How Does A Paintball Gun Work?
Are you new to paintball and looking for some techniques for using a paintball gun correctly to enhance your performance? This article can help you in various ways because it contains detailed information about how does a paintball gun work?
As you know, paintball is a shooting game in which a player has to shoot paintballs at his opponents. This sport uses an air gun to shoot these dye-filled gelatinous capsules.
A paintball gun uses compressed air or compressed gas to propel the paintballs. Based on the propellant system, a paintball gun has three types. Now the question is, do all three types work the same? The answer is no. Although they have some similarities, each type’s working procedure slightly differs.
Detailed Method – How Does A Paintball Gun Work
The following guide explains the working of each type of paintball gun briefly.
Paintball Marker
It is essential equipment for playing paintball. As I mentioned above, it is an air gun that uses compressed air or gas to help you shoot dye-filled bullets. A paintball gun uses carbon dioxide as a compressed gas and HPA as compressed air to propel the gelatinous capsules through the barrel. It has three types with different barrel positioning that work distinct from each other.
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Working Of A Paintball Marker- The Basics
The most prominent components of a paintball marker are its trigger frame, bolt, and valve. In other words, the performance of your gun mainly depends on these parts. The primary function of a trigger frame is to shoot the bullet. The speed at which the bullet leaves the barrel depends on your trigger. Although a trigger frame plays a significant role in your performance, it works in coordination with other parts to propel the bullet through the barrel.
Furthermore, the bolt and valve are those components of the gun that play a vital role in the firing mechanism. A gun’s valve is a switch that controls the firing process of the bullets. On the other hand, a gun’s bolt is the primary source of airflow and maintains the number of paintballs in the chamber.
The basic working procedure of a paintball marker depends on the propellant system, barrel, trigger, bolt, and valve. Paintballs are stored in the barrel of a gun, and one paintball propels through the barrel when you pull the trigger. Your gun’s bolt must be cocked to fire a paintball. This mechanism initiates when you pull the bolt backward. It drags the hammer backward by loading the paintball. A sear attached to the trigger holds the hammer when the hammer moves back.
After pulling the bolt, it moves forward and attains its original position. This process loads the paintball into the gun’s barrel. When you pull the trigger, the hammer attached to a sear moves forward and hits the valve pin, opening the passage for the flow of the propellant system. The compressed gas or air moves through the barrel to propel the loaded paintball out of the gun. You must repeat this process to fire another paintball.
The above procedure is the basic working process of a paintball gun, but it is a little different for various paintball markers. To help you know the exact method of firing a paintball from various paintball markers, I have mentioned the types and their working procedure in the following article.
Types Of A Paintball Marker
There are mainly three types of paintball markers in the market. The following are further details of each type of paintball marker that can help you find the proper procedure for their working mechanism.
1. Pump Paintball Marker
A pump paintball marker is the oldest form of a paintball gun. In short, it was the first paintball gun people used for marking trees. A pump paintball marker uses a manual procedure for shooting dye-filled bullets. With the manufacturing of advanced paintball markers, pump paintball guns aren’t famous as modern air guns because they need more advanced features.
Working Of A Pump Paintball Marker
A pump paintball marker works according to the basic procedure. It is one of the most reliable guns for paintball because of its accuracy. To fire a paintball, you should pull the bolt, which will load the paintball. After the bolt moves forward, the paintball enters the barrel. Now you can pull the trigger to open the passage of compressed air to propel the paintball through the gun. You should cock the paintball marker for each shot.
2. Mechanical Paintball Marker
One of the most common paintball markers is the mechanical paintball marker. As clear from its name, this equipment is mechanically operated. Mechanical markers are also known as semi-automatic paintball markers because they fire one paintball per trigger pull.
In short, if you pull the trigger, it will fire only one paintball at a time. These types of markers are available in the market at a reasonable price. Hence, they are more suitable for beginners and intermediate players.
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Working Of A Mechanical Paintball Marker
As I mentioned above, this type of paintball gun is mechanically operated. It works the same as a pump paintball marker and has five methods of operation. The first method is a pump or bolt action, having three types of valves. In a Sheridan valve, the location of a bolt is different from the trigger and valve. It lies in a separate tube, and its primary job is the cock mechanism. This process resembles the basic working procedure of a paintball gun.
Then comes the second type of valve, which is known as a Nelson valve. This mechanical paintball gun differs from the Sheridan valve because the bolt, trigger, and valve are present in the same tube. In other words, they do not lay in separate tubes like in the Sheridan valve. Its working procedure also resembles the basic process. When you pull the bolt backward, the sear holds the hammer and allows the paintball to load.
