piece of equipment that is use to tag the opposing players. The gun must have a loader attached for keeping it fed with ammunition as well as a compressed gas bottle for propellant.  Paintball guns are available in a wide variety of styles and they can cost anywhere from $25 up to a thousand or more. Generally speaking, if you are just going to enjoy a casual game in the yard with the kids, a cheaper gun is fine, but if you are a seasoned veteran of the sport and want to take your game to the next level, then by all means consider spending more money on a high quality gun.

Paintballs are sold in bulk and come in packages that often contain 2000 paintballs. Again, prices do vary, but you can expect to pay somewhere around $40 for an average sized box. The balls are gelatin capsules that contain polyethylene glycol or some other non-toxic and water soluble substance as well as dye. There are many colors available and there are several retailers online who specialize in selling paintballs as well as paintball gear in general. It is required that participants wear goggle or masks when playing paintball. The masks cover the eyes, mouth, nose and ears and some are equipped to cover the throat as well. The lenses on the goggles protect against the high velocity that the paintballs travel.

Paintball is a very fun sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Paintball arenas, parks and playing fields are located around the world. Although not considered an inexpensive sport to play due to the equipment used, paintball gear can also be purchased used. Paintball is a growing sport as more people realize the excitement and challenges that this sport offers. Many larger cities have paintball clubs and teams who regularly compete against one another.

Recreational

Recreational markers are used to play paintball games over a large area, often woods or fields. Scenario paintball is played in an area made to replicate a chosen landscape. Woodsball, as the name suggests, is played in a wooded area. Tactical paintball is a strategic game with a variety of rules.

Sniper paintball guns are for recreational players to shoot accurately over long distances. They often have long barrels that can cause the paintball to spin, thus increasing its distance.

Speedball

Speedball paintball guns are used in more confined areas, often utilising bunkers and obstacles. These games are of shorter duration as the players are within close proximity of each other. Camouflage, therefore, isn’t a consideration, so the markers are more visual and come in a wide variety of colours and designs.

X Ball is a type of speedball game for which any standard speedball paintball gun will suffice.

Recreational and speedball markers have the same internal mechanism; the differences are external only. Recreational guns are generally camouflaged or darker in colours. They often resemble real guns; some have been designed to replicate guns from historic battles. Speedball guns are lighter, smaller and more colourful.

You need a paintball gun that fits the sort of player you are e.g. front, cover or sniper. A front player needs a light, easy to handle gun. A cover player needs a big hopper and air supply. A sniper may need a longer barrel with a scope.

Markers can range in price from $50 to over $1000 depending on quality and features. You don’t need to spend too much money on your first paintball gun. You can upgrade it as and when you need to without difficulty. Try renting or borrowing a range of markers before you make a purchase to find one that is suitable for you and feels right. You should expect to pay around $200 for a gun that will give sufficient performance for a beginner’s needs.

Hawksbill PaintballHawksbill Sports was established by players, for players. Our goal is to give you the products you need to enjoy the sport of paintball. We have low prices and fast shipping and promise the best customer service you can find anywhere. For further information about different paintball gun types, features and options to get you started, go to:Paintball Gun

This type of large-scale paintball game is run by emergency responders (such as the police, EMTs, military personnel and firefighters) to train them for worst-case scenario situations. It is also plated by those who simply want to get messy and have fun with those they know. The key to knowing what to do and how to make paintball mines is knowing what you need and putting things together the right way. You want your paintball mine set up in just such a way that the only thing necessary to set it off (trip it if you will) is the right amount of pressure when your opponent steps on it. These little paintball mines do not need to be very large; on the contrary, they actually need to be rather small so that they are easy to make. When you are making these paintball mines you are going to be using the same CO2 cartridges that are used in paintball guns.

The main things that you need according to a few how to make paintball mines articles are a small plastic container that resembles a pan (four to six inches is ideal), cardboard (this will form the trigger bottom and the upper chambers), glue, a small nail (part of the trigger) and CO2 cartridges (the propellant for the paint) as well as the paint. These very inexpensive items will do nicely to make your paintball mines. You will find all of these things anywhere that paintball guns are sold and also in hardware stores (the glue, nails, cardboard and container). What most people do not realize is that these little paintball mines are very simple to make, and fun to watch them working as well. You do not need anything that is very large, this will not be as effective as a smaller container will be.

 You will need to make sure that the CO2 cartridges are the type specifically made for paintball guns as the propellant of the paint. As for what type of paint you need to use in your paintball mines that all depends upon what you can afford (given the fact that paint is not exactly cheap). There are going to me many different people that will leave comments and observations following some of the how to make paintball mines articles. Those comments might help you understand the content even more; or they might not be any help at all depending upon what is said.

With this small warning being stated in the previous sentence, you need to remember that you are not always going to find the most complete or accurate information when you are searching in the internet under how to make paintball grenades.  There are many different websites out there that will not give you all of the information that you really need in order to make the best paintball grenades that you any for the particular paintball guns that you are working with. If you do not have all of the pertinent (and very important) safety information that you need, you could be setting yourself up for trouble (and not be able to have that much fun).

There can be no mistake whatsoever when dealing with a paintball grenade that you are dealing with a grenade that is something similar to the type that is used by soldiers in military combat. The difference here is simply that you are not dealing with an explosive inside that grenade; rather it is paint that washes off easily (and smoke in some of them). Some paintball grenades (standard paintball grenades) are the type that you need to pull a pin and toss them where you want them. The other type (flameless smoke grenades) is the one that you launch out of paintball guns at your target which will give you a smoke screen behind which to hide (and escape) from your opponents in the game. You are going to find out that some of these how to make paintball grenades articles do not give you nearly enough information about this topic.

This point of this how to make paintball grenades article is telling you what types of paintball grenades are out there and how they are designed to work in connection with the types of paintball guns that are on the market today. Making paintball grenades yourself is not going to be wise if you have not read anything (or talked with anyone) ahead of time to get an idea about what you need in terms of supplies and how to go about making a simple yet effective paintball grenade. Some people choose to use silicone tubing tied off at both ends; while others will use a chemical sprayer for good effect.