Top 8 Paintball Gun Upgrades

It’s true that we can play paintball with any gun, no matter what the quality and have a great time. It’s paintball after all. But what about when you get serious and want to improve the performance of your paintball gun. What are the top paintball gun upgrades?

1) Paintball Gun Upgrades for Greater Accuracy

The most important upgrade to any gun is a decent barrel system. Upgrading to a better barrel can make a world of difference in your game. Believe it or not, barrel length makes no different to accuracy on a paintball gun. It can affect efficiency and a shorter barrel will get more shots per fill, but for accuracy it makes no difference. What does make all of the difference is the bore size of the barrel and how it matches to the paint you are using. For best results buy a three piece barrel. These have a front, a back and inserts. Each insert has a different bore size which you can match at the start of the day and then throughout the day as things heat up or cool down.
The procedure for sizing the paint to your barrel insert is as follows.

Take any insert and fire three paintballs over the chrono. Jot down the average velocity.
Repeat for each insert you have
Choose the insert that gives you the highest velocity, this is the best match.
Turn the velocity on your gun down which vastly improves efficiency.

2) Invest in an Electronic Trigger

If you have a mechanical paintball gun, then there are usually electronic triggers or grip frames that simply screw on. Electronic triggers enable you to shoot faster with less effort, giving you the edge in high-intensity firefights. Plus, they often come with multiple firing modes, such as semi-automatic, burst, and ramping, allowing you to adapt to different game situations quickly. Think carefully about a new electronic grip frame. They aren’t cheap and sometimes it’s better to upgrade to a new purpose build electronic gun.

3) Paintball Gun Upgrades for efficiency

Get rid of the CO2 tank and switch to a high-pressure air (HPA) tank for improved consistency and efficiency. Co2 increases and decreases in pressure depending on the temperature. As a rule of thumb, Co2 will increase in pressure by 11psi for every 1 degree of temperature increase. This gives you velocities that are all over the place. HPA tanks offer a stable air supply that isn’t affected by temperature changes, ensuring your shots remain accurate throughout the game. They’re also better for your marker’s internal components, helping to extend the life of your paintball gun. But remember to use plenty of lube or oil when using compressed air. Co2 is forgiving on dodgy O rings, Air is not, so make sure you lube and replace your internal O rings regularly.

4) Fine-Tune Your Velocity with a Regulator

Want more control over your paintball gun’s performance? Add an inline or external regulator to your setup. This will especially help if you are running on Co2. You may not need a regulator (Or after market regulator) if you are using compressed air. The bottle will already have a regulator in the valve reducing pressure down to around 800psi and they are oretty consistent. But if you are running CO2 and have an anti syphon tube fitted, then you will see a vast improvement by fitting an inline regulator.

5) Buy a better hopper for Faster Feeding

If you are wanting to shoot fast, then you will need a loader or hopper that will keep up. Basically, if you are using a mechanical paintball gun, you may be able to get away with a gravity fed hopper, but if you are going electronic, then you absolutely can’t. Some electric hoppers are just agitators, so they just move the paintballs around in the hopper to stop jams. Some are force fed, so they feed paintballs into the breech under pressure. You can get incredibly high rates of fire with a top end electronic paintball gun and a force fed hopper. The best of these is the Dye Rotor.

6) Add a Custom Grip for Comfort and Control

Custom grips not only look great, but you can fit them to your own hand size and shape. Getting a good grip will keep your paintball gun pointing in the right direction for longer making you hit more players per game. Sometimes it’s the simple things.

7) Keep Your Gear in Tip-Top Shape with Regular Maintenance

While not technically an upgrade, proper maintenance is crucial for keeping your paintball gun performing at its best. Clean and lubricate your gun regularly, and replace worn-out parts as needed. A well looked after paintball gun will look after you and won’t fail in the middle of a fire fight.

8) There is no Better Upgrade Than Practice

When it comes to shooting out more of the opposition on the paintball field, there is absolutely no substitute to trigger time, or regular practice. You could have the most perfect equipment in the world, but if you don’t have the trigger time, you won’t shoot anything and your time on the field will be short. Sometimes it’s best to spend your money on paintballs and practice than to spend on the latest gimmick. Grab your gun, get yourself to your local paintball venue and shoot some fools.

Conclusion

Upgrading your paintball gun can be a fun and rewarding experience, as you see your performance on the field improve with each enhancement. But remember, there is no substitute for trigger time.