After the bolt moves forward, the striker also moves forward and loads the paintball into the barrel. Upon pulling the trigger, the compressed air rushes through the barrel, propelling the paintball out of the gun with more speed. The third type of pump or bolt action mechanical gun is the Sterling Hybrid valve. In this type, the bolt is present in a separate tube, and the hammer latches to the sear. This type of marker is a mixture of Sheridan and Nelson valves.
The second method for operating a mechanical paintball marker is called double action. In this method, the gun’s trigger fires the paintball and resets the firing mechanism, allowing another paintball to enter the barrel. The working procedure of a double-action method is similar to that of a double-action revolver.
Then comes the throwback semi-auto mechanism that mainly depends on the propellant system of the gun. If the gun uses compressed gas, this method uses it to fire the paintball and reset the firing mechanism. It works the same as semi-auto rifles.
The blow-forward semi-auto mode also uses compressed gas stored in the valve to control the function of a bolt and for the firing mechanism. Lastly, the pneumatically operated semi-auto procedure works under the action of a four-way valve to reset the firing mechanism.
3. Electronic Paintball Marker
It is the most advanced type of paintball marker. Many paintball players prefer using electronic paintball markers because it does not consist of a heavy trigger frame like mechanical and pump paintball markers. Although they are easy to handle, electronic paintball markers are more expensive than other paintball markers. The working of an electronic marker differs from other types because of various advanced characteristics.
Working Of An Electronic Paintball Marker
The primary component of an electronic paintball marker is its electronic solenoid which plays a significant role in the gun’s firing mechanism. Most electronic paintball markers come with an attached 9-volt battery. As I mentioned above, the trigger frame of an electronic paintball marker differs from the trigger frame in mechanical and pump paintball markers. It is because an electronic paintball gun consists of a trigger as a micro switch or a laser beam.
To fire a paintball, all you need to do is click the trigger like a button. An electronic paintball marker consists of a circuit board that plays a vital role in controlling the commands reaching the electronic solenoid. Electronic paintball markers have three types. These types are mentioned below, along with their working process.
The first kind is an electric sear tripper that works like a mechanical paintball gun. It commands the solenoid to control the movement of a sear. The pneumatic poppet valve uses a pressure ram instead of a striker, which means this method depends on the propellant system and not the hammer. Last but not least, the spool valve consists of only one moving part bolt and is easy to maintain.
A typical working procedure of an electronic paintball marker depends on the trigger, which is present in the form of a micro switch or laser beams. When you pull the trigger, the information travels through the circuit board and reaches an electronic solenoid that can open or close quickly.
This solenoid manages the flow of the compressed gas or air. Due to the advanced characteristics, the compressed air travels faster through the barrel and propels the paintball out of the gun with more pressure and speed to enhance your shot.
Difference Between A Paintball Marker And A Normal Gun
Many people misunderstand paintball markers with regular guns. Although they might look similar, they have many differences. The most common difference between both guns is that a paintball gun uses dye-filled gelatinous paintball bullets and compressed air or gas as the propellant system. In contrast, a regular gun uses actual bullets that can cause death. Moreover, a paintball gun is lightweight and easy to handle, while a typical gun is heavy, and you can’t hold it for a long time.
Another common difference between both guns is that a paintball marker is suitable for shooting games, but you can’t use a regular gun for sports because it is dangerous. Furthermore, the shooting mechanism of both guns is slightly different depending upon their types. Many other characteristics make paintball guns different from regular guns.
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FAQs
How does a paintball shoot?
A paintball’s firing mechanism mainly depends on a trigger frame, bolt, and valve. You might know that there are three main types of paintball markers. I have mentioned all the types and their working method in the above guide to enhance your knowledge.
How do paintball triggers work?
A paintball marker’s trigger works in coordination with a sear catch. The striker or the hammer also moves back when you pull the bolt backward, and the paintball loads into the barrel. A sear catch holds the hammer backward. When you pull the trigger, the hammer strikes the valve, and the compressed gas rushes through the barrel and propels the paintball out of the gun.
What is the difference between a paintball marker and a gun?
Although a paintball marker and a regular gun might look similar, they have many differences. The most common difference between both is that a paintball marker is much safer than a typical gun because it is specifically designed for playing paintball. Moreover, a paintball marker is lightweight and uses compressed gas or air as a propellant system.
How do you load and shoot a paintball gun?
Your paintball gun’s firing mechanism depends on the type of paintball marker you are using. The basic working method of a paintball gun is to pull the bolt back to load the paintball. When you move the bolt forward, the paintball bullets load into the barrel. Now, pull the trigger to propel the paintball through the barrel.
Summary
The above guide contains all details about how does a paintball gun work. You must know that a paintball marker is an air gun that uses compressed air or gas to propel the dye-filled paintball through the barrel. There are many types and subtypes of paintball markers that work differently.
The firing mechanism of a paintball gun mainly depends on a trigger frame, bolt, and valve. I have mentioned the details of the working method of different types of paintball guns.