Paintball Is a Family Recreational Sport

Paintball is an exciting and fun activity. Many have heard that it is an extreme sport. To the contrary, many paintball parks are designed for the whole family. Like any sport, paintball has various levels and types of games to play. One of my favorites is woods ball. As a boy, I used to go hunting with my father. These days, hunting animals is just not what I want to do anymore. I would rather buy my food and hunting has become extremely expensive. Paintball gives me the same feeling of excitement and accomplishes what I am looking for in a weekend recreational activity.

.Paintball is a family sport.

Many people do not realize how much fun paintball can be for the whole family. Let 's face it we grew up fighting our siblings and what better way to have fun then to put a paintball right on her target. But, you brothers out there should beware, the women I see playing paintball are fast, sharp shooters and may just send 15 balls per second your way! Our trips to the paintball park are always a great way for my son and I to spend the day together.

. Do not fear the paintball game itself.

Most people fear paintball because they think it is going to hurt. While the occasional welt may happen, check your gear and wear proper clothing and you will be protected. It is like any other sport. Protect yourself to the comfort level you have. My son wears a chest and back protector, a full coverage paintball goggle, paintball gloves, paintball jersey and paintball pants. All of these are designed to give you comfort and protection when playing.

.Try all the paintball games.

There are many types of paintball games. Not everyone likes baseball. But, many of us play slow pitch in our adult lives. Paintball is no different. You can choose speedball, which is what most of the tournament players and kids love. You can also choose woods ball where you get to try your hand at flushing out the enemy in a camouflaged hiding spot. There are scenario games where you may be able to be a sniper or capture a criminal holding a hostage.

. Buy quality gear.

In every sport I know of, the biggest reason people often get frustrated or give up is that they do not have the proper gear. This should be done after either renting or starting with an inexpensive set of gear. Then after you have experienced the game for a little while, upgrade your paintball guns and gear to the style of play you are comfortable playing.

The main point of this article is to remove some of the fear of paintball and strongly encourage you to try it! Like other sports, it helps me forget about the daily stresses of life and enjoy some fun time with my family. After you erase your fears and decide to go, ask some friends that play to fill you in on what to expect. Rent some equipment or buy an inexpensive starter kit. An all inclusive paintball starter kit including a paintball gun (paintball marker which is the same thing) can be found online for less than $100.00. Compare that to the $10.00 to $20.00 you will pay for each rental. Protect yourself so that you are not afraid of playing the game. Then count on playing several games in the future to hone your skills and having a blast paintballing your friends and family!

About the Author

The author is the owner of an online paintball store. At RedDotPaintball.com, you'll find a wide selection of paintball guns.

Reprint rights granted. All reprints must include a link to www.reddotpaintball.com. Content may not be altered and articles must be used as distributed by Red Dot Paintball


Copyright Red Dot Paintball 2008

Tippmann Pistol Update

Here is the latest information we received from Tippmann. It is not much but gives us a little more information than last time.

"Tippmann’s new Pistol is on track for a fall delivery with a design that is lightweight, compact, 68 caliber and features Tippmann’s durability and reliability.

There has been a lot of speculation about the design but here is what we can tell you. The pistol is an original Tippmann design using proprietary technology. It will be magazine fed, have a tight grip and a lightweight trigger pull. Please watch your email for more news later this fall."

We will keep you posted as soon as we here any additional information.

Tadao Upgrade Board for Smart Parts Paintball Guns

One of the most popular after market circuit board technologies has created the Tadao Dynasty Upgrade Board. Now you can upgrade your Ion, Ion XE, SP8, EOS or Epiphany direct from Red Dot Paintball. As the winners of five consecutive NPPL series chamionships, there is no question that San Diego Dynasty is at the top of their game. Their Shocker and EOS markers are powered by Tadao Dynasty boards and now our customers can get this competitive edge too. The Tadao Dynasty Shocker board is compatible with the Shocker NXT, SFT and Nerve.

Tiberius Arms Paintball Guns

We have updated our Tiberius Paintball guns and will be adding all accessories within this week.

Offering Unique Customization, Tiberius Paintball Pistols & Guns Are Like No Other

Looking for a paintball marker with a true military feel? Tiberius paintball guns make a great choice.  

Tiberius Arms takes pride in creating the most versatile paintball marker on the market. With Tiberius paintball guns, you can get a hopper paintball marker, a rifle or pistol paintball marker, and a magazine fed paintball marker all in one. 

