Electronic vs. Mechanical Paintball Guns
You are a die-hard paintballer and you're ready to quit renting and invest in the best paintball gun for your personal use. You are looking at mechanical options as well as electronic options and are trying to figure out which one will suit you best. The way that each of these guns shoots paintballs differs and understanding the contrasting features of each type of paintball gun will help you make the right selection for your goals.
How Do Paintball Guns Work?
Paintball guns are made to shoot paintballs at accelerated rates of speed. They accomplish this through the use of compressed air or through CO2. When you are in a heated game and you pull the trigger of your gun, the process that allows your gun to fire out the paintballs is similar across most paintball guns. A bolt will push the paintball into the barrel of the gun while, at the same time, sealing it in there. The compressed gas is released and rapidly takes up space in the barrel which in turn, shoots the paintball out.
The way that the process is executed is what makes up the differences in paintball guns. This is where the divide of choosing between the two types of guns is most present. Should you go for a mechanical paintball gun or an electronic one? An electric paintball gun will require a battery with a circuit board while a mechanical paintball gun will not. The third option is an electro-mechanical paintball gun which combines these two types of paintball guns' firing action.
Let’s explore more details about each type of gun below.
What Are the Advantages of Mechanical Paintball Guns?
The majority of semi-automatic mechanical paintball guns will use a bolt that is launched forward via spring action to get the paintball into the barrel. The bolt will then open the valve for the compressed air to come out when it hammers into a pin. During this process, the compressed air will expand, essentially blowing the bolt back to its original place. Compressed air moving the bolt back to its position is why these guns are often referred to as “blowback” guns.
The nice thing about mechanical paintball guns is that they come in an assortment of options, styles, and price ranges. You can get yourself a nice basic mechanical paintball gun at an affordable price. If you have the dough to spend more, there are precision-milled mechanical paintball guns that will run you over $1,000. In general, you are going to be able to get a mechanical paintball gun at a much more economical price than you will their electric counterparts.
The other nice thing about mechanical paintball guns is that they are going to be dependable and while you will have to clean and oil the paintball gun every so often, they are fairly low-maintenance. These paintball guns are good for those that don’t want to spend too much time with upkeep. Beginners or casual paintballers will find mechanical paintball guns much more easy to set up and disassemble. Either CO2 or compressed air will work and it is not difficult to fix a mechanical gun as replacement parts are not hard to find.
Now for the negatives. You are going to lose speed and accuracy with a mechanical paintball gun when compared to an electric option. These guns tend to be very loud and will require you to cock them before you will be able to fire. They need significantly more pressure in the tank to fire properly, so that means you will end up with fewer shots for each air tank you use.
What Are the Advantages of Electronic Paintball Guns?
A battery-powered circuit board is the engine behind how electronic paintball guns fire. When you pull the trigger, the circuit board is activated which causes the gun to shoot. Electronic paintball guns can be programmed to fire automatically in any mode you choose. Using regulators, electronic paintball guns can give you more shots per air tank because these electronic devices will discharge the air in a lower capacity with constant pressure.
Similar to mechanical paintball guns, electronic paintball guns have a nice range of options and set-ups. The performance of your gun will be influenced by the gear it uses, such as a valve or regulator, but the pluses and minuses overall for an electric paintball gun are equal.
Maintenance can vary depending on the electronic gun you choose but they will require more regular upkeep. This is also an area where electronic paintball guns show a big difference from that of mechanical paintball guns. Electronic options are more difficult to maintain and each will have their own instructions that need to be precisely followed. Additionally, they are much harder to put together and take apart. If you need a fix, it is often a complicated and involved process not easily done alone. Professional servicing is highly advised.
Electronic paintball guns are great for serious paintballers because they are consistent, accurate, and they fire with incredible speed. These effective guns are lightweight and the trigger action is smooth. For all these nice features, though, you will have to pay a hefty price. They are much harder to work with and upgrade or repair, requiring professional assistance. Because they use batteries, you have to make sure the battery is charged before getting into a game. The other consideration is that they don’t provide you the option of CO2 because these guns will run on compressed air alone.
In summary, electronic guns, like mechanical guns, have advantages and disadvantages. Depending on your wallet, your technical abilities, and how serious you are about the game, all this will help you determine which option is a better choice for your needs.
Resources— Paintball4All, How Stuff Works, Paintball Pick
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