A paintball marker and tank.
Paintball has a popular recreational sport since the 1980s. It is usually enjoyed casually, played among a group of friends, but organized paintball tournaments are a popular way to participate in the sport. Paintball guns are referred to as "paintball markers" to distinguish paintball equipment from ordinary rifles and shotguns. Paintball markers also function differently than hard-projectile guns, using compressed gas, rather than gunpowder, to generate propulsion.
Paintballs
Surprisingly, paintballs do not contain paint. Paintballs consist of a soft gelatin coating surrounding a core mixture of vegetable oil and food coloring. The gelatin used to cover paintballs is the same type of gelatin found in jelly. Paintballs are produced by a manufacturing process similar to making vitamin capsules and beads, using much of the same equipment. Paintballs are nontoxic and biodegradable.
Paintball Marker Parts
The general framework of a paintball marker--a handle, barrel and trigger--is similar to a hard-projectile gun, but the similarities end there. In place of a clip or magazine to hold shells or bullets, a paintball marker features a large bowl-shaped feeder, also referred to as a hopper. The feeder stores unfired paintballs. A compressed-gas tank is attached to the paintball marker, supplying the marker with gas through an air line.
Propulsion Mechanics
After a paintball is fired, a new paintball drops into the marker from the feeder. The compressed gas in the tank pressurizes the marker. When the trigger is pulled, an internal hammer slides forward behind the pressurized chamber, sliding an exhaust valve into place over the chamber. The gas rushes out of the chamber and through the exhaust valve, propelling the paintball out of the barrel.
The Tank
Although carbon dioxide, or CO2, is commonly used for as the source of compressed gas, ordinary compressed air may also be used. Some paintball enthusiasts prefer compressed nitrogen to carbon dioxide, because nitrogen is a more stable element. Tank sizes vary from 4 ozs. to 20 ozs. A larger tank allows for longer play before refilling, but shouldn't increase the power of the gun. Most paintballs fire at 250 feet per second to 280 feet per second. Tournaments don't allow paintball velocities to exceed 300 feet per second.
Marker Types
Paintball markers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but generally fall into one of two basic categories. Pump-action markers require a user to manually pump between shots to reload the next paintball and reset the hammer for firing. Pump-action markers are available in pistol and rifle shapes. Semiautomatic paintball markers automatically reload a paintball and reset the hammer mechanism after a shot. These markers can be refired simply by pulling the trigger.
Tags: feet second, carbon dioxide, exhaust valve, paintball marker, paintball reset, paintball reset hammer, Pump-action markers