Tiberius paintball guns are available in two different series: Tag 8 and T-9. The T-9 series consists of rifles, while the Tag 8 series consists of the Tiberius paintball pistols. Tiberius paintball pistols offer: 

• Custom designs


• Internal magazines capable of holding eight paintballs


• CO2 cartridge powerful enough to fire three magazine rounds


• Metal construction

The various accessories available make it possible to completely customize Tiberius paintball pistols. These include a variety of different magazine clips, air adapters, tactical rails, extended barrels, silencers, laser lights, scopes, flashlights, and more.  

Better yet, many of these accessories can be used for both the Tag 8 and T-9 series, providing the highest level of versatility no matter which type of Tiberius paintball marker you purchase. 

Spyder Paintball Guns

New and exciting Kingmann paintball markers, which are more commonly known as Spyder paintball guns, are continually being enhanced and re-introduced to the paintball market. One of the most recent additions to the family of Kingmann paintball markers is the Spyder VS1.  

These Spyder paintball guns were released in June of ’07 and are likely to prove to be top sellers among paintball enthusiasts. 

This new paintball gun will be part of the VS series of Spyder paintball guns, which means it will offer the same electronic break-beam eyes and semi-auto / burst-firing modes found on other VS Kingmann paintball markers. In addition, this new paintball gun will offer: 

• The ability to operate at a full 20bps firing capacity with either CO2 or N2 compressed air


• The flexibility to compete in national tournaments or in backyard games with the same gun


•  Light weight, making it easy to unleash havoc upon other players with superior firepower

Spyder paintball guns have long been a favorite brand for those that are just getting into the sport, as well as for those that have been playing for years. The variety of models coupled with the high-quality and relatively low price when compared to competitors has made it a top brand. 

At RedDotPaintball.com, you’ll find this hot new gun, as well as many others at great online pricing. Take a moment to browse through our many available Kingmann paintball markers.  

This is the first in a series of posts for Spyder paintball guns. We are updating all of Spyder's paintball marker offerings and will comment on the models as they are updated on the site. 

Paintball Gun Warranties

Today in our paintball blog we will discuss warranties and online paintball stores. Many people like to compare retail to online and discuss whether one is better than the other. For those of you that are unsure here is a brief explanation. The basic argument is that if you shop retail and buy your paintball guns at the local paintball store you can get service if the paintball gun does not work. If you buy your paintball marker at an online paintball store, you are stuck dealing with the manufacturer for warranty.


Dangerous Power Threshold

There is absolutely no difference between buying your paintball gun at any of the big retail stores like Walmart, Joes Sports, Target, Sports Authority, Canadian Tire or any other large retailer. They will just charge more money than what you can buy your paintball gun for online(in most cases). At Red Dot Paintball, you will be guided to resolve your problem with the manufacturer. When a problem arises, we always point the consumer back to the manufacturer. We are selling paintball equipment nationwide and around the world. The consumer is always best to check with the manufacturer if the marker is not working because they can often guide you over the phone, point you to relevant manuals on their websites or give you a return authorization number for repair.

Tippmann's answers the phone quickly, gives you no hassle repairs and offers 24 hour turnaround on their repairs. They just began their 2 year warranty program this year.


We have used Tippmann's warranty for replacing some e-grips and the process was simple and fast. We called in, received the support we needed, sent in our old part and received a new one quickly. On the other hand, we have had some less than perfect service from an unnamed manufacturer. We are looking forward to hearing about your experiences with warranty work as well.

In addition to warranty work, you should be using your manufacturer for other questions you may have. Like where to find the manual online. Be sure to check with them for other questions like the proper use of paintball air tanks (high pressure air or low pressure air)? Is your paintball gun/marker recommended to run on CO2? What kind of lubricant should you use? By following the manufacturers recommendations, you should be able to avoid having warranty work done in the first place.

Paintball - Our First Time

We have heard about all the hype. Paintball is becoming an exciting, exhilarating extreme sport. It is an extreme sport.....sounds intimidating. In fact it is intimidating and this is exactly what this article is about. For those of you wondering about the experience and if you should try it, the answer is a simple yes!! We are going to share our first time experience with you and hopefully, the decision will be an easy one for you to join the ranks of a paintball enthusiast.

There are many approaches to starting out. We offer two for you to consider. Obviously, the approach you take is a personal choice. One is definitely more expensive and risky but it really depends if you are committed to trying the sport or not. The second is cheaper and easy, but may be higher on the intimidation factor as you will not know anything about the equipment before you play.

