Paintball is a sport in which two opposing teams are equipped with paintball guns, also knows as markers, and attempt to complete a task before the opposing team. Usually these tasks are to capture the opposing team's flag or simply eliminate the entire opposing team. The inside of a paintball gun has multiple moving parts to fire the paintball out at a fast velocity.
The First Paintball Gun
The Nelspot 007 marker was the first paintball gun to be invented by the Nelspot Paint Company in 1977. However, the primary use for the marker was to mark and identify trees and cattle. They used 12 gram CO2 cartridges and the guns could only hold 10 rounds. The guns needed to be tilted so that the ball would roll into the chamber. In these times the players spent most of their time stalking the opponents and shooting was rare because of the limited ammo.
The Inside Parts
The inside of a basic paintball gun is made up of eight parts, all playing a part in firing the projectile, the paintball, through the air. The largest piece is the bolt, the closest part on the inside of the gun to the actual paintball. The inside of the gun is also made up of the main spring, the hammer, the valve seat and the cup seal. At the back end of the gun is the gas inlet, which is connected to the valve tube, which passes through the center of all the other parts.
How It Works
In order for the gun to be ready to fire, it must be properly cocked, allowing for the springs to load and the paintball to drop into the chamber. The sear, a spring-loaded latch under the hammer, is what holds the hammer in its loaded position, which in turn holds the bolt back. When the trigger is pulled, it puts pressure on the back end of the sear, releasing the hammer and the spring rapidly pushes it backwards. The hammer releases the valve tube backwards for an instant, and in this instant pressurized gas flows through to the paintball and fires it out the barrel at top speed.
Tags: opposing team, Inside Parts, into chamber, valve tube
