Who knows about paintball?

[Fritzo]

My son is getting into it. What's the best starter gun to buy? Pref. under $300. Anyone know about this stuff? Also, are the kits you see any good (comes with hopper, canister, balls, facemask, etc), or are those just things they do to get rid of their junk?

 

[jaha2000]

craigslist for sure.
Best starter guns for the price would be any of the Syder stuff or the Tippman Stuff.

For 300 bucks, you can get something pretty decent these days. I paid about that much for my eblade autococker and that thing is 10 rounds a second..

I would go cheap. If your son is getting into it cause his buddies are, it might be a short lived deal (that was the case with me)

 

[DesiPower]

He's a kid, let him figure out what he wants... just make sure hes looking at the right resources to make the decision.

 

[mizzou]

it's not the equipment that gets expensive, it's the paintballs

 

[swanysto]

Fritzo, I played competitive paintball for 8 years back in high school and college. I started with the rental gun which was an old tippman. After playing a few times I saw what other people were using and the spyder became the best economic decision for me when it came time to get my own. Obviously those guns are WAY out of date, but the scenario still applies. If he plays with a rental a few times, he will see what other kids are using and form an opinion off that. It is very easy to get suckered on some of these deal packages they have, and end up with something he doesn't like.

 

[Jeffg010]

http://www.tippmann.com/a5.aspx
Tippmann A5 is best starter gun. I love this gun. Also if your son gets into it he can add all kind of accessories to it like longer barrel, better grips, scopes, stocks ect. You will not be disappointed with a Tippmann A5.

 

[Fritzo]

Fritzo, I played competitive paintball for 8 years back in high school and college. I started with the rental gun which was an old tippman. After playing a few times I saw what other people were using and the spyder became the best economic decision for me when it came time to get my own. Obviously those guns are WAY out of date, but the scenario still applies. If he plays with a rental a few times, he will see what other kids are using and form an opinion off that. It is very easy to get suckered on some of these deal packages they have, and end up with something he doesn't like.

Thanks. It's a Christmas gift, so I can't really ask him. It's crazy how the prices vary. There's $100 guns, and there's $1500 guns. WTF?

 

[Fritzo]

http://www.tippmann.com/a5.aspx
Tippmann A5 is best starter gun. I love this gun. Also if your son gets into it he can add all kind of accessories to it like longer barrel, better grips, scopes, stocks ect. You will not be disappointed with a Tippmann A5.

Thanks. I'll take a look at it.

 

[ichy]

Tippmann used to make the best starter guns.

The really crazy expensive ones shoot paintballs at a crazy fast rate. They're basically there for people who have money to burn.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

Rent the stuff until seriousness is detected. Somewhat less liability this way as well.

 

[clamum]

My brother and I have had multiple Tippmann guns in the past and we never had a problem with them. Solidly built and great price (at least they used to be).

Unless he's playing competitively, I don't think one of those 9001 paintballs per second guns are really necessary (a good team and tactics, to me, is a better way to win). At least not just starting out with the hobby.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

it's not the equipment that gets expensive, it's the paintballs

I think this has become less of an issue in recent years.

OP, I frequent this site and it is a wealth of information:

http://www.pbnation.com/

I started a thread there a few months ago about what I should be looking for. It starts with me asking about custom anno but within the first page it turns into a good gun at a good price discussion. It is a good place to start if you know nothing:

http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=3843678


I have also been looking for a marker close to that price range and been pointed at these offers:

http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=3844039
I really like that Oil Slick DM7 in that thread ^^^

http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=3901997
Frankie's Free Flow Shocker in this thread is super badass^^^...also his Punishers Phantom pump marker is super nice for a pump.

If you do end up buying off that forum just make sure that whoever you're dealing with has plenty of feedback because there are plenty of scammers there like any other BST forum. Either way, the forum is a treasure trove of paintball information for everything from markers to local fields.

Good luck & let us know how it turns out.

 

[Fritzo]

Rent the stuff until seriousness is detected. Somewhat less liability this way as well.

He's rented the last 6 times at $20 a pop. I think he's ready for his own.

 

[Harrod]

For 300 dollars I would get a spyder, and a 16 inch barrel.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Tippmann A5 is a good marker. The main thing about it is that it is nearly indestructible, and can be upgraded to stand with some of the best markers on the market. Seriously consider buying one on craigslist, that marker is so well built that there is basically nothing that can go wrong with one that can't be fixed cheaply.

EDIT: Another thing to consider is the size of your son. The A5 is a big marker, often too big for a smaller teen. In that case I would look for something like the Invert Mini.

 

[zinfamous]

I know that it hurts like a mofo if you get nailed in the crotchal area.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

He's rented the last 6 times at $20 a pop. I think he's ready for his own.

In that case...

:awe:

 

[DrPizza]

You definitely don't need 10 shots a second. That teaches kids that quantity of paintballs is more important that skilled play. "Spray the area with paintballs and hope you get a lucky hit."

And, those paintballs get expensive pretty quickly!

 

[Anubis]

high rate of fire has its use when playing speedball, being able to suppress the other team is often a very good idea

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Here is another thread from one of the marker retailers that frequent the forums. This should give you a better idea of what you can get for your money:

http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=3903519&highlight=custom

Tippman & Spyder markers are OK for people who are playing once or twice a year but it sounds like he is really getting into it and you'd be wasting your money on those markers when you could get a Shocker or DM for around the $300 you're willing to spend.

Honestly, for a little more you could get him one of the Axe markers in that thread, which are sweet guns that, to use the paintball term, shoot tits. When I started playing you HAD to spend upwards of $1000 to get a decent semi-auto marker, but now you can get real quality markers in that $200-500 range.

Also, don't forget you will need to get him a loader, tank, mask, etc. if he does not have it already. I had a paintball Christmas in high school and it was so friggin awesome. You'll be his favorite Dad ever this Christmas if you do it right. ^_^

 

[TechBoyJK]

He's rented the last 6 times at $20 a pop. I think he's ready for his own.

That's practically the price of the Started gun someone pointed out.

 

[mizzou]

I used to play against my friend with a 10 shot stingray w/ small c02 cartridge on 30 acre woods

that was interesting times

 

[JTsyo]

http://www.tippmann.com/a5.aspx
Tippmann A5 is best starter gun. I love this gun. Also if your son gets into it he can add all kind of accessories to it like longer barrel, better grips, scopes, stocks ect. You will not be disappointed with a Tippmann A5.

I have a 98 custom and so did most of my friends. We were pretty casual and haven't gone in about 2 years. The A5 looks like a good next step. Gets my vote.

 

[Sixguns]

I have a 98 custom and the rest of the gear you would need that I will sell. Its been sitting in my closet for a few years.

 

[Josh123]

http://www.tippmann.com/a5.aspx
Tippmann A5 is best starter gun. I love this gun. Also if your son gets into it he can add all kind of accessories to it like longer barrel, better grips, scopes, stocks ect. You will not be disappointed with a Tippmann A5.

This is what I have and it's a great gun for the casual player.