Paintball is a growing sport. These miniature war games feature guns that shoot small paintballs. The balls rupture on contact and mark the hit on a competitor with splash paint. Paintball shells are made of gelatin with a nontoxic, water-soluble paint filling. All ingredients are biodegradable. Paintballs are perishable and have a limited shelf life. There are three factors that affect not only the integrity of paintball itself but also the accuracy of the "ammo" and the wear and tear on your paintball guns.
Poorly Made Paintballs
The quality of paintball ammunition is not uniformly high. Poorly made paintballs can break easily, messing up the inside of your paintball guns. They also can resist breaking and hurt when they hit you. Check with local players at paintball fields and find out where the best quality ammo can be purchased locally. Paying an extra dollar or so for well-made ammo can make a big difference in your game and may save you from a terrible fate if your ammo fails you in combat.
Old Paintballs
Paintballs have a limited shelf life. If you store them longer than about three months, even high-quality balls can degrade. Paintballs work well at most temperatures, but you should take care not to store them where there are extremes of heat. When they get too warm, the gelatin shell of the paintball can soften and the ball may become distorted or dimpled and make your shots inaccurate. A distorted paintball curves through the air when fired. Store bags of paintballs flat and flip them over every couple of days to prevent distortion.
Keep your ammo between 60 to 70 degrees if you can, even while playing. It doesn't take long to ruin a whole box of paintballs in the sun or a hot trunk. The heat can also affect the paint inside the paintballs, causing them to harden or thicken and preventing them from breaking properly when fired.
Humidity and Cold Temperatures
Paintballs do not do well when they get cold. Cold can cause the gelatin shells to develop weak spots you cannot see. Once they are degraded by the cold, there isn't anything you can do to fix them. You can't always tell if paintballs have been degraded by cold. Sometimes they can be exposed to extremes of cold in shipment to the store where you buy them. Make sure your dealer transports paintballs in a heated vehicle or trailer. If you play in the cold, only take as many paintballs as you think you will use in each game. Leave your extra ammo in a building or warm place while you play. Also avoid exposure to humid conditions. It's a good idea to keep your extra ammo in a sealed plastic box or sealable plastic bag.
Tags: degraded cold, extra ammo, have limited, have limited shelf, limited shelf, limited shelf life