The first approach is to go to your local field and rent some equipment and get started. This is not the approach we took. We had already decided that paintball was a sport we were going to do no matter what. So in our case, my son and I decided to take the plunge and buy some equipment. He purchased an Ion and I purchased a Tippmann 98 Custom Pro. I decided to immediately upgrade by adding a Cyclone Feed Hopper and an Electronic Trigger. What in the heck was I doing? I had no idea, but the type of person I am makes that decision an easy one. I wanted to know about the marker I was going to use and I thought there would be no better way than to install the upgrades myself. I could have easily purchased one already upgraded but I wanted to learn myself. That is a whole other story that we do not want to get in to here. Rest assured I was able to do it myself. Again, this was my personal approach that you may or may not want to follow.

The second option of owning the equipment first allowed us to spend adequate time at home familiarizing ourselves with the paintball marker and safe handling. We studied the manuals and procedures for loading and unloading. General gun safety applies. Make sure you are not pointing it at anyone and goggles are always worn even when you are just handling the marker. A barrel sleeve is on at all times and if applicable, safety applied or marker powered down. We purchased some reusable v-balls (for some at home backyard fun and learning about firing our markers).

Finally, the weekend arrived and the anticipation and intimidation factor were both peaked. We arrived late to the field and so we were walking in on a scene that had numerous players waiting to start another game. It was raining lightly. We were tempted to just pack up and go back home as we were not sure what to expect. The first thing we did was go to check in with the field operator. He gave us the general run down on what to pay and if we needed to rent equipment. We informed him and others that we were new and that we appreciated their help and guidance. The players were awesome. The field operator told us our markers had to be checked for velocity and we did that. He quickly adjusted the markers to ensure that we were safe and within field limits.

The players decided that the next game would be Woodsball. In woodsball, it is basically as the name sounds - a game in the bush where cover and camo rule. The players were quick to explain the basic rules and mostly safety. Always wear your goggles!!! (A tip here is to buy a good quality double thermal mask. Fogging your mask up and problems with your goggles will take away from the paintball experience.) Walking in towards the field and well away from the field, we were told that from a certain spot we must keep our masks on at all times. When we arrived at the field we split in to teams. My son (aged 12) and I were on a team of 4 against 4 that were decked out with markers, nitrogen, remote lines and camo. Well did I mention our intimidation was peaked!! We had never been hit by a paintball, let alone shoot anyone. We were not army veterans, marksmen, or athletes. We were just a father and son wanting to shoot paintball but at that split moment, we new we were in too far to back out and not far enough to stop. They told us some more basics like what "army rules" meant. The term is used to describe the rule that we would only be out if we were hit on the torso or head (not limbs). They told us not to remove our mask and to raise our arms if surrendering or hit. We were told to walk out with your arms raised until you are off the field. Do not shoot anyone too close and ask them to surrender. If you run out of ammunition or air, you are also out. This would explain why the "intimidator" team had gear belts that held extra paintball "pods" (plastic tubes that hold a fill of paintballs for your loader) and a place for an air tank or extra air tank.

Okay we were positioned. We were split up and both teams had called out to the referee that we were ready to play. It was game on. Instantly the excitement peaked and we were in the game. My son flanked to the left. We stuck together and moved forward until we found some cover. All of our "Call of Duty" online experience flashing before our eyes. Don't give away our position, be patient...ah just shoot!!!! One of us hit a player...a head shot. We both took credit for that one! We felt cocky now. Shooting and exhilarated. I decided to move to another spot. Started to move and then in an instant.......ouch. I was hit in the back and out. I raised my hands over my head and called myself out. Moved to the edge of the field and watched from the sidelines. Reflecting how stupid I had been to just move without being more stealth like. Crap, now I had to wait until the next game. The earlier "ouch", was not too bad. We felt our wounds but they were not very painful. We could describe it as an isolated almost sunburn feeling.

Soon after my son was also hit and he came out. Both of us could not wait to go again and like the first dive in to a pool - our hearts beating with excitement and exhilaration, we were hooked!

Please share the content of these articles with your friends, family and colleagues. Reprint rights granted. All reprints must include a link to www.reddotpaintball.com. Content may not be altered and articles must be used as distributed by Red Dot Paintball

Copyright © Red Dot Paintball 2007