High Tech Paintball Equipment

You may think that paintball is just a game you play on your mate’s birthday or stag do, but you couldn’t be further from the truth. There is a whole world of paintball, and some of it uses high-tech paintball equipment. Want to know more? Then read on.

The Evolution of Paintball Guns

Electronic Paintball Markers

Eclipse CS3 Pro paintball gun - High Tech Paintball Equipment

Gone are the days of bulky, cumbersome paintball guns. Enter the world of electronic paintball markers. These new guns are sleek, lightweight, and highly efficient machines that provide rapid-fire capabilities, minimal kickback and improved accuracy. The less a paintball gun kicks back, the more steady the barrel and the more accurate the shot. But just because it’s electronic, doesn’t necessarily mean it has less kick. You need an electronic solenoid (Or three-way valve) rather than a hammer. Some low-end electronic paintball guns, like the Spyder series, still use the heavy hammer. To get the benefit of electronics, you need a modern super semi. Some notable models include the Planet Eclipse CS3 Pro and the Dye M3+.

Customizable Triggers and Grips

You could buy customisable triggers and after-market grips to enhance your paintball gun performance further. Although not especially High Tech Paintball Equipment, they offer better ergonomics, allowing you to maintain a comfortable hold on your marker for extended periods. This means a more enjoyable experience on the field and may even help you easily pull off those tricky shots. One of the benefits of being able to adjust the trigger is to make it more sensitive and match your natural shooting style. You need to “Feather” the trigger to compete on the paintball field. This is where you use two fingers alternately to pull the trigger, which means you can achieve very high rates of fire. To do this, you need to match the sensitivity of the trigger as well as the shape of the trigger with your natural rhythm. Length of fingers, and size of hands all come into play, so play about a bit until you get the perfect combination. Once you achieve this, the gun becomes part of your body, not just something you hold and fire.

High Tech Paintball Accessories You Can’t Live Without

High-Capacity Hoppers

A good hopper is essential for any serious paintball player. In the olden days, we used to use drainpipes, cut to 45 degrees, and then reverse and stuck together. They were awful, but you could at least build a hopper with your desired capacity. If you were a front player, you made a smaller hopper. If you were a back player, you needed a bucket rather than a hopper. I still remember walking around Leeds, pinching the yellow caps off scaffolding to complete my hopper. Great times!! Now though, you can buy incredible hoppers. High-capacity hoppers, like the Dye Rotor R2, allow you to store more paintballs and maintain a consistent rate of fire. This is achieved by putting active pressure on the paintball stack. This way, a hopper can feed faster than gravity. It is possible to get rates of fire up to around 50 balls per second with a Dye Rotor. Make sure you have your paintball gun eyes turned on, though, if you want to use such high rates of fire.

Ultra-Accurate Barrels

A high-quality barrel does make all the difference in your paintball game. It is normal now to buy a three-piece barrel system, comprising a front, a back and a series of inserts. Paintballs swell and contract during the day due to temperature and humidity. They vary slightly in size from batch to batch and manufacturer to manufacturer. A series of barrel inserts means you can match your paint to the barrel’s bore perfectly. This massively increases both the accuracy and efficiency of your paintball gun.

Advanced Gadgets for the Modern Paintball Warrior

High-Tech Goggle Systems

The paintball mask is essential, but why not upgrade to a high-tech goggle system? Models like the Dye i5 offer integrated communication systems, allowing you to stay in constant contact with your teammates. These top-end goggles give you perfect vision and are always thermal. This means they have two lenses, like double glazing, eliminating fogging. For the last 30 or so years, my goggles have been JT’s, usually Flex 7’s, but more recently, I have gone for the Proflex version. They are, in my opinion, the best paintball goggles ever made. Empire did bring out a paintball goggle with a HUD (Head Up Display), probably more as a marketing ploy as it was so expensive. I have never seen a pair and don’t know anyone who has. I’m not sure what info you would display in a paintball game, to be honest.

High Tech Paintball Equipment – Drones

Could the future of paintball include drones – drones equipped with cameras? These high-tech gadgets could provide aerial battlefield views, allowing you to strategize and plan your moves more effectively. You could even use the live footage to coordinate with your teammates in real time. My personal opinion is that I doubt it, but I could be proved wrong. I believe that paintball drones would just become targets, like in clay pigeon shooting.

High Tech Paintball Equipment – Wearable Tech

This is an interesting one. Wearable tech is already here with thermally heated clothing. We use them all the time when marshalling in freezing weather. But I suppose in the future, it will be possible to have a phone app or watch with GPS technology so you would know where the rest of your teammates and the opposition are, maybe in-game intel from the event organisers and real-time objectives. This would mean that the tech would have to be paintball-proof, so we are waiting for G-Shock to enter the paintball world. It’s possible.

High-tech paintball equipment can revolutionize your game, bringing excitement and competition. With advanced guns, innovative accessories and cutting-edge gadgets, you’ll be well on your way to becoming the ultimate paintball warrior. Sometimes though, I look back through rose-tinted goggles to a much more sedate time with Splat masters, 12g powerletts and tubes and caps. Great times.